Man, oh, man. I just found out that Nike Golf has declared Saturday, February 3 to be “SUMO Saturday.”

Oh, I know they say it’s supposed to be “a day designed by Nike Golf to give curious golfers around the U.S. the first opportunity to demo and purchase Nike Golf’s new SasQuatch SUMO² and SasQuatch SUMO Drivers.”

The SUMO is the follow-up to the original and extremely successful SasQuatch driver. The SUMO2 is square-headed, while the SUMO is more traditional, and the national demo-day is aimed at getting some of these big sticks into golfer’s hands.

But I’m not so psyched about the drivers as I am about sumo.

The Nike press release continues: “SUMO Saturday, the day before the Super Bowl, is a day-long national promotion implemented by Nike Golf that provides golf shops the opportunity to create in-store promotions, a concept that has inspired creative events such as long drive contests, the use of Sumo wrestling shorts, giveaways of Nike Golf products and more.”

Now we’re talking! I lived in Japan for four years, and became absolutely hooked on sumo. I got in line at 4 a.m. one morning at the Tokyo Dome for the last walk-up tickets to the spring tournament. And it was every bit as thrilling to stand next to Musashimaru as it was to shake Arnold Palmer’s hand. Of course, I saw Musashimaru on the rise to Yokozuna (Grand Champion), and Palmer only a few years before he retired from competitive golf.

But never mind that.

Despite the massive size of sumo wrestlers, they are extraordinary athletes. I’ve seen them do the splits, even, and move faster than NFL linemen.

In celebrating SUMO Saturday, I’m going to gorge myself on chanko-nabe, which is the traditional sumo wrestler meal, and beer and sake. Then I’m going to strap on my mawashi, or silk belt, and strut around the neighborhood, pushing over anyone I happen to see.

If my daughter was embarrassed when I got those new drivers, she’s going to be mortified on February 3rd.

Arigatou gozaimasu, Nike, for saluting my second-favorite sport!

Before his retirement in 2004, Musashimaru was one of the most imposing Yokozuna in the centuries-long history of sumo.

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