jai alai
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
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Date: 2008
jai alai , handball-like game of Spanish Basque origin. It is also called pelota. Jai alai is played on a three-walled court with a hard rubber ball that must be hurled against the front wall with the cesta, a wicker basket attached to the player's arm. The court is about 175 ft (53 m) long, 40 ft (12.2 m) wide, and 40 ft (12.2 m) high. Spectators sit behind a wire fence or plexiglass wall on the fourth side. To their right is the front wall, or frontis. The object is to hurl the ball against the front wall in such a way that it cannot be returned. The ball may hit the side or rear wall, but not the spectator wall, before striking the frontis. The ball, which reaches speeds of 150 mph (240 kph), is caught in the cesta and thrown in a continuous motion. Jai alai is played as either singles or doubles with scoring similar to that of court handball. Betting on games is popular; parimutuel wagering is legal in a few U.S. states. Jai alai is also popular in parts of Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America, and the Philippines.
Author not available, JAI ALAI.,
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
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On the day Milford Jai-Alai closed its doors, Dec. 12, 2001, comments to the press ... frontons in Connecticut to close, with Bridgeport Jai-Alai and Hartford Jai-Alai ceasing operations in 1995. Heussler, a walking encyclopedia ...
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Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jun. 11--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Jai alai players rallied on the State House steps yesterday saying that a plan by Newport Grand Jai Alai to end the sport in Rhode Island is just a backdoor approach to transforming the fronton into a ...
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... any plan to resume the operations of jai-alai in the country. Presidential spokesman ... inclination to allow the re-opening of jai-alai despite a recent Supreme Court decision allowing Pagcor to operate jai-alai again. The President doesn't intend ...
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&type=1 "Miami Herald (Miami, Florida)")
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Blair's wife, son play tourist: The British prime minister's wife, Cherie, and their son visited Dania Jai-Alai on Tuesday night.
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RP VYING IN WORLD JAI-ALAI TILT
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THREE top-rated Filipino Jai-alai players will compete in the 15th world ... Pelota de Filipinas, which is promoting jai-alai as an amateur sport here. The Filipinos ... used to be called the Manila Amateur Jai-alai Association, which was formed in 1998 ...
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When Hamilton Jai Alai and Poker opened earlier this fall, it marked the first time in 27 years that a jai alai fronton had opened in the state.(Hamilton Jai Alai and Poker)(Brief Article)
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HAMILTON COUNTY -- When Hamilton Jai Alai and Poker opened earlier this fall, it marked the first time in 27 years that a jai alai fronton had opened in the state. The facility, built on ...
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R.I. jai alai arena seeks fewer dates
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NEWPORT, R.I. -- Management of Newport Jai Alai plans to ask state gambling regulators ... realities," said Diane Hurley, Newport Jai Alai general manager. Players said they ... and their union, the International Jai Alai Players Association, is opposing the ...
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... help draw bigger crowds. For now, jai alai survives on inertia and the support ... diehard fans. You might say that jai alai has a cult following, but Ed Kaplan ... is like a--has a cult following, jai alai--I don't even know if we could get ... ph) are definitely members of the jai ...
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Long-Running Labor Dispute Is a Strike Against Jai-Alai's Popularity
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Sports active: Fancy playing the world's fastest ball game? Better empty the fruit basket; Imagine facing the West Indies pace attack in their prime, then double the speed. Welcome to jai alai. Andrew Spooner ventures beyond the safety fence and gets his eye in.(Features)
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... reading an astounding fact about jai alai, buried deep in a copy of the Guinness ... approximately 189mph in the sport of jai alai. The sport originated in the Basque ... ancient game of hand tennis in which jai alai ( merry festival in Basque) has its ...
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Newport, R.I., Jai Alai to Continue Pending Enactment of State Budget.
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Newport, R.I., Arena Owners Tell Jai Alai Players Not to Return.
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