Northern Starchive- Sept 06

Dania Jai-Alai News and Notes

Monday, September 4^th Dania Jai-Alai will have a Special Monday Matinee for the Labor Day holiday before its annual dark days. The fronton will offer free reserved seats with programs for all attendees to the matinee performance and will be giving away $100 gas cards throughout the day.

Dania’s Poker Room will start the day with a Multi $5k tournament where the winner takes home $5,000. The tournament has been a popular draw for the Poker Room, drawing around 200 players for the multi table tournament. The Dania fronton will also be offering 50¢ hot dogs, draft beers and sodas all Day long for the Labor Day holiday.

Dania Jai-Alai will be closed for live Jai-Alai and Poker action on Tuesday, September 5^th through Thursday, September 7^th. Daytime and evening simulcast of Miami Jai-Alai and harness racing as well as evening full card thoroughbreds will continue during the dark days. The fronton makes yearly court repairs, as well as addressing technical issues, each year during the annual siesta.

Dania/ Miami 2006 Jai-Alai Classic

Dania and Miami Jai-Alai announced the 2006 Classic to take place this October. The tournament will feature the top stars from both frontons battling it out in a two week event. Opening Round action will be held at the Miami fronton on Saturday afternoon, October 7^th. The Final Round festivities will take place on the Dania Jai-Alai cancha on Saturday night, October 14^th.

The Dania/ Miami 2006 Classic is the first head to head between the two frontons since the 2005 Florida Cup, almost a full 19 months by the time the 2006 Classic kicks off. A lot of changes have occurred on both rosters since then, and this new event is bound to see a few new faces in the mix.

The tournament buzz around the fronton is already in high gear. Usually the buzz is ringing around the frontcourt, but in a refreshing change, it’s the backcourt that is getting Dania insiders and fans all revved up. Sure, Arriaga and Egi, who’ve been engaged in some of the most lively competition in the Dania frontcourt in years, will most likely be competing. But it’s the looming showdown between Lopez and Irastorza that has everyone salivating.

Lopez has charged to the front of the pack in the Dania backcourt, and is set to compete in his first tournament for a live South Florida audience. He’s been nothing short of dominant in the last few months and his play seems to be elevating each and every week. His catching has been steadily improving, and the confidence is starting to show from the youngster.

Irastorza has been the power man in the backcourt, from both sides, for quite a few years now. While Oyarbide could match him on the left and Cuvet on the forehand, nobody has had the overall power that has propelled Irastorza to the top of the sport. But he may have just met his match in Lopez.

On the backhand side of things nobody today can touch Lopez’s fireballs. Watching him play it appears he’s playing with a different pelota than the other stars. The throws are so crisp, low flying bullets that make everyone else on the court appear weak. Not even Irastorza can hope to match Lopez’s power on the left side. You can only catch it and hope the next one doesn’t come at you even harder.

Irastorza still appears to hold the edge on the forehand side, though. While both men have tremendous force in the throws, Irastorza’s confidence in his placement allows him to put more heat on it. That same control allows him to assert authority over most competitors by keeping them stuck in the corner of the court and letting his power wither them down. But it is Lopez’s own power that will make that strategy difficult for Miami’s star backman.

Both men are very solid catchers that make their fair share of tremendous plays on the ball. Irastorza is usually a little more dependable, but when he’s in a rut, it’s a king sized one. At his age, Lopez is not expected to be the most consistent catcher, but he makes up for it with his quick feet for his size, and his absolutely fantastic rebote. Lopez’s rebote making ability has to rank up there with the best backmen of all time. A nice amount of zip, and he turns rebotes that make even the men in the front jealous.

The toughest thing for the athletes in tournaments like the Dania/Miami 2006 Classic is playing on the other guys turf. There have been some great players over the years that have looked just plain mystified when they made the 20 mile trek down I-95. For Lopez and Irastorza, it may just be whoever holds their own best on their home court will walk away with the upper hand.

I’ve seen two different Irastorza’s on the Dania cancha in my days, brilliant and perplexed. It seems to be dictated by how he does the first time out of the cage. There have been nights when he’s used the fast Dania court to his advantage, splitting opposing teams with the picada and laying into the chulas. Other times he gets one of those famous Dania bounces and can never get the confidence going for himself. It’s really tough to throw a winner when you’re not catching the ball cleanly, and that can happen when playing on another man’s court.

Playing on the road will really challenge Lopez, who will be making his first appearance on the Miami court. He’ll have to adapt to the court dynamics of the Miami cancha rapidly to hold his own there. Fortunately, for Lopez, the throwing part of the equation should not be as drastic as it is for many Dania backmen. Miami’s low ceiling gives a lot of Dania backcourters fits, but seeing as Lopez prefers to throw the ball low it should not be as much of a factor. Still, Lopez relies heavily on the backhand placement, and if he can’t find the zone he is going to have a tough time winning on the Miami cancha.

As we approach the Dania/Miami 2006 Classic the anticipation will mount as official teams are announced and more fans get talking about the upcoming event. Will it be Lopez, Irastorza, Egi, Cisneros, Arriaga, Erkiaga that steps up? Or will it be another one of the sport’s stars? We’ll all find out on October 7^th and 14^th when the Dania/Miami 2006 Classic Jai-Alai Tournament is decided.