Mikiro

Thank you Fay for your effort and contribution to this forum which would be so much the less without you.

I have seen differing reports of Baruto's injury and am hoping someone really in the know would tell me what it is exactly. If he in fact suffered a totally torn ACL there is approximately zero chance of that ever healing without surgery, MCL or LCL not really any better if torn plus any related damage to the Meniscus. Football and Basketball players, skiers and other athletes often get this injury and at least here in the U.S. all of these injuries can be surgically repaired with approximately a year of recovery time before return to form can be expected, but never in any athlete is a doctor going to recommend just rest and wear a brace. If he has in fact suffered a tear I hope he gets some real 21st century medical advice and not simply buck up and train more as it would be a real shame to see his potential wasted. My intention is not to sound negative. But to do what you suggest, 21st Century style... that is essentially for Baruto to end his career in Ozumo. It's not impossible for him to heal for a full year and come back from deep in the low ranks, but it just isn't done that way. Besides being unconventional, ring rust atrophy and weight loss would really catch up to him. I don't think he would resume with equal potential to what he had before the injury, or even what he has now. The people around him are probably saying "stick it out with the training or quit." And you always have those like Aminishiki to throw off our expectations of "Potential." He's had a blown out knee for the better part of his success in Makuuchi, of course including the newest plateau at Sekiwake. His style would never have evolved into what it is now had he remained uninjured. Pure speculation, but I bet he never would have pushed his way out of the meatgrinder with both knees healthy. (Eh?) I still do not know exactly what Baruto's knee injury is, but on Day 1 of the current Basho he certainly is well braced and wrapped and seemed to have no power at all. He to me seems to have a serious injury whether it is a torn ligament, tendon, miniscus or whatever it is it could be surgically corrected with a year maximum recuperation time. I had an acquaintence whose promising NFL career as a linebacker was ended in 1969 because of a torn ACL that at the time could not be surgically repaired whereas today literally thousands of athletes in the U.S. from high school to the professional ranks have their serious knee injuries repaired each year and they can continue to participate in their respective sports. The point made that it just is not done that way in Sumo makes no sense to me. The example given of Aminishiki possibly reaching his present Sekiwake station because he only has one good knee and this somehow has made him a better competitor is certainly a theory that cannot be proven one way or the other. A case I would like to point out is one that is not theory but fact and that is the one of Takanowaka. He was certainly very promising having attained Sekiwake rank, but his serious knee injury which obviously was never corrected ended any promise he might have had and eventually ended his life in Sumo. If Baruto was to have whatever his knee injury is repaired and even if he missed a whole year of action and had to start again at the bottom of Jonidan I have little doubt he would speed back up the ranks just as he did before on two good knees. I fail to see what good it does to have him hobbling about, falling out of tournaments, going down and then coming back and probably repeating the process several times and finally quitting Sumo when it is all so unnecessary and his potential whatever it may be never being realized. Personally I want to see the best Sumo competitors possible in the best health they can possibly be in regards to modern medical treatment, not men hobbling about on one leg or having one good elbow or arm or shoulder or foot. I would like to see 21st century medical procedures used in Sumo not a continuation of what was done in the 19th century.

I have seen differing reports of Baruto's injury and am hoping someone really in the know would tell me what it is exactly. If he in fact suffered a totally torn ACL there is approximately zero chance of that ever healing without surgery, MCL or LCL not really any better if torn plus any related damage to the Meniscus. Football and Basketball players, skiers and other athletes often get this injury and at least here in the U.S. all of these injuries can be surgically repaired with approximately a year of recovery time before return to form can be expected, but never in any athlete is a doctor going to recommend just rest and wear a brace. If he has in fact suffered a tear I hope he gets some real 21st century medical advice and not simply buck up and train more as it would be a real shame to see his potential wasted.

Thank you Asojima for the effort with your pictures throughout the Basho as they add greatly to the enjoyment of the sumo forum.

Thank you tons for all your effort Madorosumaru in collecting these quotes from your sources as I would never know about them without you and they add greatly to enjoyment of the sumo forum. Personally I do not want to see Kaio retire and any quotes you can glean from him are muchly appreciated.

I'm sitting here with two laptops using two different browsers and I get the same thing, nothing. Hard to believe I am going to miss what might be my favorite's last match of his long, illiustrious career, this really burns my onions.

You're lucky Ilovesumo, mine is just like a few days ago, counts to 8 then quits, surely I won't be the only one.

Thank you so much for your effort and the beautiful results.

My experience is exactly as Tikozan for the last two days, counter goes to 16 and stops.

For the first 7 days I had the best stream ever, makushita matches, no freeze ups, using the new link on Sumo forum, but today I never was able to make any connection at all.

I probably have missed it somewhere, but what is the official diagnosis of Baruto's knee injury. Is it a torn ACL. MCL or is it a strained ACL, MCL or Patella tendon or something else altogether?

Thank you for your work on this site, always informative, always appreciated.

Marvelous video, almost impossible to believe the film is still extant, thanks for the posting, wish there were more.

Thanks Kintamayama for the wonderful videos, love the old ones. Feel free to add more at anytime.

Thank you so much for the pictures and your effort to keep Sumo fans up to date and entertained. No way for me to ever see this event without this effort.

That's easy for you to say.

Those Europeans really do get along well with each other, well maybe if you do not count World War I and World War II. WWI over 15,000,000 dead, WWII over 62,000,000 dead including the unpleasantness in the Pacific. It's a good thing the USSR fell ending the Cold War in Europe or Kotooshu would have never been allowed to go to Japan.

In 1989 Iraqi armed forces under orders from Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and slaughtered them by the bushel, not Qatar. It was NFL though, Not For Long.

I do not think anything spoiled your fine essay as often do I yearn for some of the old battles remembered so fondly. Just to think that once in the near past there were bashos when one could make a strong case for anyone of 5 or 6 competitors having a good chance of ultimate victory. Today to me the only question is will Asashoryu win in zensho fashion. I do have more hope than you in Kotooshu as I think his frame can handle a goodly amount more weight without a dimunition in his performance. Of course catastrophic injuries can happen anytime to anyone and there go future possibilities as has been demonstrated so many times. I will welcome any of your essays at anytime and will not be picky.

I never had much use for Asanowaka, but I have to admit his perfect attendance is remarkable. Several reasons I see for his perfect attendance, one being that few opponents ever got a clean shot at him and he rarely took a clean shot at an opponent. I can recall no long matches in which he ever involved himself, indeed it seemed like most of his matches took 3 seconds or less, win or lose.

I will miss Kotoryu as he was one of the dwindling number of competitors left from when I was first able to see any Sumo on TV. His big man sumo was always enjoyable. I certainly wish him the best with his current health problems and hope to hear soon that he is up and about.

Welcome Lynn. I have your lovely Kaio print I bought from you in a place of honor in my family room. I swore to the print it was going to my basement bathroom though if Kaio didn't shape up this basho and by George he did so its honored position is saved. I am considering asking the print for lotto numbers next. I look forward to your future contributions as I know you have much inside Sumo information you could share.

Thanks again to Forum members for another enlightening discussion. I wonder about the point made by several members that the "henka" was employed by Hakuho to ensure a victory to aid his Mongolian countryman. I would really hate to think this is true and instead that Hakuho did not think of Mongolian versus Japanese as this would seem to hint of racism at worst and nationalism at best. While I am no expert, I do not think either of these two "isms" are supposed to be a part of Sumo. If true that it is accepted that countrymen of different heyas should be considered teammates with a goal of winning to aid their fellows, the opposite would be logical too with countrymen dumping a match with a countryman to aid him. I would be loath to think that this is true as this surely cannot be good for Sumo. Heya mates cannot compete against each other for obvious reasons and if nationalism in Sumo is accepted, should fellow countrymen be matched against each other. Regarding whether or not Hakuho actually employed "henka" against Hokutoriki is problematic. Henka is obviously a general term with several kimarite being used to describe its occurence. Many terms are difficult to define such as "pornography." In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in casting his vote concerning a pornography case said that he was reluctant to provide a complete definiton, but that, "I know it when I see it." I feel the same way about a henka, I know it when I see it.

Thank you all for your enlightening comments. I do not remember in my time of watching Sumo an occasion when there were four men with 9-0 records so this experience is new ground for me. Many times in the past I have read grousing about weak Ozeki performance so I would think all those who want to see "Ozeki like" performances from Ozekis should certainly be happy with a combined record of 25-2. I have witnessed many times in my life great performances from athletes who were injured and it is indeed sometimes these achievements which are remembered over ones where utter domination was the rule. An example here would be Takanohana's last Yusho when he had suffered as time would prove a career ending injury. I remember a Japanese gymnast competing in the Olympics on the rings and sticking a landing even though he had a cracked Tibia. Regardless of the sport it is consistency over time which marks greatness, so if Asashoryu and Chiyotaikai are not 100%, yet still can win it is kudos to them and I thank them all for this enjoyable experience of athletic acumen so far this Basho.

Too bad about Kotonowaka being called "Mr. Minute" as he might prefer being nicknamed after the old Clyde McPhatter song "60 Minute Man" and I am sure his wife would prefer that. Gosh I always loved that song.