cyclonicleo

Methinks that this basho, Shohozan has shown that he might have an MMA career in the offing with some of those KO-slaps. Then again, Takakeisho showed his slapping power too yesterday. What a crazy basho.

That'll be a sad day. I'm no fan of his but he'll be missed.

I do agree. I think Hakuho should've taken the higher ground but Tamawashi was playing silly buggers a bit with him.

I was a bit disappointed to see that. Hakuho is human though, but I thought it was a bit unbecoming of a Yokozuna.

I absolutely LOVED this. This is the sort of thing that makes for great TV and brings in casual punters. Yes, its not strict and the NSK would be decidedly cheesed off, but this is the sort of thing that livens up a basho. A bit of spectacle never hurts and this was rather intriguing....and Konnosuke was pissed!

A couple of random thoughts: * Mitakuemi is concussed. He has to be. There's no other reason I can think of that sees him perform so poorly after a knock on the head. He really needs to go kyujo now because the more blows he takes, damage far worse the damage will be to his brain long term. * Terutsuyoshi needs to stop throwing so much damn salt! It's no wonder that he's not getting any grip in the dohyo - he's slipping on his own salt! * Watching Takayasu fight and favor his left side is heartbreaking to see. I give him credit for wanting to save his rank but he's going to have someone yank on that left arm and tear the pec even more. * Is it me or is Shohozan engaging more in boxing matches than actual bouts now. Those slaps pack some power and he's had a couple of rikishi virtually knocked out on their feet already. * Takakeisho - what has happened to him? Where is his vigor?

Do you think Kotoshogiku is staring down retirement? I've been critical of Mr Bumpetty but I will be sad if he has a poor tournament and ends up in Juryo.

If anything, some of these injuries should shine a light on how these are managed and what improvements could be made. Do the heyas and the NSK have the resources to improve the standard of care and rehabilitation for injured rikishi though? I highly doubt it. Could they still improve though? I believe so. Its been a devastating tournament for injuries so far, and I hate to say it but i'm expecting to see Takayasu withdraw at some point as well (likely after he achieves the wins he needs). Also, Mitakeumi hasn't been the same since the cut over his eye; I wonder if he's actually concussed and is hiding it?

Yikes. It looked really bad in the footage.

That's a heck of a drop. I'd prefer to see Ichinojo focus on losing fat, gaining muscle and strengthening his lower back and core (amateur hour here, ignore my rubbish assessment, please). Better to sit out, rehab and go to juryo and still get paid, than to try and compete and potentially suffer a career-ending injury. He's got plenty of years left in him, so looking after his back now will really help.

Nice little bit of a connection for Western Australia and sumo. Living here in WA, this is something that could've been celebrated a bit, but as we have a new direct flight to Narita from Perth with ANA, this is something that we could maybe use to publicise those flights, as well as Shark Bay.

Thanks all for pondering the "marrying kind" bit with me! Whatever he chooses to do, I only wish him happiness and fulfillment. I thought as much, myself.

I thought the same thing. It isn't going to be pretty if Ichinojo lands on a limb. On the flipside, Ichinojo is so hot and cold that I sometimes wonder what is going through his head, so who knows how this matchup will go.

Now that Endo is married but is keeping his bride secret, has anyone managed to uncover Nishkigi's wife? The drawing he did of her was hilarious!

Hmmm that is interesting! I didn't realize that it was still a thing (arranged marriages - at least in Japan). I mean, what if he's not the "marrying kind"?