RE: Yaocho (defined for Goldie and everyone else)

["Joshua A. Reyer" <jreyer@grn.mmtr.or.jp>]

> I still say it mostly turns out about two to one. Some never give anything
> away. And while we're on the subject, in September nobody needed wins more
> than Wakanohana. He lost. He lost again. He lost again. Where was
> the chorus
> of voices saying, "Great! that proves the bout wasn't fixed!" ?
> Because this
> is the other side of the coin. Waka wasn't selling - he needed
> the wins too
> much. Waka wasn't buying either - he lost the vital bouts. So, muttering
> about weak a yokozuna who should have taken a rest, everybody moves on to
> look for a juicier source of scandal.

That's one thing I thought during this basho.  We must really be at a low
tide in the yaocho area right now.  Every basho seems to be a nightmare for
the Kyokai, with injuries and a whole year without a Yokozuna winning a
yusho.  (I don't see what the big difference is between Musashimaru winning
it all in June and winning it all in September, but then again the Kyokai
and I don't agree on a lot of things...)  The hot young star Miyabiyama
takes a bungee dive down the banzuke just when Chiyotenzan gets hot, but
Chiyotenzan takes a bungee dive just when Miyabiyama gets going again.
Chiyotaikai is doing well at Ozeki, but not the breath of fresh air everyone
was hoping for in January.  Musashimaru is, well, Musashimaru.  Heck, even
Dejima couldn't continue the wave of sumo popularity he rode after Nagoya.

I don't know about anyone else, but as a fan of underdog rikishi and
unpredictable basho, I had a great time during the Aki Basho...

Josh Reyer