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This report is in reverse chronological order(like that Seinfeld episode where they went to India for a wedding at the beginning of the show and then they were invited to the wedding at the end.)  This gives me a chance to write what is fresh in my memory.  If I get to Friday it will be a miracle.

       Sunday Morning was uneventful, Berserk was wearing shoes at breakfast (Klinger wasn't on the trip), the King didn't take the bowl of gravy to his table.  (We ate at Pere Marquette' restaurant, so we were waited on)  Papa Joe and Brinks didn't have to go to church, because they went on Saturday.  Larry pulled up in a cab with a mud spattered shirt. (He made a deposit at the Par-a-Dice Casino and tried to jump a puddle)  Beer Nuts made a news worthy decree in the van on the way home.  He said, that he wasn't going to get upset by the Alien, Magoo or Harvey any more.  He went on to say, "Why should I let those guys

Papa Phones home to report his game winning goal.

get me crazy."  and the longer he talked about it, the madder he got, so Wheezer

told him to shut up because he was getting him crazy.
       With a record number of Duffers cheering them on, the Peoria Rivermen won their 6th game of the season
Saturday night with a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones, . Peoria used a three-goal 2nd period outburst and four fights to erase any of hopes of Cincinnati winning. . Peoria improves to 6-1-2 but remains behind Toledo.  The next possible Peoria trip dates are December 21 and January 11. 
       
The big Saturday afternoon game in the Peoria Civic Center started at 12:30 and ended at 2:30.  The Equipment Manager, Jim Jeans, was concerned that 2 hours wouldn't be enough time for a Duffer Game, but he was quickly assured that we could squeeze a game in if we took long breaks between periods.  The King was there to enforce the breaks and off sides.  Thanks to Papa and Harvey for getting him to the Cracker Barrel on time. 
         
The Duffer game was as fast paced as a 2 hour Duffer game can be.  We only had 3 Peoria Duffers.  This is the first time that Art didn't have to get us a goalie or two.  Eddie "The Anvil" and Brian "The Brain" put on a great Duffer goaltending display while the Granato guns, Steve and Robert,  tried to set up meaningful Duffers.  Beak got the first goal past Eddie in the second period to give the Whites a 1-0 lead.  Peoria Duffer, "NASCAR Rod" tied it with a shot that beat "The Brain".  Papa

The King eats a banana after the game.

Page 2 of the November 8th newsletter.

thanks to goals by Thor and Brinks.  Papa Joe put the Reds within striking distance with a third period goal.  Then The Alien scored twice on one shift to give the lead to the Reds.  Beak threatened to develop a case of "Daytime Soap Opera Amnesia" rather than write about what he just saw.  Then it happened!  John "Magoo" Landry scored in the final seconds to save the day for the Whites.
      The Meaningless game was as weird as it can get.  We had 3 goalies suit up for the game.  The Brain went White and The Anvil and the Ghost went Red.  The score was 2-2 until the Anvil started defending the White's net with a red sweater.  The Reds quickly scored on Eddie and he went back to pick up the win for the Reds.  I don't think that we ever had a goalie give up the winning goal to his own team.  I remember The Alien shooting on his own goalie, but Slime Dog made the save on him.

Rick Storm's Report

Joe got the game winner when The Anvil took a spill behind his own net and the puck popped out to Joe for an easy tap in.  Art and the Granato Guns finally took some shots in the third period to put some Meaningless goals on the New Rivermen Score board.

        After the game the King and a few of the Duffers had a Banana, thanks to the fruit basket provided by the Rivermen.  The Beer cooler was empty so we went with the healthy approach.  It wasn't long before we needed more than water, juice and fruit, so, we went to Sully's, and again, there was nothing exciting to report,  the usual $130 Sam Adams bill was replaced by a $100 chicken wing bill.  The King, Papa and Harvey had wine on a separate tab, so Beer nuts had nothing to complain about.

        The ride home started out pretty uneventful. Thor, Koss, and Rich Storm asked "Cousin Eddie" if he was ok driving us home. He said, "Sully's wasn't bad, I just wished I hadn't drank all that cough syrup."
Rich Storm was very worried after Thor slept through the first half of the trip home. If Thor can't handle a few beers at Sully's after skating in Peoria, how is he going to last 4 days in Las Vegas? So, to put Thor to the test, Rich Storm brought out a deck of cards and waved them in Thor's face. And quicker than beer turns to piss, Thor was up, taking money from Rich Storm at Blackjack.

Wings, Wings everywhere.

Friday Night

      I remember having 14 guys on the White team and only 10 on the Red during the pre-game skate when The Alien came out White.  Papa Joe volunteered to go Red, but the Alien needed to have his arm twisted a little before he went Red.  That move turned out to be critical because the Whites were coasting along with a 2 goal meaningful lead,

      Doc's Daughter came up to the King at Babe's World restaurant, where she works while attending Bradley University.  She told the King that some of the Rivermen told her that they knew the Duffers and that we were great guys.  She then admitted, for the first time, that her father was a Duffer and she was proud of him.

The following pictures were reduced to "thumbnails' for faster loading.  Click on them to see the full picture, then use your browser's back button to return to this page.

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Beer nuts reads his fan mail in the new oak locker room.  Rod and Eddie plan their attack.  Wheezer finds a beer cooler full of empty cans. 

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Harvey gets his game face on as Kevin Granato talks to Mom on the cell phone.  Steve Granato shows off his out of season Duffer shirt.

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Rivermen Coach Christie welcomes us to his Rivermen Home. Hitman gets ready for the media. The Equipment Manager, Jim Jeans looks over the team as the King plays with his skates.

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Kevin and his uncle Robert Granato. Thor needs a nap.  Larry waits for his ride in the lobby.

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 Eddie, Brian and Wheezer.

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Bob Plager had some new stories for the Duffers.  The Tin Man watches Notre Dame and loses his finger nails.  Mini Wheezer takes his hat off for the media.

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Brian makes a save as Thor has a smoke and Beak gives the camera away.

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Fruit Basket

Here is a Hockey 

trivia quiz that you are guaranteed to get number 8 right.  Just go to the Granato link and click on trivia.

 

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