After a successful DL Summer League season that saw the Waltham War Pigeons take home the title, Llama basketball returns to the CAC for the indoor season with three upgraded squads.  Here’s a look at each team.

Dizzy Llamas White
The Llamas best squad last year has been turbo loaded with talent. Fresh off of his First Team All-Coed-CAC performance last year, Pat Brown returns with a cast of players to rival some of the best in the league. Big Sean Souza from last year’s Orange squad and Nick “March Madness” Bruce bracket the finesse forward with size and speed, while Eileen Devlin’s tough defense and unpredictably brilliant shooting stroke should come in nicely in support. The biggest signing for the Llamas in the offseason, however, was the Spring season offensive player of the year Paul Niblett. Not only was Nibs the second best looking players on the Blouses, right after Rappoli, but he also put the finals failures on the map during their undefeated regular season. With some additional size in rookie Steven Belowsky and some cameos from the B squads, this could be the core of a title contender by the end of the year.

Pros: With some help on the boards and having a few more options to score, Brown and Souza could be one of the strongest front courts in the league.
Cons: While they will no doubt be one of the better teams this season, it may take some time for the new crew to gel.

Dizzy Llamas Orange
No Tarentino sighting thus far, but Orange features an array of snipers that should keep them in any ball game. Corey Norton moves over from white to run the point. Rookies Dave Grubb, Rory Hart and Orange veteran Cynthia Lopez join him on the perimeter for an wide open attack. While the front court may not have the height of most squads, captain Jerry Antone is tough to move on the block. White transfer Patrick Millina is tenacious on defense and rookie forward Brian Glynn has the potential to be a bruising, rebound machine.

Pros: Four above-average to excellent parimeter shooters should open up the middle for their undersized big men and allow Antone a chance to put up some decent points.
Cons: No clear slasher-type player to exploit the open defense could cause problems early on.

Dizzy Llamas Black
While the new Llamas squad is packed with a lot of veterans, their newest rookie could be a rising star for the Llamas. Brian “The Savior” Enright is a left-handed lion in the lane. The small forward can get to any spot on the floor and can make defenders look silly at times with is athleticism, and his array of fakes and pivots. He’s complimented on the other wing with “Nighthawk” Joe McConkey. Equally athletic, McConkey dazzled teams with his surprising rebounding ability and knack for scoring in traffic. Captain Dave Claffey and forwards Matt Ryder and Darrell Maule look to add a defensive presence and Lady Llamas Jen Kuzmick and Carissa Everett are gorgeous green workhorses.

Pros: Black features an athletic team that should run the court well and shut down a lot of fast breaks.
Cons: Smaller forwards and inconsistent outside shooters could allow defenses to key on scorers.

By JZuk
CAC Basketball

Wow… I am bleeding sarcasm when I write to inform all that we saved the best game for last in Week 9 play of Co-Ed 5v5 at Kings this past Wed. night…

Initially I thought The Hands Team was such a vague name…What does it mean?!

Finally, in a quick instance of genius, after downing my last drop of whiskey from my trusty flask to aid me in coping with the activities displayed in final game of the evening, IT came to me!

You all must be called The Hands Team because you “hand” most teams in the league W’s left and right. The standings state you apparently won twice…not on my watch.

I thought The Hands Team actually had a shot at giving DLO a run for their money as I was informed by Dave Claffey prior to the start of the game that DLO’s stars Scott Tarentino and Sean Morgan were done for the season. Scott apparently dislocated his shoulder in a dodgeball game last week? Why does this not surprise me at all…I hope you get well man, I expect to see you eating Co-Ed’s in the spring season for dinner as usual.

An unfamiliar face to me in the gym for this one was Sean Sauza. This dude is a brick house! Other than WOS I honestly do not think any of the other teams in Co-Ed would have an answer to stop this guy in the post and on the boards. Sauza dominated the game in the first half as he dropped 10 of his 19 points. He had success in the low post and on the boards often times mistaking Baklavas as the ball!

I saw HUGE play from both Cynthia Lopez and Eileen Devlin. Lopez and Devlin had their shots working! Lopez usually hits the bank 3, but on Wed. she showcased finessed as she swished a 3 and buried some perimeter shots on the baseline…this all contributed to her 11 point performance – POUND IT!

Devlin was schooling some fools on The Hands Team. She drained two from deep and hit some tough shots as well – 13 points – that’s half the points The Hands Team scored for the game.

Also, out of nowhere I saw impressive production from Mr. Dave Claffey. He started the game extremely hot and finished strong with 16 points. Not only did he score, he also threw out 5 dishes and hustled for 11 boards! Get that triple double SON!

OK The Hands Team…I will try and go easy, but I do have an audience to entertain with these write-ups…it’s only business, nothing personal – famous last words.

Catherine Barry proved once again that she is a legit guard in this league and that she can shoot the J! She dropped half of her team’s first half points…I mean The Hands Team only collected 10 points, but it certainly sounds good to say you scored half of ‘em.

I’m quite confident Brian Murphy loads up on nitrous oxide and Adderall before all games. This dude is so happy all the time, has great spirit…I think he gets excited just to see his teammates take dribbles around the court. MAN – either you are A.) totally hopped up on something and do not realize your team is at often times losing by 25+ B.) you non-stop watch and take motivation from Will Ferrel SNL cheerleading skits or C.) you are just having a blast.

I take it final answer is C.)…but this is debatable.

Murphy hustled all over the place as he ripped down 10 boards.

Now, what else can I say about Baklavas, aka The Greek? He is slowly but surely solidifying his reputation as the bad boy of CAC basketball. That’s pretty impressive man. Not only is he in the running for most Bad Ass of Co-Ed, but he was predicted to gather the most outspoken display of referee criticism in the Lunch League as well. Gee golly, glad I picked you for my squad…as I was predicted to get most T’s and talk the most trash…our powers combined = 0 calls from Bfab.

The Greek did all he could despite not getting some questionable no-calls in the lane. Not sure if Bfab would have given those to you as he may have cited with the infamous “Lazy Offense” to go along with your trademarked “Lazy Defense.” Baklavas erupted in the second half as he lcoked 13 of his 16 points for the game. Unfortunately this was nowhere near enough to contend with DLO.

Baklavas made sure all knew he was unhappy with the officiating. The ref. Warned him he would get T’d up with the next word out of his mouth. Well let me tell you what – Napoleon could learn a few things from The Greek. Rather than laying down and conceding to the ref’s warnings, Baklavas saw this threat as a challenge!? Baklavas won! He opened up his mouth and following through with his promise, the ref gave The Greek a T. Nice work Baklavas!

Between Harrel’s T last week and The Greek’s impressive T this week…we are starting to see some piss and vinegar in this league! C’mon ladies, step up I want some T’s! I think Shannon Barker (SHB) can do it as she gets a little tourettes-like on the court at times.

Final Score: DLO – 64 The Hands Team – 27

We are only two weeks away from the Golden Llama, the Dizzy Llamas annual award and casino night. For those who will be going for the first time, a flat fee covers your dinner in chips. We eat, play, drink and have fun. It is the greatest “Green Tie” event in town.

For more details and award nominees, check out the information post on the message board here: http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1487.0

We also have a set of awards call the Llamas choice awards. Separate from the player-of-the-year for each sport, the Llamas Choice awards are a chance for all our athletes to select their peers in categories like captain of the year, most improved and Rookie of the year. You can find the link on the information post or you can vote here: http://www.dizzyllamas.com/sports/awards/2009/

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The winter season is mostly underway, despite a few weekend snow storms. If you’re still interested in playing some sports we’ve have some mid-season openings. Check out the about page on the DL website and email that’s sports coordinator to get started.

We are also fielding a pair of basketball teams this January after the success of our Summer basketball league, but we are still looking for players. If you played in the summer or would like to play indoor on Wednesday nights, signup on the message board here: http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1492.0

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Some changes are afoot with the Llamas! Three Llamas were recently presented with numbers. Adny Hatin will now don number 34, Sean Morgan 55 and Greg Martinage (Don’t tell him. He doesn’t get it until Tuesday). Also, Soccer Veteran Mark Goodman will be taking over the club’s soccer program for Mike Bizier, whose teams earned a championship and finals appearance during his year at the helm.

Congratulations to all of you and good luck in your new roles in 2010.

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Finally, our Little Llamas sports equipment was a huge success. A lot of thanks to go around once again, but we easily topped last years total. Well done everyone. There will be a lot of happy tykes once the weather warms.

See you on the Field!

The spring has gotten off to a great start. Dizzy Llamas Orange won the BSSC Dodgeball Championship, Gray Softball and our Sunday Soccer team are off to an undefeated start, and our CoRec teams in every sport are lined up for a successful Summer. For those who haven’t gotten their athletic fill yet, we have two new sports starting up in a few weeks, a cookout for everyone to attend and some new gear for sale.

Dizzy Llamas Basketball – This summer we are starting a fun, Llamas only basketball league for anyone looking to play basketball but hates the high cost and excessive tall people. Well, we’ll still have a few tall people, but come have a good time with some outdoor hoops. For more details, check out the signup thread here:
http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1192.0

Dizzy Llamas Ultimate Frisbee – Like Basketball, this is a Llama-only league. Last year the Brighton Blouses came away with the title led by Adam Howe, Mike Bizier and Allie Greer. Games are fast-paced and fun, and everyone is invited to play. If you’re interested, take a look at the signup thread here:
http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1191.0

*Deadlines for signups for both Basketball and Ultimate are approaching, so signup today.

This Sunday, June 14th, We’ll be having a cookout at Casey Field in Watertown as our four Llama softball teams face off in the DL Death Tournament. Even if you’re not a softball player you are invited to come down. I’ll be bringing hamburgers, hot dogs and some drinks, so if you want to bring treats too it would be appreciated. Grilling will start around 2pm. Casey Field is on Watertown Road, and you can park behind the school.

We are putting in a shirt order this Wednesday, so you have to act fast if you want to get some extra Llama shirts. We also have Llama baseball caps, socks and shorts available for anyone interested in purchasing them. All the info can be found on the Gear Order thread here:
http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1197.0

Congratulations to Sean Morgan for being named May’s Llama of the Month, and Carissa Everett who was named an EMAAC player of the week for the Boston Division.

See you on the Field!

2009 kicked off with a bang as nearly fifty Llamas packed the Verona Restaurant in Watertown to celebrate the 2008 Golden Llamas award winners. Thank you for everyone one who made 2008 great, and here is looking to 2009 as a year that will eclipse it.

If you were unable to make the festivities, here is a rundown of the 2008 Golden Llama recipients:
Llama of the Year - Thomas Boates
Dodgeball Player of the Year - Shane Knowles
Softball Player of the Year - Jen Kuzmick
Soccer Player of the Year - Andrea Nykiel
Volleyball Player of the Year - Caitlyn Cassara
Basketball Player of the Year - Patrick Brown
Rookie of the Year - Scott Tarentino
Captain of the Year - Dave Claffey
Most Inspirational - Caitlyn Cassara

Most improved:
Dodgeball - Mike Bizier
Softball - Victoria Catalan
Soccer - Mark Goodman
Volleyball - Thomas Boates
Football - Danielle Sullivan
Ultimate - Erin Calamari
Basketball - Matt Guerra

Rindge, NH – The first annual ‘3-on-3 Tip-Off Classic’ tournament was held in Rindge, NH last weekend and the Dizzy Llamas were well represented by Dave Grubb, Matt Austin, Justin Nelson, and Sam Davidson.

The Llamas, hampered by a flu-ridden Grubb who was dumb enough to get a flu shot several hours before the tournament began, were able to ride a wave of momentum to the finals where the eventually would fall by 1 point. It was a gritty effort all the way through as the Llamas found themselves undersized in each matchup, but tenacious defense and some clutch shooting led the Llamas to a second place finish.