Anyone feel that.....

[_the_mind_]

sense this thread got dug up i will take the time to say that it is no longer too early to talk about it as he only has 1 loss mid way through the year

and now is tied with Takanohana with 4 Zensho

[slt]

Easier to write this now than at the beginning of the Natsu basho, of course, but Asashoryu is unstoppable right now.

In the last year and a half, the only time he lost more than two bouts was Aki 2004. He seems more solid than ever, calm and focused at every taichiai, and I really don't see any serious threat to his fantastic win/loss ratio. Even with two losses for each of the next three bashos (for which I cannot see anyone consistently overwhelming the Yokozuna), he will still finish with only seven losses.

The only uncertainty I have (barring injury) is whether the pressure will build up enough by the last few days of Kyushu, for him to lose his focus.

By the way he seems to handle pressure, I am not overly worried.

I say 87-3, by the end of the calendar year. ;-)

[Sasanishiki]

By the last days of Kyushu he may already have the record. I think it is more likely to be a "pressure" thing in the next two basho, where the talk will be (as was said above) that if he only loses two each basho he will have the record. Talk like this may be distracting or annoying. Better to have the topic raised by Kyushu where he will likely be clear of any such issues. I don't see hime having a 9-6 or 10-5 barring injury. In fact, losing 3 in a basho seems unlikely this year.