Spring also brings the Dizzy Llama Bowlarama, and this year is no exception. This year’s tournament is Saturday, April 10th at Lanes and Games in Cambridge. There is a bar and plans are on for a party afterward. For more details on the Bowlarama, check out the signup thread here: http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1601.0

Finally, keeping on the party theme, The Dizzy Llamas Poker League is closing out their season with a big tournament at Llama Central on Friday, April 9th. There be poker, food and drinks, so even if you want to skip the poker and play some beer pong come on down!

Both the Bowlarama and the Poker Finale are open to everyone and guests are welcomed. No better way to kick off the new season!

Meanwhile, Black began the season with just 1 female on the roster, putting them at a game disadvantage before a single game was played. However, veteran Caitlyn Cassara returned to the court to help out her former team. Captain Greg Martinage has had a positive attitude throughout the entire ordeal, and it has paid dividends as his team finished the season strong and clinched the 8th seed for the playoffs.

Speaking of a positive attitude, Blue Captain Joe Tice has been the epitome of cool. His squad was the only Llama team NOT to make the Gold Bracket last season, yet he and his players stayed optimistic en route to a Silver Bracket finals appearance. Blue used that momentum to battle through attendance issues all season, staying in the top half of the standings throughout and stealing the 14th.

Speaking of the top half of the standings, Green managed to stay in the hunt for the Gold Bracket all season despite having 5 of 7 people playing in their very first Dodgeball season. 2nd season player Kessa Coleman played the leadership role on a team full of rookies. Two of those rookies, Spencer Carter and David Twomey, have taken to the game very quickly and look to be future all-stars. A team that was expected to finish near the bottom of the league, Green has stunned many opponents and with the 21st seed (out of 28 teams) are in great shape to battle for the Silver Bracket title.

Of course, the team that has battled the most adversity has definitely been White. The team began the year with 2 no-shows, leaving them with just a 5 person roster. The team also had an injury of their own, as Brooke Lindner broke her finger mid-season, forcing a roster move that sent Elizabeth Swanson from Blue. Through all of the problems, 2009 Dodgeball Player of the Year Tom Boates led his squad to a 25-5 finish over the final 3 weeks and claimed the #1 seed in the upcoming playoffs.

Green will be playing in the Silver Bracket on March 16th, with the rest of the teams battling for the championship in the Gold Bracket on the 23rd. For more information on the upcoming post-season, or results from all the Dodgeball playoff action, visit www.DizzyLlamas.com.

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

It was a Dizzy Llamas sweep in week two of the Wednesday Night Co-Ed Hoops. The White Llamas escaped with the two-point, 27-25 victory over the Boston Beer Company. Nick Bruce led the way for White with a team-high nine points, three assists and four steals.

From the beginning the game looked to be a tight battle. Derek Stone helped the Beer Company jump out in front early, netting five of his game-high 10 points, to take a quick 9-7 lead. But the Llamas were not going to be denied as they rebounded with some superb offense and defense to take a slim, one-point lead at the intermission.

Once again there were many Dirt Dog performances on the night from players on both teams, making it hard on this scorekeeper to pick out just one. Nighthawk Joe McConkey made a leaping grab for a rebound and threw it off his defender before landing out of bounds early on in the contest was one of them. Stone’s two boards shy of a double-double (10 points, eight boards) and three steals to keep the BBC in the ballgame is a testament to his desire to win.

But the nightly award ultimately went to the Llamas Pat Brown, who just seemed to be everywhere on the floor at the right time. It seemed as if every time there was missed jumper from an opponent there was #1 there for the defensive rebound. He went on to finish the game tallying a game-high 13 boards – 11 defensive – in addition to his seven points on the night, trailing only Bruce.

Nighthawk Joe was solid once again in the low-post. Coming off the bench, McConkey played the role of Corey Raji, who is a beast ripping down offensive boards for the BC Eagles, recording nine boards – four of them offensive. Teammate Corey Norton also had a solid night with three steals while Matt Guerra knocked down five points including a long distance trey to put the Llamas up 17-15 after BBC took a 15-14 lead just after the half.

Before fouling out, Matt Murphy was sound on defense for the Boston Beer Company, recording a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss and was a definite Tommy Point consideration. Teammate Sebouh Arakelian also was in the running for the T.P with six boards and a steal.

With the win the Dizzy Llamas White climb back to .500 on the season at 1-1 while the Boston Beer Company drops their second game and fall to 0-2. Both teams will be back in action at the Kent School next Wednesday. The BBC will play in the first game at 7:00pm against Team Ahab while the Dizzy Llamas White hit the court in game two against the Wheels of Steel.

Dizzy Llamas Orange Complete Dizzy Sweep

The Dizzy Llamas Orange completed the Dizzy Llama Sweep after defeated the Back Door Babies, 37-29 in the final game of the evening at the Kent School. Sean Souza paved the way to victory recording a double-double, tallying 12 points and 10 rebounds.

In what looked liked a rout early on as the Orange took a 10-point, 22-12 lead into the intermission, the Babies came in the back door and made a game of it in the second. Coming out of the break, the Back Door Babies outscored the Dizzy Llamas Orange 17-15 behind Ben Linsky, who netted 10 points and got the Babies to within two under two minutes.

But it was not enough.

In the bonus the Llamas Scott Tarentino went to the charity stripe and hit his first of two free throws to push the lead to three with under a minute left to play. A few seconds later Eileen Devlin forced a turnover by the Babies which led to a good Souza lay-up and the foul to seal the deal even though he did not convert the three point play.

Wesley Guerrera was solid for the Back Door Babies despite the loss and was going to received the Tommy Point until the Llamas Sean Morgan’s save to keep the ball with the Orange with 15 minutes left in the contest. Guerrera is the definition of a true team player, feeding his teammates the ball – dishing out three assists – while playing solid defense – picking the Llamas pockets a total of four times despite only scoring three points.

With the win the Dizzy Llamas Orange improve to 2-0 on the season while the Back Door Babies fall to 0-2. Both teams will return to the hard-court at the King School on Putnam Ave next Wednesday. The Back Door Babies tip-off the night at 6:30pm against Google while the Orange will take the court in the next game at 7:30 against the Scott Howard Beavers.

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!

We are also kicking off another year for the Little Llamas, were we collect sports equipment donations from friends, family and Llamas during the holiday season to help promote youth sports and activity in Boston and beyond. Last year we had a pretty impressive tally, and we are hoping to improve on that this year.
From December 1st to December 21st, your Dizzy Llamas captain will be accepting donations at your games. Just bring unwrapped gear and we’ll do the rest. For more info on the Little Llamas program check of the thread here: http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1438.0
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We are putting in our order for sweatshirts and shirts for the winter. If you need a replacement shirt or looking to stay warm while walking from your car to the court, check out our apparel order thread here: http://members.dizzyllamas.com/index.php?topic=1435.0

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Many congrats are in order since the last newsletter. The Dizzy Llamas have had quite a bit of success over the last few months. Our Gray Softball team took home the Summer BWCS title, Black Softball won the Fall BSSC championship, Orange Dodgeball captured the Summer BSSC Championship, Orange Football won the Division II Silver finals and even the Llamas out west captured a Berkeley softball championship. Get all that?

It was also a highly contested month for Llama of the Month Voting, with Mimi Drozd, Dustin Williams and Brielle Kissel earning the nods for August, September and October respectively. Congrats to everyone for the last couple of months, and thanks to every Llama whether you won a championship or not. It was a great year for outdoor sports!
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Finally, if you’re looking to stay up-to-date with Llama happenings, we are working on giving the club more of a presence online. Now you can become of a fan of our Twitter or Facebook account and get text messages sent to your phone when there are cancellations or other big events. As always, you can check the message board, but this is another option for folks who may not always have access to a smartphone or computer on gameday. To signup, check out the links below:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dizzy-Llamas-Athletic-Club/61415487208
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dizzyllamas

See you on the Field!

Our 3rd Annual mini golf tournament brings Llamas from every sport together as we compete for glory, win prizes and have a lot of fun. The tournament consists of two full rounds with the top score taking home the title. Even if you’re not a super golfer, we’ll be having contests along the course, a raffle for Celtics tickets and a silent auction where you could win other cool prizes. Afterward we’ll be heading to a bar down the street to celebrate the victor and chill.

This event is open to all Llamas, whether your playing a sport now or if you haven’t played for a couple of seasons. We want to see you! Feel free to invite family and friends. The more golfers we have, the more exciting it will be.

We be conducting a raffle, with prizes including a pair of Celtics Tickets, Gift Cards and Dizzy Llamas Apparel. If you can’t make the tournament but would like to buy a couple of tickets for the raffle, talk to your captain. You can buy tickets for yourself, for your coworkers or for your friendly Athletic Director. During the tournament, you can earn an extra raffle ticket by sinking a hole-in-one, having the best golfing ensemble or performing a host of other tasks.

2007 Results
2008 Results

Details
Who: Llamas, friends, family and anyone who wants to play mini-golf
What: Two round Mini-Golf Tournament
Where: McGolf on Rt 109 in Dedham, MA - Map
When: 1pm
Price: $20
Prizes: A Kick-Ass Trophy, A golf ball icon with a green star, T-Shirts for the top golfers and more.
To RSVP or for any questions, call the DL hotline at (508) 471-7229

* If you have any folding chairs, please bring them.
**If you have any prizes you’d like to donate or suggestions for events during the tournament, shoot me an email at info@dizzyllamas.com

Once again it was defense that was the signature of this years team, giving up double digit runs only once over the course of the year.  Mimi Drozd anchored the stellar infield squad from thrid, with Mike Comtois manning short and Jen Kuzmick second.

Out of more than 30 teams, the Llamas finished second and swept through the playoff bracket.  In each best-of-three series, Gray never dropped a game, and quickly found themselves in the championship game against the Shootahs.

The two teams had faced each other earlier in the year, with the Shootahs holding the Llamas high-powered offense to only eight runs with the help of severe winds and a stingy defense.  Fortunately for the green guys, the bats were a little more potent.  The one-two punch of Shane Knowles and Scott Tarentino gave the Llamas breathing room, and the speed of Tom Boates broke it open.  In two games the defending champs swept the Shootahs, and became the first back-to-back Summer League champions.

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!

Until the pivotal battle against the retooled Guerillas, Orange had swept through their first two opponents, including an opening round matchup against Dizzy Llamas Black.  Big guns Dave Benevides, Sean Morgan and Scott Tarentino grunted their way through both series with ease, saving Ashley Parker and Brielle Kissel who were destined to make their mark on a bigger stage.

Down 2-1 in the finals, it was Parker who widdled down the Bombers vaulted lineup, finding herself in a one-on-one matchup with “See Ya” Joe.  After defecting several of Joe’s high velocity tosses, Parker countered and fired a bullet that glanced off his hands and struck him in the head.

Game five was just as intense, as Parker and Kissel found themselves alone on the floor against three Bombers.  Parker now a target for Joe and Scott “The Commish” Buckley, the duo teamed up on a throw hoping to knock out the Llamas’ star before she could strike them.  The first ball Parker defected, but the second one drilled her right in the midsection.  The Guerilla Bombers started celebrating for an instant, but when the ball did not fall, the cheers started echoing from the other side of the court.  Parker had caught the ball somehow while crouched, sending Buckley off the court and bring Knowles back in to finish the game.

Joe was able to get Parker, but a quick toss by Kissel caught the ace off guard and sent him to the bench as Shane sealed the game by hitting the final Bomber with his laser, rocket arm.

The victory is the fourth dodgeball title for the Llamas, and the third in the last year.  Tarentino notched his third dodgeball championship, Parker and Benevides their second.  The last five BSSC Dodgeball finals have featured the Guerilla Bombers and the Llamas.  This win gives the Llamas a 3-2 edge on the series.