maorencze

Didn't Kakuryuu mention sometime last week that he feels the end is near?

But it's not elevated and doesn't have weirdly dressed middle-aged guys sitting around instead of referees, so not the same...

That's natural, they have no dohyo!

Grasshopper-like bug What a basho: No 2S+4K or 3S+3K January for me sad, very sad, as the result goes, we might very well see 8-man sanyaku next basho if Abi stays at Komusubi Old guys (with Hakuho being a standard-bearer for elder statesmen in their 30s) are STILL better than most young guns, not many good ones under 27yrs of age, certainly less than there are guys in their 30s; given that, I don't see the change of guards being as imminent as I presumed around Aki 2018. Shame on me for such a bold prediction! And, of course, shame on 20-somethings for not being up to it (just yet). Let's see what Abi, Asanoyama, Hokutofuji and Takakeisho (maybe still even Mitakeumi) can do next yr Ishiura! Lies! Subterfuge! Mind tricks and SFX! Who are you, crafty little beast of technique, and what have you done with our beloved henka-ing muscular midget! No gino-sho, but that's obviously because NSK wants to set up an investigation committee for this alien-ish body switch Terunofuji!!!! Kotoshogiku Last thought based on going through the videos of all his Makuuchi appearances - Enho, guy getting some serious flak for his tachiai, is actually going straight-on in about a third of his bouts, with submarine-charge in other third, so I would say that given his bouts ending with belt-throw or straight push-out about 80-90% of the time, he's definitely worthy of M5-M10 region. Don't see the issue here, there are guys twice as large with worse tachiai habits than Enho, none of them getting such a bad rap

I say - we'll see in 5 years does he have IT? Not sure, maybe so if he improves, still got time to grow. But as of now, I myself don't see it, though for a first visit at this level he definitely performed great.

Agreed, and it's really sad. Old, tired, bruised, battered, hurting, limping Hakuho (you know, the guy that's only vaguely resembling the GOAT-Hakuho from 2010-2015) is still better than anyone on banzuke when healthy enough to compete.

Ishiura? Gino-sho?

Well, it seems that lower sanyaku is his ceiling (single digit KKs and somehow even this looks difficult for him), and such guys never get enough respect - I don't get why so, to hold onto such a position for mupltiple tournaments of KK is a prized achievement in it's own right. And to think Abi is only 25yrs old, who knows where his record might stand in 10yrs!

Daieisho is 8-6, so if he wins he's a sure sanyaku, K at least such fun!

Four! Please sumo god, help us all and make it four K!

Oh boy, such fun! Mitakeumi, Daieisho and Endo just must win tomorrow! Let's make this banzuke great again! :-D Yaaaay!

If I looked correctly, that would be a first, not promoting Ms10 with 7-0Y. Then again, circumstances really complicate things for Terunofuji, odds are a bit against him, especially given his weak-ish schedule (if they take sumo quality into consideration, which they - NSK - do, this might be THE straw that breaks the promo-camel's back)

With how the results are looking, this could be interesting. If Daieisho finishes 9-6 he HAS to be promoted, never in history (if my query was correct) was M1e NOT promoted with this result. And if Endo gets to 8-7 and Mitakeumi wins at least one more, we might have 4 komusubi again, if not 3 sekiwake and 3 komusubi (especially with Mitakeumi finishing 8-7, which is unlikely but possible). What an interesting time/era to be a sumo fan!

I guess Mitakeumi's sight is impaired by the damage received, and that limits his oshi ability - to strike properly you need to be able to land, and with only one eye properly working one's depth/distance perception is completely thrown off, meaning the precision when trying to strike is lost. When you grab the belt though, this problem is instantly negated, so... :-) easy choice for him Chiyomaru was so overwhelming in that bout, he fully deserved that win. Sadanoumi was shinitai for sure

Upper sandanme would be a blessing in disguise. Lower makushita to upper makushita is too big a step given all Teru's issues and lengthy absence. Would be much better for him to do "top sandanme - mid makushita - top makushita", because he could easily stick to mid-makushita for 1-2 more basho, get enough practice and get back. All in all I believe in him. Someone sooooo talented and blessed with such a body doesn't simply lose it (if not for debilitating injury), it just takes very long to get most of it (though most likely not all of it) back. For reference from other sports, see Grant Hill (NBA) - superstar to reliable starter is a dropoff, but not that big, akin to Ozeki to mid-maegashira.