Basho Talk - Kyushu Basho 2016 ** (SPOILERS)

[ScreechingOwl 343]

4 minutes ago, SumpaX said:

Who is he fighting on the last day? He can pull off a 10-5 and tie his worst performance as a yokozuna

Hakuho should meet Goeido on senshuraku, although it won't be officially set until after today's basho gets underway.

[Rocks 1,807]

3 minutes ago, SumpaX said:

Who is he fighting on the last day? He can pull off a 10-5 and tie his worst performance as a yokozuna

Should be Goeido who is not looking as good as last basho, obviously, but he's still fighting hard. I think he beats Hakuho if Hak is like he has been the last few days.

[Rocks 1,807]

Too bad about Osunaarashi going kyujo for the rest of the basho. He won't be promoted from juryo now. I wonder if he injured something against Sato?

[Dwale 419]

Note that Hakuho did that same movement with his head as he did after his henka against Yoshikaze a few days back. That would confirm he was acting on muscle memory and displeased with himself at that time, IMO.

Kisenosato, well. He was wary of Tochinoshin's power, trying to keep him off his belt. I wouldn't say Tochinoshin getting a grip is necessarily game over, but it bodes no good. Kisenosato showed solid defense, but was simply overpowered by that kaiju of a man. Don't worry, Kise, you're still prettier than him...a little...

Yoshikaze looking cool as hell with that win. Wow. "After you." "No, after you, I insist!"

Did...Aoiyama henka? Did I really just see that? I mean, he's so big he barely fits in the ring. What a weird sight that was.

And Shodai doing what Shodai does: confident, decisive sumo. 

Kakuryu in good position to take the cup, but we'll see. 

[rzombie1988 157]

The chokeozuna did it again....

[Rocks 1,807]

I've watched this like 10 times now and I still can't see what Arawashi did to drive Ishiura to the ground. Weird.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2016 by Rocks

[Bumpkin 438]

2 hours ago, Rocks said:

Congrats to Kak beating Hakuho too. I expected him to but not that easily. Hakuho looks like Tiger Woods after changing his swing. Just shaking his head.  I give Hak a 5% chance of beating Harumafuji tomorrow. Hakuho is looking at a 9-6. That hasn't happened in a yusho he's fully participated in since before he became a Yokozuna over 9 years ago.

Excellent analogy.  We all expect Hakuho to come roaring back in January with a yusho.  He might never win another tournament again. Who would of thought that back in May.

[Dwale 419]

42 minutes ago, Rocks said:

I've watched this like 10 times now and I still can't see what Arawashi did to drive Ishiura to the ground. Weird.

Arawashi was pushing down on the shoulder, looks like, but Ishiura seems to have lost balance, with gravity doing most of the work. 

[Dapeng 232]

1 hour ago, Bumpkin said:

Excellent analogy.  We all expect Hakuho to come roaring back in January with a yusho.  He might never win another tournament again. Who would of thought that back in May.

No worry about Hakuho, he has been politically correct this basho but probably will not on day 14 and day 15, i.e., he will finish this basho with 10 wins. 

[Sakura 1,472]

Kisenesato losing was disappointing but not surprising. In fact when I saw that he had to fight Tochinoshin I knew that was that for his yusho chances.

[SumpaX 23]

2 hours ago, Dwale said:

Kisenosato, well. He was wary of Tochinoshin's power, trying to keep him off his belt. I wouldn't say Tochinoshin getting a grip is necessarily game over, but it bodes no good. Kisenosato showed solid defense, but was simply overpowered by that kaiju of a man. Don't worry, Kise, you're still prettier than him...a little...

Kise is pretty?? thats a new one for me...

[Dwale 419]

1 minute ago, SumpaX said:

Kise is pretty?? thats a new one for me...

I did say "a little." XP 

He does have well-shaped eyes, at least.

[SumpaX 23]

On 24.11.2016 at 16:06, ALAKTORN said:

If he had never gotten injured, he would be the strongest current yokozuna in my opinion. Endō would be ōzeki. 

I still have my hopes that this is going to happen! But it probably will take a year or so... I forgot how exactly he messed his knee up. 

Edited November 25, 2016 by SumpaX

[Jakusotsu 5,806]

I wonder if it made any difference if Toshinoshin's mawashi offered some resistance. Nah, probably not...

[Rocks 1,807]

41 minutes ago, Sakura said:

Kisenesato losing was disappointing but not surprising. In fact when I saw that he had to fight Tochinoshin I knew that was that for his yusho chances.

Yes, a guy coming off beating 3 Yokozuna with a 16-7 record against Tochi is almost a sure loser. I see why that wouldn't be surprising. 

[Rocks 1,807]

36 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

Day 13:

Hakuhou, losing for the fourth time and no chance of a yusho: "My condition is not like always.. I've got to be careful not to get injured in the remaining two days.."

 

58 minutes ago, Dapeng said:

No worry about Hakuho, he has been politically correct this basho but probably will not on day 14 and day 15, i.e., he will finish this basho with 10 wins. 

Yes, he's been laying down this whole basho to be nice. 

[ScreechingOwl 343]

That was a very powerful - and surprising - win by Tochinoshin. Before his ACL injury in July 2013 I wasn't very fond of his style, which included numerous henka. I used to consider him Aran light (although he weighs more than Aran did). But since coming back from rehab and missing three and a half basho, he's been a different wrestler: the henka have almost disappeared and been replaced by power sumo. It's been noted before that Kisenosato often looks bad in a loss, but he's seldom looked as bad losing as he did yesterday. 

As for Hakuho, I wouldn't be too quick to claim he won't win a basho again. Mark Buckton has been claiming Hakuho is over the hill and should retire for years. It's true that Hakuho isn't as overwhelming as he was in 2010-11, but it may be no one in sumo history has ever been either. At some point Hakuho is bound to stop winning, but one basho after sitting out with an injury is way too early to be piling any dirt on him. 

The Tiger Woods analogy is way off: Woods' fall from grace was, at least initially, entirely psychological. Later on, his body (especially his back) began to give out, but there's no reason to believe his career trajectory would have changed so dramatically if he hadn't ruined his marriage in such a public and flagrant manner.

The sumo roads are littered with people who have doubted Hakuho throughout his career. I remember reading column after column, year after year, about how Hakuho would never break Taiho's yusho total. So while Hakuho may never win another yusho, I, for one, would be surprised if he doesn't end up with at least 40 championships.  

[Rocks 1,807]

I don't doubt Hakuho will be back. I specifically picked the analogy of Woods changing his swing in 2003/4, not his later downturn. Woods came back from that but he looked kinda lost for awhile.

[Dapeng 232]

With Kise's loss yesterday, this basho is largely finished, with yusho locked between Harumafuji and Kakuryu  (Hakuho is unlikely to beat Harumafuji today). Sine Kise at best finishes at 12 wins,  there'll be no yokozuna-run next basho, but I believe we'll see some good sumo next basho......

[dingo 1,159]

That was the weirdest move from Kotoshogiku. He sorta hit the tachiai, but higher the usual and then pulled Tochiozan down. Wonder if he planned it or just did it on the spur of the moment... 

[Kuroyama 715]

5 hours ago, Rocks said:

I've watched this like 10 times now and I still can't see what Arawashi did to drive Ishiura to the ground. Weird.

Ishi slipped, is all.

[Sakura 1,472]

3 hours ago, Rocks said:

Yes, a guy coming off beating 3 Yokozuna with a 16-7 record against Tochi is almost a sure loser. I see why that wouldn't be surprising. 

I never said he was a sure loser. It's just that my expectations for Kisenesato are low enough that losing to Tochinoshin after beaten the 4 top ranked guys in a row was not remotely surprising to me. If it were Goeido that had just beaten three Yokozuna like that then my expectations would have been that he would have beaten Tochinoshin as well.

[Rocks 1,807]

Predictions (because why the heck not? This is going to be a boring last 2 days):

Goeido beats Kakuryu

Harumafuji beats Hakuho setting up a showdown with Kak on Day 15 for the yusho. 

Kisenosato beats Terurnofuji, not because Kise cares at this point, he doesn't, but because Terunofuji has his KK and all the kensho from the Hakuho last match of the day win and will make no effort whatsoever to win.

Endo beats Tochiozan, Hello sanyaku!

Shodai beats Ishiura before the echoes of the chants of his name even fade.

Gagamaru beats  Tochinoshin when he out dives Greg Louganis. 

 

 

[Highway 46]

My man Aoiyama can beat the simpler guys, but he seems to have no ideas vs stronger opponents....guess that's why he is where he is, pretty straightforward.

I'll say this...of all the sumo wrestlers, Tochinoshin is the last one I'd want to fight in a back alley. Georgian beast indeed. He can easily be ozeki one day soon.

Hakuho will come back big in January is my prediction.

 

[Kotogouryuu 126]

3 hours ago, dingo said:

That was the weirdest move from Kotoshogiku. He sorta hit the tachiai, but higher the usual and then pulled Tochiozan down. Wonder if he planned it or just did it on the spur of the moment... 

What I wonder is what was Tochiozan's plan? His arms were down, he wasn't looking where he was going and he was leaning forward. I'm not sure how do you avoid doing a henka to someone like that.