Re: Reactions of Musashimaru Retirement

> Asashoryu
> ---------
> "I just like to say, thanks for his long years of
> contribution. I was really looking forward to facing
> the yokozuna again this basho so I am really sorry to
> see him leave at this point."

I never knew exactly how the match-ups were determined, 
but I guess this means that Asashoryu knows that he will
not be competing on Day 15 and will get an automatic win
("% win by default" in Kobayashi Toshiharu's posts)? Will 
people show up if they know that the only yokozuna won't
even be competing?

Using my baseball analogies again, is this like giving a couple
of Cy Young pitchers the day off because one team has clinched 
the pennant = empty seats?

Does sumo ever have give-aways or promotions to attract fans 
(like American baseball)?  Cap Day, Pen Day, Bobblehead Doll 
Day (do they have any sumotori bobbleheads?), maybe a little 
souvenir packet of shio salt with the Kyokia logo or the logo
of that basho's arena (collect the whole set!), ... .  

(American baseball teams used to have Bat Day until a few years
ago. Fans got into fights and beat each other with the bats so now
they try to limit give aways to non-weaponry.)


As an offshoot, is the entire match schedule set ahead of time
so that every fighter knows every opponent for all 15 days?  For
a given basho, there is no such thing as "winner of bout number 
1-Day 1 faces loser of bout number 20-Day 1 on Day 2" kind
of stuff?

 



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