In order to avoid attracting a following at the Connecticut frontons where he attends the games, the author has chosen the pseudonym which is Japanese for "a person who imparts knowledge."

First exposed to the game in the late 1950's when matches from Tijuana, Mexico were shown on television in New York City, he and a small group of friends played a crude "sandlot" version of jai-alai while in college. "We purchased used equipment and played outdoors on a long concrete handball court," he relates. "A former Cuban professional taught us how to catch and throw. In high school and college I tried every sport, but none was as exciting to play as jai-alai."

After graduating, he was able to see the game only on occasional trips to Florida. Nevertheless, he retained an interest in pari-mutuel sports, directing a nation-wide study of the thoroughbred horse racing industry for The Jockey Club of New York during 1974-5.

Professionally, he is an actuary, currently employed by a billion dollar life insurance company in Connecticut. When frontons opened in Bridgeport, Hartford and Milford, his active interest in jai-alai resumed. Despite a heavy business schedule, he finds visiting the fronton an exciting way to relax. "The beauty and pace of the game, plus the intensity of the audience involvement, take your mind off your problems. But the best part is trying to correctly analyze the players and the odds so that you cash enough tickets to wind up a winner."