"Hardly." The professor shook his head. "It was said to have been located at the center of the court. That positioning would not only interfere with the game as it is currently played, but is also superfluous. The Aztlaners no longer sacrifice their team captains." He drew from his pipe once more. "And the itzompan itself may be strictly fictional. Surprisingly enough, although the itzompan is mentioned several times in the ancient codices, archaeologists have yet to uncover a ball court with this feature. It’s probably the stuff of legend, since the codices refer to it being used only at the dawning of a new era."