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I'm back in fantasy san'yaku for the first time in over a year and boy are my arms tired! My training has gone well, and I'm ready to assert my style of fantasy sumo to the utmost this basho. My iron-clad rules continue to be: Death Before Shodai; gently caress Ryuden and Ichi; and Papayasu Is The Best. This basho I'm celebrating Chiyomaru's return to the top division by selecting only the Very Best Roundbois. This stable is full of the roundest, bounciest, cuddliest men in sumo. Welcome back, oh eternally round one. Now put on that pea green mawashi and get me some wins! O: Takakeisho S/K: Takayasu Kotonowaka Wakamotoharu M1-5: Mitakeumi Daieisho Sadanoumi M6-10: Oho Hokutofuji AOIYAMA M11+: Chiyomaru Mitoryu Tsurugisho Really wanted to take Daieisho over Mitake in M1-5 but I just can't break the gimmick. Also torn taking Oho over Hokutofuji; both are round and Hokuto has the better pre-match warmup routine. But I gave youth and suppleness the edge in this one. Bentai posted:My heart says Takayasu, but that head/neck hit in November was pretty bad and I don't know how he's been looking.
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Jan 3, 2023 09:20
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 04:45 |
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Kototebakari features heavily in many of Chris Sumo's post-basho retrospective stuff. Chris has been following him since high school or even earlier, so he has lots of footage (including old Hakuho Cup matches) to intersperse with more recent footage. I get the impression they know each other well enough to chat once in a while as well.
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Jan 6, 2023 20:47
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Hell yeah Lid posted:It's a good metaphor as Takayasu is lying flat on his side as he ends most of his matches. HOW DARE YOU
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Jan 8, 2023 06:00
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Kenning: I don't want to auto-trade Takayasu. His return to san'yaku and mine will end together, unless the rest of my stable gets off their asses and pulls off perfection from here on out. Day 7: Onosho and Daieisho both having great luck with their styles this basho. Daieisho especially looks really motivated. I'm favoring those two and Takakeisho leading at the end, hopefully with another three-way playoff that ends in Keisho yusho and Yokozuna promotion. That would be the highest possible drama, and ensure that more than half of my fantasy sumo points come from Keisho because holy gently caress my team is dire thus far lol
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Jan 14, 2023 20:37
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Yeah I saw those Hokutofuji signs and I have never wanted any piece of sumo merch more than that in my life. It's perfect.
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Jan 16, 2023 01:15
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Decided to stream of thought comments on the last half of the upper division today. So, Day 10: I guess it's a running gag this basho for everyone to henka poor Takarafuji. They've been really classy, well-executed henkas, but I think maybe he's getting a little tired of it. Oho looks just plain uncomfortable out there. Kid needs either more muscle or more fat, he's being pushed around and doesn't have the strength or bulk to resist. Poor Ura. I was sure he had a leg throw but he just got bounced off Kotoshoho. Still, two good fights from one matchup is a fun thing to see. Really great bulldog sumo from Hokutofuji today. There is aboslutely no backstep in that man and he managed to keep close enough to Aoiyama there was no chance at a slapdown. Very well done. Chiyomaru  It was a delight to see you in Makuuchi again, please come back soon. No I wouldn't trade him even if I could, I love the boy too much.Onosho REALLY wants it this basho. I hope he gets a chance, but Keisho is looking drat unstoppable. Abi vs. Ryuden. Battle of the furious dumbasses. The less objectionable one won imo. But sweet Christ his footwork is still the worst in the business. Old Man Tamawashi's fast reactions saved him again, a drat nice deflecton at the rope. Daieisho started the basho gunning as hard as Onosho but hasn't put up the same numbers. I still expect him to KK though. Wakamotoharu had no time for circus tricks. Quick and decisive. He may pass his brother eventually. Mitakeumi has taken up the Snorlax mantle from Ichi. Today we got awake Mitake. Feels like Kotonowaka has done a lot of good work this basho but it's not reflected in his score thus far. Sadanoumi hasn't won much, buit his wins have looked really strong. I was surprised to see him take down WTK, but good on him avoiding MK for another day. Shodai. Keisho got in some casual kotenage practice there. That's his second or third win by arm lock this basho. As a second trick, it's a pretty good one.
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Jan 17, 2023 17:58
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Day 11: That's the third henka against Takarafuji in a row and he finally had enough, the mad lad turned it around. Bravo!
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Jan 18, 2023 22:30
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I was starting to wonder if (up through Day 11) Takarafuji was hurt and it was an open secret. Sometimes healthy rikshi will sidestep an injured colleague hoping to pose less risk of hurting them further. But then he fought back so I don't think that's what happened for him at least. But who knows?
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Jan 19, 2023 01:16
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Jobbo_Fett posted:Keisho has a neck? Fun fact: all mammals, from the tiniest pygmy marmoset to the giraffe, have the same number of cervical (neck) vertebrae. It's just in Keisho's case they're wafer-thin due to lack of space. And therefore lamentably vulnerable to injury.
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Jan 23, 2023 10:11
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I now understand the perspective of Shonanzakura. When the points come so rarely, they are all the sweeter when they do.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:32
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As we toil through the time between basho, please enjoy this bonus basho provided by Awesome Games Done Quick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLjvEhvYSTY&t=68s
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Jan 30, 2023 23:34
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verbal enema posted:watching Jason's latest video and he's talking some about Hakuho's retirement ceremony and all that. Apparently the going rate for the privilege of snipping a few of his hairs was $10k, according to Chris. Special cases might have gotten a discount, but that's a hell of a lot more than average. (Ozeki might charge $500, a rank-and-file more like $200.)
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Feb 13, 2023 07:36
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Congrats Kenning! I hope the planning goes well. Try to relax and enjoy the day - it can be easy to get too caught up in making sure everything is perfect. I'll be at a convention for the first weekend and struggling to make time to watch, but I have confidence enough to build a team that can auto-pilot me to something resembling kachi-koshi. At least it'll be hard to do worse than I did last basho. Y/O: Terunofuji on the off chance he isn't kyujo Takakeisho S/K: Hoshoryu Wakamotoharu Kotonowaka M1-5: Kotoshoho Onosho Midorifuji M6-10: Papayasu Hokutofuji AOIYAMA M11+: Oho Hokuseiho Kinbozan It's interesting to see my two least favorite rikshi sharing M2 and two of my faves sharing M7. I sincerely hope those positions reverse after this basho, but I suppose the shitheads will continue to climb.
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Mar 7, 2023 20:10
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riderchop posted:Shodai.
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Mar 13, 2023 09:02
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Charles Gnarwin posted:Non-kyujo trades are for cowards.   Continuing my meteoric descent from fantasy sanyaku to fantasy juryo. But let none question my commitment to my stable.
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Mar 15, 2023 23:54
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ratmosphere posted:Who is that guy in the picture? Some former wrestler maybe? Just some nerd who once henka'd Harumafuji. He gives bad advice.
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Mar 16, 2023 04:10
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Thoughts through Day 11 First and foremost, it's been extremely fulfilling to watch Ryuden eating poo poo every loving day. Suck it down, rear end in a top hat. It's well deserved. Midorifuji is doing so well, it's great to see. He dropped one today but maybe he can still hold on? Here's hoping. Seeing both Waka bros in sanyaku seems possible, if WTK can keep his poo poo together going forward. WMH has looked like the stronger bro for a couple of basho now. Hoshoryu is getting better about acting impassive after a fight. Back in the day he would've looked furious at a henka attempt, today he just calmly dunked on Endo and walked away. I suspect he's been talked to about "Ozeki bearing" or some tired old trope. The old men are likely to appreciate the effort. And finally, Daishoho hasn't been in the top division since loving 2019. He was in the Maegashira ranks when I started watching sumo, and it's been awesome watching him make a very strong case for belonging up there once again. He's one away from a kk already.
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Mar 22, 2023 21:22
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Brut posted:Day12: OHO!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell yeah, that was completely unexpected and great to see.
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Mar 23, 2023 18:09
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Day 13 Nishkifuji with a very nice reversal against Hokuseiho. I'll make a prediction: Komosubi Nishkifuji by Haru 2025. Kid's got good instincts and I think he's far from his best potential yet. Yaaaay Papayasu KK! Also yaaay Kotoeko, that was a strong performance against a much younger, bigger, and fairly skilled foe. Nice to see Takarafuji showing some life. Maybe he can cobble together a KK if they give him a couple more opponents as injured as he is. His instincts and ring sense are clearly still there, he's just worn out physically. I had a really difficult choice on who to cheer for with Shodai/Ryuden. On one hand, Ryuden is a piece of poo poo. On the other, Shodai failing to get KK would be hilarious. In the end I reluctantly cheered for Shodai. And I was right - the look of dejection on Ryuden's face after eating poo poo yet again was absolutely worth it. Team Bart Primary Boat Anchor Kotoshoho managed a decent win against Tamawashi and I feel bad for Tamawashi. Dude is great and I hope he can rally for a stronger performance next basho. Dude needs to be high enough in the banzuke for a chance at another kinboshi. Kinda heartbroken for Midorifuji. He tried his hardest and in the end his feet just slipped out from under him. Now it's up to Daieisho to drop one and make it a Super Interesting final day. Fingers crossed! I feel like Wakatakakage got away with a little bit of a hansoku in the first fight, but I guess that's Sekiwake life.
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Mar 24, 2023 20:58
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verbal enema posted:https://youtu.be/8GsW3tQf88k The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > Punch Sport Pagoda > Sumo: My power comes from eating raw horse meat.
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Apr 17, 2023 17:21
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Yes, I will participate in this exhibition basho to continue practicing my brand of fantasy sumo! Y/O: Takakeisho Terunofuji S/K: Wakamotoharu Kotonowaka Hoshoryu M1-5: Takayasu Midorifuji Kotoshoho M6-10: Hokutofuji Tamawashi Mitakeumi M11+: Chiyoshoma AOIYAMA Daishoho I do not believe Teru will make it all fifteen days. He seemed tentative in the practice matches in front of the Yokozuna committee, and while his knees are no doubt better I think his remaining career basho can be counted on one hand. I also hope I am totally wrong and he is once again an unstoppable kaiju at the top of the chart. Wakamotoharu's interview on Sumo Prime Time made me fall in love with the guy even more than I already had, and I think he'll have the tournament of his life. He's inspired by his brother and fighting as his proxy. He's gonna win it all. I will pick Papayasu until the sad but well-earned day of his retirement, which I hope is a long time from now. I don't hate Asanoyama but I feel picking him - especially in an exhibition context - is too easy. I'll get my value from my favorite henka machine, or failing that, the "fading Bulgarian" who keeps on fighting to the apparent consternation of Chris Sumo.
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May 12, 2023 17:30
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bessantj posted:I've been hoping that Wakatakamoto can actually make a surprise run and get into the top division and perhaps we can have Wakatakamoto, Wakamotoharu and Wakatakakage all together. When this happens, my fantasy team will be the Fozzy Bear team: Waka Waka Waka plus a bear (Takayasu). I've been waiting for years and just needed yall to see the joke because I've all but given up hope of it happening for real.
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May 16, 2023 21:41
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Lucasar posted:It's just a great example of sumo at it's most macho. Hakuho could have easily just done what he usually does and beat Tochinoshin with finesse and speed, but here he is so determined to prove that he is physically stronger or at least a match for Tochinoshin that he gets beat. Reminds me a lot of Hakuho's last match with Terunofuji as well, Hakuho just can't help himself trying to one-up people. I mean, Hak clearly believed he could win that (and on most days I'd say he would have), but going into that fight there was no other plan than to give Tochi a squared-up belt battle with his preferred grip and let him try his best. quote:Anyways Tochinoshin will be missed and I'm curious what life after sumo will be like for him, as he I believe owns property back in Georgia and will probably be leaving sumo behind now.
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May 20, 2023 20:03
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In short, Hakuho is a man of contrasts.
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May 20, 2023 20:42
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Average Lettuce posted:Day 13: lmao at all the hype for the Terunofuji vs Asanoyama match and in the end it all seemed so simple for Teru. Kinda weird that we will have Teru vs Kiri tomorrow, are they expecting Teru to fight Takakeisho on the last day? That was probably the most brutal kotenage I've ever seen. It wasn't particularly dangerous - Teru wasn't levering Asanoyama's ulna out of joint - but for pure kinetic strength it was incredible. Just threw him laterally by the shoulder. I hope Asanoyama's shoulder feels okay tomorrow, because his pride sure won't. Also, thank you Tamawashi for being gentle with an obviously-doing-his-best Papayasu. And cheers to Chiyoshoma and Takakeisho for a pair of lovely henka-adjacent matches. Overall a lot of good sumo on display today. Lucasar posted:Quoting myself for no reason at all. Best part was he tried it once and failed, but timed the second sotogake perfectly when Hokuseiho was paying more attention to getting an arm inside than what was going on downstairs. Really good wrestling sense by Kiri. He's obviously ready for Ozeki; I hope he handles the pressure better than Mitake and Shodai did.
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May 26, 2023 18:52
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My performance this basho was mediocre, but I asserted my brand of fantasy sumo (e.g., kept Takayasu come hell or high water) and I'm satisfied with the performance. Thanks for running the exhibition, Robviously! Speaking of satisfaction with performance, here's an interesting interview with Chiyotairyu from Chris Sumo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i-_h9jE1qY Pretty cool he's getting that kind of access to folks, and I like that he's doing bilingual captions. Maybe it'll get him the higher viewership he needs to make some kind of return on everything he's invested in the channel.
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Jun 8, 2023 15:32
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That is definitely a bowl of kumis in the bottom right. Pretty neat seeing that alongside the Coke, Fanta, and whatever brand of bottled water Coke no doubt donated for product placement.
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Jun 15, 2023 17:01
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Y/O: Terunofuji Kirishima S/K: Wakamotoharu Daieisho Hoshoryu M1-5: Hiradoumi Midorifuji Mitakeumi M6-10: Takayasu Tamawashi Hokutofuji M11+: Hakuoho AOIYAMA Gonoyama It's walking wounded at the top of the ladder, even more than usual thanks to Kirishima's new injury. While I'm hopeful it'll be okay by match day, I WAS going to put my faith this basho in the hamster until he broke himself too so now I'm left with just the kaiju, dammit. By contrast, the S/K ranks are fairly healthy and extremely hungry. I'd love to see another tournament with five Ozeki. But whatever happens, I believe all of the Waka mojo has now been concentrated in the non-broken brother and his results will reflect that. Hiradoumi has impressed me with the sheer force of his onslaught. I think he's close to his current potential, but want to support his frantic style of sumo. Give this kid a couple of years without serious injury and we could well be looking at another Ozeki contender. Papayasu is, of course, an always-pick. But three of my favorite dudes are in the 6-10 band so I'll be happy cheering for whichever of them gets the nod. I'm torn on the 11+ band. I want to support Hakuoho, but AOIYAMA, who Chris Sumo referred to as "the fading Bulgarian" probably four years ago, is at the very bottom of the rankings chart and I don't know if he can put together a KK anymore at this level. Given how popular Miyagino's newest protege is, I'll roll the dice and default to Big Tiddy if I don't win the lottery. Good times ahead either way. bartolimu fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Jul 7, 2023 |
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Jul 5, 2023 16:06
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Stupid broken hamster. I hope he's okay. Scratched him from my list as well, it's kaiju or nothing now.
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Jul 7, 2023 18:38
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Average Lettuce posted:The Algorithm recommended this video, which is pretty cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw3iow9Kn7g It's heartening to note Shodai's wins and losses look basically the same. Shodai has always been Shodai.
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Aug 8, 2023 14:42
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Aww man, I liked Akiseyama. He always looked like someone's chubby grandmother had wandered onto the dohyo on wobbly little toothpick legs.
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Aug 10, 2023 16:23
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e: nooooo drat you vertebrae gods why must you hurt my fuzzball so muchLucasar posted:Wasn't that the kabu that you had to marry the daughter of the previous holder for because their widow is the technical owner somehow? And didn't Shimannoumi marry her? Yes. They're stablemates. And Shimannoumi is at the basement of Juryo next month so it could get a lil bit awkward.
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Aug 10, 2023 17:42
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I'd love to see medical sense prevail and have all of those dudes heal, but this is sumo, so: - Hakuoho will probably compete until he's as high up as he can get while injured, then get surgery. I'm concerned he's there now, given the injury is known and most of the higher-ups are very good at exploiting known weaknesses. I'd say 70/30 compete/surgery. - If Asanoyama broke a leg he would just superglue it to his other leg and keep competing. He'll be in. - Keisho will show up because his dad would disown him if he just fell out of Ozeki without hurting himself further. And maybe he's healthy enough to pull it off. - WTK is practicing against Sandanme stablemates, and his comments to the press seem to indicate he's letting Actual Recovery Time impact his choices. I would be very surprised to see him back in September. Besides, he has to let his brother keep the family mojo for a couple more basho.
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Aug 31, 2023 21:48
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Y/O: Hoshoryu Kirishima Takakeisho S/K: Kotonowaka Wakamotoharu Daieisho M1-5: Hokutofuji Tamawashi Ura M6-10: Takayasu Midorifuji Kinbozan M11+: Chiyoshoma AOIYAMA Takarafuji My Y/O selection is sorted by least injured to most injured, with Teru assumed not competing because that's what the tea leaves are saying. I've been impressed with between-basho talk of Kotonowaka, so I'm giving him a slight nod over WMH who's still keeping the family mojo and I hope he also has a great run this time. M1-5 is mostly longer-standing dudes on their way down to retirement, with the exception of the M5s. I'm choosing age and experience of youth and beauty this time. Same with the bottom of the banzuke, gimme the old dudes and let's see if they can take it to these whippersnappers one more time. pseudodragon posted:Yeah, it's just 1 S/K+, 20 Makuuchi, or 30 J/M so he's good there. And there's no other former Ozeki in his stable even including the current coaches so he's probably got the inside track for the stablemaster job if he wants it. Current boss is just 55 so he won't be able to make a clean takeover, but of guys needing a Kabu, he's probably 4th in line behind Terunofuji, Takakeisho and Takayasu. Well, fifth if you count Kotonowaka, but he's in his own queue. Heartbreakingly, Enho is at 29 and still dropping.
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Sep 7, 2023 21:20
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Day 4: That was, like, the most Shodai Shodai that Shodai ever Shodai'd, wasn't it?
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Sep 13, 2023 20:35
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Fearless posted:People in the midnight stream last night were saying it's another example of Takakeisho failing upwards and it sounded like a bunch of haters to me. Abi is a bit of a one trick pony and when he can't grab someone's neck he loses quickly. Also his footwork loving sucks. Like, worse than most Makushita guys. He just flails around with this legs like a two year old with a balance disorder.
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Sep 14, 2023 23:38
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Lid posted:Every basho someone gets suckered in by Week One Takayasu and never remembers Week Two Takayasu. I'm a Takayasu Enthusiast. I always pick him. Performance is irrelevant; Papayasu is love. Papayasu is life. Also I'm pretty sure he tweaked his back really badly in the Atamifuji match and I'm concerned we may not see another win from him all basho. At least he got his KK first this time!
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Sep 21, 2023 06:49
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Bentai posted:
Yeah, the whole pre-fight ritual Atami couldn't even look at Keisho. He was clearly nervous as hell and didn't have a plan. Can't really blame him on that stage - it was the biggest fight of his career up to this point. I'm not mad at Takakeisho but I definitely yelled "are you loving kidding me" when it happened.
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Sep 24, 2023 16:51
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Nativity In Black posted:Apparently Asanoyama is taking the opposite approach. He's injured again and saying he'll compete if they have to wheel him in. Wakatakakage is talking like he wants to come back this basho as well, and it's very unlikely he's fully recovered. I hope he's recovered enough he doesn't hurt himself tossing around the other unsalaried guys.
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Nov 2, 2023 06:58
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 04:45 |
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Y/O: Takakeisho Hoshoryu Kirishima S/K: Wakamotoharu Kotonowaka Hokutofuji M1-5: Takayasu Nishikigi Midorifuji M6-10: Atamifuji Kinbozan Hokuseiho M11+: Hiradoumi Tamawashi Churanoumi Yeah that's a lot of stuff going on in the lower ranks, gonna be interesting to see who gets feast and who gets famine. I believe in the Yokozuna run, and it feels like the perfect time for a year-end Cinderella story clearing the way for Teru to retire without leaving a vacancy at the top. It would be great to see Papayuasu return to the Sanyaku ranks - he's big enough and clever enough he really should be, if his vertebrae would stop being so awful to him. Doesn't matter to me, though; I'll pick him every basho he's fighting until he retires.
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Nov 5, 2023 22:00
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