[sumo] [spoilers]Asashoryu's open armed and beloved return.

[Scott Kahn]

Much ado about nothing, in my opinion. 

I appreciate the messenger, but isn't Asashoryu-bashing passe, now that 
there are more important issues on the table- lest one forget the 
overhanging manslaughter trial and Kyokai reform?  Please tell me if I 
am wrong, is the local "news" appetite and consumption so misguided?  
Were locals truly rooting for Asashoryu to be forced to retire because 
his flight back to Japan was overbooked, and are they hoping for his 
demise because of injury?  Please.

This is not in any way meant to defend my home press, where the 
stalkerazzi has been quite successful in helping parent deprived 
"celebutards" to self-destruct, and where TV and newspapers prefer to 
bombard the public with such mindless trash.

There are more important questions to be answered, in my opinion.  Among 
them is how the training of rikishi will change now that techniques from 
the past are likely to be altered (the proliferation of bats was 
disturbing to me).  Will such changes within the heya result in a meeker 
"fighting spirit" and lead to worse sumo, or as I suspect, will it be a 
change based only in tradition.

There are political questions as well.  How long will Kitanoumi be 
allowed to maintain his position?  One more scandal, and will he be 
out?  Is Kitanoumi putting other reforms into place, a good measure will 
be how long of a leash he will extend to Asashoryu for travel outside of 
Japan.

I, for one, am looking forward to the return of REAL sumo.  At least for 
me, I eagerly anticipate how Asashoryu will perform, will he be rusty 
and come back as a shell of his old self, or will he demonstrate true 
Yokozuna-like mindset and performance.  In the meantime, it is quite 
interesting to compare the public's anticipation and acceptance of the 
return of Takanohana from (steroid ) knee injury, and the return of 
Asashoryu.

Provocative enough?

Sukubidubidu

Moti wrote:

>Asa's injury is the right heel. 4 weeks to heal. He'll get over it. He's not over the hill yet.
>"That's the way the cookie crumbles..", said Asashouryuu, which is my loose translation of the classic- "Shikataganai".
>Asa usually takes care of these nagging injuries by going to Mongolia to the springs there. Takasago Oyakata said it will be difficult to allow Asa to visit Mongolia at least until after Hatsu and added that he could be treated in Japan.. Now that the situation has changed, it will be interesting to see how this works out.
>The irony of course is glaring- He was told by his doctor to rest immediately after day 2 of the winter jungyo when he was injured, but after all that happened with the imagined or real injury last time around, there was no way Asa was going kyujo from the jungyo this time. Every additional day of jungyo/keiko aggravated the injury. This of course brings on the speculation of participation in Hatsu. A kyujo will make it three straight bashos missed by the Yokozuna, which will raise questions of dignity and standing. As it looks at the moment, Asa will have to grit his teeth and do keiko while taking care of the injury and enter Hatsu.
>
>And with the ink still wet on that, Asa has started keiko
>today, regardless of the Cockatoo injury. He entered the ring at 8:40
>AM and proceeded to do exactly what the doctor told him not to: Shiko,
>butsugari and squats. "He should rest this week", were the exact words
>of Hiraishi the Ishi. "the Doctor told me not to do anything
>unreasonable, but I wanted to do keiko so I came..", explained
>Asashouryuu.
>
>Ex-Makuuchi Koubo (Makushita 9 and dropping) has retired and assumed the Ajigawa name, which was vacated last week by Ajigawa Oyakata who assumed the Isegahama name, so Ajigawa beya (Ama, Aminishiki, Lev Tolstoy) will henceforth be Isegahama beya.
> 
>Kintamayama
>Download my Sumo  toolbar at http://dichne.ourtoolbar.com/
>
>
>
>
>      ____________________________________________________________________________________
>Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
>Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
>_______________________________________________
>Sumo mailing list
>Sumo at webtrek.com
>http://www.webtrek.com/mailman/listinfo/sumo
>  
>