Hello once again from very muggy, humid St. Petersburg...

...A few things to touch on briefly…………….

Paxti won four games in a row on Friday. Do you think he was trying to answer the question of “who is better Benat or Paxti?”….hehehehe

Also Arriaga is on fire winning 16 games last week. High cesta to this incredible pelotari. He has overcame a career threatening injury from earlier in his career and is proving to the Dania roster that he is still the top dog of the fronton. Medrano also continues his winning ways.

Now to some news……….

We all know by now that Benny Bueno has been chosen as head of player development at Dania Jai Alai and I think that most everyone that loves jai alai is ecstatic about this hire. Benny is the perfect candidate and has a very, very high passion for the game. I love the fact that the emphasis will be placed on training young teenage athletes and reestablishing a love of the game within today’s youth. When I heard that I was more than pleased. The last thing we need is the same old group of recycled amateurs out there (i.e. Orlando) taking up the precious court time. We need the youth involved with this game and Benny (along with Pancho) has already, independently done a wonderful job doing this. I believe that Benny will also involve young players with good character and sportsmanship, unlike many current American amateurs. I have heard the stories about the amateur play at Orlando and it seems certain individuals there act like instead of practicing and developing their game, instead treat it as if they are on game point of the Pelota World Cup, it’s laughable. Also Benny’s experience as a front and a back, both at a world class level, will be a great resource of information to the young players who decide that they want to take on this “gladiator’s sport”. But also the class of Benny may rub off on those he teaches, which will help them in everyday life even if they don’t become a player. Great stuff Dania, a big high cesta!

Man, Benny was a great player; I have so many stories about when he played. He was such an itimadating presence from the front and possessed all the shots and threw them with great placement and power. I even remember the “outside serve” from time to time in singles;) I also remember the aging Benny still competing at a high level in the backcourt against some of today’s greats. Benny has provided me with some of my best jai alai memories and despite the environment surrounding the game, has always kept a smile and a very positive outlook.

The Dania flip flop is very, very interesting. I like the fact that as soon as I get to the track or fronton, I get to see the best play. I don’t have to wait 3 hours to see the best. However its very painful to watch the early game players after witnessing the feature game guys playing. I wonder how it is working out from a “handle” standpoint. It has its positives and negatives, but I like the old format. I have always loved watching the early game players and then you knew when the late game guys came on the court that the “real” show was about to begin. That element is now missing with the best playing first and the lesser players playing later.

It’s a shame to see the jai alai fans in the Northeast slowly losing interest in the game. I really wish those people got to hold on to at least one fronton. There was always a really strong passion for the game up in that part of the United States and while it still exists, you can see it slowly dying, and it is a shame. I remember growing up in Brooklyn and all the folks that would play jai alai and handball at Lincoln Terrace, Astoria and the Hippo Grounds, quite a site back in the day. Milford was a great place to watch jai alai and was my favorite spot because of the associating of World Jai Alai and while there I would be somewhat familiar with the players because of the Tampa/Ocala/Miami/Ft. Pierce connection. I remember a young Tevin just flying around the court and dominating performances. I also as a youngster got to witness Bolivar at Bridgeport and visited Newport during the last season, the one I believe Borja dominated. Man, there must be so many memories from that area and now they are left with nothing except simucasting, what a shame. High cesta to Michael of Fronton that is trying to keep the dream alive in that section of the country.

That’s all for now……..bye, bye from jai alai. Hov.

Welcome to New World Jai Alai

Hello to all pelota fans! My name is Hov and I would like to welcome you to “New World Jai Alai”. This will be a blog that updates you on everything that deals with pelota stateside. We will concentrate on the players and the recent play at the big two. This blog will be updated at least every 48 hours so stay tuned. Now to my thoughts…………………….

First on the play in Miami…..ever since Girard has returned it seems he’s have a very hard time getting comfortable, right now he can’t catch anything on a bounce and is having confidence issues clearly. Before he got injured he was playing great and even getting a look in the feature games, so look for him to return to form in the near future. He plays very hard and you can see he cares through his emotions.

Areitio is still playing at a very high level and has some of the best court positioning I have ever witnessed. He is still a very good player and one of the top catchers of all fronts. Christophe is playing very, very well right now. The French front courter is playing very aggressive and has all the shots, with a wide variety from the left side. He also has a ton of power and he is a great catcher. During both his stints at Miami he played very well, at Dania he seemed to cash it in…..interesting.

Ricky is playing very, very well and I have seen him throw some awesome shots lately. A couple of Mondays ago he threw four perfect Chula, two in doubles! I mean true chulas where the ball rolls out. One was on the forehand from the four line in singles. I love watching him play, very exciting. How good would he be if he faced this type of talent his whole career? I don’t think Xala will ever be anything more than an early game player; however that is by no means a knock on him. He has the talent to compete and has days where he shows considerable talent.
Let me pose a question to the jai alai universe……who is better Paxti or Benat?.....................

Not to ring my own bell, because we all know I never do that;) but when Arrasate first appeared I predicted he would be a future late game player after the first couple of months. Now he’s progressing into one of the top players on the planet. He has clearly dedicated himself to improving his game and he now has an above average left side, when it used to be a weakness. His right side rebote is one of the best.

Gallardo is putting it all together right now. He is so crafty and a real blue collar player, even when he was struggling, I have always held a high respect for him.

Now let’s hit on Dania……..

I love Amigorena’s game. He is for sure a future late game player. Great catching from both sides, improved decision making, better placement on the forehand – just a very, very nice all around back. Angel is a great player. He has a very calm and fluid style to his game. He never seems rattled and has the ability to volley forever.

Azpiri was a top player when younger and is still very good. He just doesn’t have the movement he once had. On Tuesday’s matinee he played awesome, including scoring with several cortadas and caroms. Diego is without a doubt a top 10 frontcourter in the world. Big time power, great catcher from both sides, and probably the best right side rebote of anyone not named Goikoteaxa. He has been a pleasure to watch. Jairo is an interesting player. He wins with court positioning and placement of the pelota IMO. He doesn’t have above average power and he doesn’t have an arsenal of kill shots. But he is very consistent and plays within his game. He rarely makes a mistake and that is why he wins a good amount of games. I just don’t think Minte has enough to stay on the roster……..I hope I’m wrong but he doesn’t seem to have enough game.

I pose another question to the jai alai universe……who is better, Vega or Toto? Hehehe

Well my friends that will wrap up the first edition of this blog, in the next edition we will touch on frontons of the past and present, Benny Bueno’s hiring by Dania as head of player development, and a discussion on the Dania flip flop. Stay tuned, we will be touching on a wide variety of items, and look forward to talking to you all! Ciao!