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Every year I listen to Jimmy Buffett sing "Another Trip around the Sun" and I think about the miles that I have traveled since 1940. The earth travels over a million miles a day so that we can get back to where we started every year. We travel over 584 million miles a year!  That means I have traveled 44,971,080,000 miles, but Papa Joe is not impressed since he is about to hit 51 billion. (This does not include the miles that our Sun travels as it circles the Milky Way galaxy or the miles that the Galaxy travels)  Boris sent me birthday greetings with this picture.

Attendance problem continues.

We had only 13 skaters with warm weather.

I invited some Wags players, but they stayed home too.

Duffer Calendar

Duffers Hockey Schedule. 

We have no ice on the following dates in red: 

March 4th and 5th, 2017 Peoria Road Trip

March 17th, 2017 (Badgers play Tourney in Detroit)  (St Patrick's Day)

April 3rd, 2017 (Monday) Ottawa plays at Detroit

April 6th and 8th Frozen Four at the United Center

April 21st, 2017

May 5th, 2017

May 12, 2017 is our last game

We are going to see Uncle Bob!  Want to go?

 

Duffer News

Beak's Turn to Celebrate!

Romeoville, IL February 24, 2017  Attendance: 15
Last week, we celebrated the Czar's 49th birthday and this week it was Beak's turn.  Last week we had 15 skaters, this week only 13 showed up.  If this keeps up, we will be playing 3 on 3 games.  The Reds had 7 skaters and they were able to wear down the Whites who only had 6.  The Piercing Bear made 75 saves for them.  Brian Steward was foiled 9 times. The Anvil had a little easier night, he may have had to make only 50 saves.  V-Man had 3 goals as did

5 Duffers toasted Beak on his 77th

Monet Mike for the Reds.  Tom O'Connor and Beak had solo goals.  Tommy Z spent his night trying to set Beak up for a birthday goal but every time he had the puck, Beak was surrounded by defenders (OK, I'm exaggerating a little since we were playing 4 on 4, but Fred was all over me like a fly on honey) so the few passes that got through for scoring chances were foiled by The Barron.  Beak finally got his birthday goal (Actually his 77th birthday was 2 days away, but he gave an "Alt Fact" to get free shots and deserts at the Kilt)  His goal was set up by TO when he gave Beak the puck 2 meters from the goal.  Bear made the save on his shot, but the puck rolled up his arm and down his back.   It hit the ice on the goal line then slowly rolled toward the back of the net where it came to rest 1 decimeter past the goal line. (Ask a Canadian to convert the metric units for you) The Whites had several goals by Bill BTW, the Czar and maybe Anthony, but T&A was AOL and was not able to give me the details. Fruitcake scored the first goal for the Whites, but Ryan the miniature referee waved it off because the net moved.  We decided at the Kilt to overrule the call and give Fred the goal. (We usually don't do that for guys who don't come to the bar, but we were in a good mood after birthday shots)  Since it was the first goal of the game, the Bobka Factor had no effect because when you square the number 1, you still get 1.  This ruling was influenced in Fred's favor because he had a break away and Monet Mike caught him and spoiled his chance. I can't blame Mike because if Fred had scored, the Bobka Factor would have given the Whites a 16 goal lead.   

Final Score: Reds 8, Whites 6. 
We have a few Duffers going to Peoria to see the Rivermen play on Saturday and Sunday.  Mini Wheezer needs to know if you want to go so

that he can get tickets and rooms at

the Inn.

Mini Wheezer came off of the IR just to toast Beak.

The Anvil was there and asking "Where is the Czar?

Someone bought shots. Bill BTW looks guilty. Thank You Bill!

The rules committee ruled that Fred's goal was good.

Rachael came out from behind the bar to ask, "Where is the Czar?"

Beak celebrated on his real Birthday at Portillo's

He had 4 of his grandchildren and all 4 of his kids there to celebrate.

Last week, the Czar "reached" 49! (See George Carlin's aging)

T&A Missed Beak's party, but sent his regrets!

This Bar is now open and needs some Duffers.

Jill would like to hang an autographed Duffer Banner on the wall.
 
George Carlin's Views on Aging 
11-23-9
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
 
'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key
 
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
 
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life .. . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
 
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
 
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
 
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
 
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
 
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
 
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
 
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
 
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'
 
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
 
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil'sname is Alzheimer's.
 
4. Enjoy the simple things.
 
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
 
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
 
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
 
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
 
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is..
 
10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
 
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.

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Beer League Hockey

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Classic Duffer News

Go to Lake Placid News for some laughs.

http://www.lopatka.net/1982-Lake%20Placid/index.html

1996 March Hayward Trip  We saw Comet Hyakutake

December 6, 1996  Duffer news #85

December 15, 1996  Duffer news #86

December 20, 1996  Duffer news #87

Go to 10/25/96

Go to 9/6/96

January 12, 1996  Duffer news #50

 

Go to 2012 The Last MLF Game

Go to 2011 MLF Game

(Anvil's Daughter won it!)

Go to 2010 The First MLF Game

Visit The Rampage Women's Hockey Team web site at: http://www.rampagehockey.org/index.cfm

They Have 2 WODs and  on their team. Their DOD moved to Canada for Graduate School.

WOD=Wife Of a Duffer, DOD = Daughter of a Duffer

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Michelle Spillman hits and fields

      

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Opened Monday May 11, 2015

16030 S. Lincoln Highway Unit 106 (Lincoln Plaza/same strip as comics)
Plainfield, Illinois

Mike won 11 awards for his artistic creations at the Tattoo convention in Champaign.

mikeylotattoos@att.net

(Above) Mike's work of art on Joe Mazzarella III's leg.

(Above) Mike's work of art on Joe Mazzarella III's ribs.

Ann Arbor Music DVDs are ready to ship.  $10 includes shipping and handling. you can also get classic copies of:

 

You may find the following links useful:

Ben Oskroba's First professional goal for the Peoria Rivermen

Drago's Hockey Lessons

Here is a video, thanks to Perry and Paula on How to be a Hockey Player 

 

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Michelle Spillman

Michelle Spillman 10-31-10

Michelle hits a 2 run home run for Romeoville High School in a 3-0 victory against Joliet Catholic Academy.

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JC-Homerun.MOV

Michelle Spillman hit a 2 run Home run to beat Joliet Catholic on April 18, 2012. ... greg Lopatka ... Michelle Spillman and Romeoville High School. ...

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Highland Park-Homerun.MOV

Michelle Spillman hit her 4th homerun on April 21, 2012 to beat Hershey High. ... greg Lopatka ... Michelle Spillman "outdoor sports" ...

 

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Michelle3Base hit.MOV

Michelle hit a triple to help beat Highland Park High 8-5 on 4/21/2012.

 

Patrick Kane Stickhandling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REAqCB9vfbU

Brandon Bollig Stickhandling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3B8v_ZHA10