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!
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As usual a good observation of the players.To see the way both Christophe & Gallardo are playing,both former Dania stars one has to think what a nice addition they would have been to the mid games had Dania kept them on.
ReplyDeleteWhen Gallardo played at Ocala a couple of years back,I attended often and what a treat it was to watch him out play and out-smart the younger players.
As to who is better Patxi or Benat,I'll say this they both came to the U.S. in 2006 and were for most of their career here as even as two players can get.I would imagine Benat may top Patxi down the road being younger and still learning the finer points of the game.Patxi has so much energy and hustle it's amazing.
I have no comment on who is better Toto or Vega but both are interesting to watch.
I have found that the frontons get the best talent out there and they all have their days.
Sometimes us fans forget these guys are humans and it's impossible to perform perfect each and every game.If the physical part of the game wasn't enough,the mental part surely will bring you down quick.
Some players like Jairo play at a pace that keeps them fresh and consistent for all performances.The same would go for Cancio..