As much as I would love to see it, I can't picture Milford ever
reopening. It just couldn't make enough money. I think any hope
of jai alai returning to Connecticut died when the cancha in Bridgeport
was torn down.
Because it has simulcasting, which Milford was never able to get,
I think Bridgeport could have survived. The dog track scrapes
by, and I think more people would watch jai alai than dog racing
(I have never gone to Shoreline Star).
I was upset at the time they converted Bridgeport into a dog track
and made Milford year-round because I always preferred the Bridgeport
fronton, with Hartford second and Milford third.
If they had kept the alternating Bridgeport/Milford seasons, I
think now there would be year-round jai alai at Bridgeport. If
Churruca were still in charge, Arriaga (who Churruca brought to
Bridgeport in 1995) might still be there as the top player. The
Chief might have lured the sons of some of his old friends Recalde
and Echaburu (the fathers' spellings) and we in Connecticut could
be posting here about live jai alai instead of reminiscing.
But for Milford, it's simple: No simulcasting, no chance.
