Se apareció de la nada, pensé que ni me conocía y así, de repente estaba con él rumbo a la Mesa en su Chevy 57. Se paró un rato para admirar el cereso de la Mesa mejor conocido como la Pinta o el pueblito entre la raza. Esperó, sonó un Sanyo digital a las 8:34 de la noche y giró el volante para darle un volteón a las paredes del pintón, sacó su chistera hecha a mano en México que recibió de regalo de uno de sus parientes allá de Durango. Me gustó porque tenía una plaquita con la cara de Gantxiki de Iturbide, un cuanto ya gastado el mimbre. Sacó la mano con la chistera puesta por la ventana y detuvo el ranflón exactamente 30 segundos, nada más para agarrar vuelo dijo, y voló la pelota, llena de yesca me imaginé.
Miré como la pelota se perdía en la oscuridad, y antes de darme cuenta si cayó del lado en que debía ya estábamos rumbo a la Cacho.
History of Tijuana Jai Alai
Ever since Fronton Palacio Tijuana Jai Alai first opened in 1947, many different players have come and gone; changes to the building have been made; fires, players strikes, closings and other events have occurred over the last 51 years, but one thing has remained constant: Aldo. Aldo has been a loyal employee of Tijuana jai alai since its grand opening in 1947 and is the most familiar face in the building. Fans that have not attended the jai alai games for a period of years can always know that Aldo will still be there to catch them up on lost time. Through out the years, Aldo has seen many amazing things at the fronton, seen some of the best players, best players managers, many famous celebrities from past and present. So who best to ask about the History of Tijauna’s most famous landmark than Aldo himself. The 66 year old Tijuana native took the time to sit with me for an exclusive one on one interview regarding his experiences and views towards the future of jai alai in Tijuana.
DAVID: Aldo, thanks for taking the time to talk to me. How would you describe your 51 years with the jai alai.
ALDO: You are very welcomed. My 51 years with this establishment have been more than memorable. I have met some of the most interesting people and seen some very famous faces here. It is always nice to have people come in and recognize me from previous visits.
D: Which famous faces have you seen here?
A: I have met with some very famous american icons. Some include actor Mickey Rooney, Former San Diego Padre Dave Winfield, Former ”Leave it to Beaver” star Tony Dow, ”The Duke” John Wayne, Clark Gable, Victor Maturi, Jack Palance to name a few.
D: Who in your mind is the best player you have ever seen?
A: A player by the name of Guillermo Amochastegui back in the early 50’s. This man had it all. He had the hardest back hand that I have ever seen, he could score on the rebote, even though he never dove. Words cannot describe Gullermo’s game.
D: Who do you think is the best player that has played in Tijuana in recent memory?
A: That is a tough question. There have been many great players here recently. Dania back courter Felix is right up there. He played here in 1990-1991. He had one of the hardest and well placed right sides tat I have ever seen. He was a great partner for any front courter, very dependable. Another player that comes to mind is another Dania back court, Yannel (88-89 and 92-97). Yannel, to me, was an average singles player, but one of the best doubles player I have ever seen. He is not a very flashy player, no big right side power, but he was like a vacuum when he caught. He was fundamental, setting up his front court to finish points. But the player I think that stands out as the best player to have played here in recent memory is Milford front court Zabala (1989). Zabala was smart, strong, dominant. He had an incredible stint here, posting close to a .300 win percentage, and approximately a .650 in the money. He was very impressive.
D: Who was the best player manager in Tijuana history?
A: Alberdi, no doubt about it. He was a firm man, emphasizing discipline at all times. He was also a ” players” manager, and by that i mean that the players loved him, and played their hearts out for him night after night. He was a great professor of the game, always teaching even the oldest dogs new tricks.
D: Tell me about the fire in 1956?
A: Sad, sad day. I had felt that a part of me had died. My loyalty for this building, for the game was just as strong then as it is now. I thought it was all over. But when I saw the strength and courage of Mariano Escobedo Sr., I knew that this building would be as good as new.
D: Tell me about Mariano Escobedo Sr.?
A: Mr. Escobedo was a man of vision, strength, courage, dedication, hard working, ambitious, Mariano was a fighter. He had a passion for this sport that I had never seen before. He made jai alai in Tijuana possible. Hopefully, someone like him can take over the jai alai again.
D: What do you think was Tijuana jai alai’s highest point?
A:From day one in 1947 ’til about the late 60’s. During all of those years, Tijuana jai alai was the best show in the country. The jackpots were unreal. The crowds were always a capacity and the noise was deafening. What I wouldn’t give to have those days back. The were incredible.
D: What year do you think Tijuana had its best roster?
A:In 1965, Tijuana had an incredible roster with players such as the Guara brothers, Urcola brothers, Echeverria, ”the big Cuban” Frias, ”Chato” Larrinaga, and their players manager was Pedro Garate.
D: With players like Zada, Beto, Gallardo, Hector, Valdez, who do you think was/is the best local jai alai player to come out of Tijuana?
A:With out a doubt, Valdez. Juan Valdez was an amazing player. He had a very strong wrist, he was tall standing at about 6’1, he had a great fore hand rebote, and he was smart and patient. He had an unusual combination of size and finesse.
D: Who do you think is Tijuana’s best prospect right now?
A: That is tough. There are many good prospects here. Felipe Osuna (Felipe, age 25) is a very solid and strong back courter with lots of tools and experience. He turned pro in 1988, yet he is still only 25! Felipe has a very hard right and left, and the ability to turn the most difficult catch in to an offensive shot. Manuel Ramirez (Manuel, 19) could be a good front man if he set his mind to it, but he still needs to learn a lot about character. Manuel does poses a good costado and good catching ability, and his style is very smooth. I think that David Perez (Armenta, 21) will one day be great. The kid has a lot of tools, very raw tools. The kid has the heart of a lion, and the ability and desire to help him become one of Tijuana’s best players. Armenta has a good costado that he can trow in many different directions, one of the best fore hand rebotes of recent memory, and he has no fear. That I think is what gives him the edge over all the other young players here.
D: Tell me about Caliente. How would you describe their performance running the fronton during their tenure from 1992 to 1998?
A: They could have done a better job with the fronton. They did do a good job of bringing in many good young prospects that later turned out to be great players. Beitia (Dania 93-present) was one, Echave (Dania 93-96), Azpiri and Aspillaga (Orlando 93-present), Enrique, Chauderon, Iriondo,( Tampa 95-98 and Ocala-Ft. Pierce 98-present) and Barrena (Tampa 95-96, Miami 97-98 and Ocala 98-present). To me though, it seems as if they gave up on jai alai all of a sudden.
D: What do you think the future has in store for Tijuana jai alai?
A:The future seems dim. There doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to except for history to repeat itself.
D:When do you plan to retire?
A: Probably in the year 2020 or on the second coming of Christ. But then again, I think working in the year 2020 is asking too much 🙂
So la democracia. Aunque la prensa mexicana no le guste tratar temas de nuestro vecino país en lo que se refiere a cuestiones democráticas hay algunas acciones dignas de emulación pues es de admirarse cómo es que nuestros vecinos practican la democracia. Esto me vino a mente recientemente porque estuve atento a un proceso que se llevo acabo en el senado de los EEUU. Se trataba de pedir perdón a los afroamericanos porque el senado estadunidense nunca legisló una ley que prohibiera linchamientos de negros allá en aquel país Imperialista. 