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Hatsu Basho 2019 Discussion [SPOILERS]

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This is such a forgetful basho (injuries, kyujos, intais) but I am gonna remember Sadanoumi's huge bandage on his forehead.  That's ginormous, humongous, massive, mount fuji like, colossal, titanic, ....     

Aminishiki loses again and I think he is getting closer to hang his mawashi up. 

Yago is definitely hurting.  No power on that knee ...

Edited by robnplunder

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Yago, Yago, Yago … take some smelling salts and wake up, man. 

A bit more resistance today but yet another defeat. Four on the trot now and the kachikoshi remains just out of grasp for another day.

 

How many times has a rikishi ended with a makekoshi after being 7-1?

Edited by Eikokurai

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27 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

How many times has a rikishi ended with a makekoshi after being 7-1?

Four: All due to kyujo

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1 hour ago, Kuroyama said:

It's very likely not physical fatigue alone. When your entire life depends on your win-loss record, each bout represents a massive amount of stress. Athletes in other sports, who get paid whether they win or lose and must perform truly abysmally to end up without a paycheck, experience nothing like it on a routine basis.

That’s only true to an extent, firstly because it applies only to those at the bottom of Juryo at risk of demotion to the non-salaried ranks, and secondly because most bouts don’t carry that much importance. If you’re at 8 wins you can walk yourself off the dohyo for the rest of the basho if you like – you’re still getting promoted next time. A rikishi can afford to lose just under 50% of the time without worry. That’s a pretty good margin of error.

Also, rikishi who drop back to toriteki status have a safety net in that they remain in the heya. A low-ranking tennis player on the tour struggles to make enough to pay for his flights to the next event and literally needs to win to feed himself. Not all pro athletes are getting paid big bucks. Sticking with the rugby comparison I started, outside of a handful of pro clubs it’s not unusual to find clubs struggling to pay their player’ wages.

Edited by Eikokurai

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5 minutes ago, Atenzan said:

Four: All due to kyujo

Three of those are from Juryo too, so Yago could become only the second Makuuchi guy to do it.

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Good discipline from Takakeisho. There were a couple of moments there where in the past he'd have gone in, but he held back and regained a more solid footing. 

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6 minutes ago, robnplunder said:

Henka, Mitakeumi?  Henka desu ka?  Et tu?

His leg still looks hurt, he jumped off of his good leg

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1 minute ago, Eikokurai said:

Good discipline from Takakeisho. There were a couple of moments there where in the past he'd have gone in, but he held back and regained a more solid footing. 

Ozeki material ....

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LOL, Aoiyama's henka attempt just wasn't.   Takayasu may be on his way to KK after the terrible start.  Goeido is still iffy and may go kadoban.

Edited by robnplunder

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Yes! We have a yusho race!

Tamawashi's first ever win over Hakuho if I'm not mistaken?

Edited by Eikokurai

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2 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

Yes! We have a yusho race!

Tamawashi's first ever win over Hakuho if I'm not mistaken?

Yes, what a win at that with yusho still on the line!   What a win by Tamawashi!!!!!

Edited by robnplunder

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1 minute ago, Midoriyama said:

Great win by Tamawashi... Sitting here wishing for Takakeisho to make it 3 straight defeats for Hakuho tomorrow

It could happen. Tamawashi has Hokutofuji who has blown hot and cold this basho. We could have a new basho leader tomorrow. That would be brilliant. I don’t remember the last time Hak played catch up to anyone other than another Yokozuna.

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Ex-prime minister Hatoyama demands to get back to e.g. 4 basho a year to reduce the workload of the rikishi, which leads to one kyujo after the other. http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/entertainment/1257193/

Mitakeumi - Hakuho was after 67 years again a win by a kyujo returner vs. a yokozuna. http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/sports/articles/2019/01/003467.html

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6 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

Ex-prime minister Hatoyama demands to get back to e.g. 4 basho a year to reduce the workload of the rikishi, which leads to one kyujo after the other. http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/entertainment/1257193/

Mitakeumi - Hakuho was after 67 years again a win by a kyujo returner vs. a yokozuna. http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/sports/articles/2019/01/003467.html

Surely a better idea is to reduce the jungyo? I presume honbasho bring in more revenue than the regional tours do. The jungyo must be a real drain, on the move every day, getting on and off a bus to do keigo and have bouts. No time to recover between tournaments. Let the guys have a holiday!

Edited by Eikokurai
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+1 on reducing jungyo and/or reducing to 5 basho per year.

+1 on hoping Takakeisho beating Hak.

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Here comes my latest excuse for Hakuho's loss on day 12.  According to what Hakuho told the press after being defeated by Mitakeumi the previous day, he had lost concentration or perhaps focus is a better word.  Well, I think the same thing may just have happened again today, but for a different reason.  Today, there were so few bouts in the Top Division that they started dragging things out in the second half.  I believe that the slow pace in the pre-bout rituals threw Hakuho off (at least I got a chance to see the famous Hakuho toe dips! in his third to last corner visit).  

Bottom line here (once again) was that Tamawashi brought the better sumo to the ring.  Towards the end off the bout, Hakuho turned (perhaps hoping for another one of his Houdini escapes) but turned too casually/slowly – showing that he was no longer focused on the bout – and Tamawashi got the upper hand sending the GOAT out of and down off the ring!

Tamawashi now has a legitimate chance of making it four straight first-time champions in the hatsu basho.  His last three opponents should not be his greatest challenges.  Meanwhile, Hakuho will have his hands full in the last three days, starting with Takakeisho tomorrow.  Part of me believes that Hakuho will bring his A game for that bout, but another part of me believes that Takakeisho has a chance to hand Hakuho his third-straight loss!

Edited by Amamaniac

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5 minutes ago, Amamaniac said:

Here comes my latest excuse for Hakuho's loss on day 12.  According to what Hakuho told the press after being defeated by Mitakeumi the previous day, he had lost concentration or perhaps focus is a better word.  Well, I think the same thing may just have happened again today, but for a different reason.  Today, there were so few bouts in the Top Division that they started dragging things out in the second half.  I believe that the slow pace in the pre-bout rituals threw Hakuho off (at least I got a chance to see the famous Hakuho toe dips! in his third to last corner visit).  

I wish there were an eye-roll Response next to the Thanks trophy so that I could properly react to it. (Beinghypocrite...)

 

I wouldnt be surprised to find out that Hakuho’s toe is acting up again. Given his pride at being a Yokozuna and the state of the rest of the rikishi at that rank, I’d expect him to keep quiet about it and try to tough it out. 

Edited by Michishige
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12 minutes ago, Michishige said:

I wouldnt be surprised to find out that Hakuho’s toe is acting up again. Given his pride at being a Yokozuna and the state of the rest of the rikishi at that rank, I’d expect him to keep quiet about it and try to tough it out. 

...or just throw a kyujo note like everyone else, making a Tamawashi yusho even more likely.

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Yea !! We have a yusho race !! Takakeishou has a punchers chance absolutely.. Setting my alarm for 3:40 EST tomorrow morning.

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4 hours ago, Midoriyama said:

I guess that has something to do with cricket... The test breaks called lunch and tea, but I am not sure how it originated 

Edit:  I shouldn't have answered in automatic mode. Depress clutch - engage brain - I should have said that the meals have those names in the south of England where Lord's cricket ground, the home of cricket, is located.

3 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

...

Not all pro athletes are getting paid big bucks. Sticking with the rugby comparison I started, outside of a handful of pro clubs it’s not unusual to find clubs struggling to pay their player’ wages.

In cricket that is even true of international players outside the big four nations.

 

Edited by Naganoyama

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2 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

Sticking with the rugby comparison I started, outside of a handful of pro clubs it’s not unusual to find clubs struggling to pay their player’ wages.

Just thinking about the physical comparison for rugby players and rikishi. It is not uncommon for players in contact sports (eg Union, League, American Football, AFL) to barely be able to walk for a few days after playing a game due to the physical punishment they receive, particularly at higher levels where the men are bigger and the hits harder. This is particularly the case for the older players who often miss games just because of "soreness". Rugby guys play once per week, rikishi have to have to go out and fight for 15 days straight (if I work my desk job for just 7 days straight I am completely mentally jaded). It takes a certain amount of mental energy to get motivated to go and have a fight every day, especially if you are going to be facing one of the guys who hits hard (Hak for example apparently has a tachiai that has the same power as being hit by a car or something like that - I watched a doco about it). The initial impact of a 150kg man hitting you at the tachiai, then the harite, tsuppari, getting thrown onto or off the dohyo all have a physical impact. And the rikishi are all carrying a lot of weight on their frames so longer matches will also take their toll. They have to do this for 15 days straight, so if they face one of the big hitters in the first few days they will be carrying bruising, will be sore etc for the rest of the basho, with no chance to rest and heal. So they have to fight sore, which will just make the soreness worse. It is inevitable that you are going to get hit hard sometime over 15 days of contact. In the latter part of his career Kaio had a specific post-bout routine of massages, baths and stretching, just to allow him to keep moving and be able to mount the dohyo the next day. Without that he wouldn't be able to walk the next day let alone do sumo. I think you might be underestimating the punishment these guys take ;-)

Edited by Morty
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