Magic City Fronton in Miami debuts its 6th Season of pari-mutuel games (called pelota games) on Monday, February 13th at 1:30-pm. According to Stu Neiman, there will be no changes to the Pelota format for 2023. Thus, there will continue to be 8-games with the Spec 7 format (games to 7-points) and no changes to wagers being offered.
The 2023 pari-mutuel season does come with roster changes; (2) players have left the roster and there are (3) roster additions. Players Diaz and RonRon have left the roster. Diaz, who had a late-year injury in 2022, moved with his long-time girlfriend to Colorado while RonRon and his family moved back to California. Note that Diaz has since recovered from his back injury. Diaz exited Magic City in winning-style when he won his last game played at the Magic City Fronton on September 19th where he and partner Douglas won a hotly-contested match against the favored Flores-Manu team in 3-sets with scores of 6-5, 1-6, 6-5. RonRon leaves a legacy of having the 3rd best Win % for Pelota singles games in 2023. RonRon was also a member of the Rebote Renegades who won the Battle Court II Championship finals in November of 2022. Adios Diaz & RonRon and we wish you the best in your future endeavors!
The three new Pelota roster additions are Jairo, Manny and Iriondo. Jairo and cesta-maker, Manny, are not new to the Magic City Fronton as they have previously competed in Battle Court matches and will continue to compete in Battle Court. Iriondo on the other hand is new to Jai-Alai and made his pro career debut just last week as a Charger at the first night of 2023 Battle Court matches. Iriondo made US Jai-Alai history by being the first Jai-Alai player ever to make their professional debut in front of a national TV audience on ESPN3. Iriondo is a US citizen born in New Haven, CT who had been living in Spain. His father played professional Jai-Alai as a back-court player at both Milford and Miami under the name Retrolaza.
Robin who was injured last season will be out through May of this year (last played on 10/4/2022). Robin has been undergoing some intensive rehab on his left knee in place of surgery. Bradley who had been out due to injury last year restarted Battle Court matches in late 2022 and will be competing only in Battle Court matches for the first part of 2023. Also, late breaking news is Inaki’s wrist fracture, side-lining him while he recovers.
Don’t miss out on the hot Pelota and Battle Court action in 2023. Be sure to open and/or fund that BetRivers sports betting account for Battle Court and explore the pari-mutuel wagering account options offered by watchandwager.com and mywinners.com. If your state doesn’t allow Jai-Alai pari-mutuel wagers at this time, it’s NOT game-over. Be sure to partner with a good friend or family member who resides in a state where Jai-Alai wagers are allowed. Check with customer service to see if they allow wagers from your state as the lists change periodically. Here are the contact numbers:
Watch & Wager: (888) 204-9150, on-line wagers only
MyWinners: (800) 468-2260, on-line and/or phone wager options, Note: Connecticut residents’ only option is MyWinners.
Contests: No more weekly fantasy Jai-Alai contests for Battle Court sponsored by Magic City, however, all is not lost. SayHiLi is working out details for a FREE Battle Court contest to start in early March (details TBD). Prizes will be non-monetary but will include some really nice Jai-Alai memorabilia items. Stay tuned for more on this and be sure to support ALL versions of Jai-Alai to help with “Keepin’ the Jai-Alive!”
Steve M