Word: alai
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...most New Englanders, the correct pronunciation of jai alai was, like a suntan, something acquired on vacation in Florida. Since early this summer, however, when the sport made its first foray north with the opening of two jai alai frontons, or arenas, in Connecticut, bettors have learned to say hi-lie quite properly-and, for the state, very profitably. Nearly $1 million a day pours through the betting windows at Hartford and Bridgeport from capacity crowds newly hooked on the world's fastest game and the fast buck...
...alai, a three-walled version of handball, originated in the Basque region of the Pyrenees during the 17th century, and remained unchanged until the sport crossed the Atlantic and became the object of parimutuel betting. Jai alai was adapted to the requirements of the $2 windows around Miami, where it has been popular for 50 years. The eight players wear the numbers of the eight post positions on their jerseys. The march onto the court that opens each game resembles nothing so much as a parade of horses to the starting gate. Matches are either singles or doubles...
...combination of high-speed action and the potential for a big payoff has led to a jai alai craze in Connecticut. Bridgeport and Hartford have overflowing frontons six nights a week. Afternoon matches have been added; these, too, play to capacity crowds. On the night of Hurricane Belle, 1,000 patrons showed up for jai alai in Hartford although the management had deferred to the storm and canceled the program...
...York City, the crowd is a mix of short-sleeved factory workers and highrollers from New York. Sedate Hartford, a city that retires so early that players can find only two restaurants open when they leave the fronton, seems to have found a long-needed outlet in jai alai. An ovation greets the players each time they march out; the fronton's two "pits"-two standing-room areas closest to the court-are filled with jai alai groupies squealing for their favorites...
...most prestigious clubs. Bowntown at the American Club, members of the Cuban-American business establishment meet for lunch and a friendly game of cubilete (dice). A once famous Havana restaurant, Centre Vasco, has been resurrected on Miami's Southwest Eighth Street; its walls are adorned with jai alai baskets and its tables laden with steaming arroz con pollo and chilled sangria. The streets of La Saguesera bustle with fruit and vegetable stands, stores displaying religious artifacts, and cafes that serve jet-black Cuban coffee; at dusk the air is filled with the nostalgic beat of Latin music...