A couple of readers tipped us off on a listing on eBay of perhaps the most unusual jai-alai helmet ever made. It was a combo package consisting of an old jai-alai cesta and a helmet. It’s not the old jai-alai cesta that really mattered. It was the helmet. It’s certainly one-of-a-kind. It appears to be […]
As I made the drive from Venice Beach to Tampa, the words of Bennett Collett, Sr. echoed in my head. “We want you to be the General Manager of Tampa Jai-Alai. You’re the man for the job.” My mind drifted back to 1971, when I sat across the desk from Tampa’s GM, ex-Naval Commander, and […]
The Golden Cesta Award is an honorary award for the Jai-alai player with the most singles game wins for a week. The award was conceived by Pauly, a well-known Jai-alai announcer and promoter at Magic City Jai-alai who also had a big following when working at Dania Jai-alai. Pauly is the originator of the reference […]
As the limousine pulled up to the gates of the Miami MetroZoo, I realized that this might have been the first time I had ever actually ridden in a limo. Sue and I had been invited by CEO, and now owner of the World Jai-Alai frontons, Bennett Collett to attend the annual “Feast with the […]
Dania Jai-alai is officially going to reopen this year – starting December 1st for a two-month season. The State of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation – Division of the Pari-Mutual Wagering, has issued the license to conduct pari-mutuel wagering on the game of jai-alai in Dania, Florida. The season starts with an evening performance […]
By Straymar/Jabracadabra Week 6 was yet again, another amazing week of Jai-Alai H2H action. Sunday’s doubles matches started with Jeden-Nicolas improving to 4-0 by taking a straight set win over Jairo-Ben (6-5, 6-4). Next up was CRB-Douglas winning in 3 sets against Joseph-Manu (6-3, 4-6, 6-3). Bueno-Benny lost 3 points in a straight set victory […]
Puryear Park “alumni” Rocco was recently in the news for being the only former jai-alai player in history to become a jockey agent. Rocco, who named himself after his grandfather’s name, learned to play jai-alai as a teenager off the walls of a movie theatre on Dale Mabry in Tampa and then playing a few […]
I felt my heart pounding. I knew this was it. Bennett Collett, Sr., now the majority owner of World Jai-Alai, was taking over. No doubt he was going to put his own team in. World Jai-Alai had become the dominant force in the sport of Jai-Alai in the 1970s and ’80s. Our company owned four […]
I felt my heart pounding. I knew this was it. Bennett Collett, Sr., now the majority owner of World Jai-Alai, was taking over. No doubt he was going to put his own team in. He sat across from me, having just left ex-CEO Dick Donovan’s office. I had to be first on his “hit list.” […]
By Jabracadabra/Straymar Week 4 started with 7 doubles matches. The team of Inaki-Roque subbed for Jeden-Nicolas and outlasted Joseph-Manu in a 30 point, 3 set match 2-6, 6-5, 5-6. In game 6, Bueno-Benny beat Inaki-Roque 6-1, 6-4. CRB-Douglas beat Carballo-Kubala in straight sets 6-5, 6-2. Carballo-Kubala played Jairo-Ben in game 5 in a relatively low scoring […]
