First of all, speaking of objectivity, do you think it's possible
that maybe you have feelings of bitterness interfering with your
opened 20/20 visioned eyes? Stefanie may not be a disgruntled
pro, but that doesn't mean that she is not objective. In fact,
by deeming yourself 'disgruntled' you are admitting
to subjectivity. 'Just a fan' is unfair, merely by connotation.
We do know most parties involved, and there is a reason that most
parties that meet us like us. We are the new fan-base and the
hope for this sport. It is our separation from the past of jai
alai that allows us to see the situation clearly.
Maybe there are a lot of people that bash Pita on Chalk Talk.
Actually, I will give you that not just maybe there is, but indeed
there actually are. That doesn't mean that 'everyone'
or any derivative of 'they' does. There are tons of
people in the world of jai alai that do not post on this site
because of the negativity (the Pita bashing is a perfect example).
You can say that Pita is a super nice man, but if you are going
to talk about how 'disgusting' it is 'that he has
turned his back on jai alai' then you have clearly never
met him. Fine, bring up that he came from Cuba and everything
that the sport has given him... but don't completely omit the
fact that this man is wholly invested in so many aspects of his
life... many more (I would care to venture) than 98% of everyone
else on the planet. And especially don't do it in a way to undermine
his character. Yes, he came from Cuba, yes, he played jai alai,
and yes, he now works in a high position overseeing a fronton
with little fan turnout. None of that sounds like abandonment
from the sport, and if you blame him for it failing, then you
always will. But then again, you will always be wrong.
As far as Hamilton goes, yeah, I guess everyone in the land of
chalk talk is right. The players can't be that good. I mean, sure,
Gino, Victor, and Gallardo all played there and still were able
to play in the Citrus, the biggest event in jai alai. And, Jon,
Alliez and the Sierra brothers all got their start in America
at Hamilton. These young players are the future of jai alai. As
much as everyone would hate to admit it, Hamilton has contributed
and will continue to contribute to jai alai. It may not be a high
handle, and it may not be creating a fan base, but at the very
least, it serves as a starting point for new/young players to
seize their opportunity. I see it as totally useless to insult,
demean, and cast any bitter biases on Hamilton. If you love jai
alai as much as you say you do, you wouldn't sit around complaining
about it. You would welcome any advancement, which Hamilton is.
And even still, if you don't like it, there is no need to insult
Pita with speculations and accusations of doing "nothing."
He has done more than anyone as far as TRYING to effect a change
for the future of jai alai, and he is STILL doing as such with
the reopening of the other fronton despite the fact that those
people that should be supporting him (that would be everyone on
this site and everyone that cares about our sport) insult him
constantly on a public forum.
Stefanie and I (and Ian when he felt like bothering) used to defend
Pita and Hamilton and the players all of the time. We recognized,
however, that it is a losing battle here. So, you officially have
my permission to indiscriminately hate on everything that is not
how you would like it. I only say this because I understand that
no matter what I or we say, there will be no convincing you otherwise.
Meanwhile, however, if you could refrain from personal attacks
on good people, that would be nice. In fact, why don't we all
refrain on personal attacks on even the not so good people? I
assure you that our minds are sound and none of us need our heads
examined. I also assure you that Pita has not turned his back
on the sport that has "given him so much."
All this being said I have a strong faith in Pita's capabilities
(not just because I am a college student that can think objectively,
but because I have met him and can see things that are plainly
in front of my face). When I become a super rich balla and have
enough money to invest in the salvation of jai alai, not only
will I go to Carlos to manage my fronton, but I would go to him
first. I am sure that this sounds frivolous and someone is going
to try to bring up the fact that I have no clue how to run a business.
Again, you still have my permission to hate indiscriminately.
While acknowledging someone is going to try this angle, I am telling
you not even to bother since it is impossible for you to know
my capabilities, just as you probably have no clue about Pita’s.
This is most likely the last thing I will say on the Hamilton
subject on this forum, but I had to get it out. When you care
about jai alai, you become impassioned by things like this.
I am officially over the bashing.
PS I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I am going to say that
Stefanie didn't mention the fact that Pita comes over to say hello
to us just because it makes her feel special and proves that he's
a nice guy. The point was, it proves how happy he is to see fans
come out to visit, because, as previously emphasized, he has not
turned his back on jai alai and he DOES care.
