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A32 sports
Diaranson 30 Maart 2022

Miami casino works to save beloved jai alai from extinction

elite athletes fling a goatskin the sport at age 10. Jai alai who at 39 is one of the oldest
ball called a pelota in a three- was a favorite pastime grow- but most physically fit play-
walled fronton, or court, at ing up in the small town of ers. “I don’t stand a chance
130 mph (210 km/h). Markina-Xemein in northern in the long run, but I want to
Spain. But as an adult, he and play as hard as I can.”
Instead, just a few dozen fam- his brother Julen followed
ily members and die-hard their father and grandfather’s To speed up the sport, Magic
fans turned out for a recent footsteps to Miami, which City has reduced the tradi-
match. Live wagering, which for decades was a magnet for tional fronton by nearly 60
long drove the sport, has the game’s top talent. feet (18 meters) and replaced
dried up in the era of You- the goatskin ball — as hard
Tube and online gambling. “This is the only place where as a hockey puck — with a
And many of the game’s top you can make a living playing bouncier pelota that ricochets
players who used to make the jai alai,” Goitiandia said, wip- against plexiglass instead of
journey across the Atlantic ing his brow after winning the traditional granite wall.
have hung up their wicker an exhausting round-robin Magic City is also experi-
cestas — curved baskets for doubles match. menting with the rules, cre-
catching and throwing — ating so-called Battle Court
leaving a void that a roster of The remaining players are matches resembling head-to-
local, homegrown talent is former high school and col- head singles tennis.
hard-pressed to fill. lege athletes who learned the
game as adults and still strug- The goal is to reach young-
But the one advantage of gle with basics like catching er, online bettors for whom
having fallen so far is that the the ball. win-place-show wagering is a
only direction left to go is up. bygone era. Content deals on
Tanard Davis, who was free, advertising-supported
“We’re pretty confident signed by the Indianapolis platforms means games are
there’s a future,” said Scott Colts after playing football at reaching a potential audience
Savin, the chief operating of- University of Miami, saw his of 115 million households
ficer of Magic City. “At least NFL career fizzle and moved and Magic City has teamed
there’s a present, so that to Atlanta to pursue a career with platform BetRivers for
means we have a fighting in law enforcement. In 2018, online betting in seven states.
chance at a future.” he was among the Hurri-
canes alumni who answered Want your own sports fran-
The fate of the sport depends an email blast looking for chise? Sponsoring a team
on the shoulders — and volunteers from Magic City’s with catchy names like the
(AP) — The world’s fast- and ’80s. overextended rotator cuffs owners, the Havenick family, Wall Warriors and Cesta Cy-
est ball sport has been dy- — of Magic City’s roster of who are also major donors to clones costs $100,000 — a
ing a slow death for de- What could be jai alai’s cur- 28 athletes. Seven of them UM athletics. bargain, Savin said, for a
cades. tain call is playing out at — from Spain, France and niche sport whose natural fan
Magic City Casino, the last the Philippines — were hired Davis is grateful for the op- base is somewhere between
Now, a group of committed place the game is played as a after a nearby fronton at The portunity to put on a uniform the WNBA and Canadian
enthusiasts is doing all it can professional sport. Gone are Casino at Dania Beach Ca- and get the adrenaline flow- football.
to save jai alai, a game that the celebrities like Paul New- sino ended its seven-decade ing again.
originated in the Basque re- man and John Travolta who run last year. “It’s crawl, walk, run — but
gion of Spain and France but used to crowd into sweaty, “It’s like a high school basket- I think we got past crawl,” he
took root in Miami during smoke-filled grandstands on One of the foreign players, ball player facing off against said.
the go-go days of the 1970s a Saturday night to watch Inaki Goitiandia, took up Lebron James,” said Davis,

Welcome back: Pujols returns to Cardinals for a final season

(AP) — With a wave of his 42-year-old Pujols said Mon- emerged from beyond the The Cardinals and Pujols ite scrapbook or baseball card
hand and a tip of the cap, day. “This is my last run.” right field wall at Roger Dean agreed to a $2.5 million, one- album and seeing those im-
Albert Pujols walked back Stadium between the first year contract, giving him a ages and memories jump off
into the world of the St. It was quite a scene as Pujols and second innings of a game chance to end his career in the pages.”
Louis Cardinals for one fi- rejoined the Redbirds. against Houston. the place where it started. He
nal season. returns with 679 career home Pujols spent part of Mon-
Wearing a big smile and his Cardinals pitchers, catchers runs. day video conferencing with
“This is it for me,” the familiar red No. 5 jersey, he and coaches sitting on chairs 39-year-old Cardinals catch-
far down the line stood to “Seldom does one get to er Yadier Molina, his team-
acknowledge the three-time share in watching or being a mate during eight seasons in
NL MVP, as did the fans in part of ‘living’ history,” Car- St. Louis.
the stands. Pujols strolled to dinals President of Baseball
the St. Louis dugout on the Operations John Mozeliak “I’m happy for him to be
first base side, where he was said. “From the day we called here,” said Molina, who like-
greeted with hearty hugs and Albert’s name in the draft ly is in his final season. too.
high-fives. room back in 1999, to now, “It’s going to be a fun year.”
as we set our sights on 2022,
“I had to put a little smile this reunion just makes sense Pujols played the first 11
on,” Pujols said. “I was get- in so many ways.” years of his career in St. Lou-
ting a little emotional.” is, teaming with Molina to
“We are all looking forward lead the Cardinals to the 2006
All these years later, the slug- to reuniting Albert with his and 2011 World Series titles.
ger who helped the Cardinals Cardinals family, and for the
win two World Series cham- fan in all of us, including “We’ve only got one thing
pionship was home. myself, this feels like looking in mind – winning another
through the pages of a favor- championship,” Molina said.