For Whom The Bell Tolls

They toll for us my friends, for all of us who love jai-alai. The Orlando fronton is already dead. One more jai-alai coffin and, above all, one more proof that jai-alai depending exclusively on betting does not have any future in the U.S. A thought comes to my mind. Realizing how many people loves jai-alai in the U.S. as a consequence of almost one century of presence in that country, was not possible, for instance, a group of people hiring and running the Orlando fronton and transforming it in the great U.S. Amateur Fronton? where all kind of aficionados could travel from Connecticut and Florida and practice. Organize different clinics all year around. Include Benny Bueno's program in it. Organize as well professional tournaments as the Citrus Tournament collaborating with Dania, Miami and the two Basque companies. Place in the fronton a permanent site of the Jai-Alai Hall of Fame. As I read in a forum "Disneylize" jai-alai offering families different events where adults and children can attend alike. Do we have to wait untill we see two more coffins, the last ones, to see any reaction from the so many american jai-alai lovers? I can't believe that if jai-alai as an industry vanishes in Florida, all the corpus created around this sport will go down the tub. The collective of jai-alai fans has a tremendous energy and a great potential but it is conditioned by the betting mentality. The Connecticut and Florida aficionados cannot depend on Dania and Miami to justify their existence. Orlando may be too late, before is too late something should be done in another place and reinforce the amateur activity around a great U.S. Amateur Fronton. The right people is needed. "Remember, Tiger, in my last posting, "Confusion", the kid that went outside the summer camp and brought with him the biggest object he could it find? the one about the huge trayler?... You answered me that Miami Jai-Alai should sign up this kid". Well, let me correct you. We are missing the target. Jai-alai in the U.S. is at risk, not just Miami. The entire collective of the jai-alai universe should sign up this kid and put him working. As a matter of fact, you can find him anywhere. Carl, Mark, Hov, Mike, Tom, Dan, Jose, Tiger, Christian....