Dwale

I don't think the Takakeisho ruling was anything unusual, as they've ruled so in similar cases for as long as I can remember. Takakeisho was the one going forward. They put a lot of emphasis on that. So, wrongly or rightly, that was par for the course. (I think shinitai is a good rule in principle, but they really need to be more consistent in its application, IMHO.) And to think I was poking fun at Daieisho only an hour or so before his victory. Well, he had a little luck with it, but when you're facing Hakuho you take what you can get. Biggest surprise for me today was Enho. I was like, "Did uhh...did Enho just bulldoze him out of the ring?" Yes, he did.

Rough day for most of my pet rikishi. It happens, but you know, still sucks. Much as I hate to say it, Takakeisho charged in with his eyes on the clay and deserved that loss. He knows better, so what the hell? But we did have some fun matches. I can't say I wasn't entertained. EDIT: Credit to Kagayaki for giving it his all. He knew what he was up against, but he wasn't intimidated and fully intended to win that match. Good on him.

Only way Enho could have looked more like Mainoumi there would be if he had done nekodamashi.

Some fun stuff today. I'm cautiously optimistic about Takayasu maybe extending his career a bit. Really enjoyed Shodai v. Endo in all its sloppy glory. Crazy match. Nice to see Shohozan finally show up, too.

Kiribayama really surprised me today. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him from now on. Takayasu is the one who really shocked me, though.

That is certainly true, but you'd think he would have developed some aversion to it in that time. We'll see how he does against some beefier competition getting that grip, as he does seem primed to climb the rankings regardless.

If Asanoyama has succeeded in rounding out his game, the rest of makuuchi needs to be very, very worried about facing him. But let's see how he finishes the basho. I'll remind folks that back during Terunofuji's ozeki tenure and downward slide therefrom, he lost a number of matches as a direct result of letting opponents get a morozashi on him. So I'm not sure that's strategy on his part. In any case, it's nice to have him back in makuuchi and doing well.

I don''t know if it was the wait or if this basho is just looking extra good. Either way, I'm eating it up. Omnomnomnomnom!

Oh my, kitty has claws!

Doesn't matter if they slip and fall at the same time, it's who touches down first. If they touch down at the same time, torinaoshi.

Hakuho really brought it today, "it" being victory, which he handed to Shodai. Did he just feel like he needed to slap someone around? As soon as Shodai started that strong advance, I realized Hakuho had let himself get out of position and was in trouble. Weird match. GO, ASANOYAMA! And for that matter, GO AOIYAMA! Tempted to say, "There's no way he'll take the cup" but after last basho I'm not sure I can ever say that with confidence again.

Yep. Gonna be awfully strange not having him, he's been a fixture as long as I've been watching regular coverage. Fare thee well, Goeido.

Well, that sure did happen. Congratulations to Tokushoryu for this bright spot on his career. Whatever else happens, no one can take this away from him. This is a Rocky II moment. We saw a lot of cool stuff today, really, but it's all overshadowed by the yusho. And people said this would be a 12-3 basho. I ever heard people saying it would be 11-4! So, the next time someone tells you something is impossible, remember this and take it to heart: anything can happen in sumo. (Special props to Ikioi for turning around that atrocious start. That was a mighty achievement in its own right.)

The 33 wins in 3 basho thing is a guideline, not a hard rule (as shown quite emphatically in Takakeisho's ozeki run, and ozeki have been promoted with fewer than 33 wins in the past). That said, I don't see why they would promote him this time. He has had matches this basho where he looked like an ozeki, but he has had some where he looked rather bad.

So, that happened. Wanted to pop on and compliment Hokutofuji's footwork this basho. Fancy s*** doesn't mean anything if you don't have the basics to support it. Hokutofuji is looking more like the rikishi we knew he could be.

I agree wholeheartedly. I was floored by his ferociousness. Where was that Takayasu before?

Enho just added another finish to his highlight reel.

Tokushoryu and Shodai still tied for the lead. God, that is surreal. I haven't been posting much because what could I possibly say about such a wild honbasho? Enho likely to kachi-koshi while effectively a joi-jin. wtf At least Terunofuji is bulldozing his way through juryo. That's how it ought to be.

Some crazy stuff. I knew Shodai had good skills but I didn't realize he was that strong. That was serious power move. If he makes me eat my words by taking this yusho, I'll take them gladly. Could it be he's turned over a new leaf? Also, could not believe Tochinoshin pulled that off. Asanoyama seems distracted. And did anyone expect to see Mitakeumi beat Endo with a swing-down of all things? This basho is Looney Tunes off the wall.

Amateurish mistake by Takakeisho at the edge, and he paid the price. Well, he is still quite young. Lots of fun matches today, and the tournament is still as madcap as it was before. Cheers.

He'll pull out every trick in the book to try and make it. Definitely an uphill battle and an unlikely proposition, but crazier things have happened.

But Enho is just a fluke, right? lol

And that, beautiful fans, is vintage Terunofuji. I don't think his knees will hold up to it like they used to do, but watching that was like watching Godzilla get hit by lightning. You know the beast is awake now.

People were shocked at Goeido's win on the livestream and it's like, "Uh, you know this is what he does when his rank is on the line, right?" Good win, though. Hard fought. Terunofuji still getting it done in juryo, despite the fierce determination of his opponent. Chyonokuni way down in makushita has a slobber-knocker, too. I'd like to see him as a sekitori again, he's really entertaining when he's fired up. Wide open yusho now, though of course the field of contention will narrow as the days pass. Takakeisho is the man to beat, IMO. Endo is a dark horse. I never thought Shodai was a serious prospect to take it this basho.

As I've mentioned, Takakeisho's lateral movement is a big part of his effectiveness. Second time this basho he's pulled that sidestep at the bales and won from it. Where the hell was that version of Goeido before? Shodai has a lot of potential, but I do not think he has the mental toughness to keep this streak alive to the end. We already know Takakeisho can perform under pressure, so he's my current pick. However, given how wild things has been, it really is up in the air. There's a lot of honbasho left and anything can happen in sumo.