Oskanohana

But wasn't the TET actually in May? March tournament was suspended, they did the TET in May...Everywhere I look it says so, and I kind of remember it that way... As for the tinfoil hat stuff, you're clearly wrong. The first and the final impressions are what matters, so Kaio clearly dominated the dai-yokozuna when it mattered. Also, Kaio, on his last tournaments, went on a deep run clearly motivated to restore national pride to the sport. Next you're gonna tell me Chiyotaikai's exceptional ozeki tenure was also extended way past his expiring date. Can you imagine that? Somebody like, I don't know, Baruto, throwing himself to the ground while doing a helicopter motion. That would be embarrassing. Keep your conspiracy theories to yourself, sir. Poe's law, what is that?

Those are two separate things. Asashosakari's post was longest maegashira winning streak. That still holds. Mine is longest debutante streak. (I'll use the spanish word, hopefully it's understood):p What I mean is my query is longest unbeaten streak from debut on division, no losses at all allowed. First loss kills all future streaks.

Wankers, I did the research on my own and posted it minutes ago in the trivia bits thread. Mine has juryo debuts too, so it's better and the database makes it look cleaner. He's been this way from the start, so he would've been wearing a brown mawashi from day 3 or so. Kasugano-beya looks poised to keep the sekitori streak alive with Aoiyama helped by future Tochihakuoho (your heard it first from me) and the torikumi makers throwing limping Kotoeko in front of Tsukahara to help him achieve his KK (you can suck and still get your KK in the makushita jo'i). Hard part will be extending it to Nagoya. I don't see these two in juryo form at all.

Onosato missed the list by a whisker and it might be one of his last chances, but Takerufuji enters it and does it unbeaten. 10-0 starts or better in division debut (juryo or makuuchi, 15 bout era) Here Taiho made it only to 11-0, so I'd say Takerufuji is in good company. Future former Kotonowaka will judge tomorrow if he's worthy or misses it by a neck. 9-0 starts (same conditions as before) had more of an eclectic bunch. Our 2 fellas did it in juryo very recently. Onto other thigs, young up-and-comer Daiamami has tied his best winning streak in makuuchi with 6 (Haru 2018 days 3-8 was his longest until now). As a rikishi his top is 7 in juryo because my excel counts the kettei-sen losses as ending the streaks, as I think it should. His MsTD start with a sextuple 4-3 didn't help in that regard (surely it merited a post here somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look it up). Don't know how to really post my findings as a query in this case.

I've been hoping to hear the -eko. Still, it hasn't happened. Do it already, man.

T'was a typo, I meant Wakatakamoto and "in makushita". Come on, he's not so dark. Tanned at best. Mokonami was a true brotha. If all of you's need further proof, not even Takayasu is dignifying this sham of a yusho race with a late meltdown. Good, let the hate flow through you.... I'm enjoying Deru-deru, Kazekeno at least. On another note, I've been thoroughly unimpressed by both new tsukedashis this time. Very poor showings. Lastly, I'll ask here, why not. What's the chance of Miyagino-beya being absorbed by Kasugano so the streak of 80+ years of sekitorihood is kept alive by Tochihakuoho? Because if Tsukahara is their only hope (oh, the pain) and Aoiyama was already adopted to start with, let's just roll with it. Tochikamiyama...you were the chosen one!

So technically there's a way back for Hokuseiho after all?

Unless Takerufuji or Onosato pummel the upper ranks in the next days, this is looking like a stellar 11-4 yusho. And maybe without a playoff, things are that bad. Finally we get back to a somewhat regular 5-guy Y/O group (my headcanon "normal" is 2 Y + 4 O for a total of 6), with 3 of them in his prime or on the upswing at least and this basho happens: Terunofuji has done his job for the year and I don't think his mind is in it. He needs a real contender to light a fire up his ass. But maybe if this contender appeared, he'd just fade out because his body couldn't follow. Don't really know. Still, he's out. Kirishima has a phantom pain somewhere, because he's looking absolutely terrified of any contact. Out of contention. Hoshoryu seems like his usual self, sucking more often than not, but getting his wins here and there en route to a "pedestrian" 9-10 wins. And I say pedestrian because this guy should be a yokozuna-in-waiting. He has clearly the ability, lacks a bit in the body department but could compensate it with speed...but no, he gets dominated way too often and just stands there waiting for a flashy counter instead of imposing his will. Frustrating. Takakeisho is probably praying nobody charges at him full speed and breaks his neck. He should be happy escaping his kadoban. Kotonowaka is doing...fine...I guess. I don't see him cleaning the field though, but maybe he has the best chance of these bums. He probably is peaking though and if he can maintain this peak for a couple of years, maybe he'll get some yushos to his name just by being there. I won't consider Wakamotoharu or Abi by virtue of being too solid but unimpressive (Waka) or too chaotic (Abi). Then, 2 maegashiras with a whooping experience of 4 bashos in the paid ranks between them are the ones to save the day. Really??? And they still haven't been tested. They are blasting through the competition waaaay too easily. That's the job of the guys up here. The bums. You two should be learning, scrapping, testing your skills....They're not to blame though. One can understand with Onosato's size and speed, but Takerufuji is more normal sized and I thought he'd be somehow stopped on his meteoric rise to the tune of a normal 10-5 + Kantosho debut. But I seem to be wrong as he's completely demolished every single one of his aites. I sincerely hope the spirit of Ama possesses somebody in the upper ranks and shows the youths their place. At least we can watch Wakatakakage going for a zensho in juryo to see some "excellence". Please, Lord, save me with your Noodly Appendage. /rant off

Just to derail the thread a little more (sorry, not sorry), as I was in conspiracy theory mode, I realized that maybe @yorikiried by fate had put extra easter-eggs (no pun intended with the shape and and origin of the gentlemen in the picture)... First I saw this top left. Has he put a random white guy in there with a towel over his shoulders??? Wait, no, that actually seems to be Shishi in his kimono-thingy-thingy Then, this in the middle What the fack's up with those floating faces. Has he put random cropped faces just for the sake of it? Or is Shimazuumi (methinks) just leaning stupidly? Congrats, by the way,to the guy highlighted in yellow. His scalp really made it into the group photo. But no, everything's in the original picture. Hilarity can be found anywhere, I guess. At least for me.

As I'm an idiot with too much free time, the search of the "watermark" made me enter one of those internet rabbit-holes. But mind you, you shall not listen to false prophets unless they've been Touched by His Noodly Appendage. Still, much appreciated detail. I tip my proverbial hat to you, sir.

Having read about Hokuseiho's behaviour, this actually sounds totally realistic. I'm not revealing my sources. All of them together. Do it. Let them get drunk and sing karaoke. I'm seeing the scene right now: Harumafuji is trying to beat Takanoiwa with a broken bottle, Wakakirin gets bumped and drops his phone, Yamamotoyama steps on it and Wakakirin punches the lights out of him. This is comedy gold

Long story short, Hokuseiho was caught smoking marijuana while driving a stolen car en route to a pachinko parlor in the company of a prostitute with ties to the yakuza. He was questioned about it, and he denied everything and got booted from sumo for lying on the inquiry. Hakuho, as his sisho, will be forced to close the heya and to move as close to Takanohana as possible.

Jk8e Inami

Jd44e Hatooka

Actually Wakatakakage was quite the offender in doing what I call the Hakuba-maneuver (I also call it the henka-uwate) all the way up and even as a sekiwake. That's why I was quite iffy on him. I understand that he's a yotsu guy relying more on speed and technique than brute force but if my memory serves me well, he was doing this crap every other day. Quite a contrast with his brother Wakamotoharu, mind you. I have the feeling that Kotonowaka might fall short this basho on his ozeki run and he'd better not run into some injury trouble next basho or the chance might go past him with the Onosatos and Hakuohos of the world coming right up. Still, the guy is doing ozeki sumo (well, this term should have other meaning really, but I'll keep it) and has improved a lot from his early ultra-passive stance. Also, rooting for Kitaharima tomorrow. Hopefully Akua can try a kakenage yet again.

I disagree on that one. Chiyosakae was doing his thing of trying to absorb the charge and eventually sidestep and he was on his game plan. Pity for him is he got caught full on the face because he's that bad and his plan was actually crap against a very limited guy like one-legged Hakuyozan. The real bad one for me today was Ichiyamamoto-Nishikigi, where Ichi clearly jumps the gun and nobody f'n cared. Poor guy Nishikigi. He grew up on me thanks to his near demotion to makushita and the guy just kept on digging doing straight up sumo and last year was actually his best year ever with that unbelievable run in Nagoya. I see no real difference on his usual sumo though.... 

Jk15e Kyokukaiyu

After giving somewhat boring answers, i'll be spicy naming the kimarite for the first clash: okuridashi. Style wise, Hokutofuji should have a good match-up if Onosato keeps his ways. Still, I don't see old Daiki with the staying power to profit from it now. 2 years ago, sure.

Thank you, sir. Much appreciated. Now we only need @yorikiried by fate to do a graph showing the number of total Juryo yusho concurrently in the banzuke, the ones that weren't in the division at certain times and all that fun. May I suggest the title of Baruto-zuna for the bestests of them all?

Who are you and what are you doing inside my head? As a side note, both fellas have the dubious honor of having won a yusho in Juryo and not having made it to makuuchi....at least yet. From the current juryo crop Oshoma is the other one that fits the bill. I don't know how to realistically make the query easily in the database, but there shouldn't be many juryo yusho winners that didn't make it past the division, especially since the size reduction to twenty-something.

For stupideness sake, here's my GTJB prediction. Mind you, it's my prediction, not what I'd like or do. Daiamami (J4e 9-6) J1 Mitoryu (J4w 9-6) Nishikifuji (M16w 6-9) J2 Tohakuryu (M15e 5-10) Roga (M16e 5-10) J3 Kotoeko (M10w 2-8-5) Kitanowaka (M17e 5-10) J4 Tamashoho (J7w 9-6) Chiyoshoma (J6e 8-7) J5 Oshoma (J3w 6-9) Kagayaki (J3e 5-10) J6 Tokihayate (J8w 8-7) Takahashi (J9e 8-7) J7 Shishi (J5w 6-9) Shimanoumi (J12e 9-6) J8 Shiden (J12w 9-6) Asakoryu (J13w 9-6) J9 Daishoho (J7e 5-10) Chiyomaru (J8e 4-7-4) J10 Takerufuji (Ms1w 6-1) Akua (J10e 5-10) J11 Tenshoho (J10w 5-10) Hidenoumi (J11w 6-7-2) J12 Hakuyozan (Ms1e 4-3) Yuma (J13e 7-8) J13 Oshoumi (Ms2w 4-3) Chiyosakae (J14e 7-8) J14 Tochimusashi (Ms3e 4-3) It's esentially Asashosakari's guess until J9w (I was getting nervous about it) and then it's pandemonium.

Daieisho, by getting 60 wins in makuuchi in a span of 6 basho, joins a very select group of rikishi who weren't at least ozeki or got promoted to those heights at least on the 7th basho of that run. All of his companions went on to get to ozekihood in the future, some even more, except one, the unpromotable Miyabiyama, who at least had made it to ozeki beforehand if that's any consolation for him. Query For sake of completeness and to check for mistakes, all 60+ runs are here

As current Sumo Games World Champion and current Yusho winner of Sumo Game, I completely disagree with the luck factor that is claimed. I won both because I was the bestest of them all and that's an objective truth. Luck had nothing to do with it. In my case, luck is only involved when I do poorly. In all seriousness, I would add one more thing. Know thyself. Know your biases and learn when to trust your gut and when your gut is telling you that Takakeisho is bound to lose today just because you don't like his style of sumo. Oh, and never trust Kagayaki.

Well, finally I can call myself a World Champion. I'm elated, specially after getting so close last year. Funnily enough, getting the last minute Odd Yusho this year when I didn't really need it for the championship was like adding salt to last year's wound. Luckily it was long healed by now, because what really drives me (and I guess most of us) is having fun. We're not playing for money or other insignificant things like fame and fortune but for really meaningful things like honor and that weird sense of accomplishment that you get for predicting what two oversized men are doing inside a small sand circle all the way across the globe from where you're sitting. Thanks to everyone who run the games, keep the scores and give us the videos so we can see what's happening in the dohyo daily, because the NHK and the NSK aren't certainly helping with that. Hard to imagine there was a time when you could watch a free live feed from the NSK web itself. Yes, it was heavily pixelated, but one got to cheer for his favourite bunch of pixels back then. I congratulate and encourage every single one of the players. If I can do it with no algorithm or spreadsheets, just by instinct and feel (and a healthy scrutinization of the sumodb, of course), then you can do it too. The more, the merrier...and the sweeter my future victory over all of you will be. See you next year. Good luck getting second place, you'll need it.

Danger's name is Kagayaki and I'm lucky this muppet is in juryo and he's inelegible for the vast majority of games. I already picked him on quad (day 1, done and out) and I'll avoid his matches like the plague. Imagine writing that and doing this pick the next day on Turn the Tide. 22 4-8 +5 1.574 Oskahanada Kagayaki 3-8 L Tomokaze 6-5 L (0) L 0 0.250 Truly a World Champion move. Do as I say, not as I do. Anyway, it'd be fitting to get the WC title next to a yusho in SG. Andoreasu is now beating me handily on tie-break but we still haven't faced each other. I guess our disparity in rank (M14w vs M16e) is way too much or I really don't understand that game's daily torikumi making. Still, maybe I can decide who's green and who's not. You may call me Greta.