Royalty Tours USA

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Ravens squeak past winless Bills in OT, 37-34!

I'm at the Ravens Nest
















After seeing a college football doubleheader in the State of Virginia, I made my way to Baltimore, Maryland to see the Ravens take on the winless Buffalo Bills.

I wound up getting hooked up with a Club seat for the game thanks to my friend Peter Agnew who has season tickets for the Ravens.

It was the first time that I got to enjoy the Club level at M&T Bank Stadium. I normally sit in the upper level when I go there. This was a pleasant surprise and I was very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the game from the middle level.

As for the game, the Ravens Ed Reed made his season debut. He intercepted a few passes.

The winless Bills were trying to get into the win column for the first time this season.

They lead 17-3 in the second quarter. They blew the lead but they managed to get the game into overtime before they eventually lost.

Ray Lewis stripped the ball from the Bills in overtime which helped set up the game winning 38 yard field goal with 10:54 left in overtime by Billy Cundiff to give the Ravens the victory.

At halftime, the Ravens had a ceremony to honor the 10th Anniversary of their Super Bowl XXXV team who beat the Giants 34-7 in Tampa, Florida.

The King and I were there to see that Super Bowl so it was great to be a part of the celebration 10 years later.

They introduced a number of Ravens from that great team.

They included Jonathan Ogden, Peter Boulware, Trent Dilfer, Jamal Lewis and Matt Stover to name a few.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Friday, October 29, 2010

Royalty completes the College Football Doubleheader in the State of Virginia!

Here I am at U-V-A

















I got back to the car at 3:43PM after seeing Virginia Tech beat up Duke, 44-7 in Blacksburg.

Now it was time to get to Charlottesville as soon as possible.

I had to drive 148 miles to get there. Luckily for me I parked in a good spot and I was able to beat the majority of the traffic from the game. I had to drive 11 miles before I was able to get back on the interstate. That being I-81 which goes through Roanoke. After driving on I-81 I had to connect with I-64 which takes you to Charlottesville.

What a scenic and beautiful drive I had to help keep me energized. The foliage was absolutely amazing.

I made great time as I parked the car on the street at 5:55PM within a mile or so of Scott Stadium, home of the Virginia Cavaliers.

The game was starting at 6PM so I knew I would be getting there late given the parameters. I made great time all things considered.

The Cavaliers were playing the Eastern Michigan Eagles for the very first time in their history.

I was outside the stadium and I heard a loud roar. As a result, I missed the Cavalier score the first touchdown of the game. I needed to get a ticket before I could run in.

After asking for a few minutes, a lady came up to me and said here you go, enjoy. I couldn't thank her enough for giving me a ticket.

I proceeded into the stadium and there was 10:25 left in the first quarter when I got in.

I sat down near midfield on the lower level and I scored and observed the rest of the game.

The Eagles fell behind 14-0 then they came back to tie the game at 14 in the second quarter. Just before the half the Cavaliers took the lead for good at 17-14. They went on to blow out the Eagles in the second half. They won the game, 48-21!

Once again the atmosphere was great. The band and the school's fight song made for a memorable evening.

Way to go, U-V-A, UVA!

Stay tuned as I wrap up the weekend journey with the recap of the Ravens and Bills game in Baltimore, Maryland.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees play Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA!

I'm in the house

















After many years of trying to get here, the opportunity finally presented itself. So I took advantage.

I arrived at Lane Stadium which is located on the beautiful campus of Virginia Tech at 11AM for a Noon kickoff between the Hokies and the Duke Blue Devils in an ACC clash.

I needed to get a ticket to get to the game. As I walked around the stadium I saw plenty of people holding up tickets.

I wound up getting a great seat on the lower level in row HH by the 40 yard line which angled towards midfield. The person wanted $20 for his $48 ticket so I gladly gave it to him. He told me I wouldn't be disappointed. Needless to say, I wasn't.

It was a great view of the action on a gorgeous autumn day.

When the players were being introduced everybody was on their feet and the stands were shaking it was an incredible feeling. That set the tone for a magnificent experience.

As for the atmosphere, it was very college like. The band was great to watch. They did a few renditions of the "Hokie Pokie" which brought back childhood memories.

As for the game, the Hokies won easily, 44-7! I did stay for the whole game which ended at 3:19PM.

I walked back to the car and I was on my way to Charlottesville for game 2 of the college doubleheader.

Stay tuned as I recap that experience.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Royalty w/o 10/18 in review

Monday after work I went to Yankee Stadium to see Game 3 of the ALCS between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers.

With the series all even at a game a piece, the Rangers came into Yankee Stadium behind Cliff Lee he "completelee" dominated them again, 8-0!

Lee was brilliant in this performance as he went 8 innings allowing only 2 hits while striking out 13 Yanks.
He left with a 2-0 lead. The Rangers tacked on 6 more runs in the ninth inning to make the score look more lopsided.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Bronx for Game 4 of the ALCS.

The Rangers won again. This time by a 10-3 score. A.J. Burnett started this one for the Yankees but he couldn't finish the sixth inning thanks to Bengie Molina who delivered a clutch three run home run to give the Rangers the lead for good at 5-3. I blurted out "I love all Molinas". Josh Hamilton added two homers and Nelson Cruz also went deep to bury the Yankees on this night and it give the Rangers a commanding 3 games to 1 lead in the series.

Ironically, this day 10/19 marked the four year anniversary of the other Molina blast that killed the Mets in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Cardinals off Aaron Heilman who I hated. As a result, the saying "I love all Molinas" was created when I blurted that out after Yadier did the damage that night.

It should be noted that the Molina brothers (Bengie, Yadier & Jose) have all played a major role in the postseason in the past.

Wednesday afternoon I was able to leave work early so I could attend Game 5 of the ALCS. I went there hoping to see the Rangers win their first pennant but thanks to CC Sabathia it wasn't meant to be on this day. CC and the Yankees staved off elimination by beating the Rangers, 7-2 and forcing a Game 6 in Arlington Friday night.

Thursday night I went home after work to rest up for another busy weekend.

Friday morning before I went to work I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend.

After work I went back into Queens to pick up the car by the subway and off to Virginia I went.
I drove 380 miles to Verona, Virginia which was about 20 miles passed Harrisonburg where I spent the night. During my drive, I listened to the Yankees lose to the Rangers who advanced to the World Series for the first time.

I got to my hotel just before 1AM.

I woke up in the morning and finished the last 120 miles to Blacksburg, Virginia home of the Virginia Tech Hokies.

I wound up parking for free in the neighborhood just over a mile from the campus where the football stadium was located. I'll go into more detail in a separate post regarding the game experience.

After the game, I decided to take a shot at seeing another college football game in Charlottesville, Virginia which was 148 miles away.

Stay tuned as I recap that adventure along with the Virginia Tech experience.

Sunday I went to Baltimore to see the Ravens play the winless Buffalo Bills.

It was another amazing weekend in the eyes of Royalty.

Please check back for all the details of this great journey.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Royalty finally sees the Jets win in Denver, 24-20!


I'm in the building at 5,280 feet


















It took three tries but I finally saw the Jets knock the Broncos off their horse.

Back on 11/8/92, the King and I saw the Jets there for the first time at Old Mile High Stadium. Browning Nagle was the Jets quarterback that day. Needless to say, they lost.

On 1/19/99, they had a 10-0 lead at halftime, then came the endless third quarter when they totally collapsed with a trip to the Super Bowl awaiting the winner. Even on John Elway's worst day as a pro he still found a way to win. He completed only 13 out of 34 passes that day.

Now with the Broncos in their new stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High which opened in 2001, we saw the Chargers play there in 2002 but it was time to see the Jets there.

In Broncos Country on this day, it was Orange Sunday. They told everybody to wear Orange. I was going to see the Orange get crushed.

In the end, I finally got my way much to the chagrin of the natives who were on hand.

Unlike Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Howard, the Jets survived a scare and found a way to win the game in my third visit to Denver to see them play. It made their record 5-1 which is nice but it didn't earn them a trip to the Super Bowl just yet.

As for the game, it was a see saw battle through out. This game had some history to it as Nick Folk of the Jets kicked a team record 56 yard field goal. Matt Prater of the Broncos booted one from 59 yards out. That was the longest field goal I've ever seen in person. The altitude helps when you're a mile high.

With the Jets down 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Mark Sanchez marched the Jets down the field with possible help from the officials but he was able to scramble and buy time as Santonio Holmes was able to get in position to catch a pass at the 2 yard line. Holmes missed the pass but the yellow flag flew out indicating there was pass interference on the Broncos.

Earlier in the game, the Jets were called for three pass interferences.

With the ball at the Bronco 2 yard line, a familiar foe and former Charger, LaDainlian Tomlinson got the ball and he put the Jets ahead as he scored a touchdown with 1:13 remaining.

The Broncos had the ball near midfield with 43 seconds to go. They called a timeout. The next play their quarterback Kyle Orton couldn't handle a bad snap and the Jets recovered the ball to preserve the 24-20 victory. What a sigh of relief that was.

The monkey was finally lifted off my back.

What a way to end a great weekend.

It should be noted before the game I was able to meet up with a friend of ours, Dick Harding, whose from the Denver area. He came to the game with some friends so he couldn't join me for a post game dinner this time. It was still nice to be able to meet and greet him.

Another great weekend adventure is in the memory bank.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Royalty sees the "Other" Cowboys in Laramie, Wyoming!


I'm in the building at 7,220 feet


















Upon my late arrival into Denver, my unrealistic chance of going to Fort Collins, Colorado to see Colorado State play UNLV at Noon went bye bye.

In retrospect, I'm glad it did.

As a result, I was able to drive through Fort Collins on my way to Laramie, Wyoming and I was able to take my time so I could enjoy the breath taking scenery that only the West can offer.

I arrived in Laramie around 2:30PM which gave me plenty of time to get ready for the football game that was starting at 4PM.

The Wyoming Cowboys were hosting the Utah Utes who were ranked number 10 going into this game.

I didn't have a ticket in advance. I figured I shouldn't have a problem finding one outside. Needless to say, I didn't. They had tickets available at the box office for $30. I saw someone outside who wanted $20. I decided to wait it out for a short time. I was able to talk someone down to taking $10. I did good and I proceeded inside to check out the venue. It was nothing special. I did enjoy seeing their mascot Pistol Pete and Cowboy Joe though.

As for the game, the Cowboys managed to hang around for awhile but in the end they proved to be no competition for the Utes who went on to win, 30-6!

I was fortunate to meet a few people who were from Casper, Wyoming. They were Dan & Ardys Sterkel. Ironically, Ardys told me she's coming to NYC for the first time at the end of the month with her sister who's been here four times. I exchanged contact information so we can hopefully hook up when they visit. I want to help may her first visit as memorable as possible. I hope she contacts me so I can do so.

After the game, I drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming to have dinner before I drove back to my hotel in Denver.

Stay tuned as I recap the Jet/Bronco game I saw that Sunday.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Triponi's Pizza & Grill



Triponi's Pizza & Grill


















When I go to see the NJ Devils and now the NJ Nets play at the Prudential Center in Newark, I always stop off here to get my dinner before the game.

It's conveniently located right in Newark Penn Station where the train station is.

They're on the lower level once you get off the train.

I usually get the pizza when I go there. They offer a great deal. You can get two regular slices and a drink for $6.00.

If you prefer a topping on your slices it's $7.50.

That's a bargain when you consider what it costs to eat at the arena.

In addition, they serve burgers and other hot dishes if you prefer something different.

You can ask for Syed and tell him Royalty sent you. He'll make sure you get treated right.

I do have season tickets for the Devils and the Nets so if you need tickets and/or assistance going to and from the Prudential Center, all you have to do is ask.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

10 Year Anniversary of the Monday Night Miracle on 10/23/00


Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Monday Night Miracle


















During halftime of the Jets/Minnesota Viking game, they celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the Monday Night Miracle when Jumbo Elliott caught a touchdown pass that sent the game into overtime that the Jets won on a John Hall field goal, 40-37 to beat their arch rival Miami Dolphins!

The Jets trailed 30-7 early in the fourth quarter that night. I remember I was there for the whole game. Unlike most fans who checked out early thinking the game was over.

That was an amazing week in Royalty history as I went to all five Subway Series games at Yankee and Shea Stadium.

The Monday Night Miracle was played between games 2 & 3 of the World Series.

Unfortunately the Mets lost to the Yankees in 5 games but I still was able to say I was there to see history.

That was a great week to be in the New York City area.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Jets knock off Brett Farve and the Vikings, 29-20!


I'm in the house

















Back on October 11th, I was at the New Meadowlands Stadium braving the elements as the Jets beat Brett Farve and the Vikings.

The week before the game the Vikings traded for wide receiver Randy Moss who was brought in to help Farve win a championship.

On this night, Randy Moss caught a touchdown that helped the Vikings get back in the game.

In the end, Brett Farve gave the Jet fans what they waited for all night. He threw his only interception of the game which turned out to be the difference as the Jets secured the victory when Dwight Lowery took it back for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

Thanks for all the memories, Brett!

You're a Hall of Fame quarterback but I think you're time is finally up.

You should retire for real.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, October 25, 2010

Royalty schedule w/o 10/25

Here's the game plan:

Wednesday October 27th Pistons at Nets 7PM Opening Night First Ever NBA Game at the Prudential Center

Friday October 29th Kings at Nets 7PM

Saturday October 30th Columbia at Yale 12 Noon

                                    Trailblazers at Knicks 7:30PM Home Opener

Sunday October 31st Packers at Jets 1PM

I have a few nights off so hopefully I can catch up on my posts. Please bear with me and stay tuned for the w/o 10/18 in review and the recap of my Rocky Mountain High.

Thank you for reading and following along.

I hope everybody has a great week.

If you need my assistance please feel free to pick my brain. If you don't consult me, you'll be insulting me. It doesn't hurt to ask. In order to succeed, you have to try.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman   

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Royalty w/o 10/11 in review

Monday after having to work on Columbus Day, it was time to go back to the New Meadowlands Stadium for another Monday night football game.

This one was going to be interesting since we knew for a few months that former Jet quarterback Brett Farve was returning as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. In addition, the Vikings in deseparate need of a wide receiver decided to reacquire Randy Moss from the Patriots.

The addition of Moss added to the MNF matchup.

The game was scheduled to start at 8:30PM but thanks to mother nature the game was delayed 45 minutes due to lightning in the area.

The fans were asked to get out of the seating area and to stay in the concourses for safety reasons.

Royalty came prepared for the possibility of rain by bringing a poncho just in case. That turned out to be a wise decision since the rain let up and they were finally able to play. But as the game and the night wore on, it rained again so I didn't get totally drenched like some other people who didn't plan accordingly.

As for the game, the Jets wound up hanging on for a 29-20 victory.

Brett Farve threw a few touchdown passes. One to Randy Moss and another to Percy Harvin.

In the end, Brett Farve gave the Jet faithful the last laugh when he threw his only interception of the game that Dwight Lowery took to the house for a touchdown that secured the win for the Jets.

Royalty had company on this night as my friend Jack Erbs and his girlfriend Wendy met me near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and we went to and from the game together.

We wound up meeting the King there since he went to the Devil game in Newark that started at 4PM.

Furthermore, I got to see Hans Steiniger, who was visiting the New Meadowlands Stadium for the first time. Hans is a huge football fan and he loves to tailgate before and after every game he attends.

For further details about Hans, please check out his great website, http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/.

His site is also on my blog list. I strongly suggest that you take a look at his site. He's known for his "Quest for 31".

It was great to see Hans again. I met him for the first time last year at Giants Stadium when he came in for the Jets/Patriots game.

I do plan to see him again in Cleveland and New England when the Jets play in November and December.

After catching up on some much needed rest Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I went to Newark Friday night after work to see the NJ Devils take on the Colorado Avalanche at the Prudential Center.

The Devils fell behind 2-0 in this one and they couldn't catch up, they got within a goal but they fell short and lost to the Av's, 3-2.

Saturday morning I flew out to Denver, Colorado for the weekend to get a Rocky Mountain High on United Airlines.

After a false start, we finally took off from LaGuardia. We were going to be 25 minutes early going to Denver but believe it or not just before we were going to take off we were informed by the pilot that we needed to come back to the gate because there were bags that didn't belong on our flight. That's amazing considering nowadays they charge you to check your bags.

Thanks to that delay, we landed in Denver almost 25 minutes late which was a blessing in disguise for me.
Upon arrival, I rented a car from Alamo at the airport. I got a Toyota Corolla which was perfect for my needs. I didn't leave there until around 12 Noon Mountain time.

I was hoping to do the absolute impossible. I was hoping to stop in Fort Collins, Colorado to see the Colorado State/UNLV game that was starting at Noon. Thankfully I didn't get the opportunity to do so.

Instead I proceeded to drive to Laramie, Wyoming where I was planning to see the University of Wyoming Cowboys play the Utah Utes at 4PM Mountain time.

Sunday I went to the Jets/Broncos game at 2:05PM.

Please check back for all the details from this adventurous weekend.

Please bear with me as I try to play catch up. I've been very busy lately. When I have some free time I plan to go into further detail about this journey.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, October 18, 2010

Royalty schedule w/o 10/18

Here's the game plan:

Monday October 18th Rangers at Yankees 8:07PM ALCS Game 3

Tuesday October 19th Rangers at Yankees 8:07PM ALCS Game 4

Wednesday October 20th Rangers at Yankees 4:07PM ALCS Game 5

Friday night after work I'm driving towards Blacksburg, Virginia. If you want to join me just let me know. I will have some room if you want to take a "royal" ride.

Saturday October 23rd Duke at Virginia Tech 12 Noon

Eastern Michigan at Virginia 6PM ?

This is a possibility depending how things go. If I can get there without missing too much I'll give it a shot.

Sunday October 24th Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens 1PM

Please feel free to check back to see how it turned out.

It should be eventful week even with a night off to rest and play up if I can.

I need the rest and I need to do the week in review from last week plus some other special posts.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week as well.

If you need assistance or want get a sample of royalty firsthand, you need to talk to me so we can make it happen.

Don't just read or talk about it, do something about it.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Perfect "10" witnessed by Royalty on 10/10/10 at FedEx Field as Redskins win in OT, 16-13!


The Prince is in the house


















When the NFL schedule came out back in the middle of April I knew I needed to see one more Washington Redskin game at FedEx Field to make double figures. I looked at their schedule and I knew the only game that would work was against the Green Bay Packers in October. I was willing to potentially miss a baseball postseason game if necessary.

I didn't realize right away that the game that conveniently fit my busy schedule fell on 10/10/2010. Once that hit me I said to myself that's a perfect opportunity to see my 10th football game at FedEx Field which happens to be arguably the best football stadium in the NFL by royalty standards now that they've upgraded their scoreboards in both end zones to wide HD ones. That puts this place over the top. In addition, this venue has a real grass surface and it holds 91,000 people which includes a ring of honor and it has plenty of luxury boxes that blend in with the regular hard plastic team colored seats.  I know others may beg to differ but that's what distinguishes royalty from the rest.

Thankfully the Yankees swept the Twins so I was spared missing a potential Game 4 Sunday night in the Bronx. If they played so be it. I can't be everywhere. After all, royalty is human and doesn't have special powers to overcome reality. It is what it is. I didn't get a break during the week like the King did but I got one over the weekend instead.

With that being said, after the Yankee game the King and I took the long walk to the car and off we went down South. After getting a little less than six hours of sleep I was fresh as a daisy as I drove the King and I from Aberdeen, Maryland to Landover, Maryland where FedEx Field is located.

Thanks to my past experience traveling there, I knew exactly where I could park in a neighborhood for free and walk to the stadium which included walking through the nearby overpriced $40 Copper lot to get to the Stadium. Royalty not only cuts cost but gets exercise too. How can you beat that. I wound up parking the car around 11:25AM.

Our next order of business was to secure tickets to get into the game. We got to the outside of the gates to the stadium around 11:55AM. Shortly after noon, we were into the building.

Yours truly, wheeled and dealed and I got us two single tickets for $30 each. The face value of each was $79. I did real good.

It would have been perfect to pay just $10 given the uniqueness of the day but that wasn't meant to be.

As for the game we saw, we definitely got our money's worth. It was worth every penny we paid an then some.

The hometown Redskins wound up winning 16-13 in overtime, Hail Yeah!

The Green Bay Packers should have buried them but they missed out on numerous opportunities to capitalize in the Nation's Capitol so the Cheeseheads got melted instead.

Former Eagle quarter back Donovan McNabb lead the comeback as the Redskins overcame a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter when he hit wide receiver Anthony Armstrong for a 48 yard touchdown pass to make it a three point game with 11 minutes and 35 seconds to go in the 4th quarter. Place kicker Graham Gano tied the game with 1:07 left when he kicked a 45 yard field goal to send the game into the extra session.

In overtime, with 8:06 left don't you know Graham Gano delivered again with the game winner from 33 yards out to give the Redskins the come from behind win! What a game it was.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman             

Deja Broom in the Bronx as the Yankees advance to the ALCS!


The Yankees Win!
Just like mother nature it was back to baseball royalty style in the Bronx Saturday night. It was a rare drive to Yankee Stadium for me but because I was heading down South right after the game I needed to be within walking distance from a car in order to get where I planned to go over the weekend. I wound up parking in the neighborhood for free. No need to overpay for parking this time of year or anytime in the Bronx for that matter. That's how royalty rolls along cost effectively.

Thanks to the Yankees winning, the King was able to join me for the journey down South. My bags were packed so was his just in case. I was smart to bring a broom anticipating that some "Twinkies" needed to be swept away like a bump in the road. I saw a sign make room, royalty is coming through.

Based on past history, I was right. For the second straight postseason, the Yankees put the Minnesota Twins out of the playoff picture without allowing them to win a game. After taking the first two games at Target Field, the Yankees came home to finish business.

They did so to a ho hum crowd who when it was all said and done quietly exited the ballpark after a relatively stress free 6-1 Yankee win. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes pitch seven strong shutout innings to lead the way. Jorge Posada and Mark Teixeira delivered run scoring singles, Marcus Thames hit a big two run home run and Brett Gardner add a sacrifice fly to spark the offense. Kerry Wood allowed a run in his shaky relief stint in the 8th inning. As usual, Mariano Rivera shut the door in the ninth inning. See you next April 4-7 in the Bronx.

The Yankees now advance to play the Texas Rangers in the ALCS which starts in Arlington, Texas on Friday night.

The winner goes to the World Series to play the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants who meet in the  NLCS.

Will it be a repeat of the 2009 World Series? Will wait and see.

If the Yankees get back there, Royalty will be there.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman             

Devils fall to the Stars in OT on Opening Night!


Opening Night at the "Rock"

















After resting up all week, it was time to shift gears on the fly from no baseball games on a daily and nightly basis to the start of the new hockey season.

The weather here in the Northeast has four seasons, royalty covers all four major sports.

After work, I took the subway to the Path train from NYC which terminates at Newark Penn Station. Upon arrival, I walked over to the Prudential Center for Opening night between the NJ Devils and the Dallas Stars.

Since it was opening night there was a big crowd going into the building. The entrance in the front that's closest to the train station was mobbed so I wisely walked around to find a less crowded way in.

I was somewhat successful until it was time to go through security, that seemed to be the reason for the slowdown of people entering the building. The setup in this building is stupid. First they have to wand you then if you have a bag like I normally do they search it and then finally you go to get your ticket scanned to enter.

Most arenas like the one in Philadelphia you get a quick security check and you proceed in the building. In Newark, they give you a harder time. After all, we're just attending a sporting event. If you plan to see a game there, please remember to pack your patience with you. Royalty knows the drill, the working media doesn't. They turn a "blind" eye to the nonsense that really goes on when you attend sporting events especially here in the NYC area.

Like everything else in life, you need to run into the right person to be successful. If not, good luck.

As for the game I saw, the Devils came out flying they build an early 2-0 lead, thanks to their 100 million dollar man Ilka Kovalchuk, who they resigned over the summer. He set up the two goals beautifully. His line mates Travis Zajac and Zach Parise did the finishing. The visiting Dallas Stars got back into the game when Brendan Morrow lit the lamp to slice the lead in half at 2-1. It stayed that way until the Stars evened it up when Loui Eriksson scored the first of his two goals of the night. The Devils regained the lead 3-2 when Jason Arnott in his second tour of duty with the Devils found the net on the power play just past the midway point of the game. Shortly thereafter, the Stars tied it up again when Brad Richards put the biscuit in the basket. The score remained that way until it was time for a five minute sudden death overtime. The Devils did put alot of pressure on in the third period but they couldn't score. In the end, Loui Eriksson won the game for the Stars when he got his second tally of the night just 1 minute and 36 seconds into overtime.

The Devils lost, 4-3!

It was an exciting game start to finish. Unfortunately for the Devils they started fast and fizzled in the end. Thanks to the modern rules of today's NHL, they were still awarded a point for getting the game into overtime. I don't agree with rewarding a team for losing but I don't have a say in the matter.

At least for their fans, hockey's back!

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman        

   

    

Royalty w/o 10/4 in review

This wasn't an eventful week during the week as expected but there was an indirect surprise.

I did secure a sheet of paper that the King used to get into Game 1 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon.

The rest is history as they say.

After a very busy month of September, October is off to a slow start event attending wise for me.

With the Yankees not finishing in first place I had no extra games to add to my schedule during the week.

On the other hand, the King was blessed with the opportunity to see history.

After catching up on needed rest Monday-Thursday nights, it was time for to see hockey return on Friday night.

I went to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for Opening night between the NJ Devils and the Dallas Stars.

I'll go into further detail in a separate post.

Saturday I rented a car for the weekend then I rested and cleaned up during the day as I waited patiently until it was time to go back to the Bronx for postseason baseball.

I'll write a special post describing that experience.

After the Yankee game that ended just before midnight, the King and I drove 183 miles towards Washington D.C. to be in position to get to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland to see the Green Bay Packers play the Washington Redskins at 1PM.

We stayed over at a Super 8 in Aberdeen, Maryland which put us only 65 miles from our final destination in Landover. We checked in to the hotel at 3:15AM.

We got a 9:30AM wake up call.

We left the hotel at 10:15AM.

I'll do a special post that will show you exactly how royalty rolls.

Please stay tuned as another adventurous weekend was put in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, October 11, 2010

Schedule w/o 10/11

Here's the game plan:

Monday October 11th Vikings at Jets 8:30PM

Friday October 15th Avalanche at Devils 7PM

Saturday October 16th UNLV at Colorado State Noon Mountain Time

That's not a definite. I may go there depending what time I get there. Come on, United Airlines. Do it for me.

As usual, I have no margin for error in order to make it happen.

Utah at Wyoming 4PM Mountain Time

Sunday October 17th Jets at Broncos 2:05PM

Please feel free to check back to see how it turned out.

It should be another eventful week even with some nights off.

I need the rest and I need to do the week in review from last week plus some other special posts.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week too.

If you need assistance, please ask.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Royalty sees postseason history at Citizens Bank Park today 10/6!


Ticket to baseball postseason history in Philadelphia 
 Yours truly was not in the house but the King fittingly was so was the "Doc"!

Doc as in Roy Halladay, who pitched a no hitter in his first ever postseason game.

He dominated the Cincinnati Reds from start to finish today in Philadelphia in Game 1 of the National League Division Series this late afternoon into early evening as the Phillies won, 4-0 to take a one game to none lead in the best of five series.

He shut down the highest scoring team in the National League this year.

What a game the King saw. He witnessed a pitching masterpiece by one of his favorite pitchers.

It should noted yours truly was responsible for making sure he had no stress looking for a ticket.
I wound up getting a second chance opportunity in the Phillies postseason lottery to get tickets.

Monday afternoon I was e-mailed and I was given a chance to purchase up to three tickets for Home Game 1 which was today.

After asking our friends Bryan Gilligan and Rich Wolber who said they couldn't go, I only bought one ticket knowing the King wouldn't say no regardless of the circumstances.

Unfortunately I was working so I couldn't go but luckily for me Royalty was represented in style.

The baseball king was attending his 236th baseball game of the season.

Once again royalty delivered for someone else.

As you can see in the picture of the sheet of paper that has my name on it. I made a copy before I gave one to the King so I could have a souvenir for myself. The other one the King used to gain admission to the game.

In matter of fact, I just spoke to the King who said he didn't know how to thank me for getting him the ticket. He was at a loss for words.

This is another great example of how Royalty comes through when given a fair chance to do so.

I don't make promises I can't keep, I only guarantee what I can do but I'm always willing, ready and able to try to do my very best to come through for you.
It never hurts to ask, if you don't you can't succeed. Don't take no for an answer. Keep plugging away until you finally breakthrough.

That's what I try to do. My time will come sooner or later. Wait and see.
When it does I'll make history.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

NY Giants acknowledge their greats in their new Ring of Honor!

Ring of Honor Ceremony



During halftime of the Giants/Bears game on Sunday night, the Giants organization paid respect to its storied 86 year history by inducting their inaugural class of Giant greats in their newly created "Ring of Honor".

The ceremony included the introductions of many of the 30 inductees that are still with us today. They saluted greats from all different eras of Giant football. They also acknowledged their owners and former head coaches.

Among those who were honored were:

The Mara family (Wellington, Jack and Tim)
Bob Tisch
George Young
Y.A. Tittle
Dick Lynch
Bill Parcells
Phil Simms
Lawrence Taylor
Harry Carson
George Martin
Tiki Barber
Michael Strahan
Armani Toomer
Jesse Armstead

They're located in the end zones in the North and South ends of the New Meadowlands Stadium.

If and when you get to a Giant game in the future be sure to look for them.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Deja Blue: Royalty relives Giant Sackfest on 9/30/07

If you saw and read my post regarding the Giants/Bears game on Sunday night then you'll understand and appreciate this follow up post.

I was tipped off by false reporting on a sports radio station yesterday.

I forgot who said it but in passing I heard a comment that the Giants/Bears game Sunday night reminded them of a "Monday night" Giants/Eagles game in the past.

I thought to myself I was probably there. Sure enough it hit me, I was.

Unlike the paid professionals, I knew they didn't play on a Monday night against the Eagles at Giants Stadium.

Being an astute observer of the game of football, I realized they meant a Sunday night game back in 2007.

Ironically, I was right and they were paid to be wrong. As the song goes, "that's just the way it is, some things will never change". The paid media always makes blatant mistakes. Who edits their work?

I'm human too but Royalty doesn't post false information. I do my best to research the facts if necessary to give you the right detail when I write a post.

With that being said, I decided to check back on week four in 2007.

As I thought, the Philadelphia Eagles played the Giants in primetime that night. The Giants wound up sacking Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb 12 times that night which tied an NFL record. The Giants won, 16-3!

Quite amazingly, Osi Umenyiora had half of them. In addition, he forced two fumbles.

Go to my post from this past Sunday night in week 4 and you'll read about Osi Umenyiora who had a mere 3 sacks and two forced fumbles.

How's that for a flashback? Here's some interesting notes from week 4 in 2007 & 2010.

They are as follows:

The Jets were in Buffalo both times too. In 2007, the Bills won that one, 17-14! This time the Jets won, 38-14!

The Monday night football game in 2007 that week was between the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Pats won, 34-13! Last night on MNF, the Patriots squished the Fish, 41-14!

Donovan McNabb is still playing these days but he has a new team, the Washington Redskins who went to Philadelphia to haunt the Eagles, 17-12!

Combine those with the Giants "sackdown" and you have some amazing stories to tell on paper and on the field.

Is there anybody in the media getting paid to tell you that?

When you want the best service and information sources you know where to go.

Royalty is always here waiting for you when you're ready to react.

I just wanted to share this sports knowledge with the football fans who read my blog.

Even if you don't like sports, you can still appreciate the kind of effort and know how I bring to the table.

I write and speak from my unique experiences. I love to take trips that go back down memory lane.

Going forward, I think you should consult me so you can look back in time at the memories I helped provide.

Word to the wise, start saving up your money now so in the future you can get a taste of Royalty firsthand.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Giants sack the Bears, 17-3!

I'm in the house
Royalty was in the house at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday night for the Giant "sackdown" of the Chicago Bears.

The King was there for the first time.

As for his thoughts of the new digs, he liked it but he said and I quote "there was no need for them to build this stadium." I couldn't agree more but this is life in the 21st century. It's a money first society nowadays and it won't change for the rest of our lives so just accept it and adjust accordingly.

As for the game if you will, the Giants came out swarming. The Bears, known as the Monsters of the Midway, were cut down to size instantly.

The Bears came into the game with a 3-0 record. The King and I were trying to figure out how.
After the Giants treated quarterback Jay Cutler like a rag doll the Bears are now 3-1.

The Giant defense came to play. They set a record in the first half by sacking Cutler 9 times. They wound with 10 sacks for the game and they forced the Bears to use three different quarterbacks.

The Giants were led by Osi Umenyiora who had 3 of the sacks. In addition, he forced fumbles on two of them.Justin Tuck also had 3 sacks and a forced fumble too. Barry Cofield had one and a half, Chris Canty and Aaron Ross each had one and Jonathan Goff had the other half.

What a defensive effort it was. Furthermore, the Bears threw two interceptions and the lost the ball three times on fumbles.

On the offensive side of the ball, for the first time in 14 games the Giants had a running back run for over 100 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 129 and a touchdown.

Hakeem Nicks had a big night receiving, he caught 8 passes for 110 yards.

The only bright spot for the Bears was former Carolina Panther Julius Peppers who signed as a free agent. Peppers has been notorious for single handedly beating up the Giants in the past when he played for the Panthers. He had a sack and a forced fumble in this one but it was no where near enough to contain the Giants on this night.

The Giants went on to win, 17-3!

It should be noted that the King and I got to sit by my buddy Jess Geller and his son David in section 319 row 19. Jess has had season tickets for the Giants for 35 years. Fortunately for him and his family they were totally priced out.

Despite the annoying rain that was falling for most of the game from the second quarter on it was a fun experience watching the Bears get cut down to size.

The King and I took the bus to and from the game and it worked out very well this time both ways.

If you're looking to see a game at the new Stadium let me know so I can do my best to help make that a reality.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, October 4, 2010

Schedule w/o 10/4

Here's the game plan:

Friday October 8th Dallas Stars at NJ Devils 7PM Opening Night

Saturday October 9th Minnesota Twins at NY Yankees 8:37PM ALDS Game 3

Sunday October 10th Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins 1PM

It's going to an uneventful month for Royalty during the week this month.
In reality, I can use to catch up on my rest and prepare for the busy November and December I have planned.

Please check in early and often to see what the future holds as the fall and winter seasons start to unfold.
As always, I'm here if and when you need me.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/27 in Review

Monday night after a rough day at work thanks to a lack of sleep I got a blessing in disguise thanks to mother nature. I was on my way to Citi Field when the King called me to tell me the Met game was postponed and rescheduled for a 4:10PM doubleheader Wednesday.

With that being said, I went home to catch up on some much needed rest.

Tuesday night I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Brewers who were making their first visit to Citi Field since April 2009 when the ballpark opened.

The Brewers like the Mets were wrapping up a disappointing season.

As for the game I saw, the starting pitchers Randy Wolf of the Brewers threw 7 good innings giving up just 2 runs. For the Mets, Mike Pelfrey pitched well giving up 3 runs in 7 and a third innings of work.
Neither starter got a decision in this one though as the bullpens took over and they wound up deciding the outcome.

The Mets were trailing 3-2 going to the bottom of the ninth inning when they made a rare dramatic comeback at Citi Field. Ike Davis led off with a double, after Nick Evans struck out, Josh Thole singled hard to left field advancing Ike Davis to third base. Second baseman Ruben Tejada wound up being the hero when he delivered a game winning double to left center field as Davis and pinch runner Luis Castillo scored all the way from first base with the winning run.

The Mets won, 4-3!

Wednesday night I arrived at Citi Field in time for the second game of the doubleheader since I was working until 5:30PM.

After a wild and long first game which the Brewers won, 8-7, I had plenty of time to relax for a change and I had dinner before arriving at Citi Field for the 8:16PM first pitch.

In the nightcap, the Brewers wound up winning again. This time by a 3-1 score.

The Brewers starter Dave Bush pitched six shutout innings to earn the victory. For the Mets, R.A. Dickey pitched well allowing one run over seven innings when Mets moronic manager Jerry Manuel decided to pinch hit for him.

In the end, the all time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, came in to get the last three outs in the ninth inning to notch his 601st career save. Royalty doesn't put much stock in saves.

Astute baseball observers like myself know that as long as you need a "closer" these days, the best in the business is Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees.

Thursday night with mother nature potentially causing havoc again, I went back to Citi Field hoping she would cooperate and this time she did.

The Mets continuing to play out the string of their disappointing season, they secured another losing season when as they lost to the Brewers, 9-2!

Friday night which marked the start of the final weekend at Citi Field was a memorable one as the Mets once again won in their final at bat.

This time catcher Josh Thole was the man in the spotlight as he hit a game winning home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Mets a thrilling 2-1 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals.

Saturday afternoon I was back at Citi Field for a short visit knowing that our friend Bryan Gilligan was going to drive the King and I 200 miles south to Baltimore, Maryland afterwards so we could see another baseball game at Camden Yards at 7:05PM.

With that being said, we wound up leaving Citi Field at 3:33PM after the Nationals batted in the top of the seventh inning. The game was tied at 2 when we left the building.

When we got into the car and started to make our way down south, the Mets took the lead 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning when David Wright hit a three run homer.

In the eighth inning, pinch hitter Chris Carter hit a two run home run to extend the lead to 7-2 and that's the way it ended.

Thanks to Bryan's great driving we arrived in Camden Yards just in time for the 7:06PM first pitch.

We decided to sit downstairs to get a "birds eye" view of this one. I've been to Camden Yards at least once every year since it opened back in 1992. It was the original retro ballpark model. It's like a modern day Wrigley Field. If you haven't had the privilege of going there yet to see a baseball game I strongly suggest that you do so in 2011. Needless to say, if you need any assistance in order to make it happen, Royalty is here for you when you're ready to do so. Just say the word.

As for the game, we saw a nice fast well pitched one between the visiting Detroit Tigers and the hometown Baltimore Orioles.

Both teams were playing out the string and we still saw a good crisp ballgame which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead when third baseman Brandon Inge hit a solo home run.
The Orioles tied it up when right fielder Nick Markakis blasted a solo shot of his own.
Catcher Matt Wieters added a long sacrifice fly to give the Orioles the lead which they didn't relinquish.
The Orioles won, 2-1! The game ended two hours after it started at 9:06PM.

On the other hand, we only saw 6 and a half innings in two hours and 22 minutes at Citi Field.

Sunday I went back to Citi Field for the last time in 2010 as the Mets and Nationals took 4 hours and 14 minutes before they decided enough was enough.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel who was managing his last game waited until the 14th inning to make his smartest decision of the day. He decided to get the game over with. He brought in seldom used and highly overpaid pitcher Oliver Perez who hopefully has seen his last game as a Met despite the fact they owe him 12 million dollars for next year.

With the game tied at 1, Ollie proceeded to hit a batter and walk three others to eventually force in the winning run to give the Nationals the 2-1 victory in 14 innings.

Thank you Ollie for all the fond memories!

After spending a long windy day at Citi Field, the King and I were finally off to the New Meadowlands Stadium to see the Giants smother the Bears, 17-3 in primetime!

For all the details of that game, please check back. I'll be doing a special post.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

I hope in the future you'll be part of the story. If you want to be, you just need to let me know and I'll make it happen.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman