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Memories of Miami
Posted on December 27, 2025 at 00:25:28 AM by Benjamin “BENNY” Bueno

A Love Affair with Miami Jai-Alai
In 1972, an eight-year-old boy arrived in Florida, wide-eyed and curious about his new home. His father often spoke of visiting family in Hialeah, and those drives would take them past a building that seemed to glow with life—Miami Jai-Alai. To the young boy, the sign always read “Miami Hialeah,” a colorful beacon surrounded by thousands of cars, promising excitement he could only imagine.
By 1979, Sundays were quiet, with no professional performances. Instead, amateurs from the local jai-alai school filled the court, practicing and competing under the same roof that had once seemed so unreachable. Children played hide-and-seek in a shadowy corner they called Chinatown, a place as dark and mysterious as their imaginations. Years later, that same space would transform into the Court View Club, a symbol of how time reshapes everything.
Then came 1982, a Thursday night etched in memory. Under the bright lights and before nearly 5,000 spectators, he turned professional. The roar of the crowd, the pulse of the game—this was the dream realized.
By 1985, curiosity turned into experience. His first taste of the late singles game came as a substitute in Post Eight. Joey served from Post Four, and nerves gripped the young player so tightly that he barely managed to catch the serve and hit the front wall. Joey sprinted to the seven line, but the ball bounced twice before he could reach it. That moment—brief, imperfect, unforgettable—marked the beginning of a lifelong bond.
The 1990s brought a different challenge. An aging body, persistent injuries, and the relentless desire to extend a career led him to the backcourt. There, he carved out new triumphs: two Backcourt Championships, two Singles titles, a Citrus Invitational victory, two Dania-Miami Challenge wins, and a Milford World Series Singles Championship. Each accolade was a testament to resilience and passion.
But in 2005, the road ended abruptly. A ball struck his left knee in January, and by December, he called it quits. Retirement was not just the close of a chapter—it was the end of an era.
Years later, in 2012, he returned—not as a player, but as Player Manager for Dania during the Dania-Miami Challenge. Sitting in the last row of the auditorium, tears welled in his eyes. The building that had once been the heartbeat of his life now stood as a shadow of its former glory. It felt like seeing an ex-wife—someone loved deeply, yet separated by time and circumstance. Both had moved on, chasing bigger and better things, but the love remained, eternal and bittersweet.
Miami Jai-Alai was never just a building. It was a sanctuary, a stage, a lifelong companion. And for one boy who grew into a man under its lights, it was—and always will be—the love of his life.


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