I solemnly swear not to mention Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story during the writing of this piece.
Starting . . . now.
When describing an adult-dodgeball affair, its de rigueur to reference the 2004 flick. I mean, come on. But if AZ Dodgeball founder Sam Pewitt wants to play coy (the Vince Vaughn/Ben Stiller smash isnt noted once on the Web site), well play along.
Pewitt told New Times he formed the league because d-ball wasnt officially represented here in Arizona, but was popular in his home state of Washington. He garnered a lot of press during the inaugural season of 2006, cause his tale had a couple of irresistible hooks: 1) competition is held in the gym at Phoenixs Army National Guard Armory; and 2) adult-dodgeball fever was then sweeping the nation in the wake of the still-recent release of The Movie Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned.
Well, the first blush of romance has long faded the presss with the novelty of grownups pelting each other with large crimson spheres, the moviegoing publics with a four-year-old movie but Pewitts league thrives. Go figure.
The new season continues on Thursdays and Tuesdays for 11 weeks. Thats a long haul and a lot of whizzing red balls, but bet the mortgage on last seasons champs to repeat. Why? The Wild Turkeys the East Germans of AZ Dodgeball compiled a 10-0 record and stomped the snot out their closest competitors in total points.
So, class, what kind of story will it be if some other team trounces the Turkeys? You know -- the slingshot and the giant? The defenders of the Alamo? The cartoon dog with the cape? Anyone?
Okay, well, youre on your own. Ive taken an oath.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Starts: June 26. Continues through Sept. 2, 2008