Kotoku

What Kintamayama said... unfortunately, ain't nobody in the stands... Tq

Old Davey has left Japan for his retirement home. He had a good run here. I'll miss him for sure. We hated each other the first few years, Dave's a bit on the paranoid side. But over the last 16 years, we have been great buddies, and have shared more than a few laughs. Dave's a terrific guy, knows a million funny stories and I hope he enjoys his new life... actually, I give him six months and he will be bored out of his skull! Tq

The match was made before his opponent was injured. So there is no need to think it is a fix. As mentioned above, beat the yokozuna, get the prize. Personally, I hate this guy's sumo, but what the heck...

Doesn't matter if he ends up in Jonokuchi -- he'll be back. But -- and I think he is just great -- if he does not learn to get down at the tachiai and keep his sumo within himself, he is going to continue to get hurt. That would be a major bummer, cause he seems to be a great guy with a lot of promise.

Yeah but tht was a super body slam... oh wait! Maybe it's a different sport...

http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/11578006..._Out_of_Someone Still laughing...

The was a big push in the early 90s to get some order at the tachiai, with dire threats of fines and etc by the powers that be. Takanohana had a terrible time. In earlier days, even in late Showa, many matches started with the guys just lunging at each other and screw the tachiai. The main point was to sync up with your opponent. But in the case of yesterday's match, I thought it was a matta, but YMMV and no problem.

They do get the pretty girls though...

He hadn't put both hands on the clay. It was a matta, pure and simple.

You need to do more keiko... -L- British, sumimasen...

Went to soken for the first time in six years. Same place, same crew it seems and really about the best way to see sumo, period. A friend of mine who works for the Daily Yomiuri, Clyde and myself were the only honkies in the stands. Baruto and Ama were the big news. Both looked great. Baruto beat Asashoryu 4/5 times, he was a load. Ama could be the next Terao if he can gain a few more kilos. He was downright mean on the keikoba. The European rikishi all have bad tachiai. Baruto 100% looks left and up off the shikirisen, bringing his body up. Roho looks down and leans too far forward. Kokkai gets gun-shy, putting him at a disadvantage from the start. Baruto-zeki, study rikishi with good tachiai! You were GREAT to watch today, but that tachiai is gonna get you in trouble, until you get some variation it it. When you lost today, it was at the start. Aki Basho is the hardest to predict, because everyone is coming back from overseas jungyo. You cannot really get a true read on who is in good condition. But I'll go out on a limb and say it is Asashoryu in an uninspired 12-3, Hakkuho and Baruto at 11-4. Pass the squid snacks...

I'm in deep doo-doo, cause this was supposed to be on the Q-T, and I forgot. Don't hate me Davey, I just know your fans -- including me -- wil miss you! :- )

Let me know if someone translates that into English...

Hey, James is a Brit! And you need to learn to put your punctuation within the quotes.... darn British act as if they invented the friggin' language! That's a joke son, ya'all hear? -L-

Hey James-san, izzat you that works at Yomiuri???

A few things... lower ranked Maegashira do not participate, unless for a special reason. Chiyotaikai tends to avoid these things, but his Oyakata usually shows up and stands in the back -- but not this time. Baruto's ankle may require surgery. It's not that the other (Japanese) rikishi are timid. There is usually a lot of pre-soken arranging as to who works out with who. Baruto did a few matches at the beginning, then hung around, cause he knew the yokozuna wanted to work with him. Asashoryu has a terrible cold, everyone is tired from going to Taiwan to do hanna sumo. Roho has a terrific smile, his whole face lights up. He and Hakuho worked through it no problem. The Sumo "sea" is a lot deeper than it looks from outside -- trust me on that one.

In Britain, they will throw yer ass in jail if you don't pay up for the BBC... NHK is boring, stupid and venal. The news is pathetic, it is either manipulated or worthless. Don't get me started. But we like the local NHK guy. He'ds been collecting from my Japanese family for 40 years. He's older than dirt, and a nice old fart...

Dumber than a bag a hammers, this one... -L- Thomas Edward William O'Quinn direct from 1840s Strokestown famines to the shores of old Edo by way of the U-S-A...

Saw this on teevee. It was at my stomping grounds -- Morishita.

Okay, let's clear some things up. Tachiai: Don't look down. Period. Watch this guy. He is looking at the shikiri-sen, even when he is well past it. His de-ashi is too far forward, much as the gentleman above noticed in comparing him to Tosanoumi -- a guy by-the-way I've liked from the start. Manners: again, as above, you bow when you come up dohyo, and again when you leave if you have just lost. Period. And not some little head shrug. You can pose and posture all you want at the shikiri, but once you are done, that's it. Back in the day, rikishi invariably said "I dunno" when asked how they won. Like most combat sports, it is all reaction and preparation. The Hesei Era has seen a real loss in manners, from the eki to the dohyo, and all points in between. It is a lot worse when it is mixed in with a self-pitying attitude. Poor gaijin me, no mono-ii, the police checked my bicycle boo-hoo-hoo... You can bet he isn't gonna get the benefit of the doubt if he keeps that up. Cleanliness: I also have a heavy beard. I have shaved every day since I was 14. I think better technique and a more sincere attitude towards keiko will go much farther to improving one's sumo, than ditching the Gilette, but YMMV. Last, the company he keeps: From my own experience, I would be surprised indeed if he hangs out with guys in Waste Management. In general, they don't usually associate with hakku-jin, and especially anyone even remotely connected to Russia or its old satellites. But I could be wrong, hell things change. And to Baruto-zekkei. Serious here, if sumo gets old, and you are still under 30, you should look into American Football. You would be a tremendous nose tackle, make a pile of $$$ and no doubt be a huge star off the gridiron. I'd miss your sumo, and my wife would miss your smile. Just a thought. With your size, and willingness to kick ass, you might find playing for the Green Bay Packers a whole lot of fun! :- )

This guy needs to either wise up or go home. First, his lack of cleanliness. He comes up on the dohyo with a three-day stubble, looks absolutely terrible. Now that he has a decent kachikoshi, all of his bully-boy crap comes out... the posturing at shikiri, the lack of any humility or grace. He lost his match because he has the worst tachiai in makanouchi -- straight ahead, face first and eyes down. He completely screwed up, clearly lost and then pisses and moans after the decision. Just a bunch of eye rolling and glaring, no bow and a lot of poor-me. This is not what sumo is about. And I see it all the time from him. At least buy a friggin' razor -- he looks like Bluto from Popeye and Olive Oil. Sorry, but this guy really gets on my nerves...

There is a world of difference in attitude, and desire when it comes to Asashoryu and Hakuho. My wife loves the yokozuna. He's the first top gun she has admired since she was a kid and listened to Taiho on NHK as he cleaned up the dohyo, while her and her granny made dinner. She has a couple of cousins in Kumamoto in the "waste disposal business" that visit us once a year when they do the annual trip to Yasakuni... -L- They have that same look in their eyes that Asa has... and when the get to drinking sho-chu, they are funny as hell, like a couple of pit bulls with a beach ball :- 0 I think Asashoryu -- if he keeps his mind clear, and isn't hurt -- is one of a half-dozen greats in the past century. But then I though Baruto would go 13-2, so what do I know? And Super Sumo Fan, thanks for what you do. I had a bunch of friends from the Corps, when I did the show. We'd met once every Tokyo Basho for years. Great guys. One of them left, and returned to civilian life. Was managing a Costco, said screw it, re-upped and is doing some sort of quartermaster gig. Your speling is fine, and considere the sorce... -L- G#d bless you... :- )

You'll be fine, but you are gonna have to get lower at the tachiai with your head still up. Takanonami had a horrible tachiai, and still was a great ozeki. Don't let them get under your arms, or you're toast. The great ones always look for the front of the mawashi at the tachiai. Good luck!

I think Baruto should henka Chiyotaikai, a rikishi who ha employed the same technique on numerous occasions against lower rankers during his stint as Ozeki. What is more worrisome is how Baruto got totally hosed in today's match. He looks great, but his tachiai sometimes looks like Too low or too high, either way, this does not auger well for the big guy... -L-

My students noticed they misplaced Mexico -- it should be in Africa...