We have a long history of fights over big development projects in this county, from a Redskins Stadium in Laurel and a NASCAR track in Pasadena to Arundel Mills mall in Hanover and now the slots casino next door.

But none was stranger than the battle over a stadium in Jessup where the Spanish ball game jai alai was supposed to make its move north of Miami.

The plan came out of nowhere on Nov. 12, 1957, when County Commission President Ralph L. Lowman of Glen Burnie introduced legislation that cleared the way for a 5,000 stadium, called a fronton, on Max Blob's land off the Baltimore Washington Parkway. It passed 5-2 with...