Nagoya Basho 2018 Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Asashosakari 19,463]

1 hour ago, ScreechingOwl said:

As it happens, both J1s are doing very poorly. However, that is rarely the case.

It's rarely the case because J1's are facing almost entirely opponents who are nominally worse. That wouldn't hold true if they were made M17's instead, so that's no credible argument in favour of putting them in makuuchi. 
 

1 hour ago, ScreechingOwl said:

I suggest we'll see next week how disfunctional the pairings in this basho get because of the shortage of makuuchi division rikishi.

Makuuchi worked perfectly fine with 34 to 40 rikishi (minus withdrawals) for almost 40 years. And we've had tournaments with more than four makuuchi absences even in the recent past. Not sure why you're suddenly seeing a problem where none exists. There are still tons of possible opponents for everyone to get paired up with. (Okay, except at the depleted top end, but adding two bottom maegashira would do nothing to help with that.)

Edited July 14, 2018 by Asashosakari

[WAKATAKE 2,661]

I can see Shin coming back and trying to get to 8 wins to at least hold rank for Aki.

[808morgan 812]

3 hours ago, Morty said:

As a fellow bad back sufferer I agree - there is no way I could even contemplate sumo if I pull my back out (and I don't weigh 215 kg...).

However, I also wonder if it is in his head as well. We talk a lot about the physical state of these guys but not often about the mental. It has to be tough getting yourself psyched up to go out and fight another man 15 days in a row. Kisenosato should have been a Yokozuna years earlier but couldn't get over the mental hurdle. Likewise Goeido loses matches he definitely shouldn't probably because his head isn't in the right place. Ichinojo looks to me like a guy who has these issues but he also looks depressed a lot of the time. He has that vacant look of despair that depressed people have (trust me, I know all about that look). This is obviously an armchair diagnosis but imagine if you suffered proper clinical depression and then also had to go out there and wrestle every day? It would be impossible. I really hope I am wrong because being depressed really sucks, but I often think that about him when I see him up on the dohyo and he doesn't look interested in being there.

Yeah it may be both, I just know he has had a bad back. I do think there is a lack of impetus there, he could be fierce if he wanted to. He could also injure himself pretty quickly. He is pretty young, hard to say!

[808morgan 812]

Tochinoshin out!!! You have got to be kidding me!!

[ALAKTORN 346]

This now must be the weakest basho in what, over 10 years?

[Pandaazuma 1,310]

On ‎08‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 01:15, Pandaazuma said:

Was just checking to see who the hometown heroes for Nagoya in the top two divisions were this basho and there is only one!

GO AKISEYAMA!!!!!

NOOOO!  That's not what I meant by 'go'!

[Eikokurai 3,437]

Poor from Goeido today. He looked like a man without a plan. Still a long way to go but I have a feeling he’ll be nearer at the end to a mere kachikoshi than he will be to the yusho-winning score.

Takayasu wasted no time sending Abi out and keeps himself in the mix for the championship. 

Mitakeumi did what he needed to do, but I was disappointed with Giku. He didn’t offer much resistance once the bout opened up again following their brief hug. 

[Benihana 1,929]

Ok, Mitakeumi in the lead with 7-0, followed by 3 Maegashira with 6-1, 1 Ozeki and another 4 Maegashira with 5-2. It's his 2nd 7-0 in his makuuchi career. The last was 01.2018 and he ended up with a close 8-7. But from what i see on the dohyo, this time it will be better than 8-7. Could this be his basho? Absolutely.

[Eikokurai 3,437]

2 hours ago, ALAKTORN said:

This now must be the weakest basho in what, over 10 years?

And Goeido will still find a way not to win it.

[Jakusotsu 5,987]

11 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

13 hours ago, Jakusotsu said:

Right now, Asanoyama looks like the next big thing to me.

For-real next big thing or in-scare-quotes "next big thing"?

For real, for sure. To warrant the sarcasm-tag he generates way too few attention currently, but I fear that's about to change.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Jakusotsu
typo

[Eikokurai 3,437]

10 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

Looking at what remains of the intra-sanyaku pairings - if they decide to schedule a standard 4-rikishi roundrobin at the end, I sure hope they use Mitakeumi instead of Ichinojo to complement the three ozeki.

Of course, if we're not done seeing withdrawals they might be lucky to have anybody available at all...

Two Ozeki now, of course, though Tochinoshin could return.

I guess the Kyokai are quietly pleased that the other two are kadoban, since that more or less forces them to stick around for the duration. Goeido would probably go kyujo right about now if he wasn’t fighting to save his rank.

[Yatagarasu 352]

I am quite perturbed by Yoshikaze's lack of fighting spirit.  Last year he seemed to be doing so well and then he slipped down the rankings a bit with a possible hidden injury, but now....it's like he can't be bothered anymore.  

I had expected to see more henkas from Goeidou so far, but at least he's been engaging his opponents.  There's probably more pressure to now that all eyes will be on him and Takayasu.  He'll have to earn his KK properly (he doesn't seem convincing enough for the yusho).

Mitakeumi might well pull it off. 

[ALAKTORN 346]

Mitakeumi looking good.

I saw a zabuton fly after Gōeidō lost. lol

[RabidJohn 1,802]

38 minutes ago, ALAKTORN said:

I saw a zabuton fly after Gōeidō lost. lol

I saw at least one after Tochinoshin's loss yesterday, too - the Nagoya crowd seem eager to hurl their cushions!

Mitakeumi is looking fairly awesome atm. Now we'll see if he can handle pressure.

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,275]

3 hours ago, Yatagarasu said:

I am quite perturbed by Yoshikaze's lack of fighting spirit.  Last year he seemed to be doing so well and then he slipped down the rankings a bit with a possible hidden injury, but now....it's like he can't be bothered anymore.  

I had expected to see more henkas from Goeidou so far, but at least he's been engaging his opponents.  There's probably more pressure to now that all eyes will be on him and Takayasu.  He'll have to earn his KK properly (he doesn't seem convincing enough for the yusho).

Mitakeumi might well pull it off. 

I feel like 95% of the time somebody says a rikishi isn't trying it's actually due to some acute injury they are carrying.

You don't get to this level by phoning it in.

[Yatagarasu 352]

43 minutes ago, Tsuchinoninjin said:

I feel like 95% of the time somebody says a rikishi isn't trying it's actually due to some acute injury they are carrying.

In earlier basho this year it did seem like he was hiding some sort of illness or injury but I feel like something has changed in him mentally this basho. His whole demeanour seems kind of weary, like there’s no life in him. It’s really odd. 

[RaeucherLax 289]

2 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

I saw at least one after Tochinoshin's loss yesterday, too - the Nagoya crowd seem eager to hurl their cushions!

It's so hot in Nagoya the crowd will use every opportunity to create a breeze inside the venue 

[mikawa 1,794]

Watching Goeido is like watching Arsenal in recent years, you never quite know what kind of a performance he's going to come up with

[lackmaker 437]

15 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

 

Well then, that idea didn't last long.  8 sanyaku matches remaining for 8 days, and with presumably 2 of them on (at least) senshuraku, that'll mean at least one day without any intra-sanyaku matchups now.

I guess it's now:

Day 15
O1e-O1w
Se-Sw

Day 14
O1e-Sw

Day 13
O1w-Sw

and the other four matches somewhere on Days 8 to 12 (O1e-Se, O1e-Kw, O1w-Se, O1w-Ke).
 

Why do the ozekis face the Sw after the Se?

[Philioyamfugi 378]

One thing I've learned being a sumo fan for only about 2yrs... Banzuke is best predictor . If Takayasu is healthy it's his basho. I love the ups and downs...this is what it is really about... Nice win for Aminishiki in Juryo Toyonoshima ms-7 fighting tonight at 2-1.  It's always about the younger guys coming up and the veterans fighting on... This is what I love about sumo. The Banzuke never lies ! My boy Kagayaki on the last bout against Takayasu ? I'd love to see him win but ??  Bring it on !! 

[Eikokurai 3,437]

1 hour ago, mikawa said:

Watching Goeido is like watching Arsenal in recent years, you never quite know what kind of a performance he's going to come up with

The problem with Goeido is he always tries to walk his aite off the dohyo.

[Tiger Tanaka 225]

I know I sound like a broken record at this point again, but MItakeumi working the belt again in today's victory. In previous losses to Geek when his oshi sumo wasn't effective, once his momentum stopped it was all Geek who was able to walk him back to the tawara. Today, Geek again started to push Mitakeumi backward, but this time Mita dug in, got a hold of the mawashi and was able to regain his forward momentum, even picking up Geek momentarily.

This 7-0 start is far different than January's undefeated first week. While the caliber of rikishi is similar, the style of sumo seems much more versatile. Still a long way to go with week 2 bringing higher ranking rikishi, but with a depleted sanyaku, anything less than 12-3 would be disappointing. Then we can begin the obligatory Ozeki run talk, though he still has more to prove against the Y/O crew once they are healthy.

Aminishki looking great! Makuuchi return looking likely and a KK in Aki would mean Makuuchi at age 40!

[Akinomaki 40,643]

Takakeisho's NHK shukun interviews are really funny in Japanese (I can't convey that though)

- Takayasu win: "An ozeki win again after last Kyushu, how (do you feel) about it?" "Well, normal." ... "Your sumo?" "Neither good nor bad." ...

- Goeido win: "Winning against ozeki 2 days in a row, how about it?" "Neither good nor bad." "So you did sumo with the same feeling as yesterday?" "Yes" ...

[Jakusotsu 5,987]

Translating to: "Stop bothering me already!"

[Akinomaki 40,643]

7 minutes ago, Jakusotsu said:

Translating to: "Stop bothering me already!"

The interviews went on for long after those parts though, he also explained in detail about the bout - but without any emotions

Edited July 14, 2018 by Akinomaki