Jai Alai Rescues An American Writer

You all can read on TXIK TXAK JAI ALAI the first article written by Randy Lazenby, "Randy". He was the first american signing a pro jai alai contract.

I want to congratulate Randy for bringing back his memories from the old glorious jai alai days.

A great sport like jai alai is, needs to preserve its historical memory alive. Because of that jai alai becomes even greater.

JAI-ALAI RESCUES AN AMERICAN BOY

When Jai-Alai fans meet me for the first time and find out I was the first American to sign a professional contract, they usually ask me how I got started playing. I usually laugh and answer that I was in the right place at the right time.

The whole story is much more complex but at the time and in the mind of a 14 year old boy, it all seemed so simple and easy. I was very lucky that Jai-Alai entered my life because the sport turned me in the right direction in life. I could have ended up going in the wrong direction with bad influences.

As children growing up in the United States, we typically play baseball, football, track and field and gymnastics. Growing up, I developed strong legs by riding my bicycle a lot which helped me play football, but nothing special. Besides, it was more fun to hang out at the local bowling alley and skating rink.

The neighborhood boys that went there did not have very good reputations. We played billiard tables inside the bowling alley and there was always trouble at the skating rink. I was 14 and starting to hang around bad influences. Then one day the skating rink was torn down and a building constructed that was called amateur jai-alai. I didn’t know what jai-alai was and really didn’t care. I only went in to play pinball machines the owner had installed.

Soon the owner asked me if I wanted a job serving sodas to the amateur players. He said he would compensate me with free playing time on the courts. I had never had any type of job, it would be after school, so I said yes. That was the best answer I ever gave.

The owner had some ex pros that gave instructional training. One was Piston and when he started helping me, I found out who he was, how great he was and how much he could help me. What a thrill it was when Piston would come out and play on the court with me. He was about 55 but played and moved like he was 35.

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