The video / YouTube edition of our preview of the Haru Basho! This time we have added a segment were we forecast who will have the biggest make-koshi before we launch into our always regrettable predictions. It’s 20 minutes of sumo fandom gone horribly wrong!
I’ve got a feeling in my gut that Asanoyama won’t make ozeki.
I’m not superstitious. Not at all. But, that rank is clearly cursed right now. Everyone within touching distance of it is falling apart spectacularly.
About Endo’s elbow: he is not just “treating it as chronic”. Osteoarthritis usually is chronic. I don’t know what kind of surgery he had. I think it was a minor one, to have a bit of cartilage removed or some such, because there is no actual surgical solution for osteoarthritis. So I think it’s the sort of thing that wouldn’t stop a rikishi from entering competition, and definitely not stop him from doing keiko.
We’ll see on day 1 what happens with him. He gets to meet old Hakuho again. And Hakuho knows Endo will be ready for both a harite and a kachiage, and will have to come up with some actual sumo.
BTW, Hakuho has not been playing brave this time around. He’s going around complaining like an old grandmother and saying that he’s aching all over “but everybody is, so…”. So I guess he’s preparing his kyujo excuses in advance, so as not to find himself in the same ridiculous situation as last basho, in which he walked around saying that his body is only 27 years old and that his genes are magical and regenerative treatment got him A-OK, and then go kyujo for an abscess in his heel.
As for your yusho predictions, they are not crazy enough. Enho is going to be lifted by the Emperor’s cup! The yusho arasoi will consist of all three Ishikawa rikishi, including Kagayaki who has drawn a very serious fish in that TV program yesterday, so he is ready, and Endo who always answers the question “what do you wish for in the coming year?” with “I wish not to have anything to wish for”, which means he is philosophically the correct man to find out the kind of sound made by a yusho interview when there is no one to hear it.
I am hoping for actual sumo from Hakuho. :)
The big question is: does he still have any?
I think you got that all wrong. After already crashing any such yusho hopes of Takakeisho on day 1, Takayasu will head straight to a playoff on the last day with a 12-3 record, where he will meet Onosho (who late last basho rediscovered the meaning of balance) and Ryuden, who finally overcame whatever physical problems plagued him.
Those 3 are followed by Asanoyama who fumbles his yusho chances on the last day by giving an 8-7 kachikoshi to Takakeisho (who will have all those close lucky wins he had the last tournaments turn against him this time), Hokutofuji (who beats all of the top guys, but randomly fumbles matches against middle of the pack guys) and Shodai, who was in Yusho contention till the last day before fumbling another match with Tokushoryu, who miraculously gets his kachikoshi with that in part also thanks to two fusen victories against both of the Yokozuna, none of whom will fight in week 2.
I will hope for Takayasu to take the Yusho, but Ryuden (after escorting Onosho out at the belt), will drive the NHK guys (already running late on schedule) nuts and take the win after 2 mizu-iri and the match running well over 10 minutes.
Some of you might think of this being unlikely, but I saw it all in the crystal ball, I swear!;-)
LOL, but Tokushoryu v Shodai is on the torikumi for Day 1.