just_some_guy

I expect he bounces from low-to-mid Maegashira with an occasional joi appearance, but I don't see him returning to the Mitakeumi of old.

This depends on if you mean overall usage or per-capita usage. Example: Hikiotoshi numbers (as in total instances) are pretty similar on this list between Makuuchi, Makushita, Sandanme, and Jonidan, but if you consider the fact that Makuuchi has much fewer rikishi than those others, the likelihood of seeing a Hikiotoshi in a Makuuchi match is far greater. If you wanted to math it out you'd do [number of occurrences of the kimarite] / [number of wrestlers in the division in question] to get the per-capita usage of each one. So in our Hikiotoshi example, 18 Hikiotoshi / 42 makuuchi rikishi = around 0.42 usages of it for each Makuuchi rikishi in this basho. Makushita (next most frequent): 17 / 120 = 0.14 per rikishi this basho. You could then do this over a great many basho and to find out what gets used most at each division. If you enjoy tedious data entry and math stuff, that is. You probably already knew this but I was sort of typing as a method of thinking out loud so I'll leave it here for anyone who cares.

Terunofuji and Atamifuji are from the same stable, so they're only meeting if it's a yusho playoff. Given you've predicted three wins for Tommy Fuji you either forgot this or are expecting a wild year of sumo As to my own predictions I'll say kinboshi to Gonoyama, Abi, and Wakamotoharu. Only expecting Terunofuji to participate in maybe 2 basho before retiring.

Everyone's saying Takakeisho can forget the tsuna but there's no one in front of him who I trust not to fumble a yusho. It would be unusual indeed for an Ozeki to be denied promotion after consecutive yushos, even if this one is 12-3 or (gods forbid) another 11-4. The odds are against him but I'm not comfortable yet.

Pretty much Hokuseiho's usual sumo. At risk of being elected president of the Hokuseiho Anti-Fan Club, if he were Hakuoho's height he never would've cleared Sandanme.

The two parts above that I have put in bold are confusing me.

I think I was looking at the previous basho's banzuke. Oops.

Am I crazy or is Kagayaki missing from the list?

According to Wikipedia, Nishikido stable only has one active rikishi (Mitoryu). I've heard there are others with similarly low numbers (though maybe not THAT low). How does that work? I know he goes to other stables to get some practice in, but what about the day-to-day operations? Is it just poor Meatball wandering the empty halls like a big squishy ghost? Does he have to cook everything himself? Order Uber eats? Who maintains the stable? Is the funding they get from having one sekitori enough to stay open? Why don't they get some more wrestlers in there or if they're not planning on having a normal amount, just combine with someone else?

Good news: Accidentally picking Nishikifuji instead of Nishikigi in UDH affected me not at all. Bad news: I still did horribly.

Are we doing next basho's ridiculous predictions already?

He's the most bearable of the English bunch, I'll give you that. Many of the others sound like English isn't their first language, which I obviously don't fault them for but it often seems like they're searching their mind for the correct word which results in awkward pauses and a play-by-play that's about 3 seconds behind the action.

...and Goeido never won more than 12 til he pulled a zensho out of his arse, and Tokushoryu never won more than 11 until he ran off 14 for a yusho, and... I agree that it's unlikely but as a major anti-fan of Takakeisho I'm still terrified. In other news, everyone's talking about Tommy Fuji like he choked and yeah, maybe a little. But in my unprofessional opinion he's just still learning to deal with the pressure. He's young and his first Makuuchi basho was sort of a disaster. To be in a yusho playoff in his second is a heck of an improvement. I think his future is bright; he might just take longer than he should to realize his potential (like Shodai, but hopefully with a better ending).

Woo!

This was his major selling point for me as well. The English commentary is awful, all of it. Maybe the Japanese is too but at least then I don't know what they're saying so it's more of an atmospheric "excited man in background" thing.