Re: last basho day 4: Taka's toe...

[jckelly@gol.com (J.C. Kelly)]

On Fri, 12 Apr 1996 08:23:42 -0700, you wrote:

<My stuff deleted>
>
>I thought it was fairly well-known that the upper ranks usually get the
>benefit of the doubt when it comes to a mono-ii.  Just something my wife
>taught me.  A lower ranked rikishi has to beat the upper ranked rikishi
>clearly.  No?

This must be right -- kinda similar to pro boxing, I guess.

<snip>

>By the way, exactly what is a Golden Boy?  If this is a new term that Japan
>is using to refer to the Hanada brothers in a derrogatory manner, then I am
>aghast.  How quickly the tide turns!  It wasn't that long ago that the
>whole country loved Taka and Waka.  Now after they've found success, people
>hate them.  Odd.  Just goes to prove that old Bart Simpson is right:
>You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.

Golden Boy is just a phrase I picked -- nothing special. I meant those
rikishi who everyone loves, and who (it seems IMHO) therefore get the
all powerful "BOD" in order both to keep the tournament interesting --
after all, who wants to watch if their favorite rikishi already has
two or three losses? -- and maybe to "kao wo tateru", or help them
keep their "face".

Interestingly, I find the opposite of your comments to be true, at
least for Takanohana and Wakanohana. It seems that they are very very
popular (particularly Taka) along with his success. It reminds me of
something you see in the US sometimes; a sports team can pick up alot
of fans on the bandwagon when they are being successful.
>
>As for me, I'll stick with Taka and Waka.
			    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You can have 'em :-)
>(and Terao and Kaio and Kotobeppu and Mainoumi)  They're style (well, except Kotobeppu) proves more
>exciting to watch than the grunt, grunt of Akebono and Musoyama (yawn).

I like Terao too, and maybe I am just a true bandwaggoneer at heart,
but I really like Mainoumi. I have been interested in Tosanoumi
recently, but he seems destined to be a boring yorikiri master like
Takanohana.

>
>Just my opinions.

Me, too. Gee this is fun!
>
>
>-----------------------------
>Jim Sisley
>Intensive American Language Center
>Washington State University
>Pullman, WA  99164
>(509) 335-7485                          sisley@mail.wsu.edu
>-----------------------------
>"If I exorcize my devils, my angels may leave, too;
> And when they leave, they're so hard to find."
>                                        Tom Waits
>
>
>

====================================================================
J.C. Kelly						$B2q<TDjN%(J
Ashiya, Japan
jckelly@gol.com