Aki 2023 discussion (results)

[Akinomaki 39,776]

Now Takakeisho is the only sanyaku left 2 wins behind the leader - I think we never had the best sanyaku at 3 wins behind, but we could get it this basho

[junsan 170]

Let's go Atamifuji! Here he is accepting bags of goodies from his fangirls:

 

[RabidJohn 1,663]

The shimpan ought to be bollocking Tsurugisho for his lack of bowing after a match. Don't care if you just got henka-ed.

I'm not particularly excited by MItakeumi's results down in mid-maegashira, but I'm heartened that he's regained some stamina. He's had a couple of long bouts and showed no sign of flagging. Great match against future star Gonoyama today - love it when he gets his yotsu out. 

Atamifuji in sole lead? With a shoulder so tightly strapped it looks like he should have no blood flow to that arm? Poor old Takayasu...

[Fashiritētā 169]

Hoshoryu finally got rid of the bad clone and got it done himself 

[dingo 1,160]

Oh no, Takayasu... As Murray Johnson said usually I would've expected him to show the kind of power Atamifuji did. Hope Takayasu can recover tomorrow, this yusho is still wide open.

Mitakeumi shows that it's far too early to discount him. Gounoyama won't have such an easy basho after all but even a simple kachikoshi would still be a good result for him.

Hoshoryuu had to prove to himself and others why exactly he's the newest ozeki and did so in a supremely confident manner. He might still get kachikoshi if he continues like this.

After the disastrous first try Takakeisho had to make sure he'd be in a good position to get kachikoshi. I don't like his pulldown but it was effective.

Nishikigi continues to surprise, although I guess it shouldn't be a surprise at this point. He can still keep his shin-komusubi kachikoshi hopes up whereas it'd take a major meltdown around him for Kirishima to get the yusho.

So the conclusion for today -- Atamifuji yusho?

[Yamanashi 3,724]

6 hours ago, rhyen said:

Tobizaru playing the most advance game of “touch Hokutofuji’s mage”.

"Guess Hokutofuji's Tokoyama"

[Akinomaki 39,776]

4 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

The shimpan ought to be bollocking Tsurugisho for his lack of bowing after a match. Don't care if you just got henka-ed.

He did bow about 1cm, apparently it was sufficient

[dingo 1,160]

9 hours ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

Shishi escapes again and crushes Tenshoho!

He almost got pushed out in the process. It's a small miracle he managed to escape. 

[Sumo Spiffy 535]

5 minutes ago, dingo said:

He almost got pushed out in the process. It's a small miracle he managed to escape. 

That's been Shishi's entire basho. He didn't even beat Mitoryu so much as just run him out of gas.

I'm not giving him a hard time for it, either. Mobility is a strategy, and when you can use it well on top of being really tall, that's great. But it doesn't seem like a strategy that's going to work very well if he makes it to makuuchi—he's done really well through exploiting weaknesses, but he's gonna have to figure out how to actively beat the boys up there.

[Yamanashi 3,724]

1) Shishi reminds me of Baruto, though more awkward.

2) In Juryo, Akua puts on the mantle of the Big Salt Thrower, then slips on the salt when Oshoma pulls a HNH.

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

1 hour ago, dingo said:

He almost got pushed out in the process. It's a small miracle he managed to escape. 

He specializes in such miracles, it seems.

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

1 hour ago, Yamanashi said:

Akua puts on the mantle of the Big Salt Thrower, then slips on the salt when Oshoma pulls a HNH.

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

1 hour ago, Sumo Spiffy said:

He didn't even beat Mitoryu so much as just run him out of gas.

At least he did it in an entertaining way.

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

4 hours ago, Fashiritētā said:

Hoshoryu finally got rid of the bad clone and got it done himself 

I think they have a rotating schedule with the close, it's too early to celebrate.

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

7 hours ago, Hankegami said:

My problem is instead that there are only 5 days left, and using a slot for Tobizaru is somehow of a waste.

I agree; they should be matching him based on record now instead of trying to "work him up the sanyaku gradually". If he beats Tobizaru, he will be difficult to catch, and there will be a lot of whining about his supereasy schedule should he end up winning the whole thing. 

Edited September 19, 2023 by Bunbukuchagama

[dingo 1,160]

1 hour ago, Sumo Spiffy said:

That's been Shishi's entire basho. He didn't even beat Mitoryu so much as just run him out of gas.

I'm not giving him a hard time for it, either. Mobility is a strategy, and when you can use it well on top of being really tall, that's great. But it doesn't seem like a strategy that's going to work very well if he makes it to makuuchi—he's done really well through exploiting weaknesses, but he's gonna have to figure out how to actively beat the boys up there.

His sumo is basically like flipping a coin. Sometimes you manage to string together same results, other times it goes the other way. But he's by far not the only rikishi to do that kind of sumo. 

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

2 minutes ago, dingo said:

His sumo is basically like flipping a coin. Sometimes you manage to string together same results, other times it goes the other way. But he's by far not the only rikishi to do that kind of sumo. 

Don't forget that his sumo experience is still very limited, he trains at a tiny heya where he is the best talent by a mile. He should benefit a lot from degeiko and jungyo experience now, I hope.

[dingo 1,160]

4 minutes ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

Don't forget that his sumo experience is still very limited, he trains at a tiny heya where he is the best talent by a mile. He should benefit a lot from degeiko and jungyo experience now, I hope.

I'm not disparaging him for that, it's just the way I see it. Of course I know that he still doesn't have much experience so hopefully he'll be able to learn more. 

[Octofuji 327]

Hoshoryu reminded me of Shodai at his best. No messing around with the belt, just a couple of steps and yorikiri win.

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

20 minutes ago, Octofuji said:

Shodai at his best

Does not compute. 

[Octofuji 327]

Apart from Tamawashi (and of course Terunofuji) no-one in the top 18 wrestlers (down to M5) has a score of less than 4-6.

I'm enjoying how evenly matched the joi are and the unpredictability that brings.

Edited September 19, 2023 by Octofuji

[Sumo Spiffy 535]

2 hours ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

I agree; they should be matching him based on record now instead of trying to "work him up the sanyaku gradually". If he beats Tobizaru, he will be difficult to catch, and there will be a lot of whining about his supereasy schedule should he end up winning the whole thing. 

If Atami beats Tobi (and possibly if he doesn't), he's staring down the barrel of four sekiwake-plus opponents to finish the basho, with the only realistic exception to that being if facing another maegashira contender instead makes sense. Yeah, he's two up on all non-Takayasu competition, but he can't collapse his way to a yusho. 

[Bunbukuchagama 688]

2 minutes ago, Sumo Spiffy said:

If Atami beats Tobi (and possibly if he doesn't), he's staring down the barrel of four sekiwake-plus opponents to finish the basho, with the only realistic exception to that being if facing another maegashira contender instead makes sense. Yeah, he's two up on all non-Takayasu competition, but he can't collapse his way to a yusho. 

The only sanyaku contender is Takakeisho; I understand if they are keeping him for later. Other than that, someone like Hokutofuji made way more sense to me than a 5-5 Tobizaru. 

Atamifuji will not fail his way to a yusho, but he might need just one extra win in addition to beating Tobizaru - which might happen just out of dumb luck; such is the way of sumo.

[Reonito 1,335]

2 hours ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

I agree; they should be matching him based on record now instead of trying to "work him up the sanyaku gradually". If he beats Tobizaru, he will be difficult to catch, and there will be a lot of whining about his supereasy schedule should he end up winning the whole thing. 

Would be hard to complain if he faced san'yaku the last 5 days, which he will if he keeps winning, unless one of the other maegashira contenders keep pace. A 5-5 komusubi is a very credible opponent; is a 7-3 M1 really obviously tougher?

[Sumo Spiffy 535]

Just now, Bunbukuchagama said:

The only sanyaku contender is Takakeisho; I understand if they are keeping him for later. Other than that, someone like Hokutofuji made way more sense to me than a 5-5 Tobizaru. 

Atamifuji will not fail his way to a yusho, but he might need just one extra win in addition to beating Tobizaru - which might happen just out of dumb luck; such is the way of sumo.

Even in Parity Basho 2023, it's hard to see 11-4 winning a yusho without a playoff. So, even if it's in a 16th fight, he should need at least two wins past Tobi (and if Tobi can handle Takakeisho, he can find a way to beat Atami—this is not easy schedule central).

As for getting Tobi instead of Hokutofuji: it makes sense in the context of putting Tsurugisho against Hokutofuji instead. Tsuru was the only one of the three leaders (on day nine) that hadn't hit seven wins, and he was the lowest ranked. If anything's weird there, it's that Tsurugisho got Hokutofuji instead of, say, Onosho or Gonoyama.