Jai-Alai Question of the Week


Start of Thread

And one more, Chris...

Posted on July 27, 2004 at 05:33:06 PM by Tony and the Crew

Chris,
Thanks for the response...I appreciate it. When I start thinking about the "blasts from the past", my mind goes into overdrive like a Mercedes! Let me elaborate a bit about Michael and Ibar (Newport):
Michael and Ibar, in my estimation, should have shut out Mark and Badiola with a score of 12-0 rather than 12-5, and I'll explain why....
Mark played like he had cement in his shoes that evening...everything he did had negative consequences for him and Badiola...he was off-center that night and Badiola didn't play much better! Michael underserved two serves in a row, and the referees made a couple of mistakes on calls that should have gone against Mark and Badiola...they were really lousy and farfetched; I wondered at the time if the CEO of Milford Jai Alai (Mr. Meyers) made a back-door deal with the refs!! One thing was for sure, though...Diane Hurley (Newport CEO) wouldn't have opened her Fort Knox pocketbook to oblige them!! (lol)

Michael Morrisey was an outstanding American player...he was an all-star athlete at Middletown High School in RI. He made it to "the show" to play with the big boys in WPB and Newport during the 80's and 90's because he had unadulterated talent, period!! He was a natural at the sport...good positioning on the cancha, flawless backhand throw and catch, and an excellent serve. The tragic ending to Michael's career culminated with a severe bicep tear in the right arm in 1995, at at the same time, he underwent major surgery on his knee...what a shame!! Not only was he a superb athlete, he was a gentleman on the court...The 2 G's and I hated to see him retire in that manner! We give him 3 high cestas!!

Now, Ibar: Believe it or not, in his adolescent years, he developed myopia in his eyes, but it truly didn't affect his game! He managed to win ALL the amateur titles in his age group in Spain, and his partner was Mayo (Played in WPB and Newport in the 80's). Ibar was a fabulous catcher...didn't possess a lot of power, but his throwing techniques were as smooth as silk!! BTW, not too many people know this, but a fan (Maybe a friend of his?) told me years ago that Ibar was fired from WPB in 1985 because he sustained an injury to his right wrist...he was only 17 years old!! THAT'S THE WAY THE MULTI-MILLIONAIRE JAI ALAI COMPANIES TREATED THEIR PLAYERS...LIKE DISPOSABLE INCOME!! Nothing has changed since then. In a more positive vein, Ibar was contracted back to WPB in 1987, snubbed his nose at the lot of the management, and for years played tremendous Jai Alai. He finally retired after playing in Milford.

Hope this wasn't too boring...I know that fans like you and Emphyrio enjoy delving into some of the "nitty-gritty" of the talent and the lives of the athletes who played this phenomenal sport!! As usual, God Bless Laca!!
Best Regards,
Tony and the Crew

Replies:

Home Page