Sue

12 makuuchi basho on the way up plus 21 on the way back down, topping out at Sekiwake -- that qualifies our hypothetical "KK first half of his career, MK second half" rikishi to buy a kabu when he finally goes intai at the end of those 17 years, doesn't it?

Do the experience and number of different winners numbers count as of the beginning or end of the basho? Kotoshogiku's intai should affect the total of both, unless you're not counting him as intai until the next banzuke comes out.

He gets a "deer in the headlights" look on his face, visibly gives up, and gets easily shoved out. That's what I mean by "checking out." When he's on, he's Akebono; when he's off, he's Hattorizakura.

When he actually brings his A game, he's a monster. It's getting him to bring his A game, and not check out completely, that's the trick.

Yutakayama went all the way out the hanamichi a few days ago. (Good job to YY for salvaging a 6-9 after that awful start he got off to, by the way.)

No, I'm finding this basho fascinating. I just tend not to post when I don't have anything interesting to say.

If Yutakayama could ever get consistent about finishing his wins when he's almost won, he'd be laughing his way to a KK. As it is, he's in trouble.

They're out for injuries, not for coronavirus.

The makuuchi yusho will take an extra week to decide, due to delays in results from mail-in matches.

Isn't Hattorizakura's stable the one where the oyakata takes in troubled youth? It may be that the heya is the one stable place in his life, and he has nowhere else to go. I could imagine him becoming the chanko-ban at some point, and sticking around to set records for losses in a career.

Thanks again, @Sakura, for doing this! This thread (and @Asashosakari's in past bashos) is one of my favourite regular features.

And now I can say this with no trace of irony: congratulations to the next Ozeki, Shodai.

The ugly start to the basho probably meant that already, alas.

I've made a lot of "Next Ozeki Shodai" jokes in the years when he struggled. Might that actually be true now?

Zero positive COVID-19 tests.