robnplunder

Not a Teppanyaki owner? Some afterthought, tongue in cheek: The lone spectator who threw a zabuton at you-know-who on 15th day deserves a Kanto-sho. Even a bad basho has some drama of its own. Shimpans nearly stole the show. Is there any techie among us who can hack Eikokurai computer so that he can consistently watch basho from the world's largest communist nation?

He looked better than his last basho and could have easily gone 7-0 albeit against mid-sandanme opponents. Against lower Makushita opponents, I hardly think he'd go 6-1 again.

I feel terrible for him. It must be infuriating to him as well.

I don't think he can help it. Rather, I would have advised him to keep it sweet and short. How hard is it to say, "upon further review, Tochishin's heel touched down first?" He should practice that in front of a mirror every day.

I said that a year ago in this forum and Hak (whom I don't really like) went on to win 2 zensho yusho. I think he just wanted to spite me for my insolence. Hak has been declining but the fact that he still is the one to beat says 1) a lot of about Hak, and 2) more about the rest. When Hak is not in session, anyone can get the yusho which may be fun & exciting for many but it also means there is no one in waiting to replace the likes of Hak (Kak, Haruma, Kise for that matter). It's rule by committee when Hak & Kak intai. Maybe, Takakeisho or Tochinoshin but the former is unproven, and the latter is too injury prone (and getting hold himself).

Not now. Maybe a few years later. Until then, Hak will get his share of yusho. The guy went zensho yusho in his last two yusho. He'd gotten another yusho in between if he didn't get injured. He went 40-4 (including 1 fusen pai) in that span. So, when Hak is healthy, he is still invincible.

Hak can win more than a few given the current situation. Simply put, there aren't anyone good enough to challenge "aging" Hakuho. The young Yokuzuna hopefuls seem to be at least a few years away from maturing into dethroning Hakuho - a rikishi in his mid 30s. So, we will see a few more years of Hak getting his shares of yusho and other random rikishi getting a yusho here and there.

I didn't boycott. I just had too many other things to watch around that time, like KLPGA golf & Baduk (Go game in Japanese). Asanoyama vs Tochi disaster gave me an excuse to watch my other loves. And the yusho race was over on day 14 ....

It was either that or watch "you-know-who" to steal the spotlight on 15th day ... . I promise to watch all 15 days of the next basho. Having retired, I can stay up as early (2 am) as I want and whenever I want. Getting old sucks but it has its advantage.

I don't know about that but I know Mitakeumi is good at beating the yusho winner.

I intentionally skipped watching the last two days. BTW, no one talks about it b/c it happened to Daieisho. He was robbed of a win by bad judging and finished the basho with 7-8. It cost him a chance to be a sanyuku for the 1st time. He's a young kid and hopefully, he will come back stronger in the next basho.

If you think this was a good basho, it can only get better. As for me, this basho was sub-par and left a foul taste in my mouth.

He had tough match ups after he got his 7th win, and then the injury sealed his MK. Still, it was a very successful Makuuchi debut. Can he consistently repeat this kind of performance and stay in Makuuchi? That is the question. Also, I am glad to see Terunofuji going 6-1. He may return to Makushita as early as the next basho. He will face tougher challenge. What I have seen so far, he won't make it to Makuuchi in his current form & progress. Age is on his side as he is only 27 years old.

Chuckle. There is no justice and Kotoeko shoots up to M13!

I don't like henkas when done by Sanyuku members. But it's legal and almost all rikishi uses it. Even so, Aoiyama's henka against Takakeisho was done in poor taste. He probably could have beaten the injured Takakeisho without henka. Tochi's henka was more understandable but that doesn't make it any better than Aoiyama's. Once you give excuses to henkas done by Sanyuku, injured or not, there is no reason to pretend ozumo is a noble, traditional sport. It's a sport just like any others whose participants are trying win at all cost (or anyway one can).