Archive for category: Straymar Blogs

By Straymar

Magic City’s 4th season debut showcased outstanding Jai-Alai talent at Saturday’s 4-pm performance and fans were wowed at just how far this short-court development Jai-Alai program has come since it began in 2018. Magic City Jai-Alai has a roster of 20-players and all played during the 9-game opener, including three new players on this 2021 roster. New additions were Spinner (Daniel Spinner) from Dania Jai-Alai, Julen (Julen Goitiandia) with playing experience from Casino Miami Jai-Alai & Markina Spain, along with 17-year old “Benny” who is Ben Langhans, the brother of Magic City’s 21-year old top player Douglas (Matt Langhans). Douglas has won all doubles tournaments and both singles championships since he started his professional career at Magic City in 2019.

Carballo was hot in late game singles and looked phenomenal, winning two of his 3-games and a second place finish in the other. Douglas had a win in his first singles game of the day. Magic City early game player, Vuelo, definitely looked improved as Stu Neiman had been touting this week. Vuelo had a show in game 1 and a win in game 2. Vuelo’s game 3 singles game almost gave him a second place finish had Jeden won his final match-up when it appeared he was on his way to a perfect game. Bueno, son of Magic City player manager and former Jai-Alai superstar, Benny Bueno, also had an exceptional day with a first, second, and a 3rd in the four singles games he played. CRB looked impressive and scored the first win of the 2021 season in game 1 and also won the show playoff in the very competitively-matched game 4 mid-singles game which was won by Kubala, one of Magic City’s top five late-game players.

Doubles game winners for game 5 & 7 were Juice-RonRon in post 1 and Jeden-Bradley in post 7. The Jeden-Bradley win was an incredible display of talent for this doubles team with a perfect game from post 7, the toughest post to secure victory from in the Spec 7 format. This first doubles tournament for 2021 is already shaping up to be some very competitive games with evenly matched teams. The teams of Juice-RonRon and Jeden-Bradley are currently 100% ITM for their two games each team has played. There are 10-teams for the doubles competition so not all teams get to play twice daily.

Trifecta pool were decent for Magic City Jai-Alai, averaging $1,527 per game over the 9-game performance, ranging from $1303 to $1,668, which is a huge increase in trifecta pool size from the recent Casino Miami Jai-Alai performances which ended on Monday. The $1.00 trifecta prices were phenomenal for day 1 and averaged a high $421 which is about double that of average season trifecta prices for Dania and Magic City Jai-Alai. Five of the $1.00 trifectas paid between $330 and $1180. The lowest $1.00 trifectas of the day were $48.70 on the easy 3-2-5 combination in singles game 6 which was a handicap special with Douglas-Carballo-Spinner along with the very easy 1-4-2 trifecta combination which paid $86.30 in the game 1 opener (CRB-Bueno-Vuelo). Note that Magic City offers $0.50 trifecta tickets, just like Dania Jai-Alai. Casino Miami Jai-Alai trifectas were not available for $0.50, Miami fans had to spend $1.00 for base trifecta wagers at that venue.

The$1.00 Jai-5 jackpot wager was nailed by one lucky bettor for the $2,000 guaranteed jackpot. The five winners of the game 3-7 sequence were: Bueno, Kubala, Juice-RonRon, Douglas, Jeden-Bradley. Fans wagered $1,244 into the Jai-5 opening day and this popular jackpot wager starts out again with another $2,000 guarantee for the Sunday noon performance if there is a single jackpot winner with all five winners correctly selected.

The Mighty Ocho wager, a $1.00 Pick 8 wager which works exactly like the Jai-5, has an increased guarantee for a single winner with all eight winners correctly selected for games 1-8. The jackpot was increased to $4,000 for 2021; previously this jackpot had a guarantee of $3,000. The Mighty Ocho wager first started in 2020 and no handicapper has had all 8-winners correct, although there have been winners with 7 of 8 winners several times. There were 2-winning tickets with 5 of 8 correct winners for the season opener that paid $24.40 each ticket holder.

Magic City Jai-Alai features two $1.00 Pick 3 wagers, game 4 and game 7. All Magic City pick-x wagers feature a low 20% takeout rate, which is 5% lower than competitor Dania Jai-Alai and fans took advantage and played more on the Pick 3 wagers than at the opening day of Dania Jai-Alai on Wednesday this week. Magic City fans wagered $753 and $466 on each of the Pick 3’s and the $1.00 payoffs paid quite handsomely to Jai-Alai handicappers with prices of $150.60 for the Kubala, Juice-RonRon, Douglas sequence and $372.80 for the Jeden-Bradley, Carballo, Carballo sequence.

The total handle for all the games was $20,222.

The next performance at Magic City is Sunday at noon and is followed by a Monday 1-pm performance.

Be sure to check out the new head-to-head matches at Magic City Jai-Alai at 10-am on Monday and Tuesday mornings (10-am to noon). These are non-wagering events. Check out the JAI-ALAI H2H page on the Magic City website.

By Straymar

Magic City Jai-Alai in Miami Florida concluded their 2020 short-court Jai-Alai season on Sunday, November 29th. The second and final doubles tournament was a nail-biter coming down the final doubles game #7 to see if Diaz-Carballo could tie the team of Asier-Douglas who had 17-wins. The team of Juice-RonRon upset the plans of Diaz-Carballo by winning the game from post 4.

The team of Asier-Douglas split $10,000 for their tourney win while Diaz-Carballo split $5,000 for their second place finish. The final standings for all 9-teams can be seen under “Wagering Info” under Magic City Doubles Tournaments on the SayHiLi.com website. Douglas has won all doubles tournaments since he started doubles tournament play at Magic City in 2019.

The top 3-finishers in the Magic City Singles Championship were awarded their checks on Sunday. Douglas won the singles championship again as in 2019 and took top prize of a cool $15,000 for his 179-singles wins. RonRon won 2nd place prize of $10,000 with his 151-singles wins and Bueno took home $5,000 for his 3rd place finish with 109-wins. El Barba was a close 4th place finish that came down to the final performance with 105 wins and is well deserving of an honorable mention here for his late-season run where he won the Golden Cesta Award weeks 24 through 26.

The 2020 Coaches Award was awarded to Magic City player Tennessee for the 3rd consecutive year. Tennessee is the “spirit-head” of the entire program. He is a vibrant bright personality and all-around “nice-guy” and even helped Limonte move recently.

The Most Improved Player Award went to Ben. Ben played an astonishing 898 games this season and was never sick, injured or scratched from any performance. Ben worked constantly on his game and was first one there and last to leave according to Stu Neiman.

Both the Jai-5 and the Mighty Ocho Jackpots were Forced-Out on Sunday. The Jai-5 already had a carryover jackpot of $2,983.60 going into Sunday and another $3,738 was wagered on it Sunday. After the 20% takeout rate on Sundays Jai-5 pool, the Force-Out was a total of $5,974 to be paid to the ticket holders with the most winners. Asier pulled somewhat of an upset in the leg 1 game 3 of the Jai-5, however, Asier had only been playing in one singles game lately and had won two of the three singles games in game 3 already this week. The remaining winners were Bradley in post 1 game 4, Diaz-Carballo in post 5 game 5, Douglas in post 8 game 6, and Juice-RonRon in post 4 game 7. There was one-team live for a 5 of 5 payout of $5,974 had the team of Diaz-Carballo won from post 6. The $5,974 force-out jackpot was paid out to (9) ticket holders with 4 of 5 winners correctly selected, with each ticket paying $663.70 for a $1 wager.

Asier, the son of Magic City Player Manager Arra, deserves an honorable mention for closing out the 2020 season by winning 3 of his 4 singles games for the week! His hard-throwing left side can be a bit too hot for some to handle when he gets going. Some of the older fans of the 1980’s Tampa roster have noticed Asier’s left side throws have similarities to those of the famous player, Laca.

The $1 Mighty Ocho wager only had $546.80 in the jackpot, but Magic City COO, Scott Savin, guaranteed a $3,000 payout to be split among ticket holders with the most winners correctly selected for the 8-game sequence. Bettors spent $2,920 into this Jackpot and after the 20% takeout had been removed from the $2,920 and the prior jackpot carryover of $546.80 was added, there was $2,882.80 to be paid back, so Magic City had to make-up only $117.20 to bring the Mighty Ocho Force-out up to the $3,000 guarantee. Going into the final leg of the Mighty Ocho, there were 4-posts covered for 6 of 8 payoffs (posts 1,3,5 for $3,000 each and post 8 with 2-tickets for $1,500 each). Douglas won game 5, result 5-1-3, and the $3,000 was paid out to a single winner with 6 of 8 winners correct. Games 1 and 2 of the Mighty Ocho were won by Diaz in post 1 and Ben in post 7, respectively.

Magic City short-court Jai-Alai action returns on February 6, 2021 to kick-off an additional 10-weeks of Jai-Alai next year before the regular season starts in May. Word from Stu is the performances will be on Saturday, Sunday and Mondays. Stay tuned for more info.

Don’t forget to tune in to the Jai-Alai Channel on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 & 6 for the US National Jai-Alai Championship at Magic City Jai-Alai. Tourney games start at 10 am each day. The US Nationals are only open to US citizens and like the Magic City 2020 Jai-Alai season, there is no live viewing of the event due to covid-19 precautions. Jai-Alai fans won’t want to miss this!

Congratulations Magic City Jai-Alai players, staff and management and all involved for providing this great entertainment opportunity, including the FREE Fantasy Jai-Alai League, during these trying times in 2020. Well Done!

Another rumor just starting to wind its way through the Jai-Alai underworld and perhaps a real whopper, or who knows, maybe a reality?  Here it is:  Installing a glass-panel back wall like Magic City Jai-Alai to shorten the court to 120’ which will allow an extra 50+ feet plus of room for adequate player social distancing behind the glass wall along with relocating the announcing area and video equipment.

Actually this rumor makes a lot of sense and could be a genuine cost-cutting measure that might perhaps extend the life of Dania Jai-Alai for years to come?  Thinking about this one, the expense of the back wall change would be pretty minimal and could happen relatively quickly.  Also, the higher ceiling height than Magic City could make for some pretty intensive short-court Jai-Alai action?  If this rumor turns out to be reality, a short-court National Jai-Alai Championship could get really competitive and be a blast!

Haven’t heard much for details on this rumor, whether it’s for near term or a modification for last half of December or down the road.  Source on this one has adamantly insisted that “mum is the word” which is the rumor mill standard, LOL. Only time will tell…..I have my doubts on this one. This would involve Magic City type balls and cestas too, but who knows, this whole rumored concept with a reduced roster size (attrition/visas being a factor I would imagine, some players would likely say “no” and play in Spain/Europe) would definitely be a cost saving measure.  One thing for sure, Dania rumors are a dime a dozen right now…..

Maybe soon we will find out what is really going on? Let’s hope so!

By Steve “Straymar” Martin

I recently had the opportunity to reach out to a Jai-alai acquaintance from the past, Art Silvester Jr, on Tuesday morning on the 4th of August. Art Jr. was General Manager of Palm Beach Jai-Alai from the 1980’s until closing in 1994 and was also involved in the family’s Newport Jai-Alai as General Manager and Executive VP.

I had not yet met Art Jr. when I graduated college with a BSME degree and accepted a job at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in West Palm Beach in June of 1978. I was able to attend the original Palm Beach fronton about a half dozen times during the fall before the old fronton building burned down in December 1978. The building was rebuilt and opened again in January 1981. I was living in Lakeland, Florida at that time working as a project engineer in the Florida phosphate industry (at one of those many giant chemical complexes with the mountains of gypsum), but was able to visit the new Palm Beach fronton on a few occasions in the first few years after re-opening. I met Art Jr. for the first time in the mid-1980’s after the Florida phosphate industry downturn when I had returned to work again at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in West Palm Beach. I attended the Palm Beach fronton every chance I could after after moving back to the area and was a “systems player” mostly focused on trifectas and also on superfecta wagers when those began a few years later.

I had previously mailed Art Jr. a list of my questions and he was most gracious in calling me to set up a phone interview and agreed to answer my questions. My wife and I have both been very interested in the restaurant at Palm Beach Jai-Alai, having dined there dozens of times. It was our favorite restaurant in town and we especially loved the Teriyaki Marinated Chicken Breast and the Key Lime Ice Cream Pie and still talk about it to this day. We always made sure to take any family members there for dinner when they visited from out-of-town.

Art Jr. was an exceptional host and one of my favorite memories was when Palm Beach had opened for Sunday matinees and offered a Sunday Brunch in the restaurant. Art Jr. had stopped by our table and asked me if I had ever had eggs Benedict. I said no, and he then offered to have his chef make one up special for me. Ever since that Sunday brunch, I always think of Art Jr. when I hear mention of eggs Benedict. The restaurant at Palm Beach was fine dining for sure and Art’s answers to my questions will shed some more light on that topic among others related to the fronton, its history and operation.

Art’s early adulthood:

Art Jr. was born in 1946 and is currently 74 years old. Many people probably don’t know this, but Art Jr. was in the service from age 19 to 23 and was stationed in Okinawa during the Vietnam War. Okinawa was a vital island for the Pentagon to support US forces in the Vietnam War. While in the service for four years, he served in the Air Force and the Armed Force Police and left the service in December 1969.

Here are the Questions and Answers from the phone interview:

Q: Can you tell me how you learned the trade and perhaps some history on that?

A: I worked in all areas of the fronton operation, doing everything except in the foodservice area. That work even included security and maintenance.

Q: Who were some of the famous visitors to the Palm Beach and Newport frontons?

A: In the early days, in the 1960’s, the King of England and his wife visited the Palm Beach fronton. There were so many, Errol Flynn, Joe DiMaggio to name a few. Betty Hutton worked as a greeter for us at Newport. She was a 1940’s and 50’s star and appeared in The Greatest Show on Earth and Annie Get Your Gun.

Q: What was the largest attendance you remember?

A: It was the last day of the 86/87 season when there was a million dollar Pick 6 jackpot mandatory payout on a Saturday night. Palm Beach had seating for 6,000. The following Monday when attendance figures were tallied, there were 10,000 people. The place was packed. The computer system even failed that night.

Note: for comparison purposes, Newport had seating for 3,200.

Q: I remember you for being such a great Jai-Alai host, standing inside the doors and greeting customers as they entered, being all around the building, very involved in ensuring the place ran like a “well-oiled machine.” It looked like you loved your job. Can you expand on that and what did you like the most about your job?

A: I always had good managers which was a big help. I felt I needed to spend at least half the night at the front door greeting customers and buying regulars a drink at the bar. I enjoyed talking to the customers.

Q: I know managing a business like Palm Beach Jai-Alai had to be difficult as it was such a complex business with all the regulations, the restaurant/food options/bars, mutuel clerks, money room, security, players, union, support staff, and much more. Roughly how many people were on the payroll at the height of the business?

A: Before the recession and the player strike we had around 800 employees. Two thirds of those were part time or seasonal and the other one third traveled back and forth between Newport and Palm Beach, supporting both operations.

Note that when the word “strike” came up, Art Jr. was quick to mention that they did not have the police support at Newport like they did at Palm Beach. He mentioned how some striking players at Newport were pounding on the cars crossing the picket lines and that shouldn’t have happened. Art said the police in Newport should’ve been impartial. “We didn’t have that problem at Palm Beach,” Art said.

Q: I’ve always been fascinated with the restaurant at Palm Beach. I always got the impression you were quite the restaurateur and highly involved in running it. How were you able to operate such a successful restaurant? Great managers, chefs? Did you have a favorite chef?

A: The first restaurant opened in 1971, the “Sala-del-Toro” restaurant which was located in the basement of the old fronton. We found it best to go back at least 20-years on references with people that we hired, we wanted highly experienced chefs.

We picked up a lot of restaurant ideas when traveling. There was a famous high-end restaurant in Tampa where we got the idea for shrimp on ice and we began offering that on the menu. We had two kinds of sauce with our shrimp cocktail; the traditional cocktail sauce and a mustard sauce which was very popular. In 1977-78 during the shrimp shortage, most restaurants cut back on the number of shrimp offered, but we kept ours at six.

One of my favorite chefs was Roger Brown who started in 1977-78 and worked at both Palm Beach and Newport. Art did say the restaurant at Newport was a different type of restaurant but used the same head chef.

Q: What are you doing these days to keep occupied? Has the covid situation been a big impact to your retired lifestyle?

A: A little golf, stay around the house, and doctor visits…… Art mentioned it’s pretty shocking when you hear the doctor say the “cancer” word. Art has been struggling with leukemia which is a form of cancer.

I appreciated this unique opportunity to visit with Art Jr. over the phone. I had last spoken with him about 20-years ago when our paths crossed at the University of Arizona’s Global Race Track Industry Symposium held at the Rio in Las Vegas. That was probably the only year that annual convention wasn’t held in Tucson.

Art Jr. still lives in Florida, but not in the Palm Beach area, and I wish him the best in his retirement and health struggles.