[sumo] Day 11 videos & torchbearer results [spoiler]

[Barbara]

Two videos on the site today:

Toyonoshima-Kasagao. The fun part of this match is the look on Kasagao's 
face afterwards! Kasagao apparently has come to rely on his kotenage arm 
lock throw. Toyonoshima demonstrates exactly why one should not try to 
rely too much on a single throw. The picture shows Kasagao about to 
begin to throw Toyonoshima. Now T. will quickly move his left leg 
forward until it hooks K's right knee. Sotogake! Toyonoshima advances to 
9 and 2. I love watching matches like this one.

Toyozakura-Asofuji. Announcer Hiro Morita starts off this match by 
saying, "Both fighters have good agility and speed..." He could not have 
better forecast the match. A blazing (for sumo at least) fast match 
consisting of tsuppari, stiff-arms, pursuit, edge-avoidance, twists, and 
pivots. Watching the match over and over, I must give a lot of credit to 
Asofuji. Yes, he did lose, but his ability to squirm out of a bad 
situation shows an intuitive footwork that is really impressive. I think 
he might go far. Toyozakura seems (on close inspection of the video) to 
have paralyzed Asofuji with a wrist-lock that probably hurt - that is 
possibly why Asofuji could not pivot one more time and get out of the 
okuridashi which follows. Otherwise one cannot explain why Asofuji does 
not simply twist one more time and get out of the hold - his wrist, or 
possibly his forearm, was already being pinned against the direction he 
would have had to go in order to get out of it. I can't be sure because 
his right arm was out of sight. Fine sumo on the part of both.

Torchbearer results:
As D11 torchbearer, Shimotori retained the torch by winning over 
Tochisakae, then gave chikara-mizu to Tochiozan (I think…), who lost to 
Kaiho. On day 12, Shimotori will face J12W Wakanoho, whose win would 
carry the torch even further down in Juuryo, below the 8-rank boundary.
Remember, you can revise your entry one time before the final day. 
Whichever entry is closest to being correct at the end of the match will 
win, but if two entries are identical the first one received wins.  If 
you think you know the final answer already, revise your entry to that 
answer and send it to me immediately before someone else does the same. 
If you're not playing the Torch game, it is easy. One email is all you
need to write.  The winner gets a complete video set of the current
basho, all 31 hours of coverage with the English commentary, on Xvid avi
files suitable for viewing on a computer.  You can compose your entry now.

I added instructions for requesting a complete set of basho video in
case you don't win the Torchbearer game.

Details, pictures, videos, and explanations are at Barbara's Sumo Site,

http://www.zyvid.com/sumo

in fun,
Barbara Murasakihana