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Sumo looks to rebound after scandal-tainted campaign

A: "Let's hit hard at the face-off and please just go with the flow after that."

B: "Gotcha! I'll put up a bit of a struggle but go with the flow."

Wink, wink.

This stranger than fiction text message exchange, just one of many which uncovered a veritable "Cheaters' Guide to Sumo," embodied the depths to which the ancient sport had fallen in 2011 — once again caught with its collective pants down, its sullied loincloth flapping in the wind.

To say the least, the match-fixing scandal that came to light on Feb. 2, 2011, would become the core issue.

It could not be glossed over by more dominant performances by Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho, the retirement of ozeki Kaio, or the promotion of Japanese wrestlers Kotoshogiku and Kisenosato near year's end to fill Kaio's void at the second-highest rank.

In what resembled months upon months of kabuki theater, officials of the Japan Sumo Association centering on chairman Hanaregoma cried foul play and even canceled the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in the wake of the scandal, as a show of good faith amid a public outcry.

Of course, they had no knowledge that so many wrestlers and coaches were involved in a widespread match-fixing racket, rumors of which had circulated inside and outside sumo for years and had been reported in newspapers as far back as the Meiji period (1868-1911).

Perhaps the JSA had felt vindicated after the Supreme Court upheld two high court rulings in a lawsuit against weekly Shukan Gendai, which had accused wrestlers including former yokozuna Asashoryu of bout rigging.

But after police, who were conducting a separate investigation into an illegal sumo gambling ring, found text messages initially incriminating at least 13 wrestlers and coaches of buying and selling wins for several hundred thousand yen per bout, there was no room left for denials.

"I feel great indignation and sorrow. I want to apologize to fans from the bottom of my heart," Hanaregoma had said at the time.

Funny, but hadn't we heard similar refrains before?

Oh right, that would have been when the JSA said it regretted a pro baseball gambling racket from a year earlier, or maybe it was for the marijuana smoking by wrestlers who were kicked out in 2009, or perhaps it was when a 17-year-old junior wrestler died from a group hazing in 2007.

The JSA, in fact, set up its own internal investigation to get to the bottom of the bout rigging and eventually handed out pink slips to 25 wrestlers and coaches on April 25.

Cellphones were prohibited in dressing rooms to prevent a recurrence of bout rigging and the JSA went to even further lengths by holding an unofficial "Technical Examination Grand Tournament" that was free to the public in May, instead of the normally held Summer Basho.

The 26-year-old Hakuho won four of the five basho held and Mongolian ozeki Harumafuji was the only other wrestler to cart home a trophy, after winning top honors at the Nagoya Basho.

Although Japanese wrestlers once again were denied a title victory, there was at least some bright news in a year overshadowed by darkness in the sport and the tragedy of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Kaio drew the curtain on an illustrious, injury-plagued career by rewriting former yokozuna Chiyonofuji's all-time career wins record, notching 1,047 career victories before his retirement.

Kotoshogiku, came up short in his ozeki bid in Nagoya before securing promotion at the autumn meet in September to become the first Japanese to achieve ozeki status in four years. Kisenosato soon followed suit.

Throughout all the turmoil, the JSA is still uncertain of its future status as a government-affiliated entity with tax benefits, as this will soon be up for renewal.

"I think the New Year meet is going to be exciting. Wrestlers like (sekiwake) Toyonoshima and the lower-ranking guys are really aiming high," said stable elder Tamanoi, who was the last Japanese to win a title as ozeki Tochiazuma at the 2006 New Year Basho.

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Hawks, Pa. League stage another dominant interleague campaign

Big winners: The Pacific League-leading Fukuoka Softbank Hawks celebrate winning their third interleague title. KYODO

Another interleague season is in the books and, as has been the case in each of the previous seven years, a Pacific League team is raising the interleague pennant.

Pa. League teams rolled over their Central League counterparts, combining to finish with an above .500 mark for the sixth time in seven seasons.

While the PL romped again, this interleague campaign may be remembered more for the way the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks dominated all-comers.

The Hawks scored more runs that any team — by a wide margin — during cross-league action while also allowing the fewest.

They were unbeaten through their first 13 games against CL teams, ending a wildly successful period with an 18-4-2 mark.

"This is the result of cherishing each and every game," manager Koji Akiyama told reporters. "From me to the players, everybody concentrated on their job."

The Hawks won the interleague title for the third time, adding to the back-to-back titles they claimed in 2008 and 2009.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Hiroshima Carp, who wasted a solid start to the season by going 6-16-2 against the Pacific League.

The Chunichi Dragons finshed fourth overall, representing the year's top finish by a CL team.

Interleague play wrapped up on Sunday. Teams return to regular competition on June 24.

Put on the brakes: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Yu Darvish's brush with history came to an end on Wednesday in a 2-1 loss, only his second of the year, to the Hanshin Tigers.

Darvish threw a wild pitch in the third inning of that contest, allowing Matt Murton to score and ending his streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 46? frames.

That was good for second longest streak in Pacific League history.

The league record belongs to former Nankai Hawks star Tadashi Sugiura, who threw 54? straight shutout innings in 1959.

The overall NPB mark is one that may never be broken, a jaw-dropping 64? consecutive scoreless frames by Hall of Famer Masaichi Kaneda in 1958.

Vultures circling: Hanshin Tigers manager Akinobu Mayumi came under fire this week after Hanshin stockholders used a recent meeting to take shots at the suddenly embattled skipper.

Reportedly among the topics leaked out to the press, was dissatisfaction with Mayumi's management of the team and his insistence on playing the aging Tomoaki Kanemoto.

The Tigers' slow start is surely not helping matters, so Mayumi may want to start winning a few more games before the heat really gets turned up.

Flying high: Fukuoka Softbank Hawks lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi hit a milestone last week, notching his 1,500th career strikeout.

Sugiuchi is the third-fastest in NPB history to the mark, needing just 1423? innings.

Only Kazuhisa Ishii (1,432) and Yutaka Enatsu (1413) achieved the feat in fewer innings.

Bright spot: Yomiuri Giants hurler Tetsuya Utsumi threw a complete game against the Seibu Lions on Friday to become the first NPB hurler to reach nine wins this season.

Utsumi has been among the few bright spots, along with hitters Hisayoshi Chono and Alex Ramirez, in what has been an otherwise bleak season for the Kyojin. The lefty is 9-1 with a 1.32 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 10 starts.

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