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Recent local news from Baruto is that he is planning to compete this basho. He is determined to stay in Makuuchi and will aim for 2-3 wins at the later part of the tourney. He's coming in "cold", but hopefully he'll be against sufficiently weak rikishi so he can get the required wins with minimal strain. Fingers crossed for good match-ups and no complications. :) Personally I would think a drop to Juryo wouldn't be that bad as it would allow more recovery time and then a better "ease in" period when returning. However I have a feeling that his stable is putting some pressure on, probably convincing him that it's not good for someone who was the top Ozeki a year ago to fall so far so fast. Baruto is fairly humble himself so I don't quite see him being that adamant about staying in Makuuchi. He has had plenty of experience falling to Juryo and coming back amazingly strong.

If he wins the next Yusho with 15-0 I'd think he has a fair shot at a promotion. But anything less probably won't cut it. To be fair Kisenosato has had a very solid record as an Ozeki and this jun-Yusho was pretty good one, losing only to a Yokozuna and an Ozeki while managing to beat one Yokozuna. That to me shows clear Yokozuna quality. But I'm no expert of-course. First we need to see how he does the next basho before trying to overly speculate. :P

When I'm looking at his record it always makes me wonder how someone can be so average of an Ozeki after such an amazing performance on his Ozeki run. When looking at his momentum at that time you would have thought - that's a Yokozuna right there, no doubt about it. Yet for 7 years all he has shown are two good basho's basically, all else being average.

I know and I respect that. It's just a personal thing. It's hard for me to explain properly I guess. I know the banzuke is different from "whoever actually wins the basho" and sumo is different from other sports. Probably has to do with the way other sports are where the winner of a tournament such as the World Series or the Super Bowl are are also considered the best of the sport for that year. But in sumo you have the top of the banzuke and then someone else may win the basho, but the top of the banzuke remains. It's just a different system (and world) and I respect that. So with too many Yokozuna, to me alone anyway, it would feel like it might not be such an accomplishment. We already have some people who felt that Harumafuji is a weak Yokozuna and maybe shouldn't have gotten the promotion. Then other feel that there might be some relaxation of the rules to get Kisenosato into Yokozuna(dom) just so there would be a Japanese at the top again. I'm one of the people that feels it should be really, really hard to get to the rank. Like three basho wins in a row with at least two of them being perfect with no losses. That's just me though and like I said, I respect everyone else's views too. Actually I feel that if there are more Yokozuna it means that each Yokozuna is likely to be that much more powerful than you average Sekitori and it is that much more of an accomplishment to become one. Think about it. Hakuho has shown amazing numbers by winning so many bouts in a row, so many bashos etc. But you have to consider the fact that he was the solo Yokozuna for a while. Almost three years he ruled alone. A portion of his wins don't seem that amazing to me simply because he lacked a serious rival to challenge him at that time. Sure some of the Ozeki put up a fight every now and again, but most of the time he was completely out of everyone's league. Now obviously he really was/is *That* good. But at the same time I can't help but to feel that a Yusho is worth less when you are basically the only true contender for it. So right now, every Yusho Hakuho takes is worth much more in my eyes because of Harumafuji offering solid resistance. If Kisenosato gets promoted as-well, - each Yusho will further go up in value. Winning a Yusho seems way more of an accomplishment when you have to contend with multiple similarly skilled opponents.

That does make plenty of sense. Indeed if he continues performing as well it is only a matter of time until he gets the needed Yusho and the promotion. But you know... internet forums are all about crazy speculation. I do appreciate the discussion. :-)

Even with Kisenosatos "special circumstance"? :-DAbsolutely. Promoting him to ozeki one win short is one thing, saddling him with the tag "the Japanese stopgap yokozuna who didn't deserve to get there" is quite something else. He might not have to win back-to-back yusho, but I really doubt anything less than yusho + high-quality jun-yusho is going to do it, at least for the next few years where they can still believe (correctly or not...) that he's in his prime and will have more opportunities. For some reason I can't get into the sumo database right now, but how many Yokozuna have there been active at the same time in the past? If let's say Kisenosato does become Yokozuna and there are then three of them, would they really expect another Yokozuna candidate for example to take away the Yusho from three Yokozuna? Is something like that a potential factor? Has something like that happened before? Where three active Yokozuna have failed to get Yusho and a lower ranked rikishi took it down? Sorry for the questions, but it looks like you can answer stuff like this pretty much off the top of your head. :-)

Never going to happen again thanks to Futahaguro, that's pretty safe to say. Even with Kisenosatos "special circumstance"? :-D Well I guess we have to see. Rather early speculation anyway as it's not uncommon for any Ozeki to get a good score but being unable to follow up properly. Most Ozeki manage a jun-Yusho or even Yusho at one point without repeating the performance the next basho. But still... fun to throw the idea of 3 Yokozuna around.

Well, pretty sure there is no requirement to actually get a yusho to be promoted. Is there? Two Jun-Yusho should be enough with high enough scores. Even less so when there are two Yokozuna already. It would be a fairly tall task for anyone to take a Yusho away from two Yokozunas. Not saying it can't be done, but obviously it's more difficult compared to there being a single Yokozuna who might just be having a bad basho. Also I don't see losing to Hakuho as a sign of him not being ready. Obviously winning would show he is up to snuff for sure. But at the same time Hakuho is one of the greatest of all time and it's no real shame to lose against him. He did beat Harumafuji and that should be enough to keep his promotion chances quite real if he can follow up the next basho. Besides. We all dream all the time. No matter how good the score, it's all speculation until the next basho comes along. So many have shined once.

It wasn’t really a henka, it was just sidestepping, something Harumafuji did a lot this basho. Kisenosato certainly displayed yokozuna-level sumō this basho, and I hope he can continue this way. It would be fantastic to have 3 yokozuna! Oh and by the way, I really liked how Kisenosato went like “I won’t take your shit” at the first tachi-ai, when Hakuhō wasn’t putting his hands down. Tomorrow is gonna be another exciting day, Harumafuji certainly has the capabilities of beating Hakuhō, and seeing Kisenosato’s form nothing short of Hakuhō would beat him (I’m not sure, but is he fighting Kakuryū?). Yeah I kept replaying the initial clash and indeed they made fairly solid contact. And you're right, it definitely looked like Kisenosato showed true confidence and even a bit arrogance from the get go. That attitude is very much needed for a Yokozuna. If you don't believe you can win, if you don't believe you are as good as the other guy and even better, you most likely aren't. And Kisenosato had no problem showing it this time. He knew he was good enough and he went in with full power. But obviously Hakuho is not your average Yokozuna, he is a man with a plan. But again I just want to say that Kisenosato has definitely paved the way for a Yokozuna promotion if he can follow up the next basho. He has had very solid Ozeki numbers despite the questionable promotion and there is no doubt that him becoming Yokozuna would be an immense promotion for the entire sport in general. We might see an explosion in popularity.

Most don't get to the top by being the nice and honorable guy. In this regard it's not like Kisenosato exactly shines either with his techi-ai antics. Regardless I think Hakuhos dominance has been so great over the years that there's little that can diminish his stature.

Man that was an insane battle. Kisenosato really showed he is a force to be reckoned with. Even after being henkad he kept going strong and made Hakuho really work for that win. To actually make Hakuho go for a henka. Seriously... Okay, maybe more like half a henka or something. But still. Even if Kisenosato loses the bout tomorrow, I think he is still a Yokozuna candidate. He has to follow up with another high jun-Yusho at the very least. Beating Harumafuji definitely helped his credibility as-well. Next basho is going to be very exciting to watch. To dream of a time with 3 Yokozuna battling it out... awesome.

Well, if you lose by basically losing your balance and tripping on yourself - it does kinda show you're not quite an Ozeki anymore. Kotooshu has obviously been declining for a while, possibly regular injury related. But he still has one match left to avoid demotion. And even if he happens to lose, he has a chance for a comeback with 10 wins the next basho. But to be honest I don't see him getting those 10 wins either. We may indeed see his retirement this year if he happens to lose tomorrow. But then again. Kotooshu has tons of experience and he seems to be quite good at making small come-backs. We'll have to wait and see.

Goeido again with no luck...

Such a close one for Takanoyama this time. After watching the replay it does seem like the loss was justified. Just sucked that he put in so much effort to seemingly win and then get told he lost halfway during the bout.

Even if Kisenosato loses the next two matches, he can still be technically heading for a Yokozuna promotion, yes? If he follows up with a Yusho or a 14-1 jun-Yusho, it could happen right?

What little Baruto has said in the local Estonian newspapers makes me believe that he will not take an extended leave. A quick summary: ------- So I guess we'll have to see if it can heal fast enough for Baruto to effectively take part in the next Basho. Even if he has no time to train properly before the basho, middle maegashira shouldn't be too tough as long as the knee holds up. Personally I'm hoping he will cancel the next basho as-well if there is any signs that the knee isn't ready. Dropping to high Juryo isn't that bad if the free time will go towards healing/training, it's bad if he injures it further and then drops to Juryo while being hurt and out of shape. With a healed knee he could easily be in high maegashira/sanyaku in a few basho. The other scenario is most likely Intai. While dropping as low as Makushita might be a good plan in terms of recovery when doing the surgery, I simply think that Baruto is a bit old and "seasoned" to have the energy to start working up again from the lower ranks, especially after an extended leave which most likely will leave him a bit out of shape and possibly de-motivated. But never know of-course. Baruto isn't *that* old, that he couldn't pull it off. Many rikishi have done very well in early-mid thirties. So if he heals the leg he might find the energy to keep going. If anyone has good searching skills maybe they can find what is the lowest position any Ozeki has fallen and still made a come-back?

And the race continues for the Yusho. In addition Kotooshu is still in danger and so is Goeido. :)

Nothing is 100% with these guys, but yes, it's a done deal. Unless it isn't, but it should be. Should indeed be pretty much guaranteed with a Yusho performance from his rank.

Can't wait to see how he does in Juryo. If he keeps going with such steam we might see a Makuuchi debut by the end of the year. Considering his age it definitely makes you expect great things from him. :) Very similar to Baruto so far. About the same age Baruto was and just about the exact same progress through the ranks. If he avoids serious injuries he is looking like a force to be reckoned with.

Hakuho is amazing at countering and finding the right angle to make his move. It's like he showers the opponents with techniques, while countering theirs. And the moment he sees an opening he takes it. And if he happens to fail, he'll rebound immediately and start looking for another one. He really is one of the greatest of all time. Most other rikishi tend to have a lot of trouble once their initial charge and preferred technique is countered. For Hakuho it's like a minor inconvenience if he doesn't get the ideal handle immediately, he has countless ways to take the win. :)

Just awesome. Watching any match with Takanoyama is likely to be entertaining. He uses such un-standard sumo because of his weight. Unfortunately even at his best, he is just too light to be a top contender. With his passion he could really make some noise if only he had more weight to stand against the heavier rikishi.

Well... things continue to stay interesting this Basho. Baruto is out. Goeido is having trouble, so is Kotooshu. Kisenosato and Hakuho still in the lead with Kakuryu in pursuit and Harumafuji trying to catch up as-well. Who knows, we might lose both sekiwake, both komosubi and an Ozeki while seeing a Yusho play-off at the end. Sounds like fun. Of-course that's the extreme scenario. But the most exciting. :)

Yeah. It seems like that in so many sports. A lot of people just seem to ooze talent, it's like results come with little effort. But for some reason they cannot fully tap into that resource, it's there - but kinda out of reach. Mindset doesn't seem to be ready to fully embrace it. Every now and again they "flash" and you start thinking what the hell just happened, where did that come from. And then it's gone again. It's like a switch that's on or off. Hakuho seems to always be "ON" for example :-D

Baruto has given a few interviews for the local newspapers. A quick summary: ------- So I guess we'll have to see if it can heal fast enough for Baruto to take part in the next Basho. Even if he has no time to train properly before the basho, middle maegashira shouldn't be too tough as long as the knee holds up. Personally I'm hoping he will cancel the next basho as-well if there is any signs that the knee isn't ready. Dropping to high Juryo isn't that bad if the free time will go towards healing/training, it's bad if he injures it further and then drops to Juryo while being hurt and out of shape. With a healed knee he could easily be in high maegashira/sanyaku in a few basho. The other scenario is most likely Intai.

I’d prefer that he takes the time he needs to fully heal the injury before coming back, he aggravated it once already and now it doesn’t look good either… stay put for a year if that’s what you need, then come back. He’ll just break himself beyond repair. He should have done this last year immediately after the injury. He could have taken the better part of the year off and still come back in Maegashira, would have had an easier time getting back into shape and there would have been a chance to get back into Sanyaku rapidly. But I think at this point it's questionable if he could even motivate himself to train well enough if he would have to start from as low as Juryo again. Makushita even depending on the recovery time. Not only that, it's hard to say if he could even get into a good enough of a shape, cause most likely he would need to stop just about all sumo training for 6-12 months to have any chance of healing the knee. Honestly it's hard to say what the best course of action is. If he learns to work around the knee a bit more and puts in serious effort to train otherwise - he might be able to keep going in Sanyaku and who knows, the knee might get better enough to try an Ozeki run some time down the road. But if he takes a lot of time off, let's say a year - he'll be out of shape and starting so low in the ranks, it might take another year just to get back to where he is now. IF he even finds the energy to go through all that. Sucks to be sure, but it's very common in sports isn't it. Injuries take out people all the time, it's just part of the game. Some are luckier, some less. Some make better choices, some worse. Still - Baruto has had a very successful career regardless. The rank of Ozeki is already a massive accomplishment, he also got a Yusho as-well. It's no shame to call it quits I think. ... still crossing fingers for a come-back though. :D