Royalty Tours USA

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Royalty sees a local basketball doubleheader in NYC!

Prince at MSG for St. John's basketball
Sunday morning I got up and I returned the Toyota Camry I rented from Avis for the day. I drove 262 miles safely.

After I returned the car, I took public transportation to midtown Manhattan. I went to Madison Square Garden to see the St. John's Red Storm play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Noon.

I met up with the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico, Rich Wolber and Vinny Ascanio in the lobby.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm trailed the Panthers, 30-27 at halftime. Early in the second half, the Johnnies took a brief one point lead but that didn't last long. The Panthers got their act together as they went on to beat the Red Storm, 63-47 before an announced of 9,129 which consisted of a number of Panther fans who made the trip to NYC.

After the game, the King and I went home to relax for a little while since we had some time to kill before our second game of the day.

I was waiting to hear from fellow roadtripper, Sean MacDonald who was flying in to JFK from Dallas where he spent a few weeks seeing different sporting events and venues.

Sean is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He spent 15 years in Japan. He recently moved to Singapore where now calls home.

Sean flew in to NYC because he was working here for the rest of the week. I was hoping to meet him for dinner at Junior's Restaurant before we went to the Barclays Center to see the Nets play the Memphis Grizzlies.

Unfortunately Sean got in later than expected which changed our dinner plans. I wound up going to 2 Bros Pizza which is located across the street from Junior's instead. It worked out as Sean told me he would meet me outside the Barclays Center at 5:30PM or so. I had his ticket that I arranged to get for him. In addition, he wanted to take pictures and he wanted to check out the arena for himself. The King came later and we met up with him inside the building.

Prince at Barclays Center

As for the game we saw, the Grizzlies raced out to a 14-4 lead just five minutes into the game. They went into a dry spell and they let the Nets back into the game. As a result, they trailed by three, 19-16 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Grizzlies started to surge again as they out scored the Nets by eight to take a five point lead at halftime, 43-38. In the third quarter, both teams were absolutely awful. They both combined for 25 points. The Grizzlies still lead, 55-51 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies went into another mental lapse as they let the Nets regain the lead by five, 72-67 then the Grizzlies got down to business as they used their grit and grind style to wear out the Nets down the stretch. As a result, they scored the last nine points of the game as they extended their winning streak to seven as they left Brooklyn with a hard fought 76-72 victory.

Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about a few special people I know who work for the Grizzlies.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman











Royalty sees a hockey doubleheader in Philadelphia & Trenton!

Prince at Wells Fargo Center
Once the NHL came back from their lockout, some minor changes were made to their schedule. Originally on Saturday, February 23rd the Devils were suppose to be home at 1PM against the Washington Capitals. Unfortunately that was changed as the Devils played in Washington at Noon instead.

With that being said, I needed to found another game to go to since staying home wasn't an option. After exhausting all the possibilities, I decided to go to Philadelphia because the Flyers were playing that afternoon at 1PM against the Winnipeg Jets. I already knew that the Trenton Titans of the ECHL were home that night as well. As a result, it made for an easy doubleheader since Trenton is only 40 miles from Philadelphia and its on the way back home.

I debated whether I should rent a car or take public transportation down there. I decided it would be more convenient & beneficial to rent a car. With that being said, I got up early and I took the MTA out to Avis where I rented a Toyota Camry for the day.

I picked up the car then I drove back home and I picked up the King and off we went to the City of Brotherly Love.

We arrived within walking distance of the sports complex at 12:35PM. We proceeded to walk over to the Wells Fargo Center for game one of our hockey doubleheader.

As for the game we saw, the Jets scored first as Evander Kane gave the Jets an early 1-0 lead 4:48 into the game. The Flyers tied it up at one with 4:42 to go in the first period when Brayden Schenn lit the lamp. In the second period, the Jets regained the lead, 2-1 2:34 in as Olli Jokinen found the net. The Jets extended their lead to 3-1 when Alexander Burmistrov scored with 8:57 left in the period. The Flyers got a break when the Jets were penalized not once but twice. As a result, the Flyers had a two man advantage. Shortly thereafter, Claude Giroux of the Flyers sliced the Jet lead in half when he buried the puck in the net to make it 3-2. I was thinking of my pal Kurt Smith who likes the Flyers and in particular, Claude Giroux. In the third period, the Flyers evened the score at three when Brayden Schenn got his second goal of the game 6:18 into the period on the power play. The Flyers cashed in again on the power play when Wayne Simmonds scored to give the Flyers a 4-3 lead 8:57 into the third period. They added an empty net goal with a fraction of a second to go to officially seal the deal as the Flyers made an impressive comeback to overtake the Jets, 5-3 much to the delight of the announced crowd of 19,933 which should be a sellout.

After the game, the King and I drove to Golden Corral to have dinner between games in Bensalem, Pennsylvania which is midway between Philadelphia and Trenton. By doing so, we were able to help ourselves to happiness.

Prince at Sun National Bank Center

Once we finished eating, we drove to Trenton, NJ and we went to the Sun National Bank Center which is the home of the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. They were hosting the Reading Royals.

As for the game we saw, the Titans scored early and often. In matter of fact, it was a one man show for the first half of the game as Stephen Schultz scored four unanswered goals to give the Titans a commanding 4-0 lead. The Titans wound up adding a few more goals in the third period as they cruised to an easy 6-0 victory as the announced crowd of 5,146 went home happy. That figure seemed a bit inflated. They had a bigger crowd than usual though which was nice to see.

After the game, I drove us back home. We got back just before midnight which allowed me to get a good night sleep.

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap the basketball doubleheader we saw on Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman










Monday, February 25, 2013

Royalty w/o 2/18 in review

My niece Taylor, my nephew Jeremy & I
Monday I was off from work because it was President's Day. After getting back late from Lewiston, Maine, I still managed to get a good night sleep. I woke up and made breakfast then I drove the King & I out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Philadelphia Flyers in a matinee affair.

We arranged to meet up with our pal Larry Peim out there. When we got inside the building, we were joined by our friends Michael Abrams and Rob Pierlewski who were there too.

As for the game we saw, the Flyers struck early and often as they handed the Islanders their worst shutout loss in their history at the Coliseum. The Flyers cruised to a 7-0 win as Claude Giroux and Daniel Briere both scored twice as they embarrassed the Islanders in front of a crowd of 16,170 that was just short of a sellout.

After the game, Larry took the King back home while I decided to go visit my sister Abbey and my brother-in-law Scott as well as my adorable niece Taylor and my handsome nephew Jeremy who live in nearby East Meadow. They were all so happy to see me and vice versa.

We all wound up going out to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. We all enjoyed each other's company. When we were done eating, we said our goodbyes and I drove myself back home.

Tuesday morning I got up extra early because I had to go to Avis to return the Toyota Corolla I rented for the weekend. I wound up driving 818 miles safely.

After I dropped off the car, I went to work. After work, I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Milwaukee Bucks at the Barclays Center.

Before I went into the arena, I went across the street to McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall for a pre game meal.

When I was done I walked back over and I went inside. I met up with the King and our pals Larry Peim and Michael Abrams who were also present & accounted for. They wound up getting tickets in our section 230 on Stub Hub.

As for the game we saw, the Nets lead the Bucks, 31-24 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets added to their lead as they led the Bucks, 61-51 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bucks came roaring back as they scored the Nets by 11 to take a one point lead, 81-80 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Nets tied the game at 105 after regulation time. With that being said, the game went into overtime. The Nets emerged victorious as Joe Johnson hit the game winning shot as time expired in the extra session as the Nets escaped with a 113-111 win to send the announced crowd of 17,334 home happy.

Legends Night at St. John's University
Wednesday night after work I went out to Queens with my co-worker and St. John's alumni Jayson Castillo to see the St. John's Red Storm play the South Florida Bulls at Carnesecca Arena on Legends night. In addition, they gave away Lou Carnesecca bobblehead dolls to the first 4,000 fans who entered the building.
Jayson and I had a blast. I want to personally thank him for getting me a ticket for this historic occasion.
They had a ceremony at halftime that Jayson was part of. He was amongst the many alumni that they honored on this special night. They brought back a number of former players such as Malik Boothe, Wille Glass and Greg "Boo" Harvey to name a few. They all lined up around the sidelines of the court.
The ceremony reached its pinnacle when legendary coach Lou Carnesecca stood at center court and he did a moving speech as he thanked all of the alumni for making St. John's basketball what it is today. It was a thrill to be a part of it.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm raced out to an early 14-2 lead and they didn't look back. They led, 33-17 at halftime. In the second half, the Bulls made a comeback attempt but the Red Storm held them off as they beat them, 69-54 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,602.

Jayson introduced me to a friend of his, Michael Varga who also graduated from St. John's too. Michael is an up and coming sports traveler. He also loves doing sports trivia. We got to chat for a little while as they the game was winding down. We exchanged contact information so we can help each other out in the future. That was the icing on the cake on this festive night out.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner. After dinner I went out and I did my laundry.

Friday after work I went back to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Houston Rockets at the Barclays Center as Linsanity returned to NYC.

I went to McDonald's again to have my pre game meal. Upon entry to the arena, I went up to my seat with the King in section 230 to watch the game.

As for the game we saw, the Rockets lead 34-31 after the first quarter. The Rockets extended their lead to 8, 61-53 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Rockets added another point to their lead as they went by 9, 84-75. In the fourth quarter, the Rockets maintained their lead as they went on to knock off the Nets, 106-96.

As for Linsanity, he was rather ordinary on this night as he finished the game with 9 points and he dished out 6 assists. His teammates Carlos Delfino and James Harden scored 22 points each to carry the Rockets to the road win. As for the Nets, Brook Lopez scored a game high 27 points in the losing effort.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will recap the hockey and basketball doubleheaders we saw over the weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman






















Sunday, February 24, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 2/25

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday February 26th Jets at Rangers 7PM

Wednesday February 27th Warriors at Knicks 8PM

Friday March 1st Mavericks at Nets 8PM

Saturday March 2nd Rhode Island Rams at Temple Owls 2PM

                                Warriors at 76ers 7PM

Sunday March 3rd Manhattan Jaspers at Loyola (MD) Greyhounds 12 Noon

                               76ers at Wizards 6PM

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 2/18 in review. In addition, I plan to do some special posts that will recap my memorable weekend.

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

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Royalty goes to Lewiston, Maine for AHL hockey despite Plato!

Prince outside Androscroggin Bank Colisee
After we left Springfield, Massachusetts Saturday night after the game, we drove up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire which was 142 miles away. We got there around 12:30AM. We stayed over at Motel 6 where we got a good night sleep.

We woke up in the morning and we looked out of the window. It was snowing lightly. We put on the TV and we checked out the weather channel. They said a storm called Plato was on its way up from the South. It was heading towards Maine. Luckily they said that the accumulation was only going to be 3-6 inches after they initially said it was suppose to be closer to a foot.

I knew we may have some snow in the area so I planned accordingly. I dressed warm and I brought my boots just in case. It turned out to be the right move as I wound up wearing everything I took.

Once we checked out of the hotel we went to have breakfast at IHOP which was in a shopping center right up the road. After we had a hearty meal, we drove over to Walmart which was nearby so we could do some shopping.

We got done and we drove to Lewiston, Maine which was 85 miles away from Portsmouth and 35 miles past Portland.

We went to see the Portland Pirates, the Phoenix Coyotes AHL affiliate play the St. John's IceCaps, the Winnipeg Jets farm team at Androscroggin Bank Colisee, which is an old barn with all wooden seats at 4PM. This was one of the four games they were playing there this season.

It should be noted that this the same arena where Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali fought Sonny Liston in their rematch back on May 25,1965.

This place was the cornerstone for making this journey. Despite mother nature trying her best to derail our plans we managed to get there and back without too much difficulty. We allowed enough time so we could get there without a problem. We wound up parking the car on the street right across from the arena for free at 2:50PM.

We walked over to the box office which was in front of the building. They posted a sign saying the game was sold out. We didn't buy tickets in advance because we didn't think it was going to be a problem. With that being said, we started asking people as they were coming towards the arena if they had any extra tickets.


They're were other people looking too. Luckily after a little while I had an older gentleman ask me how many tickets I needed. I told him two. He said he had one. I told him that's better than none. He proceeded to give it to me. I thanked him and shook his hand. Now we only needed one more between us. Ironically while I continued to ask if anybody had an extra ticket, a young man came towards the box office and he said he needed a ticket too. Shortly thereafter, the King found someone who had an extra ticket and he gave it to him. He asked him if he had another and sure enough he did. So we got two together right near center ice. We took the third ticket we had and we gave it to this young man who thanked us and he said and I quote "today's my lucky day." With that being said, we all got in for free. The game being allegedly sold out turned out to be a blessing in disguise for us. It should be noted they announced a sellout crowd of 3,750 but there were a good number of scattered empty seats which makes you wonder.

Prince at Androscroggin Bank Colisee
King at Androscroggin Bank Colisee

As for the game we saw, the Pirates scored early and often as they lead 3-0 after the first period. After a scoreless second period, the Pirates tacked on three more unanswered goals before the IceCaps broke the shutout with just 29.3 seconds to go in the game. The Pirates went on to win, 6-1.

After the game, we went to have dinner at Governor's Restaurant and Bakery which was conveniently located a few miles away just before the entrance to I-95.

I got to have a great seafood dinner while the King had steak tips before we got back in the car to drive 335 miles back home to Astoria.

As for dinner, I had a haddock chowder soup to go along with broiled scallops, red skin mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables which consisted of carrots, green beans and cauliflower. It was a perfect way to end our visit to New England. Nothing beats having seafood in Maine.

On the way back home I braved the strong winds that were blowing as we wound up getting back home at 1:44AM. With that being said, another exciting and adventurous weekend was complete.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Friday, February 22, 2013

Royalty sees AHL hockey in Springfield, Massachusetts!

Prince at MassMutual Center
After the King and I went to the Basketball Hall of Fame, we got in the car and we drove over to nearby downtown Springfield. We parked the car up the block from the MassMutual Center, home of the Springfield Falcons, the minor league affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's also the home of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference aka the MAAC tournament which takes place in March. We parked by a meter around 5:15PM but we didn't have to put money in because the sign said they're only in effect Monday-Friday.

We proceeded to walk around to look for a place to eat. I was hoping to find a place called the Red Rose which is an Italian restaurant that people we know rave about.

Unfortunately we walked the wrong way trying to find it. As a result, we wasted precious time. By the time we walked back and we went in the other direction it was too late to go there. When we passed by, it was jam packed with people eating and waiting to be seated.

As a result, we wound up settling for Crown's Fried Chicken which was fast and convenient.

After we ate, we walked over to the arena. There was a guy who said he had an extra ticket. We approached him and he said he wanted $5 for it. It happened to be a complimentary ticket but it was better than paying $20 at the box office. With that being said, we bought it. We walked down the block to the box office and there was a long line of people who were waiting to buy tickets. So we went back outside and asked around for a ticket. After a short time, a lady came to me and she said I have an extra ticket from my company. She proceeded to hand it to me and we happily went inside. We wound up getting a pair of tickets for $5.

We got in the building as the players were still warming up. It worked out well as we found seats in the same section as the ticket the lady gave me so we went there and we sat down and enjoyed the game together.
As for the game we saw, the Falcons were hosting the Portland Pirates who are the Phoenix Coyotes' farm club.
In the first period, the Pirates took the early lead as Chris Brown scored to make it 1-0 7:11 into the game. The Falcons got even late with 2:03 left as Wade MacLeod scored to tie it at one. In the second period, Boris Valabik scored his first goal of the season to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead with 5:01 left. In the third period, the Pirates got an insurance goal as Rob Klinkhammer buried the biscuit to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead with 11:27 to go. They went on to beat the Falcons as the announced crowd of 3,776 went home unhappy except for the handful of Pirate fans who made the trip down.

Stay tuned for the special post that I'm going to do about our adventure to Lewiston, Maine for some more AHL hockey.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman









Thursday, February 21, 2013

Royalty goes to Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts!

Prince at Basketball Hall of Fame
Saturday morning I went to Avis and I rented a Toyota Corolla for President's Day weekend.

When the hockey and basketball schedules came out back in June and July, I noticed that the NBA was going to have its All-Star Break this weekend. With the NHL having a lockout, I decided that this weekend would be a perfect time to finally get to the Basketball Hall of Fame. I was planning to go to see a minor league hockey game in Springfield, Massachusetts. With that being said, this was the appropriate time to enhance our knowledge of the game of basketball.

After I picked up the car, I drove back home to get the King and off to New England we went. We arrived at the Basketball Hall of Fame around 2:30PM which gave us a few hours to explore this historic shrine.
The Hall of Fame is conveniently located near downtown Springfield right off I-91. There's plenty of free parking in the parking lot where the museum is located. In addition, they have some different restaurants right there in case you decide you need to have something to eat while you're there.

As for the hours of operation, the Hall of Fame is open throughout the year but the hours are subject to change. I recommend that you double check their website before you go to make sure it's open that particular day.

As for admission, they charge $19 for adults and $15 for senior citizens. If you belong to AAA, show your card and you'll save $2 like we did.

Upon entry into the museum, you'll start by going up to the third floor which is called "The Honors Ring." This is where you'll find plagues, artifacts and biographies of over 300 individuals and teams who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition, you'll find an audio enhanced video timeline of world & basketball history since the game's invention in 1891 by James Naismith who was from Ontario, Canada.
On the second floor, they have five different galleries. They're called The Game, Players, Media, Coaches & Teams. These galleries bring the museum to life. In each gallery, you'll find interactive exhibits, memorabilia and artifacts that literally put you in the game.

It was fascinating to check out these galleries as we took a ride down memory lane. We got to relive the memories of the different legends who have played, coached and/or have called the games.

We got to see the plague of the Lakers' late owner, Dr. Jerry Buss who passed away Monday after we were there. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. It was sad to see him leave us. He played an instrumental role in bringing Showtime to the City of Los Angeles right after he bought the Lakers back in 1979.

Prince overlooking Center Court
After taking in this educational experience, we got to go down to the ground floor which is called Center Court. This is a full size basketball court that's open to the public to shoot on while they visit the Hall of Fame. They also have an area with over a half dozen different hoops to shoot at which chronicle the evolution of the basket.

The King and I decided to get a workout by shooting hoops on the court. It was a great way to wrap up this very worth while experience.

If you happen to like the game of basketball or you're a sports fan, I strongly suggest that you make some time to go to Springfield, Massachusetts some day to experience this for yourself. Trust me it will be time and money well spent.

Stay tuned for some more special posts that will recap the rest of the adventurous weekend we had.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Royalty w/o 2/11 in review

Tim Capstraw & Chris Carrino
Monday night after work I came home and I ate dinner then I went out and I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Carolina Hurricanes at the Prudential Center. I wound up having a pulled pork sandwich at the arena for dinner. I decided to take it up to my seat in section 226 row 6 where I met up with the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico, Vincent Ascanio and Dennis Barbera who were at the game too. We were one big happy family amongst the sellout crowd.

As for the game we saw, the Devils broke through first with 4:01 left in the first period when Ilya Kovalchuk scored on the power play to make it 1-0 Devils. In the second period, the Hurricanes got even as Jussi Jokinen beat Devils' goaltender Johan Hedberg 1:36 into the period to make it a 1-1 also on the power play. Later in the period with 1:31 to go, the Hurricanes took the lead, 2-1 as Patrick Dwyer lit the lamp. In the third period, the Devils got the equalizer as Ryan Carter beat Hurricanes' netminder Cam Ward just 1:34 into the period on a giveaway in front of the net to tie the game at two. The Hurricanes broke the tie again 7:25 into the period when Jiri Tlusty scored to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead. He also added an empty net goal with 26 seconds left to seal the deal as the Hurricanes beat the Devils, 4-2.

Wednesday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Denver Nuggets. By doing so, I've now seen every NBA basketball team play at once this season.

Before I went into the Barclays Center I stopped off at McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall across the street to have my pre game meal.

When I was done I went into the arena. Before I went to my seat in section 230, I stopped off by the radio broadcasting booth which is located by section 110 and I said hello to the Nets radio team of Tim Capstraw and Chris Carrino. After talking to them briefly before they did the Nets' inside look, I went upstairs and I met up with the King and our pal Harry Schwartz who was in attendance. It was nice to catch up with him again.

As for the game we saw, the Nuggets led the Nets, 26-23 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets scored a season high 39 points to take a 62-57 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Nets continued to pull away from the Nuggets as they opened up a 14 point lead, 95-81. In the fourth quarter, the Nets got out scored 27-24 by the Nuggets who failed to come all the way back as the Nets went on to beat them, 119-108.

The Nets played without Deron Williams who was inactive due to an injured ankle. In his place, C.J. Watson scored a season high 25 points and he dished out 6 assists.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner and I relaxed for a change.

Friday night after work I went back out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play their division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

As for dinner, I got a spinach stromboli and a slice of pizza at the arena. I met up with the King and my friend Lloyd Ramsland who was joined by a long time buddy of his who lives out in Denver, Colorado, Dick Harding. I arranged to get them tickets for the game so they could join us. It was great to see both of them again. We see Lloyd from time to time. As for Dick, we've met him a number of times over the years either here or when we've gone to the Rocky Mountain state thanks to Lloyd.

As for the game we saw, the Devils scored first just 40 seconds into the game as Travis Zajac made it 1-0 Devils. The Flyers got even and then some midway through the period as they score three unanswered goals in a 2 minute 36 second stretch to take a 3-1 lead. In the second period, Alexei Ponikarovsky who the Devils had reacquired got the Devils back within a goal just 26 seconds into the second period. Later in the period with 4:20 left, the Devils tied the game at three as Patrik Elias scored. In the third period, the Devils took the lead, 4-3 as David Clarkson found the net with 9:17 remaining in the game. The Devils' Steve Bernier added an empty net goal to give the Devils a 5-3 victory.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do regarding our educational and adventurous weekend in New England.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman













Monday, February 18, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 2/18

Here's the game plan:

Monday February 18th Flyers at Islanders 1PM

Tuesday February 19th Bucks at Nets 7:30PM

Wednesday February 20th South Florida Bulls at St. John's Red Storm 7PM

Friday February 22nd Rockets at Nets 7:30PM

Saturday February 23rd Jets at Flyers 1PM

                                     Reading Royals at Trenton Titans 7PM

Sunday February 24th Pittsburgh Panthers at St. John's Red Storm (MSG) 12 Noon

                                  Grizzlies at Nets 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 2/11 in review. In addition, I plan to do some special posts that will recap the educational & adventurous weekend I spent in New England.

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 14, 2013

Royalty sees a local NBA doubleheader after Nemo!

Prince at Madison Square Garden
Sunday morning I got up and I went to Madison Square Garden where the Knicks were playing an afternoon game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Unlike Saturday I counted on public transportation to get to and from the Garden in Midtown Manhattan. The MTA was running with minimal delays which made it really easy to get where I wanted to go without a hassle.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks got off to a slow start. They trailed the Clippers, 22-17 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, they continued to fall further behind as they went into the locker room down by eight, 52-44. In the third quarter, the Knicks looked more energized as they got within one, 71-70 after three quarters.

Since the game was televised on ABC the commercial time outs are longer than normal. With that being said, the crowd was treated to a fast edition of an act called "Quick Change." Even when you see it, you can't believe it. These people change outfits within the blink of an eye. It was an unexpected surprise. Normally when they perform it's during halftime.

Quick Change
In the fourth quarter, apparently the Knicks decided their quick change was over too. They took a very brief one point lead at the beginning of the quarter then they disappeared down the stretch as the Clippers emerged victorious, 102-88. The Clippers pulled away as former Knick Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his team high 27 points. Teammate Chris Paul added 7 of his 25 points down the stretch to help seal the deal. As for the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony lead all scorers with 42 points but he had only 4 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks let this one slip away.

Prince at Barclays Center

After the game, I was able to go home and I made dinner before I went back out to downtown Brooklyn where I saw the Nets take on the San Antonio Spurs at the Barclays Center in the night cap of my NBA doubleheader.

I was joined by the King who wound up going to St. Peter's in the afternoon for a college basketball game in Jersey City. In addition, our pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and Dennis Barbera were at the Net game too.

As for the game we saw, the Spurs were playing without superstars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. I was disappointed when I heard that. I was looking forward to seeing them play.

In the first quarter, the Nets took advantage as they out scored the Spurs, 35-25. In the second quarter, the Spurs closed the gap to six as they trailed the Nets, 57-51 at halftime.

During the intermission, I got to meet up with a fellow tweep, Jon Presser, who's twitter handle is @metsjetsnets88. He was visiting the Barclays Center for the first time with his friend Adam. We all thought the Nets had a good chance to beat the Spurs.

In the third quarter, the Spurs despite playing shorthanded, they still out scored the Nets 30-14 to take a 81-71 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs continued to pull further away as they blew away the Nets, 111-86. It was an incredible display of basketball by the Spurs in the second half. Tony Parker led the way as he scored 29 points and he handed 11 assists.

With that being said, we were all proven wrong as the Spurs came away with an easy win. They're an amazing team with a Hall of Fame coach in Gregg Popovich.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,


Gary Herman












Royalty sees a local NHL doubleheader after Nemo!

Prince at Prudential Center
Saturday morning the King and I woke up and we looked out of the window and we noticed the snow was over. Luckily for us, Nemo only left 8 inches in Central Park. With that being said, we escaped another potential disaster by mother nature.

Shortly thereafter, we got a phone call from our friend Dennis Barbera who said earlier in the week that he was going to drive and pick us up. Dennis lives out on Long Island where they got more snow. Fortunately for us, he was able to get his car out without a problem. We arranged to meet him within walking distance from our place in Astoria, Queens.

We met up with him around 11:15AM and he drove us to Newark, NJ. We went to the Prudential Center to see the Devils play the Pittsburgh Penguins in a matinee affair.

Apparently Nemo didn't stop everybody in the area from getting to the arena because majority of the announced sellout crowd of 17,625 actually showed up. It should be noted that there were a good number of Penguin fans who were present & accounted for. Public transportation was running with some delays. Thankfully we got a ride. Since there was nobody on the road it made for a very easy ride especially since the major roads were all plowed and cleared.

As for the game we saw, the Penguins got on the scoreboard first just 1:23 into the first period as Brandon Sutter lit the lamp on the power play to give the Penguins an early 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until late in the second period. That's when the Devils got even. Thanks to Stefan Matteau of the Devils who scored his first career NHL goal to make it 1-1 with 3:29 to go. In the third period, the Devils took the lead with 9:04 left in regulation to go up, 2-1 as Adam Henrique put the puck in the net. The Devils add some insurance with 6:52 to go as Bobby Butler scored his first goal as a Devil to make it 3-1. The Devils shut down the Penguins the rest of the way as they beat the Penguins who have played well thus far in the shortened season.

Prince at Nassau Coliseum
After the game, Dennis drove us out to Long Island. We stopped off at McDonald's for a pre game meal. When we were done we drove up the road to the Nassau Coliseum where we saw another NHL game as the Islanders were hosting the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately the Buffalo Boys, Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell couldn't join us for the festivities. They were there with us in spirit though. The same was true for our pal Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike who was planning to be there but he couldn't get there thanks to Nemo. However our pals Michael Abrams and Rob Pierlewski did make it. It was nice to see them again.

As for the game we saw, the Sabres broke through first when Thomas Vanek scored with 10:49 to go in the first period to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead. The Islanders got the equalizer late in the period with just 42 seconds to go. John Tavares found the net to tie the game at one. In the second period, both teams exchanged goals as Christian Ehrhoff gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead with 7:39 to go. The Islanders answered back with 2:25 to go as Colin McDonald tied it again at two. In the third period, the Sabres scored the game winning goal with 12:25 to go as Alexander Sulzer made it 3-2. The Islanders had a chance late to tie it again but John Tavares failed to score on a penalty shot he was awarded after he was pulled down on a breakaway.

The Sabres were very fortunate to escape with the victory in front of announced crowd of 12,608 which included a number of Sabre fans who were able to get there. They were out shot 43-15. In addition, the Islanders also hit the post a few times. The bottom line is we got a win for our pals. It wasn't pretty but they'll take it.

After the game, Dennis drove us back to Queens. We were very grateful for his kindness. He gave us the royal treatment on this day.

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap the local NBA doubleheader I did on Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman










Monday, February 11, 2013

Royalty w/o 2/4 in review

Prince at Barclays Center 
Monday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for my pre game meal in Penn Station before I went upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks host the Detroit Pistons.

I met up with the King and our pals Al Linderman and Alan Gimpel when I got inside the building. I wound up sitting with them in section 221 row 18 which is towards the corner on the press box side of the court. I usually sit in section 416 row 2 behind the basket below the West Balcony. I decided to see the game from a different vantage point on this night. In addition, I was able to enjoy their company too.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks got off to a fast start as they led the Pistons, 28-13 after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 21, 57-36 at halftime. They led by as many as 26 before the Pistons made a comeback to make the score look more respectable. The Pistons trailed, 76-58 after three quarters. They sliced into the lead some more in the fourth quarter but the Knicks won rather easily, 99-85. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 27 points. Tyson Chandler added 8 points and he grabbed 20 rebounds for the third consecutive game to tie a Knick record that was set back in the 1960's by Willis Reed who did it twice.

Tuesday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to the Barclays Center to see the Nets take on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who were playing in Brooklyn for the first time.

Before I went into the arena, I walked across the street and I ate dinner at McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall. After I ate, I went inside the arena and I stopped by where the radio announcers call the game. I got to say hello to Nets broadcaster Tim Capstraw. He's always so friendly. It was great to see him again.
When I got done, I went up to my seat in section 230 row 13 where I met up with the King who was already up there.

As for the game we saw, the Lakers were playing without Dwight Howard who was hurt and Metta World Peace formerly known as Ron Artest who played his college ball at St. John's. He was suspended by the league for a game. As a result, the Nets led, 24-18 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the shorthanded Lakers roared back as they out scored the Nets, 31-16 to take a 49-40 lead at halftime much to the delight of the numerous Laker fans that were among those in the sellout crowd of 17,732. In the third quarter, the Nets cut into the Laker lead as they trailed by only three points after three quarters, 67-64. In the fourth quarter, the Lakers turned it up a notch late as they scored the last ten points of the game to beat the Nets, 92-83.

Kobe Bryant lead the way for the Lakers as he scored a team high 21 points including a number of clutch shots down the stretch to seal the deal. Brook Lopez of the Nets led all scorers with a game high 30 points and he grabbed 11 rebounds in the losing effort.

Wednesday night after work I came home and I got to have dinner then I caught up on the things around the house. It turned out to be a very productive night to stay home.

Thursday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ where I met up with my Cousin Andy who joined me for the Devil game at the Prudential Center. The Devils were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning. I also met up with my pals Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich, Frank Anichiarico and the King. We were one big happy family among the announced crowd of 14,802.

As for the game we saw, the game was scoreless after the first period. In the second period, the Devils got the game's first goal when Adam Henrique lit the lamp 3:28 into the first period. The Lightning tied it up later in the period as former Islander Nate Thompson scored to even the score at one with 6:41 to go in the period. The Devils regained the lead, 2-1 as Ilya Kovalchuk got a shorthanded goal with 2:26 left. In the third period, the Devils put the game away as they scored two power play goals 14 seconds apart just over five minutes into the period to take a 4-1 lead. The Lightning added a late goal with 2:15 to go to make it 4-2 which is how it ended.

Friday with a potential snow storm called Nemo approaching the area, I got out of work early. With being said, I was able to get a much needed haircut on my way home. In addition, I was able to catch up on some things at home before the King and I decided to take a subway ride to Upper Manhattan since the Columbia Lions college basketball game against the Big Green of Dartmouth was scheduled to be played at Levien Gymnasium. Our pal Frank Anichiarico decided to meet us there.

As for the game we saw, the Big Green lead the Lions, 29-26 at halftime. In the second half, the Big Green extended its lead to 11, 40-29 five minutes into the second half. The Lions came roaring back to make it close but the Big Green wound up holding them off as they won, 60-57 before a crowd of 1,016. There were a good number of people there considering the weather conditions.

After the game, we all got back home safely as the snow was coming down.

Stay tuned for a few special posts I'm going to do that will recap the exciting weekend I had despite the bad weather.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

















Sunday, February 10, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 2/11

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday February 12th Hurricanes at Devils 7PM

Wednesday February 13th Nuggets at Nets 7:30PM

Friday February 15th Flyers at Devils 7PM

Saturday February 16th Portland Pirates at Springfield Falcons 7PM

Sunday February 17th St. John's IceCaps at Portland Pirates in Lewiston, Maine 4PM

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 2/4 in review. In addition, I plan to do a few special posts that will recap the NHL & NBA doubleheaders I saw over the weekend.

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 6, 2013

Royalty sees Islanders/Devils rematch on Super Bowl Sunday!

Prince at Nassau Coliseum - Home of the Islanders
The King and I took public transportation out to the Nassau Coliseum where we saw the rematch as the Islanders were hosting the Devils.

Due to television exclusivity on NBC, the game time was 3PM. As a result, the Islanders draw a crowd of 11,558. If the game started early, I like to think they would have had a better turn out.

As for the game we saw, neither team scored until late in the third period. The Devils cashed in on a power play opportunity as Islanders' defenseman Brian Strait was called for charging. Steve Bernier of the Devils scored with just 11 seconds left on the power play to give the Devils a 1-0 lead with 3:54 left in regulation time.

Bernier scored again just a minute and ten seconds later as he hit the puck off Islanders' goaltender Evgeni Nabokov from behind the net to make it a 2-0 game. David Clarkson of the Devils added an empty net goal to preserve the victory as goaltender Johan Hedberg got the shutout as the Devils beat the Islanders, 3-0.

After the game, we got a ride back to Queens from my pal Dennis Barbera who was at the game too.

The King and I wound up going to our friend Frank Anichiarico's place to see the Super Bowl. We enjoyed a great steak dinner and we watched the Baltimore Ravens become Super Bowl Champions for the second time in their history as they survived a blackout in the Superdome in New Orleans.

The Ravens made an impressive goal line stand as they held off the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31. Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco capped off an amazing playoff run while Ray Lewis completed his Hall of Fame career with one last ride. It was a total team effort as they became Super Bowl XLVII Champions.

I was happy for all the good people I know from Baltimore.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees a rare basketball tripleheader!

Prince at Prudential Center for Seton Hall Pirates
Saturday morning I went to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ which is also the home of the Seton Hall Pirates who play their home games at the Rock. On this day they were hosting the Cincinnati Bearcats at 11AM. It was also the 20th anniversary of the Seton Hall team that won the Big East Championship during the 1992-1993 season. As a result, they had a ceremony at halftime to celebrate the reunion before an announced crowd of 6,961.

I was joined by the King and our pals Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and Dennis Barbera.

As for the game we saw, the game was tied at 28 late in the first half. The Bearcats went on a 20-0 run that carried over into the second half. As a result, the Bearcats were able to hold off a late surge by the Pirates as they went on to win the game, 65-59.
Prince at WRAC - Home of LIU Blackbirds

After the game, we all took the Path train back to midtown Manhattan where we caught the Q train to downtown Brooklyn for game two of the day at LIU where the Blackbirds were hosting the Robert Morris Colonials at 3PM at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center aka the WRAC.

We were also joined by our pals Larry Peim, Michael Abrams, Phil Butleman, David Sack and Vincent Ascanio.

As for the game we saw, the Colonials led the Blackbirds, 32-29 at halftime. In the second half, the Colonials held off the Blackbirds in a closely contested affair, 60-57.

Prince at Madison Square Garden 
After the game, I went to Popeye's for dinner before I went to Madison Square Garden for game three at 7:30PM as the Knicks were taking on the Sacramento Kings.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks wound up blowing out the Kings who raced out to an early 18-6 lead. It went down hill from there for the Kings as the Knicks rolled to an easy 120-81 victory.

The Knicks got monster performances from Tyson Chandler who scored 11 points and he grabbed 20 rebounds. In addition, Amar'e Stoudemire came off the bench and he shot 10 for 10 from the field as he finished with 21 points while J.R. Smith added a team high 25 points off the bench which enabled the Knicks to win the game easily.

Stay tuned for the recap of how I spent Super Bowl Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman










Royalty w/o 1/28 in review

Monday night after work I went to the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Orlando Magic.

Before the game I walked over to the Atlantic Center Mall which is across the street. I wound up going to McDonald's for my pre game meal.

After I finished eating, I walked back over to the Barclays Center and I went inside. I was able to go to the area where the radio broadcasters do the game by section 109. On this night, I got to say hello to Dennis Neumann, the radio voice of the Magic. I also got to say hello to the Nets radio team of Tim Capstraw and Chris Carrino. These guys are always very fan friendly when they have some spare time.

When I was done, I went up to section 230 row 13 where I met up with the King. We wound up seeing our pal Steve Tepperman who was also at the game.

As for the game we saw, the Nets made fast work of the Magic who lost center Dwight Howard in the off season. The Magic are having a miserable season thus far. As a result, the Nets made sure they took advantage. They built an early ten point lead, 30-20 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, they out scored the Magic by six to lead 56-40 at the break. In the third quarter, the Magic made a comeback attempt as they out scored the Nets by nine to pull within seven, 70-63 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Nets turned it on again. They put the Magic away as they went on to win, 97-77 before a crowd of 16,480 which was just short of a sellout.

Tuesday night after work I got to come home and I caught up on things around the house after I made myself dinner. It was really nice to have a night off so I could play catch up.

Wednesday night after work instead of going to see the Knicks or the Nets play, the King and I went out to a special trophy awards dinner. During the spring and summer, the King and I play softball on Sunday mornings. Our team, the Fuzz Cougs, wound up winning the Championship back in late August. On this night, we got to see our teammates as we got rewarded for our hard work. It was a nice get together which was well worth missing a sporting event for.

Thursday night after work, I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Islanders at the Prudential Center.

I met up with the King and our pal Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike who joined us. I wound up getting pizza for dinner at the arena.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders took a 2-0 lead early in the second period before the Devils came back to tie the game at two. Both teams spent the rest of the game trading goals as the game was tied again at three and four. The game wound up being decided in overtime as the Islanders got the game winning goal from right winger Brad Boyes who scored with 2:59 left in the extra session to send the sellout crowd which included a number of Islander fans home with mixed emotions as the Islanders came away with an entertaining 5-4 victory.

Friday night after work I went back to the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets host the Chicago Bulls. Before the game, I arranged to meet my Cousin Andy at AppleBee's at the Atlantic Center Mall for dinner then we went to the game together. He told me he wanted to see the Barclays Center so I told him I'll make it happen and I did.

After we ate dinner, we walked over to the arena. We went inside and I showed him around the building before we met up with the King. We all watched the game together. Andy was very grateful that I got him the ticket and he enjoyed our company.

As for the game we saw, the Nets got off to a fast start as they led the Bulls, 24-14 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Bulls came back and they led, 42-41 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bulls extended their lead to four, 67-63. In the fourth quarter, the Nets staged a comeback as they went on to beat the Bulls who played without a few of their key players, 93-89 much to the delight of the sellout crowd.

Stay tuned as I'm going to do a few special posts that will recap my busy weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Royalty sees a local basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden!

Prince at MSG for St. John's Red Storm
On Sunday January 27th, the King and I saw went to Madison Square Garden , the mecca for basketball, to see the St. John's Red Storm host the Seton Hall Pirates at Noon.

As for tickets for the game, we didn't get them in advance. We decided to wait until the day of the game. With that being said, while I was waiting on line at the box office, a gentleman approached me and he gave me two free tickets. I was very grateful. I shook his hand and I thanked him. As a result, the King and I saved some money that we planned to spend. We lucked as I was in the right place at the right time.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm lead at halftime, 38-33 after they trailed by 8 midway through the first half. In the second half, they added to their lead as they built a 16 point lead early on. The Pirates wound up coming back but they fell short as they lost to the Red Storm, 71-67 before a crowd of 7,641. As a result, they closed off the upper level and the West Balcony. With that being said, we got to sit on the lower level which we can't afford to do for the Knicks. I must say the seating down there is rather snug. In other words, the leg room is tight.

Forward D'Angelo Harrison lead the way for the Red Storm as he played the whole game and he scored a game high 24 points to carry the Johnnies to the victory. For the Pirates, center Eugene Teague had 22 points in the losing effort.

Prince at MSG for Knicks basketball
After the game, the King and I went home for dinner before we returned to the Garden for game two of our convenient doubleheader. The Knicks were playing the Hawks at 6:30PM which was televised on ESPN.
Before the game, I was able to say a quick hello to my pal broadcasting legend, Steve Holman, who's the radio voice of the Hawks. He's now done over 2,000 consecutive Hawk games and counting. That's an incredible accomplishment. It was great to see him again. If you want to follow him on Twitter, his handle is @RealVoiceofHawk.

As for the game we saw, it was eerily similar to the game we saw at the Barclays Center nine days earlier when the Hawks were in town to play the Nets in Brooklyn. This one was tightly contested especially in the first half as the Knicks out scored the Hawks, 27-25 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Hawks returned the favor as they did the same to the Knicks. As a result, the game was tied at 52 at the half. In the third quarter, the Knicks pulled away to lead by 8, 82-74 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks roared back. Josh Smith threw down a thunderous slam late just he did in Brooklyn to keep the Hawks within striking distance. Ironically the game came down to the last shot that would have won it for the Hawks but Josh Smith couldn't drain a three pointer at the buzzer as the Knicks held off the Hawks, 106-104.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman







Monday, February 4, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 2/4

Here's the game plan:

Monday February 4th Pistons at Knicks 7:30PM

Tuesday February 5th Lakers at Nets 7:30PM

Thursday February 7th Lightning at Devils 7PM

Friday February 8th Dartmouth Big Green at Columbia Lions 7PM

Saturday February 9th Penguins at Devils 1PM

                                   Sabres at Islanders 7PM

Sunday February 10th Clippers at Knicks 1PM

                                   Spurs at Nets 8PM

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 the special post of my Sunday basketball doubleheader at MSG on 1/27 as well as my w/o 1/28 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

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Royalty goes to Philadelphia for a basketball doubleheader!

Prince at Drexel Dragons basketball
Saturday morning the King & I went to Avis and I rented a Ford Fusion for the day just before 9AM.
I went to Brooklyn and we picked up our pal Vincent Ascanio. We then drove to Staten Island and we picked up our buddy Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich.

We drove down to Philadelphia to see college basketball at Daskalakis Athletic Center, home of the Drexel Dragons. They were hosting the Georgia State Panthers at Noon. We parked the car on the street a few blocks away at 11:30AM.

We wound up meeting up with our friend Eddie Pelle there. He took Amtrak down from NYC. I was planning to give him a ride but he overslept and he didn't see my text message in time.

As for the game we saw, the Dragons led the Panthers, 27-22 at halftime. In the second half, they pulled away and they cruised to a 68-57 victory before a crowd of 2,532 people who came out to see their Dragons play.

After the game we had some time to kill so we dropped the King off at Sugar House Casino so he could entertain himself for a little while. The rest of us decided to go shopping at Walmart to pass the time. When we were done we went back to the Casino and we picked the King up. After that we went to pick up our pal Andrew Van Cleve who lives in Philadelphia and he joined us for the 76er game.

Before we went to the game, we stopped off at the Oregon Diner for dinner. It was Andrew's first time there. He was impressed to say the least. He enjoyed the broiled stuffed fillet of flounder he decided to have. As for me, I decided to go with a different choice. I saw someone at the table next to us having a sizzling steak. It looked & sounded really good so I was inspired to do the same. I wound up having a sizzling charbroiled New York Strip which was excellent and it only cost $14.99.

Prince at 76er game 
After we ate, we drove over to the sports complex and we parked the car within walking distance.
We walked over to the Wells Fargo Center to see the Philadelphia 76ers host the New York Knicks.
As for the game we saw, the 76ers built a big lead early then the Knicks closed the gap as they trailed by five, 24-19 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the 76ers extended their lead to 12, 53-41 at halftime. In the third quarter, the 76ers broke the game open as they lead by 26 points, 84-58 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the 76ers slacked off as the Knicks out scored the 76ers by nine to make the final score, 97-80 look more respectable than it should have been. In other words, this game was a blowout from start to finish.

After the game, we met up with our pal Eddie Pelle who decided to go to another college basketball game at St. Joseph's which started at 6PM. He met us where I parked the car and I gave him a ride back to Brooklyn where he works.

Stay tuned for another special post that we'll go into detail about the basketball doubleheader we saw at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman












Royalty w/o 1/21 in review

Prince at Devils Home Opener
Tuesday morning before I went to work I returned the Chevy Cruze I rented for the weekend.
After work I went out to Newark, NJ to the Prudential Center to see my first NHL game since the lockout ended. The Devils were playing their home opener against their division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.
I wound up meeting the King and our pal Vincent Ascanio out there. I decided to get the pulled pork for dinner at the arena. By doing so, I got to say hello to the lady who works that stand which is behind the net near section 122 where the Diablos sit. It was great to see her again. She was thrilled to see us hockey fans again. I proceeded to walk over to my seat in section 226.

The sellout crowd was all pumped up as the players hit the ice. Our section in particular was extremely loud and confrontational because we had a mix of Devil and Flyer fans among us. It was mainly comprised of the younger generation so they were all full of energy. They were yelling and screaming throughout the game. It was anything but peaceful. With that being said, hockey was back.

As for the game we saw, the Devils got on the scoreboard early as Travis Zajac scored the first goal of the game just 1:07 into the match. The Devils added another goal on the power play with just 25 seconds to go in the first period as David Clarkson buried the biscuit to give the Devils a 2-0 after the first period. In the second period, while the Devils were shorthanded, Ilya Kovalchuk broke in on a breakaway and he was hooked down by Flyers' defenseman Kimmo Timonen 2:44 into the period. As a result, a penalty shot was awarded. Kovalchuk capitalized on the opportunity and he gave the Devils a commanding 3-0 lead. That's the way it ended as the Devils stifled the Flyers the rest of the game. The Flyers took out their frustration as they started a few fights late in the third period. Goaltender Martin Brodeur stopped 24 shots to earn the shutout, it was his 120th lifetime in his storied career.

Wednesday night after work I went home. I ate dinner then I did my laundry.

Thursday night after work I went to Brooklyn Heights to see college basketball. It was the 38th annual Battle of Brooklyn as the LIU Blackbirds were visiting the St. Francis Terriers. Before I went to the game I stopped off for a hearty Popeye's chicken dinner a few blocks away.

When I got to the gym for the game I was joined by my pals Manny Morales, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Frank Anichiarico and the King.

As for the game we saw, the Terriers got off to a fast start. They dominated the first half as they led 33-21 at halftime. In the second half, things changed dramatically as the Blackbirds awoke from the dead as they went on to destroy the Terriers. They out scored them 57-35 in the second half as they won the game and the Battle of Brooklyn trophy, 78-68. C.J. Garner had 22 points and Jamal Olasewere added 20 points to carry the Blackbirds to the come from behind victory.

Friday night after work I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Washington Capitals. On this night, since the King and I are Devil full season ticket holders we got to take advantage of a perk. We were given an upgrade to watch the game from the Ice Cream Social Suite. Before we went into the suite, I bought a pepperoni stromboli for dinner.

Unlike Tuesday night, we were able to watch the game much more peacefully. It was great to see the game from a different vantage point. We wound up in suite 234 which is in the corner. They had another sellout crowd on hand.

It's hard to gauge if people are really hungry for hockey or not. Many people had already paid for their season tickets like us so we were stuck with them. We love hockey so for the King and I it's nice that it's back. Next season will tell the true story if the lockout really indeed hurt the sport when people have the choice to renew their tickets or not.

As for the game we saw, the Devils got off to a good start. They scored 13:55 into the first period when Stephen Gionta found the net to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. With a minute to go in the second period, Patrik Elias scored a power play goal to extend the Devils' lead to 2-0. In the third period, the Capitals finally got on the scoreboard as Mike Ribeiro tallied a power play goal with 7:15 left in the period to slice the lead in half at 2-1. With 2:56 left in regulation time, the Capitals got the equalizer as defenseman Mike Green lit the lamp to knot the game at two. The score remained the same as regulation time expired. In the sudden death overtime, the Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk emerged as the hero as he scored the game winning goal with just 20.5 seconds left in the extra session to give the Devils' a 3-2 victory.

Stay tuned as I'm going to do a few special posts that will recap another busy weekend of attending sporting events.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman













Friday, February 1, 2013

Royalty is spending President's weekend in New England area visiting Massachusetts & Maine!


Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car Saturday morning from Avis over President's Day weekend.

The King and I will be driving to Springfield, Massachusetts & Lewiston, Maine to see some minor league hockey before returning to NYC late Sunday night.

Please note the NBA All-Star break is this weekend. With that being said, this makes for a great alternative.

Saturday, February 16th Basketball Hall of Fame

                                      Portland Pirates at Springfield Falcons 7PM

Sunday, February 17th St. John's IceCaps at Portland Pirates 4PM in Lewiston, Maine

If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join me.

It's going to be a blast so why not come for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman