HenryK

Well if Ozumo needs a bad boy for marketing reasons so be it. I for my part consider this rather silly, as much of the Asashoryu soap opera. More generally, Hakuho will have his partisan fans going forward and Asashoryu will have his. And then there will be the many folks -- myself included -- who simply want to see good, fast, intense, technical, gripping sumo. And for this, the emerging rivalry of two roughly equally matched Yokozuna is a gift from heaven. Ozumo hasn't had this since the days of Takanohana and Akebono.

Realistically there shouldn't even be a joi-jin bonus as Asasekiryu just wasn't in the joi-jin this basho at all. As I wrote, he was 0-3 against sanyaku while Takekaze was 2-0. Overall Asasekiryu still got the harder opponents (by my ratings), but Wakanosato just above him marked the bottom of the joi-jin this basho. Ama is a sanyaku, isn't he? Sorry, I was going by faulty memory hardware. It was 1-3 of course. No prob. I'm looking forward to your strength rating update.

Realistically there shouldn't even be a joi-jin bonus as Asasekiryu just wasn't in the joi-jin this basho at all. As I wrote, he was 0-3 against sanyaku while Takekaze was 2-0. Overall Asasekiryu still got the harder opponents (by my ratings), but Wakanosato just above him marked the bottom of the joi-jin this basho. Ama is a sanyaku, isn't he?

This is probably an utterly naive question, but where do the "-9" and "-5" come from? It's losses minus wins. A common rule of thumb is that this number equals the number of full ranks the rikishi climbs/falls -- the banzuke guesser's (very) basic tool. Thanks guys (also Bealzbob).

This is probably an utterly naive question, but where do the "-9" and "-5" come from?

...and then acts like a spoilt teen hiding in her room before running away to Mongolia etc etc.... She has acted like a spoilt teen all along, hasn't she.

Why are you guys so shure that Takekaze will eclipse Asasekiryu for sanyaku?

It is being mentioned that people close to him are saying he will stay in Japan, and only after he gets his revenge in March, he will return to Mongolia. But all this can change quickly, of course. Doesn't he have kids in Mongolia? Seems rather harsh to me to punish them for his loss to Hakuho.

So the Ozeki Djokovic -- who had gotten that rank after the US Open only -- and the Sekiwake, former Ozeki and now Ozeki again Sharapova won the Australian open. (Nodding yes...)

There are several candidates, obviously -- Ama, Kisenosato, Asasekiryu, Takekaze -- but my vote goes to Kotoshogiku. 9-6 while missing three days, 3-1 with an injured knee and ankle, clean losses only to the Yokozunas, 4-0 against other sanyaku -- this is damn impressive. If he continues like that and is healthy, he and not Ama may be the next candidate for Ozeki.

Not even with the great Takanohana vs. Akebono duels? For me this is what got me into ozumo.

Great bout indeed, but I feel 5 secs after the tachiai it was settled -- Asashoryu couldn't prevent Hakuho from getting his favorite grip, and from then on Asa was just hanging in there in a gutsy defensive effort that delayed the inevitable but couldn't prevent it, as Hakuho made no mistake. Bravo Hakuho, bravo Asashoryu, bravo ozumo. We could be standing at the beginning of another great age.

You're not kicking a dead horse, but you're making a statement that on my side gives rise to intense headshaking and eyerolling. Asa has been off for half a year and gone through a severe depression. He was under tremendous pressure before the basho; there were (plentiful) people who were questioning whether he could make 10-5, and prepared their retirement commentary just in case. Now Asa has fought near-flawless for 14 bouts and is at the verge of dominating the ozumo world all over again -- only a vastly improved Hakuho who has fought like a young god might stand in his way -- and there are really people complain about Asa's bad "position". Frankly, reading this makes me wish that Asa wins tomorrow, although in principle I tend to support Hakuho for the senshukaru (better for ozumo if Asa needs at least one warm-up basho before he returns to his wkinning ways). What does Asa have to do to convince you guys? Fight three bashos with one arm and finish them all 20-0? Walk on water? Recite the Kojiki from memory in accent free Japanese? (Clapping wildly...) :-S (Holiday feeling...)

I'd like to see Asa win, just to see Ms. Uchidate explode (literally) I admit this is a valid motivation -- seeing a riskihi winning a basho in "retirement"... (Holiday feeling...) This said, this can wait for the next basho. I wonder though whether after this thrilling basho there are folks left who would want to see Asashoryu kicked out and return to "Hakuho and four lame Ozeki" ozumo.

Nice tight and technical battle, with Hoshihikari hanging in there...hanging in there...hanging in there...hanging in there...trying a fine counterattack... but not quite succeeding with it. But the same quality of sumo.....?

These are the three obvious choices. For me personally it's #3 because this one was truly competitive. Mickey was twice razor close to winning but Asa turned the tide in the very end with a spectacular shitatenage. In the two other fights the junior rikishi gave an impressive but mostly defensive performance before he succumbed to his superior opponent. Toyonoshima's bouts with the Yokozunas were fine sumo, too. Pity that he didn't make KK.

Overall Hakuho has had the better basho to date, and for ozumo it would be better if Asashoryu wouldn't win his very first basho 14-1 after a two-basho layoff when he's supposed to be ringrusty. But I've a gutfeeling Asashoryu might edge it tomorrow.

I guess this says something about Mickey. He had a difficult basho, but he is nonetheless the one Ozeki at this juncture who can be expected to regularly put up a stiff challenge against the Yokozunas. Even though he'll normally lose.

A dream come true..... :-P

We all hope of course Hakuho vs. Asashoryu will be the glorious highlight of the basho, but what was the highlight to date? For me Asashoryu vs. Kotomitsuki.

From 3-6 to 8-6 -- great escape by makuuchi's smallest rikishi.

Roho does everyting he can to remain everybody's favorite...

The finals aren't played yet, but we already know how the rankings will look after the Australian open: MEN Grand Champion (Yokozuna): Federer Champion (Ozeki): Djokovic Nadal Roddick (Kadoban Ozeki) Junior Champion I (Sekiwake): Tsonga Ferrer Junior Champion II (Komusubi): Davydenko WOMEN Grand Champion (Yokozuna): Henin S. Williams V. Williams [Davenport, in case she really un-retires for good] Champion (Ozeki): Ivanovic Sharapova Junior Champion I (Sekiwake): Jankovic Junior Champion II (Komusubi): Hantuchova Kuznetsova Djokovic has a chance of Yokozuna promotion if he wins this tournament and reaches the final at the French, or vice versa. Tsonga, Ivanovic and Sharapova can become Yokozuna if they win this tournament and also the French.

In contrast to him still at Sanyaku.... (Yusho winner...)

I'll get hatemail for this, but I like a well-executed henka every now and then. It's one way of outsmarting your opponent.