Mr. Jai-Alai’s World’s Fastest Column

July 4th Gives Fans Everything from Hot Dogs to the Kitchen Sink

Dania Jai-Alai gives guests and jai-alai fans a full day of events on July 4th. It all starts at 11:00A.M. with the largest sports cards and memorabilia show in the entire southeast U.S. Come relive a sports moment by purchasing or just admiring one of thousands of pieces at this event, where over a million dollars of sports cards and memorabilia will be on display.
5 lucky collectors that spend twenty dollars at this show will be brought on the jai-alai court on Saturday for a chance to win $100.00 show shopping sprees. Show runs till 6 P.M.
At night the gifts continue; gift certificates from world famous Grampa’s right here in Dania. Four $25 gasoline cards will also be given away. Jaxson’s Ice cream parlor has, also, given us two “Kitchen Sinks” to give away on our big night. That’s a huge tub of ice cream for 6-8 friends to indulge in. That’s just the start. There will be many other giveaways.
There’s more. On Saturday night we will hold our first ever Hot Dog Eating Contest. Contestants with big appetites will come from all over to display “eating supremacy”. You will not want to miss this. Come early and ask about participating as a counter. There will be “You-Tube” fame involved and tons of fun for all who participate and those of us who will enjoy the event from a distance.

Lucky 7-11 poker tournament on July 11th

Do you have poker skill? On July 11th, Dania Jai-Alai will host its biggest poker event ever, with a guaranteed prize pool of $40,000.00. First place money is estimated at $15,000.00. Not bad for 8-10 hours of poker. There’s more. Our “Lucky 7-11” winner will also get a beautiful Dania Jai-Alai tournament winner bracelet. The 10 finalists, who make the last table, will also be rewarded with a 30 day reserved parking spot in our “Line of Champs”, 10 spaces close to our building reserved for these 10 great poker players. Tell your poker playing friends about this great poker event. Tickets are going fast and will be limited to the first 250 players.

I thought I was watching the Kentucky Derby all over again. “Mine That Bird is near the end of the pack, but is starting to make his move, weaving between horses, gaining on the leaders like they were standing still,” said the Churchill Downs track announcer.

But, this was the final round of the Dania-Miami Challenge at Miami Jai-Alai that was held Saturday afternoon, June 13th. Miami’s Goikoetxea and Irastorza, arguably the best team in the world, was far back near the end of the pack having scored only five points after four games at Dania in round one.

“Carom scores! Point and game to Miami’s Goikoetxea and Irastorza,” said Big Dave Lemmon, Miami’s “Guest Announcer” and one of the best jai-alai broadcasters to ever step in the booth. Big Dave was brought in specifically to call the tournament games and did so with great skill and expertise, yet he was unable to disguise in his voice the anticipation of a cyclonic finish by the Miami superteam.

Diego and Erkiaga II had stunned much of the jai-alai world by jumping out to a huge, seemingly insurmountable lead after the first round held at Dania the previous Saturday, with two wins and 19 points. But, leads disappear quickly on home courts and they were back in Miami, where Goiko and “Storza” rule.

You could see it from the opening parade and player introductions. Goikoetxea and Irastorza looked like giants among mere mortals, towering over the opposition as Goliath did David. Both are almost 6’ 6”, yet when they swing their cestas, it seems like they are more than 10 feet tall. And, when they hurl the pelota, I was uncertain whether the thick granite front wall would crack or the rock-hard ball would explode.

“And down the stretch they come, Mine That Bird is closing in on the lead,” again at Churchill.

“Great save by Diego, another great catch by Erkiaga II,” Diego and Erkiaga II were hanging on, adjusting to the court, trying to be aggressive, knowing that their “stretch run” was coming and they were not going to let “The Big Birds” blow by them like what happened at the Derby.

They managed two points out of post 7 in the 14th and final game as Goikoetxea and Irastorza won it… 2 points were enough to clinch the victory, winning the event with 30 total points to 28 for Miami’s Goiketxea and Irastorza. The Miami superstars had won two and placed the other two games, which would be a bettors delight. But, the finish line came upon them to quickly.

Congratulations to all the players, it was some of the best jai-alai played in recent memories. It brought a buzz back to the frontons. It was “days of future passed.” And, the true winner was the sport of jai-alai.

1st: 30 pts….Diego-Erkiaga II Dania Jai-Alai

2nd: 28 pts….Goikoetxea-Irastorza Miami Jai-Alai

3rd: 24 pts…. Zinkunegi-Erkiaga Miami Jai-Alai

4th: 22 pts…. Arriaga-Enbil Dania Jai-Alai

5th: 18 pts….Rekalde-Lopez Miami Jai-Alai

6th: 12 pts…Solozabal-Oyarbide Dania Jai-Alai

7th: 12 pts: Bereikua-Cisneros Miami Jai-Alai

8th: 11 pts: Arregui-Leo Dania Jai-Alai

Every jai-alai fan has a favorite thing. For some it’s the anticipation of going to the fronton for a few hours and enjoying the type of entertainment that only jai-alai can provide. For others, it’s that favorite player that they love to cheer for and he always seems to have a good night when you are there. Maybe you’ve been looking in the newspaper or on the web site and your favorite numbers have not hit the board in a while and you are sure they will come in as soon as you go to the window and put them in.

On June 6th, we will give you “that” and a whole lot more. Let’s start it off with a walk on the court. Get there early because at 6:00 P.M. our guests will be invited to walk on the other side of the fence. Bring your cameras. Bring your friends. Take away a memory that will replay in your mind every time you walk into Dania Jai-Alai. We only have about 20 minutes so please arrive early, you won’t want to miss this chance.

There’s more and here’s my favorite part when I watch jai-alai. I love to watch jai-alai when there are thousands of fans sitting next to and around me, cheering for the points. It electrifies the atmosphere and the players and it gets me going. It makes that winning ticket feel just a little more special. Your friends, who came with you on that day, thank you for the introduction to such a fascinating sport. That’s when it all comes together for the true jai-alai fan.

The icing on the cake comes when we present the very best of Dania against the very best from Miami. Our four best teams will play against Miami Jai-Alai’s best teams. Four games in our fronton, Saturday night June 6th and four games at Miami’s home court on Saturday June 13th matinee. Folk’s don’t miss this. This is the ultimate Jai-Alai experience.

Dania Jai-Alai Teams: Arriaga-Enbil, Arregui-Leo, Diego-Erkiaga II, Solozabal-Oyarbide
Miami Jai-Alai Teams: Goikoetxea – Irastorza, Rekalde-Lopez, Zinkunegi-Erkiaga, Bereikua-Cisneros

Make sure to pick up a player profile flyer on your way in. It will give you some inside info on these eight mega-teams. (available matinee and evening, the day of the tournament)

Dania-Miami Challenge XI Is On!

It’s been a few years since the last Dania-Miami Challenge and we’re happy to report to our South Florida Jai-Alai fans… The Game is On!

Yes, the top four teams from Miami will be coming to Dania on Saturday night, June 6th to face our top four teams. It’s always a clash of the titans of our sport and not to be missed. The players will travel to Miami Jai-Alai the following week, scheduled for Saturday matinee, June 13th to finish it off.

I’m sure you’ll see “Goico” and “Storza”, as well as Rekalde and Lopez from Miami go against our “Solo” Diego, and Enbil… but who will be the others?

Erik just swept the Winter season honors and fared very well in the Ocala summer tournament. Arriaga is always a threat, and Leo is the summer backcourt champ. Lots of talent here, but facing the Miami contingent is always tough.

Make your plans to be here… and in Miami, because there are no better nights than intercity tournament nights in our sport.

Flip-Flop the Roster– It’s Coming Soon

Some fans never get to see the feature players on the roster… mainly because they don’t start until the 8th or 9th games. Players have always strived to play in the “late games.” It was a sign of accomplishment. Plus, it meant higher prize money and bigger contracts.

It didn’t take P.T. Barnum to tell the fronton owners that it was good marketing to save the best for last. It would keep the house to the end, a reason to stay. The feature singles and the championship doubles would be the last or next to last games, even if it was midnight or later.

Of course, that was “back in the day,” when thousands would stay to well after midnight. Did anybody have to go work in those days?

Now, things are different. The crowds are smaller, people leave earlier, especially during the week. So, Dania Jai-Alai is going to be the “maverick” once again. (did I really use that word?) Very soon, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we are going to “flip-flop” the roster.

The feature gamers are going to play in the early games and vice-versa. You early-birders are going to see the stars. We’ll try it and see how it goes. Fridays and Saturdays will remain the same.

Progressive 9 Scoring Added to All 9-Point Games

The new “Progressive 9″ scoring, which has been run only on the 9th game for the past few weeks, will now be the standard scoring format for the remaining 9-point Superfecta games.

That means, games 4, 7, 9, and 12 will all carry “triple” point scoring after the 2nd round of play.

For those that aren’t familiar with the new, revolutionary format of the Progressive 9, points double after the first round of play, then progress to triple after the second round (after the 14th point of the game.) Plus, all playoffs, no matter when they occur, will be scored with triple points.

Play Your Way to Cash and Borgata in April

The talk of the Poker Room is winning the trip to the fabulous Borgata in Atlantic City. Everyone wants to go, but, alas, there will only be one winner.

However, you can get your chance and get lots of chances by playing in any “live” game during the month of April. If you play 10 hours of non-tournament action, you will get an entry. Play another 10 hours and get a 2nd entry, and so on. Some of our players do play over 100 hours and they will have 10 times more entries than a 10 hour player.

So, don’t miss signing up for your free Play Your Way Card to be eligible and get in the game. The trip includes round-trip airfare for 2, two nights at The Borgata Hotel and Casino, and $1,000 in poker chips. It’s not too late to get in…10 hours of play can go very, very fast.

Remember, you must be present at the drawing to win, which will take place on Saturday night, May 2nd.