ARTFUL DODGERS LATTER-DAY GEEKS THROW DOWN IN LATEST CRAZE.

Byline: Naush Boghossian and Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

Rubber balls shot like cannon fire across the gym - beaning players in the head, chest and - gasp! - below the waist.

Dodgeball - it never hurt so good.

``There's nothin' fun about this,'' whined Andrew Wallenstein, 30, of West Hollywood, reeling between hits in Hollywood on Sunday as a roomful of adults relived their childhood dodgeball traumas.

``I've been playing three weeks, and I'm this close to arthroscopic surgery - it hurts.''

As ``Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,'' topped $30 million at the Hollywood box office last weekend, young adults in Hollywood have returned the hard-hitting playground game to near-cult status - and geekdom.

For some, it's `80s retro chic - replete with the wristbands, headbands, polyester shorts, knee-high socks and hits by Duran Duran.

For dozens of others who have taken to the court since last August at the Hollywood Recreation Center, it's anything goes - as long as it hits hard.

``I come because I have rage, deep rage,'' said Chris Meoli, 31, of North Hollywood. ``I throw the dodgeball, I scream 'thwacko' in my head.

``The Valley needs this.''

Razor heads. Mop heads. Pierced noses. Goatees. Cut-off cargos. Mismatched socks. Even Doc Martens boots. Such is fashion for many self- proclaimed nerds of the new Hollywood craze.

Here, nerds are in - and artful dodgers reign.

``Dodgeball is the baddest game ever,'' proclaimed a very pierced Ben Toth, 25, of Hollywood, among the throng of more than 50 players gyrating to avoid getting whacked by the 8 1/2-inch red-and-blue rubber balls that, in the hands of some adults, can top 55 mph.

``You don't have to be great athletes - it's always the nerds.''

For those who have forgotten, dodgeball is simple: Two teams face across the court. When the whistle blows, it's bean ball time. Get hit below the neck, you're out.

Thump, bump, whump - the sounds of dodge balls connecting.

Last man standing wins.

Michael Costanza, 30, of Hollywood started the Los Angeles Dodgeball Society last August after he witnessed the ugly side of competitive sports.

``I was watching a co-ed softball game, and the coach was cussing at a girl because she didn't block the plate,'' he said.

So he came up with dodgeball, which he now runs at three overflowing gyms in Hollywood, Silver Lake and West Los Angeles. An '80s dodgeball all-star tour is in the works for Orlando, Fla.; Columbus, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Los Angeles.

``I wanted a game that was lighthearted,'' he said. ``Everybody gets their moment in the sun.''

At Costanza's dodgeball games, players tend not to keep score. To avoid hurt feelings, no one picks teams. It's all about hard-hitting fun - and it's not for the faint of heart.

``I feel like we're in middle school with adults,'' said Justin Fredericks, 19, who's staying in Los Angeles for the summer before returning to Minnesota.

``I'm a big kid,'' said self-proclaimed ``perpetual child'' Paris Themmen, 44, a financial consultant and actor who played Mike Teevee in ``Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.''

One woman said she came to ogle the boys.

``It's fun to watch the alpha males kill the other guys,'' said Mary, 34, who declined to give her last name. ``The best part of it is, this is a revision of grade school, like everybody's trying to give back and get over what they got for the first time in the fourth grade.

`'It's 'Revenge of the Nerds' all over again.''

``I love nerds,'' added Stacy Spradlin, 28, of Los Angeles, watching her boyfriend command the court. Nerds are in - ``for now.''

For Wallenstein, who is 5-foot-7, it's get-back time.

``It undoes the trauma of childhood,'' he said. ``You're refacing your childhood fears. But now, I'm confronting a sport that used to keep me up at night.''

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Clayton Krueger, 22, of Los Angeles funnels his aggression through a dodgeball game Sunday at the Hollywood Recreation Center.

(2 -- color) Dodgeball player Jason Phillips, 28, of Studio City fights a losing battle defensively.

(3 -- color) Organizer Michael Costanza, right, assigns players to teams Sunday at the Hollywood Recreation Center.

(4 -- color) Stacy Kiehl, 21, of Los Angeles looks for an opening in the opposition's defenses.

(5 -- color) Erik Tillman, 26, of Los Angeles grabs some air to avoid being hit by a dodgeball.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer