Jai alai, sort of a Spanish-style indoor lacrosse, was introduced to Miami in 1924 and is regularly played in two Miami-area frontons (the buildings in which jai alai is played). Although the sport has roots stemming from ancient Egypt, the game, as it's now played, was invented by Basque peasants in the Pyrenees Mountains during the 17th century.

Players use woven baskets, called cestas, to hurl balls, called pelotas, at speeds that sometimes exceed 170 mph. Spectators, who are protected behind a wall of glass, place bets on the evening's players. The Florida Gaming Corporation owns the jai alai operations throughout the state, making betting on this sport as legal as buying a lottery ticket.

The Miami Jai Alai Fronton, 3500 NW 37th Ave., at NW 35th Street (tel. 305/633-6400), is America's oldest fronton, dating from 1926. It schedules 13 games per night, which typically last 10 to 20 minutes, but can occasionally go much longer. Admission is $1 to the grandstand, $5 to the clubhouse. There are year-round games on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday at 7pm, and matinees on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at noon. This is the main location where jai alai is played in Miami. The other South Florida jai alai venue is in Dania, near the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.

Jai Alai Explained--Jai alai originated in the Basque country of Northern Spain, where players used to use church walls as their courts. The game looks very much like lacrosse, actually, with rules very similar to handball or tennis. The game is played on a court with numbered lines. What makes the game totally unique, however, is the requirement that the ball must be returned in one continuous motion. The server must bounce the ball behind the serving line and with the basket, must hurl the ball to the front wall, with the aim being that, upon rebound, the ball will bounce between lines 4 and 7. If it doesn't, it is an under or over serve and the other team receives a point.