Northern Star Magazine,Oct 2012 Edition Goikoetxea,Lopez Back at Miami Jai-Alai after Momentous Battle in World Singles Final When it comes to determining the world’s best jai-alai players, there is now plenty of discussion in the doubles game, especially following the World Council title won in July by former Dania stars Egi & Hernandez (profiled by Jimmy V. in last month’s issue). Goikoetxea and Egi continue to battle for frontcourt supremacy with Diego, while Lopez, Irastorza, Hernandez (also known as Duke) and Enbil lead the way among backcourters. Unlike boasting American athletes in other major sports, these modest Basque players will consistently defer the credit to others, refusing to brag about being the best. However, in singles, there is absolutely no doubt about the “King of the Cancha”: everyone knows that man is Goikoetxea. Ifhis 13 Singles titles at Miami Jai-Alai since joining the roster in 2004 are not enough proof, consider that Goiko took to the court in Hondarribia last month looking for his 10th World Individual crown and take on his fellow Zumaya native and good friend Imanol Lopez. The 32-year-old frontcourt star had a smooth road to the final in this year’s event, defeating Lopez in his opening match by a score of 30-20, then soundly defeating Egi (30-18) and absolutely crushing Hernandez, 30-11. Lopez got off to a quick start with an early 10-0 lead over Enbil before cruising to a 30-12 victory, but after the loss to Goikoetxea, he scraped his way back with grit and determination in come-from-behind wins over Hernandez (30-27 after trailing 17-9) and Egi (30-29). In fact, in the exciting semi-final match against Egi, Lopez came back from the brink of defeat, trailing 29-25 before fighting back to win the last 5 points to notch the one-point win. That set the stage for a final for the ages. With an excited crowd inside the small fronton and no air conditioning, the temperatures approached 100 degrees inside a building that was literally ready to combust. With Lopez full of confidence following his previous comeback wins, the backcourter grabbed a 10-7 lead before Goiko zoomed past him for a 16-13 lead. The match was then tied at 18 and again at 22 before Lopez again took the lead at 27-26. Goiko, who after the match commented that the battle was so even that he preferred to avoid looking at the scoreboard, was finally able to win four of the last five points for a 30-28 final margin in the 68-minute contest, giving him his 10th World Singles title. So, with a shorter summer in the Basque country this year because of Miami’s roster limitations and subsequent need for their services, Goiko and Lopez, along with Aritz and Irastorza are all back in Miami after just two months away. Goiko’s hot play continued in his first week despite the change in playing courts, posting 11 wins at Miami to lead the roster. Irastorza also had a successful summer at home while playing for a different organization: the newly-formed Master Pro Tour, not to be confused with Aitor Totorica’s Master Jai organization, which is now apparently defunct in the Basque country after losing the television rights over the past couple of years. Playijng for the French company, Eric Irastorza closed out the two-month International Series of Cesta Punta at St. Jean De Luz, teaming with Patxi’s brother Jon Tambourindeguy for a 15- 10, 15-14 win over Diego & Minivelle in the final.

Francis J. Duffin (1923-2012) The Miami Jai-Alai family lost one of its most respected leaders when Frank Duffin, former Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel passed away on August 31st due to natural causes at the age of 89. “He was just a remarkable, genuine man,” said current Miami VP and GM Dan Licciardi, who worked with him for 28 years before Duffin retired in 2003. “He was the kind of person you would want your loved ones to emulate,” said Licciardi, continuing, “ What I will remember most about him is the long conversations we had in the office. I learned so much from him. He was a man of few words, but communicated so much with them.” Duffin served in the U.S. Army during WWII, where he was awarded a Purple Heart, along with a Bronze Star for heroism under enemy fire. After the war he graduated from Boston College before becoming an FBI agent, where he served for nearly 25 years. In 1975, he joined Miami Jai-Alai as Chief of Security, and later was promoted to upper management. He was responsible for administering player contracts and dealt with disciplinary issues throughout his career at the fronton among his duties. Numerous former jai-alai players attended the wake and funeral in Miami on September 7-8, many of whom described Duffin as “tough, but fair.” Another told me, “if you were doing something wrong, Duffin was going to find out about it.” He was especially fond of the American players who emerged from the North Miami Amateur School throughout the 80’s and to a man, those players had a strong respect for Frank Duffin. Current Dania Players’ Manager Benny Bueno went a step further, saying, “There are plenty of people I can thank for contributing to my success in life, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for Mr. Duffin. He went out his way to help out all the players.”

Changes Abound at Casino Miami Jai-Alai and Surrounding Area With changes in the works for several years, Casino Miami Jai-Alai is now running on all cylinders and six months into its operation, the casino build-out around the 86-year-old jai-alai fronton has to be considered a smashing success. First of all, the neighborhood located just a half-mile east of the Miami International Airport - a wedge of Miami centered between the Miami River and NW 36th Street - is undergoing a remarkable transformation with the completion of the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) and connected Metrorail Orange Line extension. For those who haven’t been to Miami Jai-Alai in years, the 2.4-mile extension can be boarded at the Earlington Heights station adjacent to the 112 Expressway by transferring from the old Green Line in the northern part of the county. From there, the rail travels west along 112 until it elevates some 75 feet into the air and crosses over 36th St. and cuts a path south right through the fronton’s back parking lot on its way to the MIC. For those riding the train and peering down at the fronton/casino and its bustling beehive of activity, they have to be tempted to make a trip to see the flashing and clanging slot machines or the speeding jai-alai pelotas smacking off the walls inside. The other dramatic change to the neighborhood in recent years is the residential apartment complex called Pinnacle Plaza which rises ten stories into the sky at the corner of 36th St. and 37th Ave. Although it temporarily blocks the view of the historic fronton while arriving in the New Casinoarea, the apartment building gives the neighborhood a modern feel, as the quality of area businesses seems to be improving on a weekly basis. As I walked toward the building last week from the massive redesigned parking lots across from the fronton to the entrance, I couldn’t help but be stunned by the sight of four Metrorail cars zooming from my right and disappearing from view behind the fronton. Business is BoomingBusiness is Booming Meanwhile, business inside the casino and poker room is booming. Although competing Dade county casinos Magic City and Calder each got a headstart of two years or more, Casino Miami Jai-Alai is now competitive with the two, earning net revenues averaging nearly 5-million per month (both Magic City and Calder are averaging between $6 and 7-million per month, looking at the DBPR’s figures for February through June). The casino was always on the fast track: from the initial announcement in April 2011 of an $87-million loan to build it, to the official ground-breaking ceremony three weeks later, to the completion of construction in December, and finally opening day on January 23rd of this year. The response from the South Florida patrons has been immediate: without any public announcement after completing the state exam that same day, simple word of mouth attracted over 250 patrons who eagerly waited outside to stream into the front door for the first time later that afternoon. Since then a growing clientele, attracted by the fancy digs and the intense marketing efforts of Media & Marketing Director Rene Guim and his staff, has fulfilled all expectations. “We are very happy with the acceptance of this facility within the community,” said Guim adding, “The casino is spacious and beautiful, we have a good mix of games and an excellent level of customer service.” Besides the usual free-play offerings and hot-seat giveaways, the production of a Don King-promoted boxing card in the jai-alai auditorium along with several concerts by popular Latin musical acts have stimulated attendance. Latin Grammy winner Albita, Carlos Oliva and Hansel y Raul have entertained casino patrons, and had them dancing in the aisles between slot machines. Guim said the most popular show of all has been the concert put on by “Los Tres de la Habana” (The 3 from Havana), which had nearly After a brief hiatus for live jai-alai during the month of July, the “World’s Fastest Ballgame” returned to action in the jai-alai auditorium with a brand new logo painted on the side wall and a new schedule, offering performances at night for the first time in months. Besides the regular matinees on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at noon, plus Sundays at 1pm. Friday and Saturday evenings return to the weekly schedule for August through October with 7pm starts, taking the place of the Tuesday and Friday matinees. At that time “the public will have rendered their verdict” as to whether the weekend nights are a success, and will determine if that schedule will continue. Before the July hiatus, the fronton’s Winter season concluded on June 29th, and champions were crowned in the four championship races. Despite all the changes going on in the building, this is where things pretty much remained the same. Goikoetxea and Lopez affirmed their positions as the top frontcourter and backcourter in the world, with Goikoetxea winning the Singles title by a 36-28 margin over Lopez, while Lopez returned the favor in Overall Wins by a 151-142 margin. Goiko won the Frontcourt Doubles crown by one victory over Aritz (33-32) and Lopez ran away with the Backcourt title with a 37-20 margin over Irastorza. Guim expressed his pleasure regarding the return of weekend nights for live jai-alai. “We are thrilled to offer jai-alai on Friday and Saturday nights just like this iconic facility did in its heyday,” he said, continuing, “I hope it is something that draws our customers of the past back in, and it will give them a new opportunity to enjoy this beautiful casino as well.” Finally, the most dramatic change has been the upturn for the Crystal Card Room. Poker is red-hot and card players are filling up most of the rooms in town. Casino Miami’s room is no exception, with its 24 poker tables and 4 domino tables completely jammed during special events and at least half-full most of the time. This is in sharp contrast to the previous room, which was massive with its 40-foot ceiling and ornate decorations but appeared cavernous with action on only 2 or 3 tables for the majority of each day. The current Crystal Card room is the only poker room in South Florida that is located directly on the casino floor, and while that eliminates 18 to 20-year olds from playing there in the current set-up, it adds an exciting ambiance to the activities, while at the same time creating interest among the regular slot machine players as they pass by. Joe Rodriguez, who opened this card room in 1997 in the days of severe restrictions on poker as dictated by the state, has seen a myriad of changes over the years. In that early era, those quarter/half dollar games with their $10 pot limits - though popular at the time with a novice poker clientele -represented a mere shell of what poker has become. Rodriguez, who co-hosts a weekly internet poker podcast with me called “Poker Action Line” (available for free downloads on ITunes), laughs with enjoyment at the contrast in the level of excitement between the new room and the old one: “Oh, it’s so much livelier now, and a lot more fun for all of us,” he told me, adding, “Players in Miami have a reputation for some crazy, aggressive play and that makes for some huge pots that I don’t think they see anywhere else in South Florida.” After returning to Miami Jai-Alai two years ago to oversee the development of the new card room, Rodriguez has watched first-hand how the influx of slot machines has turned the facility around. “We waited a long, long time for these days to come and now we are seeing the fruits of everyone’s patience and hard labor,” he said. The Crystal Card Room is known for its aggressive promotions with many large and frequent high-hand jackpots; such will be the case over the Labor Day weekend with $1000 jackpots given away every half-hour for a large part of the day, though the exact times were still to be determined at press time. “I expect a completely full room most of the day so if you want to play, you’d better get there early,” said Rodriguez. Rene Guim, Miami Casino Mgt. Director of Media & Marketing Anthony Bourdain of “No Reservations” poses with Rene Guim during filming for his new Travel Channel show “The Layover”. Poker Room Manager Joe Rodriguez of Casino Miami’s Crystal Card Room