Haidouzo

7-man GBL in Bench for my second perfect day, and 2-1. Wins all around, except for ISP and Odd. Good times. GANBARIMASU

Well, that was a step down. From 14-7 on day 1 in Bench to 2-7 on day 2. Out in Chaingang. Couldn't get the win in Quad even with two fusen wins. Slipped in Toto and TTT. At least I managed another tiebreak win in SG, and balanced out the score in ISP. (Also another winning pick in TUG, but everybody else probably had one, also.) GANBARIMASU

Fantastic day 1. 14-7 win in Bench, and even kept my preferred komusubi. Wins everywhere but ISP and Odd, and marginally below average in DST. Even got a golden bonus in TUG. If I hadn't made it up to komusubi in SG, it would have been one more kinboshi, but I'll happily take the direct 1-0 lead in the Baka Cup, regardless. GANBARIMASU

I am here. Only two goals: Keep 2nd place in Masters for the year, and keep the Baka Cup off the continent. GANBARIMASU

A heck of a lot of split jun-yushos. I'll take it! Stopped the bleeding in Bench at 7-8, so I should still be safe in the high double digits of maegashira. Squeezed in a three-way tie for 9th in DST, for a conveniently round 1 point. 36th of 184 in ISP may well bring me up and out of Juryo. A convenient senshuraku win in Odd propelled me to 16th, which I will hope will at least move me happily higher up in makuuchi. Couldn't get it going in Quad in the end (at all), but 27th of 70 will surely keep me at sekiwake. Three-way tie for the Toto yusho, at 12-3. I have no idea how the tiebreak works now, but seeing the trend here (and seeing I'm only 2nd of the three in total points and 3rd of three in risk factor), I'm guessing I've split the jun-yusho. 11 points. Split jun-yusho at 11-4 in SG after being much too far behind in total points. Another 11 points. Gained some ground on the last day in TTT for a 4-way jun-yusho split at a raw 8-7. 9 points. Even nabbed the (lone!) jun-yusho in TUG. There may be a surprise for me somewhere in a pre-basho game, but I'm doubting it. 32 points feels like the strong end of the normal scoring range of a Machine basho. (Three jun-yusho is probably exceptional, though!) Thank goodness *it* doesn't get ear infections. Now to try to remember to throw in a GTB entry before the deadline for once. And maybe try to update my data earlier than the Saturday before the first day of matches. GANBARIMASU

Also, on day 14--quite possibly the greatest two-day conclusion to the Baka Cup, with another tiebreak win for me on the fifth rikishi (when I would have lost on the sixth). Expect the Cup in the post soon!

With 2 winning rikishi on each of our squads, I squeaked out a 4-3 win to slow the bleeding in Bench for 6-8 and (at M11) I would imagine ensuring I'll remain in makuuchi. A strong day in DST puts me 2 points away from 10th place. Started off better in ISP but 9-5 isn't going to cut it this time. I'll need a very big payoff in Odd to see any points. My year of glory in Quad seems long past now, but 6-8 looks like I should be okay for banzuke-KK. 3-WAY TIE (ALONGSIDE THE PANDA) FOR TOTO YUSHO! 5-WAY TIE FOR SG YUSHO! (But, as already calculated, I really can't possibly do better than a jun-yusho, with a win tonight.) Too many late slips in TTT. 8-way tie for 3rd right now. I'm not expecting anything from the pre-bashos, but Salarycap sometimes comes through for me regardless. GANBARIMASU

The bout of the basho up in the Baka Cup, where our 9-9 tie is broken on the fifth rikishi (and my loss was on the sixth rikishi), for a challenging (for Simon) 7-6 lead for me. In contention in multiple daily games. Good times. GANBARIMASU

Back inside the top 10 in Quad, in a massive tie for 8tth. A fantasic 9-3 in Toto for a 3-way tie for 4th, one behind the leading group. 4-way tie for 3rd in TTT behind the lone yusho leader and lone jun-yusho leader. FINALLY got a hit in Odd--now to win at least one more (and more likely two more) to make it up to the points. Also killed it in SG for a 5-way tie for 3rd, one win behind the leaders, and equalizing the Baka Cup to 6-6. GANBARIMASU

Sadly slipped in Toto and TTT, but still only one win behind in Toto, and easily top 10 in TTT (and SG). GANBARIMASU

Thanks, mate. Lucky for me, the Machine is immune to illness, and is not rattled by a wacky Aki!

Win some, lose some, some points possibilities, my head is killing me. GANBARIMASU

Moving along. (Sick today. More tomorrow.) GANBARIMASU

Slipped in TTT to tie for 4th. Still rolling for the Toto jun-yusho at 7-1. 5-3 in SG to tie inside the top 10, but lost the tiebreak in the Baka Cup for (I believe) a 5-3 lead in that, too. Also in a large tie for 11th in Quad at 4-4. GANBARIMASU

Whoops. Count me in for next year, eh?

Fair enough. That just returns it to being an inexplicably poor showing, relative to most of my other dailies so far!

Except for Bench (where Hakuho's loss is irrecoverable, now 2-5) and maybe Quad (3-4), it's a pretty great basho in the dailies so far. I believe it's now 5-2 in the Baka Cup after my inexplicable head-to-head record against the Panda grows in my favor once again. Tied for jun-yusho with 6-1 in Toto. Tied for the yusho with 4-3 in TTT. GANBARIMASU

Crazy day, but got my only win where I would have wanted it the most: Toto. For 5-1, and a tie for third. GANBARIMASU

4-1 in the Baka Cup! And TTT (for a five-way tie for the yusho)! A three-win streak in Quad for 3-2! Pretty nice compensations for having Hakuho in most games. GANBARIMASU

3-1 in the Baka Cup!! 10-way tie for the yusho in TTT!!!! GANBARIMASU

Absolute devastation delivered in the Baka Cup, for a glorious 2-1 lead. (Also 3-0 in Toto.) GANBARIMASU

Recovery win in ISP. Losses in Bench (thanks, Hakuho--and then I ran into a perfect day), SG (tiebreak for 0-2), Quad and Odd. But now 1-1 in the Baka Cup. Also won in TTT and somehow 2-0 in Toto. GANBARIMASU

Alive in Chaingang, killed it in Bench, and keeping things rolling in Toto. Otherwise, it was a horrible start. GANBARIMASU

Another basho, another last-minute data update and mass entry. GANBARIMASU

In the dailies, it's pretty much 7-8 everywhere but DST (6-9), TTT (8-7), Quad (9-6--one short of points), a clear KK in Odd, and the inevitable senshuraku collapse in Toto for a large 7.5-point jun-yusho split. Thankfully, some pleasant surprises in the pre-bashos. 7th in Hoshitori for 4 points. Tied for 8th in NC for 2.5 points. 3rd place in Salarycap after day 14 but hellifino where I'll land. 3rd would be a lovely 10 points. So, a definite 14 points, and perhaps 10 more, which would make (I think) a fairly good basho for me. GANBARIMASU