jai alai back in tampa bay
tommyDo you remember the Fronton down on Dale Mabry just south of Gandy? Tampa Jai Alai opened there in 1953. But in 1979, the Seminole tribe began bingo operations, which began the decline of Jai Alai in Florida. 
Strikes by the players, and rumors of fixing games didn’t help the sport, and by 1998, the Tampa Jai Alai was losing big money, and it closed on July 4 of that year.
But Jai Alai is once again being played in Tampa Bay.
The National Jai Alai Association is based in St. Petersburg. In April, they opened the world’s first publicly supported Jai Alai cancha (court).
St. Petersburg Cancha at Puryear Park includes a main court and three practice courts, and was approved by St. Pete City Council last year.
You might also like: The Outback Bowl (formerly the Hall of Fame Bowl), had an annual invitational at the Tampa Fronton from 1992-1997.
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June 30th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I was told that the former Tampa Jai Alai plater, Chasio II had committed suicide here in Tampa. I though he had returned to Spain. I wish I could remember his last name, but only his first. And that was Javier. He lived in Marquina along with Asis II , Tello, and a few others.
September 5th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Javier “Chasio II” currently lives in Markina with his wife and 2 kids, so who ever told you that was quite wrong.