Dania Jai Alai's Fall season is 13 weeks long. It began on September 15 and will end on December 15. Quiniela format is the norm. It is a pari-mutuel form. Each 12 game performance consists of 8 doubles matches (16 players) and 4 singles matches (8). There are 7 performances a week, meaning that each week is a miniature 84 game "pennant race". For the purposes of increasing the challenge and interest of wagerers (as well as to keep the players interested), the doubles pairings are changed from game to game. "Post Positions" (the position the player comes into the game) are changed from game to game also. Players wear a different colored shirt depending on their position, and a uniform with two numbers. Their post position is on the front, their personal number (and player name) on the back. There are two "units" at Dania: early game (1-6) players and late game (7-12) players. To call the units "B" and "A" does not really do the categorization justice as
A. The earlies sometimes play late, and vice versa.
B. The entire roster plays the sport at a level that normal human beings cannot begin to comprehend. Sort of a "catch and throw" sport, but played with an implement that no person in their right mind could actually think could catch a pelota (ball--slightly smaller than a baseball, harder than a golf ball, propelled at average speeds of 95-105 mph off a granite front wall--the only surface that can withstand the pounding during play--, with some balls going a lot faster than that...and with spin). There are no left handed throwers in Jai Alai. So if a player is naturally left handed, (s)he has to learn to throw right handed.
That said, late players are generally considered Dania's highest level players.
Each Dania player has an average workload of 5 games a performance, 35 a week, around 450 per season. Players get Monday and Tuesday off, and then play 2 performances (double header--24 games) on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with single performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
How many points you play is determined by how well you play. The game starts with #1 serving to #2. The winner keeps playing, against #3; the loser goes to the end of the bench, etc. 7 points (1 point first round, 2 points each subsequent round) win most games. 2 games a performance are played to 9 points.
Thirteen weeks of this are an incredible grind.
To spice up the competition, Dania scored all its players (fronts and backs) during October. The 8 fronts and backs with the highest number of Campeonato points (1st place=5 points; 2nd place=3 points; 3rd place=1 point--1st, 2nd, and 3rd are "in the money") qualified for the Dania Partido Challenge (#1F-#1B, 2F-2B, etc). The Tournament began on November 1 and will end on December 13. It is Game 11 each Friday night.
These games are called Partidos, and are the traditional matches in the Basque Country, both Iparralde (North) and Hegoalde (South). Partidos demand a different skill set, both physical and mental, and a different kind of fitness. They also allow the fans to see the players for an extended period of time.
I love all BP modalities, but I was introduced to the "Castle" through the doorway of Quinela Jai Alai. From there I discovered the traditional form played in the Basque Country, and then all the other modalities.
It is a beautiful sport to watch, featuring amazing athleticism and grace. What I'm going to do below may be considered by some to be almost a "blasphemy", because I am interested in deconstructing it, and "quantifying" it, like any good American sports fan would do. So what you will find below is a detailed deconstruction of the Quarter-Final Dania Fall Challenge Match played on November 15. First I will give an overview, then a "condensed" point by point account, and then something I have been toying with and would like to present: a detailed ball by ball account of the match. I will track each point, ball by ball, so that you might get a flavor of what the match was like at its most basic unit. The scoring is my own. Yours might be different.
I hope you find it entertaining. Note that in this rendering I am not giving floor locations of where the ball was caught and thrown.
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3rd Quarter-Final, Dania Jai Alai Fall Partido Challenge. Matches to 15 points. 1 over serve is allowed. Any under serve is an immediate fault. Carom (left wall-front wall) serves are allowed. For those unfamiliar, the first name is the front court player, the second is the back). Players may call time out after any point.
Barandika-Elgezabal (l-l) 15 Goitia-Amigorena (l-l) 10 (Youtube Full Match Video). (l-l means late players).
Condensed linescore (winners always listed 1st)
1-0; 1-4; 4-4; 4-5; 6-5; 6-6; 7-6; 7-8; 10-8; 10-9; 13-9; 13-10; 15-10
6 tie scores. 4 lead changes.
Scoring: += balls thrown that cannot be caught and returned); - =errors (dropped catches or throws that go out of play).
Saves are excellent catches and throws of many types, for example: falling rebotes--rebound throws off the back wall where the player has to fall on his elbow to get under the pelota; rebotes from one knee; jumping catches, running over the shoulder catches, wicked short hops, catching a plelota while plastered to the back corner, "wall climbing" catches, etc. I do not exhaustively categorize them below. You know one when you see one. I also used the excellent announcing of the game as a helpful guide.
Barandika +5 -4 (5 saves); Elgezabal +1 -2 (6 saves)
Goitia +4 -6 (6 saves); Amigorena +0 -3 (11 saves)
+ of the match: Elgezabal, with the score 13-10, saves with a falling rebote high 2 wall to win the point.
Total scoring for the match: +10 (.400) -15 (.600) (28 saves/193 balls in play) (.093).
Balls in play: 193: Barandika 60; Elgezabal 39; Goitia 43; Amigorena 51
Number of balls in play/Number of points:
0-4........8
5-9........9
10-14......5
15-19......1
20+........2
Longest point: 9-8--10-8; 23 balls in play
Individual save %: Barandika (.083); Elgezabal (.153); Goitia (.140); Amigorena (.261)
For the match: Winners and Saves: 38/193=.197; Errors: 15/193=.078
Total non-error %; .922
Time of the match: 33 minutes by the Dania clock. 32:20 by the video.
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Point by Point:
Key: B=Barandika; E=Elgelzabal; G=Goitia; A=Amigorena
Server; Number of balls in play; Score (winners always listed 1st); + or -; comments; time on the video of the beginning of the point
B-E won the coin toss and served 1st.
B; 1; 1-0; G-; G intercepts serve and misses with a dejada (drop shot) too low; 0:00
B; 10; 1-1; B-; G throws cortada (low sidearm) and B drops catch; 0:52
G; 7; 1-2; G+; inside cortada: 2:02
G; 3; 1-3; G+; backhand outside chula (long shot that hits back wall very low); 3:07
G; 7; 1-4; B-; dropped catch; 3:56
G; 10; 2-4; A-; dropped catch; 5:08
B; 21; 3-4; B+; inside cortada; 6:18
B; 5; 4-4; G-; throws 2 wall off court; 8:35
B; 4; 4-5; E-; dropped catch; 9:45
G; 2; 5-5; A-; throws too low; 10:30
B; 5; 6-5; B+; B makes great rebote save, follows with save on the "apron" and throws cortada. 11:18
B; 2; 6-6; B-; dropped catch 12:14. Time out.
G; 12; 7-6; B+; long "big bounce" that A cannot get to; 14:41
B; 8; 7-7; E-; dropped catch; 16:07
G; 11; 7-8; G+; inside cortada; 17:10
G; 8; 8-8; B+; rebote outside pass; 18:37
B; 3; 9-8; B+; 2 wall (left-front) after a short hop save; 19:56
B; 23; 10-8 A-; dropped catch after A had 3 magnificent saves during point; 20:47. Time out.
B; 2; 10-9; B-; runs down a two wall on apron at 2 line, drops catch; 25:08
G; 10; 11-9; G-; chases a dejada from B, reaches it on the run, drops catch; 26:00
B; 7; 12-9; G-; dropped catch an an attempted great save that he might have been better off letting alone; 27:16
B; 15; 13-9; G-; dropped short hop that he might have left alone; 28:12
B; 2; 13-10; G+; intercepts serve and puts away a nice dejada; 29:56
G; 8; 14-10; E+ PLAY OF THE MATCH: GETS TO A DEEP FALLING REBOTE AND SENDS BEAUTIFUL HIGH 2 WALL (LEFT-FRONT) THAT HITS IN BOUNDS AND TAKES A HIGH BOUNCE. 30:40
B; 7; 15-10; G- dropped catch; 31:50
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Ball by ball:
Key: Same name key as above. number of point; score; ball in play number during the point; 1=serve; n=winner; n=error; n=save
B.....................E.....................G.....................A
Pt 1: 0-1 1 2-
Pt 2: 1-1 1,3,5,9,11- 7 4,8,10 2,6
Pt 3: 1-2 2,4,6 1,3,7+ 5
Pt 4: 1-3 2 1,3+
Pt 5: 1-4 8- 2,4,6 1,5,7 3
Pt 6: 2-4 10 2,4,6,8 1,5,7,9 3,11-
Pt 7: 3-4 1,3,5,7,11,13 9,17 8,16 2,4,6,10,12,
15,19,21+ 14,18,20
Pt 8: 4-4 1 3,5 6- 2,4
Pt 9: 4-5 1 3,5- 2 4
Pt 10 5-5 2 1 3-
Pt 11 6-5 1,3,5,5+ 4 2
Pt 12 6-6 1,3- 2
Pt 13 7-6 6,8,10,12+ 2,4 1,3 5,7,9,11
Pt 14 7-7 1,3,5,7 9- 6,8 2,4
Pt 15 7-8 6,8 2,4,10 1,9,11+ 3,5,7
Pt 16 8-8 8+ 2,4,6 1,3 5,7
Pt 17 9-8 1,3,3+ 2
Pt 18 10-8 1,7,11,13,17, 3,5,9,15,19 6,12,14*,20 2,4,8,10,16,
21,23 18,22,24-
Pt 19 10-9 1,3- 2
Pt 20 11-9 6,8,10 2,4 1,3,5,11- 7,9
Pt 21 12-9 1,5,7 3 8- 2,4,6
Pt 22 13-9 1,3,7,9,13 5,11,15 4,10,16- 2,6,8,12,14Pt 23 13-10 1 2+
Pt 24 14-10 2,4,6 8, 8+** 1,5,7 3
Pt 25 15-10 1,5,7 3 8- 2,4,6
* A crucial point in the match, in my opinion. Barandika made a great rebote save on the 13th ball, but was slightly out of position. Goitia had time to figure out what he wanted to do, but instead of going for the cortada to finish things, he threw one that Elgezabal easily took to keep the point going. 10-8 instead of a possible 9-9.
** Point of the match. Elgezabal made an excellent falling rebote save deep. He returned a 2 wall high on the left wall that came down in bounds and took a high bounce for a winner. Turned 13-11 into 14-10.
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This, of course, wasn't the most artistic or technically well played game you will see. There were a few too many errors for that. But it was a hard fought and exciting 32 minutes of action. You will see some great defensive play by all 4 players. The 7th and 18th points were great to watch. And the 24th point, with 5 saves and one of the best winners I have seen, was as good a point as you will see, anywhere, any time.
