Royalty Tours USA

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Royalty w/o 2/20 in review

Mike Emrick Night

Thanks to having my priorities in order this past week, I fell just short of another royal week of Stadium Travel.

If you don't have your health, you can't live and enjoy life properly.

With that being said, here's how my week turned out:

Monday thanks to it being President's Day I had the day off from work. As a result, I got to go to the Nassau Coliseum with the King and our friend Frank Anichiarico to see the Islanders play the Ottawa Senators in a matinee affair. There were plenty of young kids in attendance including Grace Rossi who was there with her Daddy, Joe Rossi. It was great to see them again. We also had our friend Dennis Barbera there. After the game, he drove us back to Citi Field in Queens. It was very nice of him to do so. That way we didn't have to deal with public transportation in Nassau County which is a pain in the butt.

As for the game we saw, I think the Islanders forgot to get the memo that the game was starting early. They fell behind 1:08 into the game as defenseman Erik Karlsson of the Senators lit the lamp for the first of his two goals in the game to make it 1-0. 27 seconds his teammate Jason Spezza scored to make it 2-0. You knew it's wasn't going to be the Islanders' day. As the game wore on, it definitely wasn't. They trailed 3-0 after the first period. They went on to lose the game, 6-0.

After Dennis dropped us off by Citi Field, the King and I went home and we ate dinner before we went back out to Madison Square Garden for game two of our doubleheader. The Knicks were hosting their cross town rivals, the New Jersey Nets.

This game included the return of Carmelo Anthony who missed the last two weeks with a groin injury. It also was the first time since "Linsanity" took over as the starting point guard that Melo was playing with him.
Anthony only managed to score 11 points in his return. Jeremy Lin finished with 21 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds but he couldn't contain Deron Williams aka D-Will this time around. D-Will after getting burned a few weeks earlier at the Garden by Lin, made sure he got his revenge this time. He scored a game high 38 points to pace the Nets past the Knicks, 100-92.

Tuesday night after work I had a night off since there were no games to attend in the area. After running around all weekend long, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the Garden for more "Linsanity". The Knicks were playing the Atlanta Hawks. I got to say hello to their longtime radio announcer, Steve Holman.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks redeemed themselves after suffering a brutal loss to the Nets. The Knicks came to play on this night as they blew away the Hawks, 99-82 and it wasn't that close.

Thursday night after work I came home and I did my laundry.

Friday after work I met up with the King in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center where we saw the Devils play the Vancouver Canucks on Mike Emrick Night.

Mike Emrick aka "Doc" as he's called was the long time TV play by play announcer of the Devils. He called their games for 21 years. He's one of the best voices when it comes to watching the game of hockey. He's a class act who loves the game and his job if you will. He knows how to relate well to his audience. He's a paid professional but he's truly a real hockey fan deep down in his heart. The sport of hockey is blessed to have him. He still calls games on the NBC Sports Network for the National Hockey League.

After the Devils honored him in a pre game ceremony, it was time to play hockey as Mike said when he finished his thank you speech.

As for the game we saw, the Devils lost to the Canucks, 2-1. The Canucks came from Detroit the night before where they snapped the Red Wings' record breaking 23 game home winning streak as they beat them in a shootout.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Red Storm of St. John's play the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

We were joined by our friends Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich, Pat Gorman and Ralph and Vincent Ascanio. Since they were there with us it helped enhance the royal experience. We all enjoyed each other's company.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm of St. John's knocked off the Fighting Irish who came in ranked in the Top 25 by a score of 61-58. The Irish had chances to win the game but they missed too many wide open shots.

After the game, the King and I came home to eat before we went back to the Garden to see the Rangers play the Buffalo Sabres that night.

I needed to get a head start in my preparation for a colonoscopy that I was getting done on Monday morning. So I ate lightly.

After we got done, the King and I went back to the Garden.

As for the game we saw, the Sabres took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but the game was tied after regulation at two. Sabres' goaltender Ryan Miller played well but with 2:01 left in overtime the Rangers' Ryan Callahan made a beautiful move as he faked out the Sabres' defense as he split them which allowed him to put the biscuit in the basket to win the game for the Rangers, 3-2. The goal was the 100th goal of Callahan's young career.

It was a tough loss for the visiting Sabres and their fans who were there. I was up in the West Balcony where there were plenty of people dressed in their Sabre gear.

Sunday I was forced to miss the Devil game against the Tampa Bay Lightning so I could stay home all day and night so I could finish getting ready for my colonoscopy. It was a difficult day for me to say the least since I could only have liquids.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 2/27

Here's the game plan:

Monday February 27th Devils at Rangers 7:30PM

Wednesday February 29th Cavaliers at Knicks 7:30PM

Thursday March 1st Sacred Heart at LIU 7PM

Saturday March 3rd Cincinnati at Villanova 2PM

Cavaliers at Wizards 7PM

Sunday March 4th Bulls at 76ers 7PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 2/20 in review.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Royalty w/o 2/13 in review

Despite a slow start to the week it still turned out to be a royal one of stadium travel.

Here's how it went:

Monday night after work I had a night off so I was able to catch up on things at home and I was able to get some much needed rest too.

Tuesday night after work I went home and I did my laundry.

Wednesday night after work I passed up a chance to see some Linsanity as the Knicks played the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. It turned out to be a wise move as the Knicks blew out the Kings and Linsanity was limited to only 26 minutes. We arranged for our friend Mike Carroll to have the opportunity to witness some Linsanity instead. Regardless of the outcome, he said he had a great time.

As for the King and I, we went out to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Memphis Grizzlies. As a result, I got to see my pal Eric Hasseltine, the radio announcer for the Grizzlies. He greeted me in royal fashion as he gave me a Grizzlie media guide. In addition, he gave me some pocket schedules which included not only the Grizzlies but the Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks too. That alone made it worth going the extra mile to see that game. Unlike the Garden where it's easier to see the radio announcers, I had to find my way to the lower level since they broadcast from courtside. It wasn't easy but I wasn't going to be denied. Needless to say, I wasn't.

I got to talk to Eric briefly because he was very busy preparing for the game he was calling. I told him I hope to go back to Memphis in November, he said and I quote "let me know." If I do get to go back there, I certainly will. I want to personally thank Eric for giving me royal treatment again.

As for the game we saw, it was a much more competitive one than the Knicks. The Nets and Grizzlies went back and forth holding leads. In the end, the Nets ran out of gas as they fell to Grizzlies who "grinded" out the victory, 105-100. They were led by Rudy Gay who scored 25 points and his teammate Maurice Speights added 20 points to go along with 18 rebounds which proved to be the difference. Deron Williams aka D-Will of the Nets finished with 26 points and 11 assists in the losing effort.

Not only did we see a decent game we had great company on hand as our friends Frank Anichiarico and Vincent Ascanio were in attendance. In addition, we got a visit from a special guest, Manny Bonilla was in the house too. It was great to see him again.

Thursday night just before I left work I found out that former Expo and Met Gary Carter passed away. He was a great person and baseball player. I remember getting his autograph when I was a youngster. He was truly a class act and he will be missed.

After work I went to the Garden to see the Rangers host the Chicago Blackhawks who had lost their last nine games. The Blackhawks struck early and often as they built a 4-0 lead just 9:22 into the game. Jonathan Toews scored on a penalty shot just 1:04 into the first period which set the tone. The Blackhawks gave up a few goals later on but they held on to win, 4-2 to end their losing skid.

Friday night after work, the King and I went back out to Newark this time to see the Devils take on the Anaheim Ducks. By doing so, we passed up another night of Linsanity. He had an off night and so did the Knicks as they lost to the lowly New Orleans Hornets. Our friends Frank Anichiarico and Al Linderman took our place instead.

As for the game we saw, the Devils built a 2-0 lead but they wound up squandering it as the Ducks came back to tie the game at two. They went into overtime and it appeared that the Ducks had the game won in the extra session but it was reviewed. Upon further review it was determined that Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf kicked the puck in the net so it was disallowed. The Ducks celebrated prematurely. The game continued and it remained tied at two after overtime. The game was decided in a shootout. Ilya Kovalchuk scored first for the Devils. Teemu Selanne of the Ducks matched him with a goal of his own. After a scoreless second round, Patrik Elias lit the lamp in the third round to give the Devils a 3-2 victory.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went to the Garden to see the St. John's Red Storm play the Bruins of UCLA. We were joined by a number of friends which included Vincent Ascanio, Frank Anichiarico, Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and Steve Tepperman aka Princeton Steve who happens to be a big UCLA fan. In fact, he lived out in LA for a while in the past. While he was there he worked at the Pauley Pavilion where the Bruins play. He said they're playing their games at the LA Sports Arena this year because they're renovating the building.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm of St. John's beat the Bruins much to Steve's chagrin by a score of 66-63.

After the game, the King, Frank and I trekked out to the Nassau Coliseum where we met up with our pal Bryan Gilligan who joined us for the Islander game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders and Hurricanes exchanged goals. The game was tied at three after two periods. Early in the third, the Islanders' John Tavares scored his second goal of the game just 38 seconds in to give the Islanders the 4-3 win.

After the game, Bryan drove us home but before doing so we stopped off at Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. We all had a great time. I would like to thank Bryan for joining us.

Sunday afternoon the King and I went back to the Garden this time to get another dosage of Linsanity. We weren't alone either. I arranged to have our buddy Frankie Centola join us since he told us months in advance that he wanted to come up from Philadelphia. In addition, our pal Andrew Van Cleve aka the Ultimate Sports Fan decided he wanted to come up also. So I managed to accomodate his needs and wants as well. Thankfully everything worked out well for all of us.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks played the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks got off to a fast start as they let 32-20 after the first quarter. The Mavericks came roaring back to take the lead later in the game. In the end, the Knicks came away with the win, 104-97. Linsanity proved too much for the Champs to handle as he scored 28 points and he dished out a career high 14 assists in the process.

After the game, we all planned to go to Newark to see another NBA game as the Nets were playing the Milwaukee Bucks that night.

Andrew said he was meeting his friend Mike who he knew from when he lived in Chicago for a late lunch at Brother Jimmy's which is located across the street from the Garden. He said we were all welcome to join him and we did.

It turned out to be a nice get to together for all of us. We parted ways and we reunited in Newark for the Net game.

In addition, we met up with Vincent Ascanio who was there too.

As for the game we saw, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Nets, 92-85. The Bucks' were lead by Ersan Ilyasova who had a monster game. He scored 29 points and he pulled down 25 rebounds.

During the game, Andrew asked us if we wanted to hang out after the game since he had a few hours to kill before he caught his train back to Philadelphia. Since we weren't working Monday we decided to take him up on his offer.

We wound up going to the Edison Ale House which is located right next to the Prudential Center. We had some amazing beer battered chicken fingers, brick oven pizza and alcoholic beverages while we were there.
Afterwards we all walked to Newark-Penn Station and we all said our goodbyes as we parted ways until the next time we meet up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Royalty's going to Albuquerque and Phoenix in the middle of March!


It's going to be March next week, in preparation Royalty will be spending the middle of the month in Albuquerque, New Mexico a city that we've never been to and we're returning  to the Phoenix, Arizona area too.

The game plan is as follows:

The King and I are going to New Mexico and Arizona.The main purpose is to see some March Madness college basketball at the Pit in Albuquerque as well a college baseball game at Isotopes Park. We're going to a scenic drive to Arizona so we can see some Spring Training baseball as well.

Thursday, March 15th we have a flight booked on American Airlines that departs NY LaGuardia Airport at 6:05AM Eastern Time and it's scheduled to land in Albuquerque, New Mexico via Dallas-Ft. Worth at 11:15AM Mountain Time.

Upon arrival, I'll be renting a car from Alamo and we're going to drive right to the Pit for some March Madness. Due to time constraints, we may very well miss the first game of the day. They have four games scheduled to be played so as long as we see a few of them it will be worth our while.

While we're there we plan to meet up with Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell from Buffalo aka USRT. They inspired us to make this trip a few years ago when they said they were going there. In addition, we plan to meet up with a lady we met through our friend Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk. Her name is Carole Hewes and she lives in Albuquerque.

After the basketball games we're going to drive towards Phoenix which will be a scenic and breathtaking ride to say the least We'll be spending the night in Holbrook, Arizona.  

Friday, March 16th White Sox at Diamondbacks 1:10PM at Salt River Fields

                               Rockies at Reds 7:05PM Goodyear Ballpark

After the game we're driving back to Holbrook, Arizona to spend the night again.

Saturday, March 17th, we'll be at Isotopes Park to see the Lobos of  the University of New Mexico take on the Aztecs of San Diego State at 2PM.

After the game, we'll spending the night in the Albuquerque area before we head back East to go home.

We'll be flying back home on Sunday, March 18th. Our flight on United Airlines departs Albuquerque at 8:15AM Mountain Time and lands at LaGuardia at 3:56PM Eastern Time with a layover in Washington DC Dulles Airport.

Please feel free to check back for all the details of how this adventure played out. It's going to be another instant classic roadie royalty style.

If you want to join us, please let me know so I can arrange to make it happen.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, February 20, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 2/20

Here's the game plan:

Monday February 20th Senators at Islanders 1PM

                                    Nets at Knicks 7:30PM

Wednesday February 22nd Hawks at Knicks 7:30PM

Friday February 24th Canucks at Devils 7PM

Saturday February 25th Notre Dame at St. John's (MSG) 12 Noon

                                     Sabres at Rangers 7PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 2/13 in review.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Official review of Transformed Madison Square Garden Phase One - Home of the Knicks, Rangers and St. John's


Here's my official review of Madison Square Garden,  home of the Knicks, Rangers and St.John's. If you're lucky enough to go there in the near future, I strongly suggest you take a look at what I wrote so you know what to expect before you get there.

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/madison-square-garden-s95

I officially joined forces with my buddy Paul Swaney as a Special Correspondent by doing reviews for him when time allows me to do so. I also plan to contribute to great team of writers who cover different sports venues in the United States and other parts of the World.

His website, Stadium Journey is on my blog list. Here's the link: www.stadiumjourney.com/

Please feel free to check out his amazing site which will educate you greatly if and when you decide to take a road trip to see a new venue or if you're just curious how life is in other parts of the country and/or the world.

When it comes to sports travel knowledge, I have plenty but I don't have the time to go in depth like his site does. Regardless you can always feel free to e-mail me and pick my brain.

I'm a team player so whenever I can help somebody else, I indirectly help myself too. I think if you follow my blog, you should do the same.

Life is short. Play hard. I do, I believe you should too.

I hope you enjoy my evaluation.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Royalty gets a taste of "Lin-Sanity" at MSG!

When the King and I were at Madison Square Garden on February 4th, we saw the Knicks play the
Nets that night. Little did we know we were going to get a glimpse of the hottest thing to hit NYC in recent memory.

All of a sudden, the first ever Asian American player of Chinese descent came into the game. His name was Jeremy Lin. We like others we're wondering who is he.

Since he entered that game 10 days ago, he continues to be the talk of the town. He was living with his brother on the East Side on a couch. I think he may be ready to check in for a while at the Trump Tower now. He's no dummy. He graduated from Harvard. He went undrafted. In matter of fact, two teams had him and cut him. First the Golden State Warriors who he played briefly for. He was let go and the Houston Rockets picked him up. After they dumped him, the Knicks decided to take a chance on him. What a decision that was. They put him in the game and he exploded on the scene.

He electrified the crowd instantly hence the reference "Lin-Sanity". He finished the game with 25 points off the bench and he added 7 assists and 5 rebounds. What a performance.

He was rewarded with his first NBA start that Monday night when the Utah Jazz came to the Garden. "Lin-Sanity" took center stage again. This time he scored a new career high of 28 points and he added 8 assists. It was absolutely "Lincredible".

He took his instant success to Washington DC Wednesday night where the Knicks were visiting the Wizards and John Wall. The "Linning" ways continued again. This time he led the way as he scored 23 points and dished out 10 assists.

The Knicks returned home on Friday night to face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at the Garden. "Lin-Sanity" stole the show as he outscored Kobe by pouring in a new career high 38 points as he led the Knicks to another victory.

Saturday night the Knicks hit the road again as they went out to the Twin Cities to play the Timberwolves. It appeared that the Knicks were going to lose but "Linderella" wouldn't let the glass slipper wear off just yet as the "Linning" ways continued.

Tonight the Knicks headed north of the border to play the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks trailed most of the game but once again "Linderella" got across the border and was the difference as the Knicks return home a winner again. He scored 27 points including the "Linning" shot and he handed out 11 more assists. By the way, that was Jeremy's way of saying "Happy VaLINtine's Day" to all his fans.

Since Lin got some serious playing time against the Nets, the Knicks haven't lost they're 6-0. He continues to be the talk of the town but he always defers the credit to his teammates.

Now the question is if and when is "Linsanity" going to end. At this rate, I think it's here to stay.

Time will tell.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/6 in review

Nets and Spurs on Hardwood Classics Night 
Another royal week of stadium travel is in the books.

 Here's how it turned out:

Monday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Utah Jazz with the King. There was some good news and some bad that came out of this game. As for the good, the Knicks rallied around the troops that they had on this night since they were shorthanded. With the aid of somebody named Jeremy Lin who made his first NBA start they found a way to win. They won, 99-88 as they beat the Jazz.

As for the bad news, they played without superstar Amar'e Stoudemire who tragically lost his older brother, Hazell who got killed in a car accident in Florida. To add insult to injury, Carmelo Anthony came up lame early in the game. He was diagnosed with a pulled groin. As a result, he was finished for the night and for the next few weeks as well.

Tuesday night after work, I stayed home so I could do my laundry.

Wednesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ with the King to see a rematch from the week before as the NJ Nets hosted the Detroit Pistons again. This time the Pistons emerged victorious, 99-92. By doing so, they avenged the loss from the week before.

Thursday night after work the King and I went back to Newark to see hockey as the Devils faced off with the St. Louis Blues who were making a rare visit to the area. As for the game we saw, it was a good seesaw battle as both teams exchanged goals during the game. The Blues got the equalizer with 5:50 left in regulation time to knot the game at three. After a scoreless overtime session, the game was decided in a shootout. The Blues' T.J. Oshie scored the first and only goal of the skills competition as the Blues came away with the 4-3 win.

Friday night after work the King and I went back to Madison Square Garden to see more basketball. It was a special night since Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were making their only local area appearance. With the Lakers in the building, the Garden was really rocking. There were a number of Laker fans as usual in attendance.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks were still without their big guns, Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Despite that, once again somebody named Jeremy Lin emerged as the hero on this night. He lead the way as the Knicks got passed Kobe and the Lakers, 92-85. Kobe shot awful early on in this game. He perked up in the second half but it was too little too late as his team fell short on the big stage.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the LA Kings. I want to personally thank our friend Larry Peim who was kind enough to pick us up and drive us out there. Royal treatment indeed.

As for the game we saw, the Kings and Islanders fought hard in a very physical affair. The game was tied at one after regulation time. Captain Mark Streit of the Islanders netted the game winner 1:36 into overtime to give the Islanders the 2-1 victory.

After the game, Larry dropped off the King and I back home on his way to Bridgeport, Connecticut where he was going to see the Sound Tigers, the Islanders farm team play. He would have gladly taken us with him but since the Nets were playing the Spurs, the King and I wanted to see them play.

In addition, I arranged to have my Cousin Andy join us as well. Our friends Frank Anichiarico, Ralph and his son Vincent Ascanio were also there. It made for a nice social gathering at the arena.

Furthermore, we got to see the San Antonio Spurs who have been a powerful team over the last decade with their silent assassin Tim Duncan and great play making point guard Tony Parker. They made it look easy as they cruised past the Nets, 103-89 on Hardwood Classics night as both teams turned back the clock and they wore old school uniforms which was an added treat. It was also my 1,200th NBA game that I've seen live in my life.

Sunday afternoon the King and I trekked back out to the Nassau Coliseum by public transportation to see the Islanders take on the Florida Panthers on Marvel Comic Book Day. It was a fun day for all the kids that were in attendance. They were able to meet and greet some of their favorite superheroes. The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman and Thor were on hand to keep the children amused during the game and between periods.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders drew first blood as they scored the game's first goal but it went down hill after that as they gave up the next four goals as the Panthers went to win easily, 4-1.

We did have company at the game as our friend Dennis Barbera was there. After the game, he drove the King and I home. More royal treatment. I would like to thank Dennis for taking us back. It was very nice and thoughtful of him.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to be do about somebody named Jeremy Lin.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 2/13

Here's the game plan:

Wednesday February 15th Grizzlies at Nets 7:30PM

Thursday February 16th Blackhawks at Rangers 7PM

Friday February 17th Ducks at Devils 7PM

Saturday February 18th UCLA at St. John's (MSG) 1PM

                                     Hurricanes at Islanders 7PM

Sunday February 19th Mavericks at Knicks 1PM

                                    Bucks at Nets 7PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 2/6 in review.

 In addition, I'm going to do a special post on the latest thing to take center stage at the Garden, I'm referring to "Lin-Sanity."

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Prince sets a record for football games attended during the 2011 season!

After having a monster 2010 season of seeing 36 total football games (27 NFL and 9 College), I managed to surpass that in total in 2011. After all, living in the Northeast has its privileges.

In 2010, I saw more quality if you will and almost as much quantity.

I went to more venues and other parts of the country in 2010 which in some ways is much more impressive in my eyes.

In 2011, once the NFL lockout was officially over, I was able to follow through on my game plan. I knew I could see as many as 25 regular season NFL games. I usually shoot for 20 depending on how the schedule works out.

Thanks to many of the Northeast teams getting prime time exposure, I was able to take full advantage of the opportunity. I saw four NFL doubleheaders and I went to ten prime time games five on Sunday, four on Monday and one Thursday night during my recording shattering season.

In addition, I got to see four playoff games as well. One Wild Card, two Divisional Playoffs and the AFC Championship Game.

By doing so, I was able to keep my playoff streak of attending at least one every year since 1997 alive. I now have seen 38 total.

14 WC/15 DP/7 Championship Games/1 Super Bowl (Giants/Ravens) and 1 Pro Bowl.

Furthermore, I tied my 2010 record total of nine college football games too.

Here's the breakdown by home team and/or school:

NFL (29)
8 Jets
6 Eagles
5 Giants (Wild Card Game)
4 Ravens (Divisional Playoff)
3 Patriots (Divisional Playoff and AFC Championship Game)
1 Redskins
1 Browns
1 Vikings

College (9)
Kansas State
Temple
Columbia
Penn
Towson
Navy
Princeton
Buffalo
Pinstripe Bowl

Based on the NFL opponents for 2012, it looks like a tall order for me to break it again. I'll wait and see what happens.

When it comes to football, I'm the King.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Royalty w/o 1/30 in review

Quick Change
Monday after work I had a night off from attending a game so I used my free time wisely and I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Devils host their Hudson River rivals, the NY Rangers with the King.

As for the game we saw, it turned out to be a good action packed match. Both teams battled and fought hard all night exchanging goals. The Devils wound up getting a lucky bounce off the boards as the puck caromed to David Clarkson in front of the net who buried the equalizer with just 48 seconds left in regulation time to tie the game at three. After a scoreless overtime session, the game was decided in a shootout. The Devils came away with the extra point as they won the skills competition. As a result, they were 4-3 winners.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the "Rock". This time to see basketball. The NJ Nets took on the Detroit Pistons.

As for the game I saw, the Nets and Pistons played in a closely contested game. The Nets managed to pull out the victory by a score of 99-96.

I was joined by the King and our friend Vinny Ascanio. As usual, we all enjoyed each other's company.
Thursday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks entertain the Chicago Bulls.
The Knicks were able to hang around with the Bulls most of the game but in the end, the Bulls came away with a 105-102 win. They were lead by their young superstar point guard Derrick Rose. Rose had a MVP like performance as he sliced and diced his way through the Knicks defense throughout the game as he scored 32 points including 15 in the critical fourth quarter. He also dished out 13 assists to carry his team to the narrow victory in front of an electric atmosphere at the World's Most Famous Arena.

In addition, during the halftime intermission, the crowd was treated to an act called "Quick Change." These people have been doing this routine for many years. Every time I see it, I still don't believe it. They change what their wearing numerous times right before your eyes. It's truly amazing.

Friday night after work I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Minnesota Timberwolves who have Ricky Rubio, the point guard from Spain. The Timberwolves drafted him a few years ago but he had to fulfill his obligations in Spain before he was allowed to come to the United States. With his arrival in the Twin Cities, the Timberwolves have improved drastically thus far.

This was the first time I got to see him play live in person. Needless to say, he didn't disappoint. In matter of fact, he put on quite a show. He scored 10 points, handed out 10 assists and he stole the ball 6 times. In the process, he made his teammates better. In particular, Nikola Pekovic, who finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Love who added 20 points and 10 boards as the Timberwolves came out on top, 108-105. For the Nets, Anthony Morrow had a career high 42 points in the losing effort.

Saturday morning the King and I took a bus from Chinatown here in NYC to Philadelphia to see the Flyers take on the NJ Devils in a matinee affair at the Wells Fargo Center . We were joined by our pal Andrew Van Cleve and his son, Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby.

We saw a wild game. The Devils raced out to a 6-0 lead after two periods. The Flyers finally woke up but it was too little too late as they managed to get within a few goals at 6-4 late in the game but they couldn't come all the way back as they lost by that score. At least they made it interesting for us and those who stayed and didn't leave early.

After the game, the King and I took a Chinese bus back home so we could go to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play their cross town rivals, the NJ Nets.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks in need of a victory in the worst way after losing to the Bulls then they went to Boston and lost there as well. So despite playing for the third night in a row thanks to the lockout, they needed to find a way to win. On this night they sure did. The Nets fresh off a tough loss to the Timberwolves were beat up by the Knicks by a score of 99-92.

The Knicks found a way to win by calling on a recent undrafted free agent pickup. I'm talking about a guy named Jeremy Lin who graduated from Harvard and was let go by the Houston Rockets. Lin played one game in the Developmental League before the Knicks had him join the team. Based on his heroic performance, he instantly became a fan favorite. Lin brought the energy the Knicks' so desperately needed. He scored 25 points and added 7 assists to go along with 5 rebounds in his Knick debut. What a way to make a splash.

Super Bowl Sunday the King and I didn't spend it in Indianapolis as many thought we might have.
Instead we went out to the Prudential Center to see the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins play some hockey. It was my 100th Devil game there. The Devils fresh off their 6-4 win over the Flyers, came out strong again as they whipped up the Penguins, 5-2.

After the game, the King and I went back to Queens to our friend Frank and Tina's place to watch the Super Bowl on TV. It's become a tradition the last so many years for us to do so.

I would like to thank Frank and Tina for their fine hospitality as usual.

As for the Super Bowl, we weren't happy with the outcome but since we have no control, there's not much we can do about it. It was a good competitive game at least as the Giants beat the Patriots again, this time 21-17.

It capped off a great football season for me. With that being said, please stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do regarding my record breaking season of attending live football games.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, February 6, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 2/6

Here's the game plan:

Monday February 6th Jazz at Knicks 7:30PM

Wednesday February 8th Pistons at Nets 7:30PM

Thursday February 9th Blues at Devils 7:30PM

Friday February 10th Lakers at Knicks 8PM

Saturday February 11th Kings at Islanders 1PM

                                     Spurs at Nets 8PM

Sunday February 12th Panthers at Islanders 3PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 1/30 in review and a special post recapping my record breaking football season of attending games.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman