Sue

Lucky Arawashi. I haven't been able to have a haircut in over a year.

The NHL could build arenas sized for the larger international rink size, which results in a better game of hockey, but they don't. (Or put the international rink in existing arenas.) Money speaks louder than minor improvements in play.

It wouldn't make the NSK happy, because that would eliminate a good number of the most expensive paid seats.

I'm pretty sure that the dohyo is, in fact, flat.

Just so long as the Yokozuna iwashi doesn't taste like a Yokozuna mawashi....

Hatsu basho, hatsu yusho?

We won't actually know for a couple of weeks whether nothing actually happened; if the basho turned out to be a superspreader event, it wouldn't necessarily be evident yet.

Juryo has been hit hard by COVID-19 absences, and there's a critical shortage of valid opponents down there; I think Daishomaru has already faced most or all of them. Daishomaru might be up just to have an opponent. I'd still encourage Tokushoryu to win that match, though -- 3-12 means nine places, which would mean M17 for him (plus or minus banzuke luck), and it's not safe to count on M17 existing next basho.

Why get Japanese citizenship if not to stay in the Kyokai?

I'm guessing that it's the usual joi hangover, and that he'll do better the next time he's up in the joi.

A typical Ozeki schedule puts the hard matches at the end of the basho. A tsuna-contending Ozeki absolutely should be taking care of business against the joi for the first half of the basho, and should be involved in the yusho arasoi most of the time until the really hard matches get going. Expecting TK to beat up M1 through M5 again, and be in the yusho conversation, for yet another basho, is a reasonable ask.

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.