[sumo] [Spoiler] Asashoryu

[Lon Howard]

On Sep 22, 2008, at 6:03 PM, Doreen Simmons wrote:

> What we are saying is that we would have liked to see all the  
> judges looking at the sand outside the tawara immediately after  
> Mihogaseki claimed to have seen the tip of the heel go out.  Not  
> have all of us playing guessing games  looking at photographs taken  
> who knows how many seconds/minutes later, when further out there  
> was a mark that could only have been made by a zabuton. In this  
> situation -- and at yokozuna level -- it is close to mandatory to  
> call a monoii, even if just to confirm. I find it very surprising  
> that none of the other judges raised a hand.
>
> Oh, and we are not talking about a footprint; it would have been  
> (or was) a slight depression. And nobody can reasonably argue that  
> the  outside circle of sand hadn't been properly swept before the  
> bout; this is the final task of the yobidashi in charge of the  
> bout, and it is one of the very first things a new yobidashi learns.
>
> I asked the opinion of a retired gyoji on whether a monoii should  
> have been called, and he agreed; "Certainly it should; he isn't a  
> kid, he's a yokozuna, and at that level they have to be  
> careful." (My translation)

If it had been any other shimpan who made the call, much easier I  
suspect.  But since it was the head shimpan, who was closer to the  
incident than any other person in the building, that makes it very  
difficult.  If some other shimpan did raise his hand after the fact,  
what could he have said, other than something like, "Boss, are you  
sure what you saw there?"  Not much doubt about what the answer would  
have been, but maybe just the image of a mono-ii dog and pony show  
would have made it go down better, possibly.  Risking raised eyebrows  
from one's boss is, well...risky.

- Shomishuu