This past week started slow which was just what the doctor ordered after a three week rampage of running around to see live sporting events to start the New Year.
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night I went home after work to rest and catch up on things at home like normally people do on a regular basis.
Monday night I did my laundry.
Wednesday night I took it easy since I was worn out.
Thursday night I met my parents along with my niece Taylor and nephew Jeremy for dinner. We had a really nice time together. It was great to see them all again.
Tuesday night after work I went to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Buffalo Sabres who were in a horrible slump.
Since our pals Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell from Buffalo are big Sabre fans, the King and I needed to deliver some royal karma for them. Those poor guys went to Chicago and Winnipeg to see them play and they were awful. They braved the elements to see some lousy Sabre hockey. Regardless they had a blast. Check out their website which is on my blog list for all the details on their latest getaway.
On this night, the Sabres didn't play great but they managed to get the game to a shootout where they were able to beat the Devils in the skills competition, 2-1. A win's a win and I'm glad that we were able to get the Sabres the two points that they so desperately needed.
Friday night after work, the King, his half brother Charlie Casiano and our pal Vincent Ascanio trekked out to Stony Brook, Long Island to see some college basketball as the Seawolves of Stony Brook played their arch rival, the Terriers of Boston University. It should be noted that Charlie got his undergraduate degree from Stony Brook.
I want to personally thank my buddy Eddie Pelle who also graduated from there. He went out of his way to arrange to accomodate all of us. He was going to join us but he wound up taking advantage of an opportunity to make a trip to Hawaii to see the Pro Bowl at the last minute.
Eddie not only got us tickets for the game which was sold out but he also provided us with round trip transportation on LIRR from Penn Station which is a hour and a half ride there and back.
We were all very grateful for his generosity. Too bad he couldn't join us as the Seawolves beat the Terriers, 66-57 in a seesaw battle. The Seawolves started slow but finished strong to win. It was a great experience as the gym was jam packed. There was a sea of red throughout the building since both teams wear red. The crowd was predominantly Stony Brook fans though. The student section was jumping all night long.
It was nice to spend some quality time with Charlie. He's a really good guy. I hope we get to see him more often in the future.
Saturday morning the King and I took a Chinese bus from Chinatown to Philadelphia for the day. We went to see three more basketball games in the City of Brotherly Love.
We arrived in Philadelphia shortly after 12 Noon which gave us plenty of time to get to the first game we were attending at Drexel University, home of the Dragons at 2PM. They were playing the Blue Hens from the University of Delaware. We met our friend Mike Carroll there.
As for the game, it was a great atmosphere. Unfortunately we had to leave early with 6:28 left in the second half with the Dragons winning, 56-38 so we could get to our next game on time. The Dragons went on to win the game easily, 71-55. While we were there we got to say hello to Josh Verlin who writes for Stadium Journey. He's a young man who's taking a class at Temple so he can graduate he said.
He left the game early as well. We all went to Temple to see the Owls play the Hawks of St. Joseph's at 4PM.
We met our friend Andrew Van Cleve who was with his son, Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby. Andrew's wife Nicole is a professor at Temple. She was working while he was at the game.
Andrew helped the King and I out by getting us tickets while we were taking the subway over from Drexel.
As a result, we barely got in on time. As I like to say, teamwork makes the dream work. Needless to say, it was a pleasure to see Andrew and Dylan again.
As for the game we saw, Temple wound up blowing away St. Joseph's, 78-60. I expected to see a more competitive game. Regardless of the outcome, it was still nice to finally see a game there.
After the game, Andrew met up with Nicole for dinner. The King and I went to Wendy's which was right next to the arena so it was very convenient for us to have a quick dinner before we got back on the train to go to the Wells Fargo Center for our third basketball game of the day. We saw the 76ers play the Detroit Pistons.
As for the game we saw, the 76ers won rather easily, 95-74. By doing so, we got to see all three home teams win.
After the game, we caught the 10PM Chinese bus which got us back to lower Manhattan just before midnight.
Sunday the King and I rested up during the day before we headed back out to Newark, NJ to see the Nets host the Toronto Raptors. We were joined by our friends Frank Anichiarico and Vincent Ascanio.
As for the game we saw, it wasn't much of a game. The Nets hung around into the third quarter but then the Raptors started to pull away as they went on to win, 94-73.
Thank you for reading and following along.
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
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