Benevolance

Considering that he made ozeki without getting the required 33 wins, I'm pretty sure he can make yokozuna with something less than the required best effort.

Woah, woah. Myogiryu hasn't even made ozeki yet. The yokozuna talk is a little premature. ;-)

I love Chiyotairyu's interviews. He doesn't stick to the typical canned responses.

Aoiyama didn't show up for his match against Kotooshu, either, but he was present. Can we still that down as MIA?

Is he slapping, like, the protruding belly? Or is he striking at the trunk, like a boxer?

Didn't Kise's beya finally agree to start going to degeiko recently? Maybe getting to beat up on someone other than Takanoyama was what Kisenosato needed?

This photo here totally makes it look like Hakuho pimp-slapped Kotooshu into submission. "Bitch better have my kensho!"

Great, demote him AND break him in one bout. Kotooshu can't fight the little guys. I'm less certain that HMF will lose to either Kise or Hak. Do you think it's likely because he's not in the yuusho race, or because Hak and Kise could genuinely beat him? Against Hak, I'd see it go either way, but I don't see Kise normally being an obstacle for HMF.

Yesterday earlier in the day, I think in sandanme, one of the wrestlers had wrapped his knee poorly and it came undone during the fight. And, naturally, he stepped on it and slipped, thereby losing his bout. The east shimpan gave him a long lecture as he stepped off the dohyo, and then ex-Terao appeared to give him another lecture before letting him wander off down the tunnel in shame... I haven't seen the shimpan talk to the wrestlers much after their bouts, particularly not while the next one is starting, so it caught my attention. Edit: It was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vap2T3BjkaU&list=PL3oHIWgGXp-8W2amS7zy1MbN_qVAf1XdZ'>Shibahara vs Rikishin.

Hakuho probably faces kise on friday, Haru on Saturday? Kise has looked really, really good. Like an actual contender. And with the way Harumafuji has been fighting, I think we'll get to see another epic yokozuna bout on senshuraku.

Kise is fighting much better this tournament. If he'd fought like this a couple years ago, he could have legitimately made ozeki. :D

Watching the Art of Sumo videos that Araibira posted, I was surprised to see that Kaio could actually fight. I'd just assumed he was a Kotooshu-type character. But I only ever watched Kaio the last three or four years of his career when he'd hit 8 wins in a tournament and stop trying, so my view on him is a bit coloured.

Ex-Chiyonofuji does look like he could still step into the ring at a moment's notice... I doubt that Kokonoe has to scout much. If you're an aspiring and talented young sumo rikishi, and you have the opportunity to apprentice under a Japanese ex-yokozuna of Kokonoe-oyakata's stature, are you going to pass that up? If you're stablemates are likewise talented, then that pushes up the bar that everyone aspires to, and suddenly you have a flood of top-division rikishi.

Deja vu. Didn't this happen the same time last year? Someone who bothers me at the starting line more than Kise is Akiseyama. He lines up and does his little fist/bicep squeeze-prayer thingy, then pretend tap and charge. But since the other guy is lined up and typically signalled his readiness before Akiseyama, it's never a matta. I mean, Akiseyama needs all the leverage he can get to win, but it still irritates me.

No detailed banzuke results for specific tournaments or video links for Raiden? Colour me disappointed.

That may be, but Hakuho taking the yusho is as close to a sure thing as you can get. :)

I think Baruto possesses more ozeki qualities than the current crop of ozeki. He's not looking as tentative on his knee as the previous basho, and his day 2 win was more convincing than day 1. Assuming that he doesn't make the knee worse, I can see him getting back to ozeki.

We've had a similar problem in the past, same setup with Win 7 and WMP 12. Sometimes, if you watched a previous basho live stream, it'll somehow remember the wrong link when you launch windows media player, even when you're clicking on the new link. Delete your browser cookies, then retry. That usually works for us.

I thought it was nice of him not to shove Kitataiki off backwards onto the shimpan, though he could have. At least, that's what it looked like he was trying to do, getting Kitataiki to step left or right instead of straight backwards.

Brief aside...it's weird clicking on the 1999/2000 results and seeing Kyokutenho in basically the exact same banzuke spot as he is now...

What is the point of the additional reflectors? Back up feeds? The reflectors show the same video stream as the primary link posted on the goo sumo site, right?

I'd like to take a moment and thank the NSK for single-handedly saving the BC pulp and paper industry. Without your generous consumption, we'd have to cut down less trees. Aren't Kimura Shoji and Kimura Kichijiro the guys that sit ringside and narrate the juryo/makuuchi dohyo iri?

I hope that Ikioi manages a better showing this tournament. I have a standing bet with my wife that Ikioi will hit Sanyaku before Chiyotairyu that I'd rather not lose... 22-10 with Okinoumi isn't bad; Okinoumi is no slouch. Ikioi needs a little more training, a little less singing boat tours this time around.

I'm not sure if it's the translations or what, but in all his interviews for the past three bashos, Giku sounds like a Bumpity Bump Ball of Sorrow. I get that he and his fiancee split, but I'd expect a little more mental fortitude from an ozeki.

The sumdb has 178.8 listed as his highest weight, for what it's worth. I also noticed he's been shrinking for the last few years. Gravity is a harsh mistress.