Maguroyama

Day 12, I suppose....

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but I haven't seen it so: first makunouchi yusho for Tatsunami beya in 55 years! Almost my entire life!

I totally agree. While I can understand that people are disappointed, I think too much is being made of his "behaviour". No sportsmanship? Come on, it's a competetive combat sport. Things will happen. It must a burden to expect perfection all the time. "My favorite team won but one of the players made an ugly foul, thus the're not worthy..."

Oh good, I thought my searching skills had gone right out the window as I just couldn't find it!

Terunofuji comes to mind... he had a terrible year with big makekoshi followed by 8-7’s...

This is getting ridiculous... September: ”November will be do-or-die for him. ” November: kyujo. ”January will be do-or-die...” January: kyujo. ”March will be...” Repeat indefintely...? I say the time to cut the cord is now.

When Akebono, Takanonami and Takatoriki fought it out in the playoff in March 1994, I thought it was, well not a COMMON thing, but it was the second time I experienced a three-man playoff in the less than three years I had followed sumo, so forgive me for not thinking it would be at least 26 years until the next time it happened. IF it does happen tomorrow... As I recall, there has been a few chances for it to happen in the recent years, but it has always gone elsewise.

Glad to see Mitoizumi's deshi is making progress. I'm so sorry if this has been said before, but The Beatles predicted this sekitori's coming many decades ago: "with love from Mitoryu"...

Lovely reading as usual, but Hakuho should be green, not red, right?

Could probably find this out by some search, but too lazy... when was the last time a rikishi whose career top rank is maegashira 5 or lower won the makunouchi yusho?

Eeeh...? Reasons for kyujo do not come into demotions, only number of wins. Well, more or less. Takanoiwa will be mid-Juryo, at best. And Harumafuji's record is not a problem. He did his duty when all the others dropped out of Aki and won the yusho. The yusho number is of less significance. If he goes, it will be soley because of the scandal.

Third 11-4 yusho in makunouchi, if I'm not mistaken, first one since 1996. Great job by Haruma, who wudda thunk that after 5 days...? I'm sure someone can tell me how many times a yusho winner has had three losses after the first 5 days (I can guess...). Must be a bitter feeling for Goeido, though. He really had many chances to bag that title.

Sorry if anyone already noted this, but Juryo is quite crazy isn't it? Everyone on Juryo 1-Juryo 9 is 6-4 or 5-5 except Osunaarashi! And out of 28 rikishi only six in the entire division is NOT 6-4 or 5-5. How often does that happen?

Even in the midst of the joy about yokozuna Kisenosato, I can't overlook the terribility that is ozeki Terunofuji... In the last year he has scored 8-7, 2-13, 8-7, 4-11, 8-7, 4-11. Those of you who are better than me at checking stats: has any ozeki in the 6-basho-a-year-era ever "managed" 56 losses in any 6-basho period? And has anyone ozeki ever had three double-digit make-koshi in a year? I think not, but these are things one wants to know. The craziest thing is that he's still ozeki!

On the other end of the table - most wins that is - we have Kisenosato winning the "title", without winning a single yusho during the year. I cannot find any example of this happening after 1970. Has it ever happened?

Very very sad today. Chiyo's retirement was what started my interest in sumo and when I later saw some Channel 4 documentaries featuring "The Wolf", there was no doubt - he was The One. As strong as he was and with all the physical obstacles he overcame, I really didn't think we'd be having this thread as early as 2016...

A looong time ago, my young children referred to the gyojis as "The Yadata Man". In my family we always quoted it as "taraga-taraga-taragatta!".

Maguroyama wants to play! Refioji possible, but if those positions are filled, I'm happy to step aside!

Did anyone notice that Hakuho tied the all-time record for most wins as yokozuna? 670, along with Kitanoumi. Had he won on senshuraku he would have beaten it too. But will in March, of course. Kaio's record of makunouchi wins is also very close... And we have 5 different yusho winners in the last 5 basho! Who would've thunk that a year ago? Last time it happened was in 2000, if my very quick check was correct.

The bottom five rikishi on the East side in Juryo are all 7-7, looks quite strange! On the West side, all but one (who is 9-5) of the bottom five are 8-6.

"Goeido not exactly regular 10-win material"... understatement of the day. He's not even regular 9-win material! I would not have thought he was going to be this bad as ozeki, he's barely got a positive record at the rank, 61-58. He deserved a demotion.

Ok... that was confusing. "Everyone" lost, including Harumafuji. Who thus won... To think that Shohozan was just a win away from a yusho playoff... And of course the embarrassing ozeki keeps his rank. I really think a kadoban ozeki should be demanded to win 10. Which Goeido never has done as ozeki...

Please, let's not beat about the bush. Tell me something about ex-Chiyonofuji's health. Kitanoumi's death was a terrible shock, Kokonoe's would be 10 times that...

Thank you for the pictures, thanks for all the tears they're bringing...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no... oh, just too sad. Not Kita. Not now. Not this young. Not as active rijicho. Not... Kita. Can they all just stop dying so young!?