BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS
Posted on February 5, 2004 at 11:29:52 PM by ANSWERMAN FIRE SIDE CHAT

I WILL NEVER FORGET BEING A BRIDGEPORT JAI-ALAI JUNKIE AT AGE 15. A TREMENDOUS FRONTON WITH REAL HEART.ANYWAY I WAS ONE OF THE FANS WHO WOULD ARGUE WITH YOU ALL DAY ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY OF WHO WAS BETTER EGURBI OR ONDARRES, CHURRUCA & CHIMELA. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE WORDS OF JEFF BRAND,(THE BEST BRAND OF JAI-ALAI) WHO WAS SAYING THAT THE UPCOMING SEASON WOULD BE THE BEST BECAUSE OF THE SIGNING OF 2 OF "WORLD JAI-ALAI'S STELLAR PLAYERS". WELL, THAT STATEMENT WAS PROPHETIC,CACHIN & BOLIVAR WERE LIKE FRAZIER AND ALI, MCENROE AND LENDLL, DARTH & OBI. IT WAS MAGIC, AND POETRY IN MOTION AT A PINNACLE.AND ON TOP OF THAT THEY SIGNED THE GREAT ELORZA II, THIS JAI-ALAI WAS SO UNIQUE, BECAUSE IT HAD THE THROWBACKS FROM YESTER YEAR, WHO WERE CLASS AND STYLE COMBINED WITH THE YOUTH AND FUTURE OF WHAT THE GAME WOULD BE BECOME. BACK THEN MILFORD WAS CONSIDERED A MORE POSH FRONTON,BUT IF YOU WANTED TO SEE THE BEST JAI-ALAI YOU HAD TO GO TO BRIDGEPORT. JUST LIKE IN FLA, DANIA WAS A PALACE, BUT MIAMI WAS THE PLACE FOR JAI-ALAI. LOOKING BACK, I DIDINT SEE JAI-ALAI BEFORE 1975, BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WHEN IT COMES TO BRIDGEPORT JAI-ALAI ALL YOU CAN SAY IS 'CLASS ACT'!. AND LIKE A LOT OF FANS IT WAS BITTER SWEET TO SEE ONDARRES AND EGURBI, BENGOA AND THE GUIS, HONESTLY, FIGHT FOR THE SCRAPS THAT BOLI AND CACHIN LEFT. IN THE BACK, IT WAS THE SAME TO SEE THE YOUTH, STRENGTH AND POSTURO OF ELORZA COME INTO HIS OWN AT THE EXPENSE OF JAI-ALAI ROYALTY SUCH AS CHURRUCCA, CHIMELA, AND GOYO. IF THESE NAMES ARE FOREIGN TO YOU, YOU MISSED PLAYERS WITH SO MUCH CLASS AND STYLE, ITS HARD TO DESCRIBE. WALTZING INTO THAT FRONTON, WHILE IT WAS SNOWING, THE SMELL OF FOOD, THE PHOTOGRAPHS POSTED ABOUT THE PLAYERS, AND CHARLIE VALENTINO, THE NICEST MAN IN THE WORLD, WHO WAS THE SECURITY GUARD,MADE THIS PLACE THAT WILL LIVE ON EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT THERE, ....SORRY ABOUT GETTING VAKLEMPT. DAM, I MISS THAT PLACE!

Replies:

• More Bridgeport - Ray February 15, 2004 at 07:17:51 PM
  • Re(1): More Bridgeport - By Ray February 19, 2004 at 05:38:33 PM
  • Re(1): More Bridgeport - By Hi Li Lu February 16, 2004 at 02:33:59 PM
  • Re(1): More Bridgeport - By CTguy February 16, 2004 at 03:01:51 AM
• more Bridgeport memories - By more answerman February 11, 2004 at 10:39:47 PM
  • Re(1): more Bridgeport memories Boga Boga - By HDS February 13, 2004 at 08:24:56 AM
  • Re(1): more Bridgeport memories - By Hi Li Lu February 12, 2004 at 03:01:56 PM
  • Re(1): more Bridgeport memories - By Dennis February 12, 2004 at 08:00:05 AM
• BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS (The telewager girls) - By Diamond February 7, 2004 at 09:34:23 AM
  • Re(1): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS (The telewager girls) - By Hi Li Lu February 7, 2004 at 09:42:51 PM
    • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS (The telewager girls) - By Perry February 8, 2004 at 10:44:17 AM
    • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS (The telewager girls) - By TommyK February 7, 2004 at 10:40:40 PM
      • Re(3): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS (The telewager girls) - By PMFan February 8, 2004 at 00:52:03 AM
  • The old big stamped tickets BPT - By Diamond February 7, 2004 at 09:37:22 AM
    • Re(1): The old big stamped tickets BPT - By steve r February 7, 2004 at 10:58:47 AM
• Re(1): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Echaburu February 7, 2004 at 00:56:05 AM
  • For Echaburu - By CTguy February 7, 2004 at 06:43:07 PM
    • Re(1): For Echaburu - By Echaburu February 9, 2004 at 10:11:37 AM
      • Re(2): For Echaburu - By CTguy February 9, 2004 at 07:03:03 PM
    • Re(1): For Echaburu - By Emphyrio February 7, 2004 at 07:01:51 PM
      • Re(2): For Echaburu - By CTguy February 7, 2004 at 09:45:15 PM
  • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Perry February 7, 2004 at 05:00:18 AM
• Re(1): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By TommyK February 6, 2004 at 10:53:09 PM
  • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Perry February 7, 2004 at 05:05:45 AM
• Re(1): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By steve r February 6, 2004 at 04:35:17 PM
  • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By steve r February 6, 2004 at 06:02:30 PM
  • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Tiger February 6, 2004 at 04:38:25 PM
• Re(1): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Victor February 6, 2004 at 10:30:39 AM
  • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Tiger February 6, 2004 at 06:04:59 PM
• Re(1): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Tiger February 6, 2004 at 07:25:37 AM
  • Re(2): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Perry February 6, 2004 at 07:46:32 AM
    • Re(3): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By CTguy February 6, 2004 at 07:25:41 PM
      • Re(4): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Perry February 6, 2004 at 10:36:18 PM
        • Re(5): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By CTguy February 6, 2004 at 11:48:27 PM
      • Re(4): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Gabe February 6, 2004 at 08:35:14 PM
        • Re(5): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Perry February 6, 2004 at 10:44:05 PM
        • Re(5): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Joe V February 6, 2004 at 08:47:06 PM
          • Re(6): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By CTguy February 6, 2004 at 09:33:38 PM
            • Re(7): BRIDGEPORT IN THE GLORY YEARS - By Ray February 7, 2004 at 06:51:53 PM