(spoiler) September issue of Sumo World (was Clyde bashing...)

["Jezz S" <jejima@hotmail.com>]

<snip>

   >>
I AGREE 100%
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THE  REPORTS THAT SUMO WORLD IS STILL REACHING THE
STORES. TOM WRITES AS IF SUMO WORLD IS NOT BEING PUBLISHED BUT THAT IS NOT
THE CASE!!!!
SCOTT


I went to my local stockist of Sumo World in Hiroshima in the first week of 
the basho, and asked for the Sept edition.  They carefully informed me that 
the September mag would be on sale after the basho.  I told them that it was 
meant to be on sale prior to the basho.  I was able to convince them of this 
by showing them the pre-basho preview in the July edition, which they were 
still selling.  Anyway, I asked them to notify me when it arrived in their 
stores.  This was finally last Saturday, so about 3 weeks after the basho 
had ended.  In the past Hiroshima has tended to get Sumo World about 3 or 4 
days after Tokyo stores.

What is in September's edition?

The cover picture is of Asashoryu sat above Toki, waving a tiny Mongolian 
flag, and flanked by his parents.  The back has 2 pics of Chiyotaikai with 
the emperors cup, and supporters - in one they are 'banzai-ing'.

The usual banzuke profiles plus predictions for Makunouchi and Juryo 
(Musashimaru co-favourite for the Yusho - no mention of the other 
co-favourite, although Asashoryu is revealed as a darkhouse candidate, and 
Kotomitsuki is a Yusho candidate.) take up 9 pages at the front and back.

Then there is a very interesting 2-page article by Clyde on Asashoryu and 
his Ozeki promotion - including all of his sumo records to date from 
Jonokuchi onwards.  Trivia question - how many MK bashos has the Mongolian 
experienced?

Then a page wasted / devoted to Asashoryu's tegata.

Then a 1 page article, again by Clyde, (and again interesting), entitled 
'End of the Line for Takanohana'.

Kawika then gets 2 pages to list all the heyas with foreigners, although, as 
David mentions in his final paragraph, you can almost substitute 
'foreigners' with the word 'Mongolians'.

Andy Adams then has half a page with an obit for Mutsuarashi, the rest of 
the page talks about the kyokai considering restoring the kari-kabu system.

Half a page to Mark Newton and the Juryo results (of July), and 1/2 a page 
to Kawika for his regular 'Behind the Curtain' column.  Both interesting, 
but probably a lot more relevant if they could have been read before the 
last basho, when it was still in memory.

A page is then for 'Meishobu Revealed', highlighting a bout from 1941 in 
which Ayanobori picks up a kinboshi against legendary Yokozuna Futabayama.  
Grainy pics, but still nice.

Two pages are then ?wasted? with all the kimarite in Makunouchi for the July 
tournament, and with the final records for all rikishi down to Makushita 15.

2 pages give all the records to date, and a tiny comment on shin-nyumaku 
Kasuganishiki and Ushiomaru.

Ryo Hatano has 3/4 of a page for his usual (but interesting) rant - this 
time on the record number of absent rikishi.  The other quarter of a page 
gives some quick news items (Can anyone give more information on the 2.05 m 
giant from Bulgaria - Kotooshu, who has joined Sadogatake beya?)

A two-page pre-basho preview (and therefore quite redundant).  The last 
sentence made me smile, "And yet there's a few on the lunatic fringe who 
have a hunch that Takanohana will cap the greatest comeback in the history 
of sumo with a stunning victory in the Aki Basho."

Two pages of Nagoya Basho Roundtable / Hi-lights with Clyde, Andy Adams, 
David Meisenzahl (aka Kawika, aka Maeden), and Dave Wiggins.  Very informed 
- but dated ;-)

And two pages of blurry photos from that basho.

Ignoring the issue of fraud (and I am one of those who is still due 3 or 4 
issues), my main complainant is the lateness of the issue - again.  Also, a 
few pages seemed to have 'fillers' - (it would be nice if some of the 
contributors who left SW to start up Inside Sumo, were to go back.... ;-).

Overall, I get more information from this ML, but I do enjoy reading the 
mag.  And the real proof of the pudding, is that I will probably still buy 
the November issue of SW, even if it comes out in Dec or Jan...!

All the best,

Jejima

PS  What does the idiom 'as mean as a junkyard dog' mean?  Clyde uses this 
to describe Kokonoe-Oyakata.

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