The Cancun amateur court, built by Arturo and Javier Salas, are finishing up on their dream “fronton” and will be holding a grand opening celebration in April. The Senor Frog and Fat Tuesdays’ purveyors Arturo & Javier Salas are holding a big grand opening event to coincide with their fathers 80th birthday party. Exact details are still to be announced, but the event should be a festive one. The big day is tentatively set for April 16th, a Friday, with plans for the entire weekend underway.
Tournaments will be played for fun, and will even include a kids tournament with future stars coming in from towns all over Mexico.
Watch here for more details as they develop. Jai-alai fans from all over the world are welcome. You can expect some big names in jai-alai to be there. Arturo and Javier are first class entertainers and do things right, so this is a going to be a great event that jai-alai fans won’t want to miss. And Cancun is a fun town to come and play – and not just jai-alai!
Churruca, one of the top players to ever play the game.
By Marty Fleischman
Having survived my first season at Tampa Jai-Alai, I was now unemployed. Even though I was the public relations director, a department head, I was still just a seasonal employee. Ocala Jai-Alai was under construction with a target date to open in the summer of 1973. The plan was, the Tampa employees and players could work at the Ocala Fronton after Tampa closed, thus giving them about 9 months employment for the year. But that was next year.
My close friend and amateur Jai-Alai playing buddy, Neil Einhorn was still at UF. He convinced me that the summer of ’72 was a perfect opportunity for us to backpack through Europe. We could spend some time in the Basque country, visit some of the players we now knew, and further my ongoing education into the sport.
First, Neil suggested riding motorcycles throughout Europe. That sounds so adventurous, riding through the Swiss Alps on your rented Harley. Then, my brother mentioned that it rains during the summer. Plus, those seats get hard on a bike after a few hours. Fortunately, we came to our senses and decided to rent a car instead. There were many good long-term rental car deals for students back in 1972. We rented a small French car, with unlimited mileage, for two months, to be picked up in Paris.
So, we filled our backpacks with a few pairs of shorts, t-shirts, underwear, and socks. Our sleeping bags were rolled up and strapped to the top. We flew one of those budget airlines, Air Florida (went bankrupt a few years later) from Miami to London. After sleeping in a tent camp for 60 pence a night ($.75) in London a few days, we made our way to Dover and across the English Channel, eventually getting to Paris.
We ended up missing our appointment at the car dealership due to me misreading the map. I took us on the Metro to the outskirts of Paris about 25 miles the opposite direction of the car dealer. By the time we got back, the dealership had closed, and we had to now wait until Monday to get our car. Not a good start to the trip.
Finally, having rented our car, we set out for St. Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque area about 8 hours south. Remember, there were no cell phones, no internet, no GPS. We actually had old fashioned maps. Plus, the road signs are completely different in Europe. I was doing all the driving. Neil was doing all the sleeping.
From the moment we got into our car, Neil would press the recline lever on the side of his seat and lay down flat. The only thing he could see was the inside dome light of the car. This didn’t bother me until we got into some of the picturesque areas of our trip and I would yell “look out the fu…ng window!” Spending two or three months with anyone can be a trying experience. I was now beginning to wonder whether we would even make it to Spain before we killed each other.
One of my favorite players on the Tampa roster was “The Flying Frenchman”, #39 Jasa. He spoke good English, had a beautiful Parisian wife, Helena, and was a fan favorite in Tampa. He was from the small French village of Bidart, just north of St. Jean-de-Luz. I had told Jasa toward the end of the season that we were planning a trip to Europe and might be in his area. He generously offered accommodations if we passed his way. Once we got to Bidart, we stopped at the local Café and asked if they knew Jean Claude Jasa. They promptly got word to him that two Americans were asking for him and they showed up within 15 minutes.
Jasa and Helena gave us some big French hugs. We told them about the early part of our trip and how we were looking forward to seeing the Basque country. Jasa told us to follow him to a campground named Rousseau, just on the outskirts of town, where he had arranged for us to stay in a small trailer. We were thrilled since this was far better than the tent in London.
Jasa was the perfect host. He showed us around, introduced us to his friends, and even arranged for us to see a game of Chistera (the French version of Jai-Alai played outside against a single wall.) The next morning, he took us to the Chistera court and let us play. What a great experience, playing this ancient French game in a tiny French Basque village.
Jasa and Helena had to go to Paris for the rest of the week but said we could stay in the trailer as long as we were in town. We wanted to see some of the partidos down the road at the St. Jean-de-Luz fronton, so we said we would be staying for just a few more days. We thanked them, said our au revoirs, and told them we would see them back in Tampa in December.
I wanted to show Neil some of St. Jean-de-Luz, since I had just visited there last year during the World Amateur Championships. So, we headed to the beach area near the casino. As we walked along the beautiful promenade overlooking the beach, we saw two very attractive girls walking near us. We heard them speaking English and quickly asked, “Are you American?” which was the only pick-up line we knew.
Apparently, they had been in Southern France for a while, desperately homesick. Hearing us speaking English overcame any fears they had of our scraggly appearance. They both smiled and said they were from Ohio and so glad to see some Americans (probably no matter how they looked). After walking a while, we invited them back to our trailer for some “wine” or whatever they might have had with them at the time (my memory is a little blurred on that.) They quickly accepted and no doubt our imaginations of what might come next began to run wild.
But there was one major problem. Four of the best Jai-Alai players in the world were playing a big match that night. Ondarres and Goyogana were facing Guisasola and Churruca. These players no longer played in the United States but were rated as the top players in the world. Neil and I had tickets to see that match. Neil and I, also, had two beautiful girls in our trailer at Camp Rousseau giving us every indication that if we played our cards right, they would still be in our trailer until tomorrow morning. They were leaving the next day for Northern France, so this was their last night here. Could there be any better scenario for us?
Now, only true Jai-Alai aficionados (or Jai-Alai nuts) can appreciate this dilemma. Jai-Alai or sex? What would we choose? You will find out in Part 2.
Note to my readers: As we finally reach the end of a disastrous 2020, we do have great hope for the coming year, 2021. Thank you for reading my memories of better times. I have much more to share and hope you stay entertained. I looked forward each year with great optimism then, as I do so now. I hope you all have a healthy new year and stay safe.
You Jinxed Him!
Tampa Jai-Alai was the place to be New Year’s Eve. On December 31st, 1971, I was celebrating my first New Year’s Eve high atop the announcer’s booth at the rear of the playing court. I had come to the realization I would be working on most holidays. After all, holidays meant people were not working and were looking for some place to go. Some of our biggest matinees and evening performances were New Year’s, Christmas, and Good Friday (the greyhound tracks were closed). This was a small price to pay for working your dream job.
There was not much we could do in the way of any special “celebration” at Tampa Jai-Alai. Our pari-mutuel clerks and telewager girls wore party hats. But, we had no drink specials. Ernie Larsen, fronton general manager, didn’t feel we needed to discount anything, since people would come anyway. I soon found out he was, how shall I put it….CHEAP!
His extreme frugality went way beyond reason. In fact, while he tried to save money to affect his bottom line, he made idiotic decisions that made my job very difficult. I soon found out “the bloom was coming off the rose.” The words in Johnny Barker’s three page letter of resignation began to ring true.
One very important aspect of my job as Public Relations Director was to establish a rapport with the local press, which would hopefully generate free publicity for us. This, in turn, should lead to more business. The key word here is “free.”
So, when anyone from a newspaper, television, or radio station came to the fronton, I was authorized to “comp” their food or drinks and show them a good time. Developing a good relationship with them was key to getting positive and plentiful publicity for the fronton. Ernie spelled this out specifically when explaining my duties my first day. But, I soon found out there were many exceptions to this policy.
“Don’t give any of those radio guys tickets or anything,” he told me a few weeks into my first season. “They’re just a bunch of goddamn hippies,” he explained. But, when I asked him what I should tell them when some of the top radio personalities called me, he said to just figure it out.
One of the nicest area newspaper guys was John Brockmann from the Sarasota Herald Tribune. He absolutely loved Jai-Alai! He and his golf pro buddy Joe Mann would make the drive from Sarasota many weekends to see the games. Now, John was the top guy in that newspaper sports department. He gave us ample publicity and we had quite a following from Sarasota and Bradenton.
Ernie Larsen really liked John Brockmann. But, when I would tell him John was coming tonight and I want to set him up for dinner in our restaurant ( a common perk extended to the media), Ernie would reply, “Just buy him a hot dog…. John loves Jai-Alai anyway.”
The biggest problem I endured the first season was the Box Office VIP List. There was a list of names, local politicians, celebrities, player families, etc. that could get free reserved seats for any performance. Reserved seats or boxes only cost from $2.50 to $5.00, but it was still prestigious to know you could get a free seat on a Saturday night at Tampa Jai-Alai, even if we were sold out.
When I began selling program ads before the start of the season, Ernie told me to let the buyers know that they would be included on the VIP List if they purchased an ad. This helped me as an extra selling point and many bought because of this perk. But, by mid-season, Ernie had a change of heart. Advertisers called in only to be told their name was no longer on the list. I quickly started getting calls, not only angry that they couldn’t get seats, but demanding refunds on their ad buys. Nothing like really pissing off some of your biggest supporters and making me look like a fool.
I, also, learned a few other lessons that first year. Bolivar, our young phenom frontcourter, was about to set an all-time wins record for Tampa Jai-Alai. #47 “Boli” was now the odds-on favorite in almost every game, double and singles. He was saddled with the weakest backcourt partners. Yet, he won three out of four games a day. In singles, his main competition was Almorza, the veteran fronton favorite. “Big Al” and “Boli” had some memorable single’s points that often ended in standing ovations as both players were sprawled on the court.
I’m announcing a singles game near the end of the season, with Bolivar one win away from breaking the record. More than 7,000 fans were there that Saturday night and I felt I had the crowd wound up with our signature announcing: “Great save by Pablo!” and “Laca comes down with an amazing catch!” You could feel the excitement throughout the fronton as we approached the tenth game, feature singles match.
While many fans look at the statistics, some are casual fans. I thought it was a good idea to let the audience know the following and said: “Ladies and Gentleman, if #47 Bolivar wins this game, he will set a new wins record for Tampa Jai-Alai.” This would call more attention to the game, the feat, and hopefully create some additional excitement.
Well, Boli did not win the 10th game singles that night. The phone rang immediately after the game in the booth with Ernie tearing me a new you-know-what. “YOU JINXED HIM!” he yelled at me. I said, “What?” He continued chastising me for announcing the possibility of the new record and that I had changed history.
“From now on, you are never to say anything like that again or you’re fired!” he said to me and hung up the phone. I looked at Ralph Amadeo and Mike Menendez, pale as a ghost. I asked them if they think I “jinxed” Bolivar and that Ernie almost fired me. Ralph grinned and said that he didn’t bet on Boli that game anyway, so if I did, it was fine with him. Mike just calmly said not to worry about it, that Ernie probably had too many martinis and he would forget about it by tomorrow. Bolivar did set the record the following week. I was not announcing that game, Ralph was. He told the fans after the game Boli’s accomplishment. I was now awaiting closing day, ending my first season, re-evaluating my dream job, trying to determine how I was going to deal with a maniacal boss. But, with Ocala Jai-Alai not built yet and no summer employment, I was heading to Europe for three months. Maybe things would be different when I returned. I could never have dreamed what lay ahead of me.
On Christmas Day, I got about two dozen texts. Most of them were from family and friends wishing me a “Merry Christmas”. But one of the text that came in was a little different than the other ones. It was from Carlo in Connecticut – Matt DiDomizio’s cousin. He helps out running the amateur court up in Berlin, Connecticut.
“I just booked a trip to Tampa!” the text read.
Then another text followed shortly. “See you around Valentine’s Day. I’ll be there with my wife and one kid on February 13-15. We’re visiting the University of Tampa, Florida Southern, and University of South Florida.”
I responded “I graduated from Florida Southern!” He responded in three quick texts – “Nice!!!”…. “We’re totally visiting that place”….”It looks super nice”.
I followed up with “Yes it is designed by a famous architect too”. He immediately responded “Yep, Frank Lloyd Wright”. Carlo had certainly done is homework. If I recall correctly, FSC has the world’s largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings.
Then I started thinking. Holy Shit!!! In February of 1974, I made a similar trip with my parents. I was looking for a college to attend and my final two choices were Florida Southern College (located in Lakeland) and the University of Tampa. Two of the same colleges that Carlo’s son is looking into. I grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, about an hour away from Carlos’s house, just 50 miles from New York City. So, here we have two trips from the same state with the same motive – looking for a similar college.
But it was this very trip I made with my parents that would make a huge influence on my life. While staying at a Holiday Inn on Dale Mabry I came across a brochure or rack card that that was sitting up on the lobby’s desk. Being a huge sports fan, this brochure certainly caught my eye. It was nestled between Busch Gardens brochures, Disney World and others. The words “Jai-alai” were there and images of a huge sporting palace. I kept calling it “ji – a – lie – a” and had no clue what the sport was. Remember, I was just a 17-year old from a sleepy town of Fairfield Connecticut checking out perspective colleges to go in the following fall of 1974.
I thought, how cool this looked. Never heard of it, but my parents did. They told me how it was pronounced. “Hi -Lie”. Said it was very fast, an ancient game and that you could gamble on it. Now, I knew what I wanted to do one of the nights we were there! My parents had made plans somewhere I don’t’ remember –likely Bern’s Steak House or the Columbia or to the Physis Diller show.
My mother made reservations for me and my step sister who was on the trip also. My step father gave me a $20 dollar bill and “good luck”. I was a Friday night and I remember taking a cab ride to the fronton. I remember asking the driver if he knew where “Ji – a – lie was”. He laughed and said “yes”. I remember going down the bumpy road of Dale Mabry, looking at all the neon lights, strip clubs and everything else. Fairfield Connecticut’s Post Road US 1 was nothing like this! The short 10-15 minute trip then ended by pulling up into this huge parking lot and there is this huge building with traffic and people everywhere. I was thinking “Wow, this is amazing!”.
We made our way into the fronton after picking up our tickets at the “Will Call” booth. I remember they costed $2 each and I can still recall exactly where I sat that night in the fronton. By the time we’re seated, it was about 6:45pm and the place was filling up quickly. I’m looking out at this huge long 176-foot long court with very high ceilings and a massive crowd filling in. Then players were coming out onto the court with these weird looking baskets in their hands, firing a ball off a huge wall. The sound it made was awesome. The speed it went was something else. And I really thought that cool looking program I had in my hand was neat. That logo drawing of a jai-alai player on the cover in full color was the best. I use it on this website’s home page.
I recall watching the first game or two to understand what it was all about before making a bet. After watching a couple of games, I had a good idea about it. Here I am, February 8th, 1974 sitting in huge place in Tampa Florida watching something I had never heard of hours before. Out there were stars like Bolivar, Gorrono and Almorza which, at the time, meant nothing to me.
I made a $2 Win bet the last 10 games of the performance, losing every game. I remember the disappointed look in my stepfather’s face when I told him I had lost all $20 of that money that he given me earlier.
While in college, my friends and I would head to Tampa jai-alai quite often, which was only about a half hour away from Lakeland. I would go back home to Fairfield in the spring/summer months when school was out. However when I came back home in the spring of 1976, it was different. I had good news for my buddies in Connecticut. Jai-alai is coming to Connecticut!! They all said “what the hell is that?” If you go to the “Chronology” link on this website and go to 1976 you can watch the video of us entering Bridgeport Jai-alai on its first day. That’s me making a bet at the betting window – with no one else in site. I honestly thought I was the only guy sitting there that knew what jai-alai was all about! What incredible luck. I had jai-alai in both backyards – in Florida and Connecticut!!!
Then in 1978, my roommate in college came in with a cesta. I said “where the hell did you get that?” He said at the Tampa Jai-alai gift shop for $40. Sure enough, they had several cesta’s sitting on a shelf in a room behind the gift shop. I bought one and have never put one down since. We started playing off a wall at Seminole Middle School using a tennis ball. It soon evolved to a lacrosse ball, and soon by the mid-1980s, there were about 30-40 of us out there that would come out and play there. Guys like Tedrick, Paul Berglund and Chris eventually went pro. I would never imagine I would be playing 42 years later with a jai-alai museum, a couple of jai-alai websites and donating the money for America’s first public court (credit Paul Kubala and Tom DeMint for getting this pulled off) all under the belt with more to come.
Stu Neiman from Magic City Jai-Alai contacted SayHiLi.com with the following official player changes for 2021.
These four players are not returning:
Legend – major health issues/surgeries
Rock – knee injury/surgery
Fred – not returning, will be continuing with his FT job with Broward County
Limonte – left during 2020 meet and relocated to Orlando due to wife’s job change
Note that Asier is still part of the program but will not be participating in the January practices, “on-leave” status
These two players joined the 2021 Magic City Jai-Alai program (will practice in January and start on Feb 6th):
Spinner – from Dania
Ben Langhans – 17 yo brother of Douglas, playing under name “Benny”
Magic City Jai-Alai Schedule Update and U.S. National Jai-Alai ChampionshipInfo
The 10-weeks of added Magic City Jai-Alai resume on February 6th with a Saturday 4-pm performance, Sunday 1-pm performance and a Monday 1-pm performance. Performances will be at least 9-games each. The 10-week meet runs through mid-April and then the regular Magic City season will consist of games from early May through the end of November.
The 2nd U.S. National Jai-Alai Championship will be played at Magic City Jai-Alai in the month of September before the Dania fall meet.
As post 4 “Bug Brush” came dashing across the finish line in West Palm Beach seconds before the midnight deadline on New Year’s Eve as the winner of the race, greyhound racing in the state of Florida officially came to an abrupt end after a 95-year history. As a pari-mutual wagering event (such as jai-alai and horse racing), the industry was forced to shut down from a 2018 constitutional amendment that has now outlawed it. Thousands of people were in attendance enjoying the mild weather, enjoying the midnight fireworks and celebrating the New Year’s arrival, they knew that this was it. No more greyhound racing in the state of Florida.
Greyhound racing has a history dating back nearly 150 years ago. The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir in Hendon England in 1876. The track was straight and the “experiment” was a failure. The industry then emerged in the recognizable modern form by featuring circular or oval tracks with the invention of a mechanical rabbit or hare. Developed by Owen Patrick Smith in 1912, races were staged using a mechanical lure. In 1919, O.P. Smith opened the first professional dog racing track – complete with stands in Emeryville, California (near Oakland). The Emeryville arena was torn down in February of 1920 to make way for the construction of the first greyhound racing track with the first race held on May 29, 1920. Smith was against the killing of jack rabbits and thus came up with the mechanical ones and envisioned “greyhound racing as the way we see horse racing”. A certificate system of betting led the way to parimutuel betting in the United States in the 1930s.
On last Sunday, St. Petersburg’s legendary Derby Lane ran its last races before a near-packed house of an estimated 8,000 spectators. A brass band entertained the crowd who were also given two free specialty craft beers made by a local brewery. Betting lines and food and drink concessions were long, likely dampening what could have been a huge final performance as far a handle goes. St. Pete and West Palm Beach were the last two remaining tracks to operate till the laws took over and shut it all down.
What’s in store for greyhound racing in the future? In 2021, only four tracks will remain open in three states – Arkansas, Iowa and West Virginia. Eventually, West Virginia will be the last state to offer dog racing as the other two states are eventually phasing out by the end of 2022. There are two tracks in WV that will remain open. Like, jai-alai, betting at the dog tracks have plummeted. At its peak in 1991, over $3.5 billion dollars were wagered across 19 states. By 2018, that number was well below $500 million. Greyhound racing is now illegal in over 40 states and one will have to wonder how that last state will survive with the dwindling number of greyhounds getting breed.
