Check our this very rare home video from Hartford and Milford Jai-alai. Special thanks to i95 ROCK!
CLICK HERE: Take a Step Back Inside Connecticut’s Jai Alai Frontons – i95 ROCK
Check our this very rare home video from Hartford and Milford Jai-alai. Special thanks to i95 ROCK!
I was at the Yankees spring training game a couple days ago with Marty Fleischman, his wife Sue. Joe Cannella and I brought up a TV commercial I had recalled about a battlefield and if Marty was involved in that. He was, and the cost was over $100,000 to produce – which is about $282k today.
Joe found this on YouTube and thought it would bring back some out memories.
50th Anniversary of the Day that Changed Everything – Part 1 of 2
Today is the 50th anniversary of the day that would eventually change everything in my lifestyle.
On Friday, February 15, 1974, I went to see jai-alai for the first time in my life. Today, 50 years later, I would never have imagined what would take place after that.
Here are the details as I can remember:
I was a senor at Roger Ludlowe High School in Fairfield Connecticut and had narrowed my list of colleges that I wanted to attend down to two. One was in Tampa at the University of Tampa, and the other in Lakeland at Florida Southern College. About 35 miles apart from one another.
I flew down with my parents from JFK to Tampa International. Upon stepping off that plane in Tampa, I was impressed. Wow. Look at this airport. It was gorgeous. The NY airports and Dallas were the only ones I had been in before. And the airport was only a few months old on top of it. And then stepping outside, wow! 72 degrees and sunny – in the middle of the winter. So far, so good I thought.
We checked into the Holiday Inn on Dale Mabry, and in the lobby at the counter was a rack card of a bunch of things to do in Tampa Bay. Busch Gardens, Sunken Gardens, the Reds spring training, and so on. But one caught my eye. It had to do with sports. It was about jai-alai. I said “what the heck this – not pronouncing it as “hi-li” but with a “J”. Just like in the Magic City promo by one of the players. The guy behind the counter and my parents all pronounced the name properly and tried to explain the game. And they added you bet on it. I didn’t really care about the betting aspect. I loved sports and especially baseball. It was the reason I picked those two colleges to scope out in the first place.
I was mesmerized by the drawing of the court and how big it was. Wow! I never had heard of it before. I found out it was only in Florida and in big cities like Miami, Dania/Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, etc. Interesting.
So, we made reservations to go that Friday night. I was with my stepsister and my parents had reservations already at Berns Steak House. We were flying back to JFK Saturday morning.
I remember getting into the taxicab and telling the driver where we were going. Again, I misspelled the word jai-alai. I asked him “You know how to get there?”. He laughed and said, “Of course I do!”. Today, you ask someone about jai-alai and they tell you “Oh you mean the beer?”.
I also remember the 10–15-minute drive there like yesterday. Lots of traffic. The click-clicky sound on Dale Mabry Highway. All the bright lights, nude clubs. Nothing like the Post Road in Fairfield!
Then we make the right into the Jai-alai Fronton. Wow! Look at this! A huge building, lots of cars coming in. We get out and talk up the Will Call window, where we get our tickets. I think they were $2 each and were about ½ of the way back on about the 4 line. We got there about 6:45pm and the place was filling up. Thousands of people. Players were practicing. I am thinking, this is “really cool”. The distinct sound of the ball hitting the wall was awesome. The worlds “fastest game” game in front on me!
My parents gave me $20 to bet for the night and I remember making my bets off the way the players practiced before the game. My first mistake.
I quickly picked up the game, but my stepsister was confused the whole night. The roar of the crowd is what made it. The athleticism. The huge court. The ball hitting the ball. Seven thousand people with many around bars and watching on TV sets. Unbelievable excitement. There were more people here than were going to Yankee games in the Bronx back then in the last year at the original stadium. On the court were greats like Bolivar, Almorza, Laca and many more. I lost every game I as there from 1-10. When we got back to the hotel, our parents asked how we did, and I told them the money was all gone. Oh well, wasn’t the only time that was going to happen.
I ended up choosing Florida Southern College in Lakeland, and one of the first things my friends and I would do is head over to watch and bet jai-alai. There was nothing to do in Lakeland back then.
Now, 50 years later I would never imagine how jai-alai has changed my lifestyle.
Part 2 coming soon
Anthony & Nephew Matt Win Sunshine City/Scott King Tournament
Anthony Sutton, aka “The Ant” and his nephew Matt Sutton have won the Sunshine City/Scott King Tournament that was held at St. Petersburg’s Puryear Park on Saturday.
The 6 hour and 10-minute marathon began sharply at 10am before a crowd of about 45 people under chamber of commerce sunshine with temps in the low 70s.
The event was originally scheduled to be a two-day event, with the first round held on Saturday, and the finals on Sunday. But organizers made the correct decision to combine the two days into one with a 100% chance of rain Sunday the factor. About ¾” of an inch did fell Sunday morning before clearing up around 12 noon.
The event featured several ex-pros including Rastock, Corky, Daniel, Belota, Ty Wilson, Cachin 47 and Super Jules. Super Jules played pro at Hartford and Calder. Also competing, all the way from Rhode Island, were Davie “Dark Knight”. On his team was Paul Paddie, who played pro at various frontons in Connecticut. Among those in attendance were our good buddies “Art” and John Silvia aka “Anton/The Ghost.” In attendance was former player and players manager Sarduy of Daytona/Melbourne. Also former pros Ricky Hernandez of Tampa Jai-Alai, Bob Garby of Dania Jai-Alai, and Brodie of Calder Jai-Alai participated.
One player who stood out was Brent Knight, familiar to many as Phatboy. He displayed great catching and throwing hard bullets deep off the walls.
The event featured 27 games, most of them to 10 points with the semi finals going to 12. There were 22 players competing.
The finals came down to the team of Cachin/Rule vs. Anthony/Matt. The Sutton team won the first game (to 10 points), the second game went to Cachin/Rule. The final tiebreaker even, played to 5 points was won 5-0 by the Sutton clam.
The event was fast paced, no arguments (wow!) and the weather could not have been better, not to mention the court looked fantastic thanks to the work of Paul Kubala, Scott King, Eric Lancot. Sorry if we are omitting anyone.
You can view photos of the action and the brackets with results and final win totals all on this site.
There was a lot of refurbishments done to the court as noted in the other stories on The Pelota Press.
Renovations continue at Puryear Park in St. Petersburg as the park remains closed till Friday.
Here are some details on the project.
High fence repairs and new pads are being installed today. This will clearly stop balls from getting suck up on top or on the fence area as the pad on the far left had broken months ago. The pads will have two pieces on top overlapping about 8 inches and should be a huge improvement.
Kitz has been applied on the walls where all the white crap had be leaking out.
Ten gallons of new green paint will be applied to all 3 walls tomorrow and Friday. A crew was using wire brushed to scrape the lime and water scale off the walls and will seal the block to try and limit it in the future before they finish the overall paint job.
In the back court area, all the crappy tarps that are flying in the wind are being removed and there will be tightening of the perimeter netting.
Puryear Park Closed thru Friday for Renovations
With the “Scott King” Tournament about to commence this Saturday, America’s first public court will be undergoing another renovation to keep it updated in cosmetics and functionality.
Right now, paint cutting is going on around the line numbers and banners. On Wednesday, the major work begins. The torn sunscreens in the back will be removed and the upper padding on the front court will be replaced. Several balls get stuck up there, especially with one of the paddings gone. On Thursday, the entire court will begin to get a total face lift with painting of a different color green than is up there now. The “Matt” ball has turned the court into a white checkerboard basically with tape that comes off the ball on all three walls. Work is expected to be completed Friday in time for Scott King’s tournament Saturday at 10am. Scott himself is one of the contractors overseeing the project along with Eric Lancot, Paul Kubala and several assistants.
In the meantime, the court has seen lots of action with players from all over the country playing over the past few days.
On Saturday alone, 18 players were out there, including several ex-pros like Bridgeport Jai-alai’s (and many more places!) Rastock, Bridgeport Jai-alai’s Adam, Newport’s Ty Wilson who make trips on a regular basis from Daytona Beach and Orlando.
On Monday, there was a 10-hour marathon of action with about a dozen players out there including Tino, now a fixture at Matt’s court (and played pro at Daytona, Melbourne, Big Ben, Jasper, Milford and Bridgeport), Ron, a rookie of the year at Miami in 1982 and played at Ft. Pierce, Milford and Tampa. Also making the trip was Lou, an amateur from Tampa Jai-alai from the 80s. Bill “Okie” O’Connor also made a long-distance trip to join them.
Special thanks to Alex for the photos.
Former Tampa pro Scott King and the Sunshine City Jai-alai is hosting a tournament February 2nd-4th at Puryear Park in St. Petersburg.
Here are the details and sign-up sheet. For more details, please contact Scott King.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ==> SCJA Open Invitational Player Sign Up Sheet
“A” Tournament bracket teams will be set up by committee. Names will be installed as registrations are received.
CLICK HERE TO SEE BRACKETS ==> Sunshine City Jai-Alai Open Invitation Tournament
Season kicks off February 2
MIAMI, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The World Jai-Alai League (WJAL) recently held its Battle Court Spring 2024 Season Draft on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The Draft event unveiled the player lineups for the six teams competing over the upcoming 16-week season, including the addition of an expansion team, the Fireballs, to the League’s Battle Court roster and a fresh realignment of team owners for the upcoming season, starting on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. The WJAL has seen a surge of interest in the past year, bringing on notable ambassadors, investors and team owners including Grammy Award-winning recording artist and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez, known as Pitbull, retired NFL legends Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor and retired three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem.
World Jai-Alai League’s Warriors team and owners including NFL Hall of Fame legend Lawrence Taylor at the season opening draft event
“After a year marked by an extraordinary surge of growth and interest, we are proud to announce the latest lineup of team owners and the newest team of the Battle Court franchise,” said Scott Savin, chief operating officer of the World Jai-Alai League. “The next season promises to be more phenomenal than the last. With six new players, we are continually looking to raise the level of talent and the stakes on the court.”
Spring 2024 team owners include retired NFL legends, Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor, as co-owners of the Warriors; three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem as owner of the Renegades; Chris Cote, the longtime producer of the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,’ as owner of the Cyclones alongside Mike Ryan; K. Marie “La Gringa Más Latina” from TU 94.9FM and Grammy Award-winning recording artist Maffio as owners of the Devils; Lifestyle Miami and Mister Red as owners of the Chargers; and WJAL as owner of the Fireballs.
The addition of the Fireballs will increase the WJAL’s roster to 36 athletes, twice the number the league started with in 2018. The 2024 roster features a lineup of both American and international pelotaris, considered among the best jai-alai players in the world.
Battle Court Spring 2024 Season Draft picks: (Listed by courtside names)
Team Name | Chargers | Cyclones | Devils | Fireballs | Renegades | Warriors |
Round 1 | Zulaika | Manu | Olharan | Inaki | Goixerri | Douglas |
Round 2 | Iturbide | Lopez | Jairo | Foronda | Aratz | Nicolas |
Round 3 | Benny | Carballo | Urbieta | Amigorena | Goenaga | Manny |
Round 4 | Ubilla | Ikeda | Robin | Hernandez | Arta | Julen |
Round 5 | Bradley | Bueno | Roque | Cabrera | Ben | Correa |
Round 6 | El Barba | Flores | CRB | Jeden | Joseph | Williams |
WJAL matches are viewable during the competitive season on Jai-Alai TV (www.jaialai.live), via the Jai-Alai app and at www.watchjaialai.com. Battle Court matches are available on DraftKings and BetRivers for wagering in 17 states including Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Battle Court gamedays take place at the Magic City Fronton’s glass-walled court at 450 NW 37 Ave. in Miami. Gamedays are open to the public on Fridays (7 p.m.) and can be viewed via live broadcast only on Mondays and Tuesdays (5 p.m.) from Feb. 2 through May 17. Battle Court games are viewable on ESPN+, Jai-Alai TV (www.jaialai.live), the Jai-Alai app (downloadable on Apple App Store and Google Playstore) and www.watchjaialai.com.
About World Jai-Alai League
The World Jai-Alai League is dedicated to revamping the once renowned sport of jai-alai across the globe by modernizing gameplay, capitalizing on the exploding international sports wagering market, and delivering the sport through social media to a new generation of fans.
Salas Brothers Named Pelota Press’ “Man of the Year Award”
Arturo and Javier Salas have been named the Pelota Press’ “Man of the Year” Award for 2023. The award is given out the person or persons whose distinguished work in keeping jai-alai alive is recognized.
In the man photo main shown here is Javier, their father, Javier Salas Gomez Palacio (still a good player in his 80s!), and Arturo Salas.
The group built their own cancha in Cancun and had Loren Harris run their kids leagues and tournaments until Loren unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago.
In case you haven’t heard, Magic City jai-alai has added two more owners and just might solidify the sport of jai-alai in America. “LT” was the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL. No one can argue that. While Ray Lewis was the greatest middle linebacker the game has seen. Both players were the second player taken in their respective drafts and played for just one team their entire careers. With strong Miami ties, this was a natural. The list of investors is growing, it’s mind-boggling. Magic City’s press release will give you the full details.
NEWS PROVIDED BY
MIAMI, Dec. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Retired National Football League legends, Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor, today announced a partnership with the World Jai-Alai League (WJAL) to become co-owners of the Warriors. Lewis first joined the WJAL Board of Directors in March, kickstarting an incredible year in which the League has experienced a surge of growth and interest.
“We are thrilled to welcome this pair of NFL Hall of Famers, widely regarded as the two best defensive players of all time, as the newest team owners in the WJAL,” said Scott Savin, Chief Operating Officer of WJAL. “Working with Ray Lewis this year has already brought an incredible surge of energy into our league, and we know that LT’s unmatched passion will be felt throughout the fronton. By joining the world’s fastest ball sport, these two legends are proving once again that champions don’t retire, they redefine success!”
“Getting involved with the League this year has been incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to jump in and lead our new team to the championship alongside the one and only LT,” said Lewis. “World Jai-Alai League has seen incredible growth this year and we’re excited for the future of the sport.”
“Seeing the intensity that WJAL athletes have for their sport has sparked my competitive spirit and I’m looking forward to being a team owner this season,” said Taylor. “This opportunity is not just about team ownership; it’s about embracing a new challenge, fostering camaraderie, and building a new legacy in the world of jai-alai.”
WJAL this year has welcomed a new roster of notable ambassadors, investors and partners including Grammy Award-winning recording artist and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez, or Pitbull; three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem; NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis; retired UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal; 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Puig; and professional tennis player Eugenie Bouchard.
WJAL is currently available on DraftKings and BetRivers for wagering in 16 states including Arizona; Colorado; Illinois; Iowa; Kansas; Maryland; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New Jersey; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; and Wyoming.
A year after launching its social media presence, WJAL has leveraged social media to grow the sport with nearly 350,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 80,000 on Instagram. WJAL recently concluded its most successful season yet, with game days averaging over 100k unique views on TikTok. WJAL live games are available in over 300 million homes through streaming services including ESPN, FTF Sports and Triple B Media.
About World Jai-Alai League
The World Jai-Alai League (WJAL) is dedicated to revitalizing the world’s fastest ball sport by modernizing gameplay, capitalizing on the exploding international sports wagering market, and delivering the sport through social media to a new generation of fans across the globe. For more information, go to www.battlecourtjaialai.com. The WJAL plays at the Magic City Fronton in Miami located at 450 N.W. 37th Ave.