Miami, Dania, and thoughts on the greatest ever.

Hello to everyone around the world! If you ever care to comment on any of the blogs you can reach me at the fronton social network under the screen name HOV.

I want to share some thoughts on Miami. I have been a long supporter of Fla-Gaming and the old World Jai Alai product. I was raised on a combination of Miami, Milford, Ocala, and Tampa so that is probably why.

I love the play at Miami even with the depleted rosters and I have always thought that Arra and Soluan do a wonderful job getting everything out of the pelotaris. I think that the people in charge do a brilliant job of maintaining the roster at a high level, as well as releasing players that do not maintain a pro level of play (or sending them to the Fort for "fine tuning".)

I have always overlooked the cleanliness of the facility, the shoddy customer service, and the general lackluster attitude of the staff. In any other aspect of life or business, I would not partake in patronizing a business that does not care about the customer, but this is jai alai and I have always been so excited to watch the game at the highest level of quinella play that I overlooked everything. Well I got to say that it is slowly wearing on me. The cut of games is pathetic when they clearly could have added five players for three months until the rosters work its way out. The handles are continuing to decline and the general state of the fronton is depressing, from the condition itself to the customer service. The people that work at Miami just don't care. Meanwhile at Dania everything is looking up. They have added a kids program for ages 10-16, they have been trying innovative ideas, they have involved promotions with the sports card shows and the Radio, and they have promotional deals on food and drinks, ECT.

It’s clear the people in charge care a great deal and it really brings a lot of hope for the game in the states. Also the money that Dania handles is far greater at Dania, thus creating better payoffs on bets. Miami I am a loyal fan and I really like the efforts of your players and the players managers, but I can't ignore all the positive efforts of Dania, and the lackluster approach of Miami. For the time being my business goes to Dania.

Now to some of the play......................

Very, very rough start by the Cuban pelotari Anndy with only 7 wins in 203 quinellas. He has the skill to get involved in the game and score but does not have the catching ability to be involved in long volleys, which is necessary at Dania due to the high ceiling which allows longer rallies. Remember the rough start Medrano had so let’s be patient before submitting a final verdict on this frontcourt.

Arreita is one of my personal favorites; he is a very tough player - as well as a very good singles player due to his strong rebote. The thing about Arreita is he is very steady in all aspects of the game. He is not overly strong in any aspect but he doesn't really have a glaring weakness. It's been a pleasure watching him through the year’s progress into a very solid feature game player.

I wonder if anyone has any information on the decision to have Vega on the roster over Jaime..................

I agreed with the decision to move Urkidi out of the feature games. The veteran front has been an above average player for years now but his skill has declined. He has represented Dania in the past in tournaments and is a very prideful player. I gotta say that the games I have seen him play with the "early" players he has been impressive and has really kept that group on their toes with placing perfect rebote carom after rebote carom. High cesta!

Toto has no place on this roster. 'Nuff said. Oyarbide is a beast and a great player, clearly the best back on this roster outside of Enbil. He is just so fearse on the left side and just hammers it. You always get your monies worth with Jose; he plays with great effort and aggression on a day to day basis.

Elizalde has been very impressive so far since being signed to team Dania. I think he has the talent but many have questioned his effort level from time to time. I have always seen him play very hard while at either Miami or Dania, but very sloppy at Orlando. Whatever your opinion is about him he is an exciting player to watch, and a true jai alai journeyman.

Might be time to hang up the cesta Carvalho. We are starting to feel bad to watch you play in your current condition..........................

I was out of town on a short vacation with my family and missed the world cup final but have read many reports on the internet including a brilliant one here: http://txik-txak-zula.blogspot.com/ and looks as if I missed a classic:( I will tell you this about Goikoetxea he is the best ever! I only can go by what I have seen and I will defend Goiko as the best pelotari ever to play cesta. He has no true weakness and while I hate making generational comparisons, it would be hard for me to believe that any of the former greats could handle his combination of power, placement, and general court savvy. If you were to build the perfect human being for jai alai it would be Goikoetxea and he is still only 29, wow. Just imagine the battles that he is going to have throughout the years with Lopez. It’s going to be awesome! I also think that Eric Irastorza also is going to play into this rivalry. He is already in possession of lethal talent and watching these two compete must create a fire inside, a real burning desire to show these two that he belongs in the conversation of their greatness. It should be wonderful to watch it play out over the next 7-8 years.

Bye, bye from jai alai!

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!