Re: Kyokai News - May 7

["Pierre Wohlleben" <Pierre.Wohlleben@gmx.net>]

Knut Högvall <iknh@iar.se> wrote:
> Today: One kosho basho + two makekoshi basho = demotion after three
> basho.
> Proposal: No kosho basho + three makekoshi basho = demotion
> after three basho.
>
> Where's the difference?

The way I understood it is that a simple 8-7 kachikoshi won't be enough
to keep the rank anymore, instead each Ozeki would have to put up an
11-4 (or 10-5, or whatever) record at least once every three
tournaments, in effect creating a sliding window for Ozeki performances.

FWIW, putting the required 3-basho performance at 10-5, all current
Ozeki with the exception of Kaio would have failed this criterion at
least once and been demoted; putting it at 11-4, even Kaio would have.
(Ignoring that retroactively applying something like this is pretty
unscientific, but for the same of the argument...)

> And that's only if we calculate for a rikishi who gets injured and
> granted the kosho status. If we have a rikishi who's *not* injured,
> and just performs badly, today he can perform badly for two basho
> before getting demoted, but with the proposal he can perform badly
> for *three* basho before getting demoted. Won't that give us *more*
> paper ozeki instead of less?

I think you're right about this. It seems to me that not even requiring
kosho status will only lead to Ozeki who will skip one or two
tournaments completely (even when not injured), and then try to get the
required performance when needed. Basically the same as now, except
they'd be absent even more often and with less cause, and the chance of
them failing would be slightly higher when they do compete.

I've never understood why sanyaku rikishi need to put up an average of
11 wins over 3 basho to get promoted to Ozeki and then they're allowed
to cruise by with an 8-7 every second (or third) basho if they want to.
Even allowing for the fact that lenient makekoshi treatment is to be
considered a perk of the rank, it's just too big a difference in the
required pre- and post-promotion performances. So, raising the
non-demotion performance line sounds like a step in the right direction,
although combining it with the revamped kosho rules as mentioned seems
more like 1 step ahead and 2 steps back.

Knowing this is the Kyokai, in the end everything will probably stay the
way it is anyway...

Not that the Kyokai is in an enviable position right now, considering
they're not exactly being overrun by lots of serious Ozeki hopefuls
either. Wakanosato looks to be cruising in sanyaku for a while longer
and Kotomitsuki and Dejima just don't seem capable of consistent enough
performances. Almost everybody else looks only like Komusubi material at
the moment, at best. Too bad Takanowaka was stopped by his injury from
Hatsu, he seemed like a good candidate (maybe he'll get back there).
Anybody else seeing somebody who could become the breakout star of
2003/2004, like Asashoryu was during the last two years?

Asashosakari