Royalty w/o 1/13 in review

Back on Monday January 13th after work I met up with the King & we went to the Transformed Madison Square Garden where we saw the Knicks take on the Phoenix Suns who have been a pleasant surprise so far this season. The Knicks who lead the Suns by seven after three quarters were forced to play an extra session as the Suns tied the game after regulation time. The Knicks were  lead by Carmelo Anthony who scored four of his game high 29 points in overtime to lead the Knicks to a 98-96 victory over the Suns. 

Tuesday night after work I returned to the Garden thanks to my pal Alan Gimpel who sold me a ticket for the Ranger game as they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. As for the game we saw, the Rangers scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the first period but early in the second period the Lightning struck not once but twice in a nine second span which stood up as the Lightning prevailed on this night, 2-1.

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

Thursday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Long Island University Blackbirds play the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights at the Steinberg Wellness Center. I was joined by my pals Larry Peim, Phil Butleman & David Sack who were also there. As for the game we saw, the Blackbirds proved to be no match for the Knights who beat them soundly, 89-67.

Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about the adventurous weekend getaway the King & I took over Martin Luther King weekend. 

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the Jets play the Patriots at MetLife Stadium!

Back on Sunday October 20th after I went back home after returning the car I rented from Dollar rent a car early in the morning,I went to sleep for a few hours. After I woke up, I made myself breakfast. After I ate, I took a shower. When I got done, the King & I took the subway into Midtown Manhattan & we met up with our pal Larry Peim who drove us out to MetLife Stadium as the Jets were hosting the Patriots that Sunday afternoon. We did see the Red Sox win the American League Pennant at Fenway Park the night before. We were hoping that the Jets could find a way to beat another New England team on this day. Before the game started, we got to meet up with a few friends of ours who were also there. I'm referring to Alan Gimpel who sold me one of his season tickets in section 306 & our buddy Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich. Later on during the game we got to see fellow roadtripper & pal of ours, Sean MacDonald who was there as part of his ultimate NFL Stadium Journey. Sean was in the midst of season long excursion to see every NFL Stadium. As always, it was great to catch up with him again. 

As for the game we saw, it was a good one. The Jets hung tough with their division rival. The game wound up going into overtime tied at 27. The Jets emerged victorious as they got a game winning field goal from Nick Folk. Moments before he made that kick, he missed one. The Jets appeared to have caught a break as the Patriots were penalized for trying to get leverage to block the kick by climbing up on another player's back . With a new rule in effect this season, the officials decided to enforce it on this particular play. Controversial or not, the Jets were given a reprieve. As a result, they took full advantage of their second chance as Nick Folk booted the ball through the uprights to give the Jets an improbable 30-27 victory. Being a Jet fan, I was happy with the result. Let it be know I do have the utmost respect for the Patriots. I actually love watching them play. They always give you your money's worth if they win or lose.

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap the Monday Night football game we saw the very next night at Met Life Stadium.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty spent weekend in middle of September watching Mets play Marlins at Citi Field!

On Thursday September 12th after work I came home & I relaxed for a change. By doing so I was able to prepare for the busy weekend I had planned at Citi Field.

Friday night after work I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for some pizza before I returned to Citi Field as the Mets opened a four game weekend series with the Miami Marlins. Thanks to a rain out back in June, the Saturday game was rescheduled as a single admission doubleheader.

When I arrived at Citi Field Friday night I saw my pal Sam Citron who greeted me at the Rotunda entrance. When I got upstairs I was joined by David Sack, Frank Anichiarico, Vincent Ascanio, Charlie O'Reilly, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel who were also present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a rare power surge as Andrew Brown hit a solo homer in the second inning & Lucas Duda added what proved to be the game winner as he hit a three run blast in the sixth inning as the Mets held off the Marlins, 4-3 to take game one. Jonathon Niese picked up the victory despite giving up two solo homers to Giancarlo Stanton, one in the second inning & other in the seventh.
After the game, Bryan Gilligan, the King, Frank Anichiarico & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Saturday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for a rare single admission doubleheader. I arranged to get my Cousin Andy a ticket so he could join me for the twinbill. I met him outside by the Apple. It was great to see him again. We always enjoy each other's company. When we got to our seats upstairs, we had plenty of company as Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Michael Carson & Michael Chin were there as well.
As for the games we saw that day, the Marlins got seven shutout innings from their starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez who shut the Mets down in game one. The Marlins went to win, 3-0. In the night cap, the Mets got a solid pitching performance from Dice K who allowed just one run in seven innings of work as he picked up his first win as a Met. The Mets got back to back home runs from Daniel Murphy & Lucas Duda as they took game two, 3-1.

Sunday afternoon I passed up the possibility of going to see the Giants play the Broncos in the latest Manning Bowl. I remember going to the first one at Giants Stadium when Peyton Manning played for the Indianapolis Colts. This time I decided to take the more affordable way out so I returned to Citi Field for the finale of the Mets and Marlins weekend series.

Besides the King & I, company was few & far between as we had Alan Gimpel & Pat Gorman there for the festivities.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the bottom of the 12th inning when rookie Travis d'Arnaud became a hero as he delivered the game winning hit to give the Mets a 1-0 win over the Marlins. In the process, we got to see Vic Black of the Mets get his first major league win. He pitched a scoreless 12th inning as he got credit for the victory as the Mets won three out of the four games.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/16 in review as I continue to play catch up slowly but surely.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty starts the NFL season at MetLife Stadium as Jets open up with the Buccaneers!

Back on September 8th, I got to go to my first of many NFL games I have planned for this season. Being a big time Jet fan, I went to the MetLife Stadium to see my team open their season against former Jet Darrelle Revis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the off season, Revis Island got a new address. He's coming off of a season injury he suffered last season which forced him to miss the majority of the season. In addition, a few years ago he held out before finally signing to come back. I liked Revis but it was a business decision that was made as the Jets and Revis decided to part ways. Time will tell if it was a sound one.

As for me, I was able to meet my pal Larry Peim who was driving out to the game. He met me across the street from Penn Station. It worked out well since he had a parking pass so we didn't have to walk that far to enter the stadium. After the game, I arranged to meet Larry & he gave me a ride back to the Bronx since he lives in Westchester.

As for a ticket, I got one thanks to another friend of mine, Alan Gimpel who has Jet season tickets. He had an extra one that he sold to me at below what he actually paid. I was grateful that he did. I wound up sitting with him in section 306 row 16 which is in the corner of the end zone. I usually prefer to sit on the side but I wasn't going to complain. As a professional observer I adjusted to the different perspective I'm used to having when I go to a football game. Honestly speaking, the view wasn't bad at all.

Before I went to my seat in section 306, I stopped off in section 312 so I could say hello to my buddy & long time Jet fan, Ira Lieberfarb aka Ira from Staten Island as he refers to himself when he calls into the local sports talk shows here in NYC and even other parts of the country. Ira is a class act who quietly watches the game pulling for his team. In matter of fact, he has now gone to all the Jet games home & away that they've played since 2006. That's what you call dedication. The Jets are notorious for being a mediocre bunch since their inception in 1960. Ira being older than me got to see Joe Namath play back in their glory year of 1968 when they won Super Bowl 3. Since then he's seen his share of ups and downs over the years.

After seeing him I went to my seat and I enjoyed Alan's company as well as the game.

As for the game we saw, the Jets decided to start rookie quarterback Geno Smith who they drafted in the second round of this year's draft. He went to college at the University of West Virginia. I did see a game there back in October 2007 before he attended school there. With that being said, this was the first time I actually saw him play a football game. As the game went on, I was impressed with his athletic talent & ability. He showed that he can run when the situation presented itself. I t should be noted that he was tentative about taking too much of a risk when he did. For example, he wound slide a yard or two early so he could avoid taking a big hit. He reminded me of RG3 to a lesser extent. In addition, he showed that he has a strong throwing arm.

The game was close throughout the day. The Jets got on the scoreboard first on a safety of all things. Josh Freeman, the quarterback of the Buccaneers wisely kicked the ball out of the end zone after taking a horrible snap with 8:35 left in the first quarter. By doing so, it only cost his team two points instead of seven if indeed the Jets recovered the ball in the end zone. I thought it was a great heads up play. Later in the first quarter, Freeman connected with wide receiver Mike Williams on a 17 yard touchdown pass to take a 7-2 lead with 1:07 left. The Jets got closer with 11:01 left in the second quarter when kicker Nick Folk booted a 43 yard field goal to make it 7-5. The Buccaneers extended their lead to 14-5 when running back Doug Martin run in from five yards out. The Jets managed to close the gap to two again at 14-12 with 34 seconds to go until halftime. Geno Smith hooked up with tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. for a 7 yard touchdown pass, his first in the NFL. In the second half, the Jets hung tough. The game stayed 14-12 until there was 5:05 left in the fourth quarter. That's when Nick Folk gave the Jets a 15-14 lead by kicking a 30 yard field goal. The Buccaneers answered back with just 34 seconds to go in the game as their kicker, Ryan Lindell, a veteran who played many years for the Buffalo Bills delivered a 37 yard field goal that gave the Buccaneers a 17-15 lead. After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Jets had the ball at their own 20 yard line. Geno Smith went back to work. He hit Kellen Winslow again over the middle for a 25 yard gain to the Jets own 45 yard line. The next play the Jets spiked the ball. Geno Smith then wasn't able to find an open receiver so he took matters into his own hands as he ran for 10 yards to the Buccaneer 45 yard line. It should be noted as he was running out of bounds, linebacker Lavonte David hit him late. He paid for his stupidity as he got called for a personal foul which resulted in a 15 yard penalty that put the ball at the Buccaneer 30 yard line. As a result, it gave the Jets an opportunity to win the game as time was running out. Nick Folk came on & he split the uprights from 48 yards out to give the Jets a 18-17 lead with just two seconds to go. The Jets kicked off and they stopped the Buccaneers after they tried to do some razzle dazzle. The Jets in unbelievable fashion won the game. Christmas came early thanks to Lavonte David & his bone head decision. As for Darrelle Revis he didn't do much as his former team who got the last laugh on this day.

Stay tuned for a very special post that will go into further detail about my latest encounter with my pal Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals. It will be a must read indeed.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees a Major League doubleheader & greets other ballpark chasers!

On Sunday August 4th, the King & I along with our pal Chris Coats aka KC Superfan returned to Citi Field for the rubber match of the three game series between the Mets & the Royals.

We sat in section 516 where we were joined by Bryan Gilligan, Phil Butleman, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico & Rich Wolber.

Chris Coats, me, Stephanie & Todd Dupee at Citi Field

In addition, we got a visit from a few ballpark chasers, Stephanie aka Snarky Mamacita and her friend Todd Dupee. It was great to meet & greet them. They have a blog as well which recaps their travels from their recent baseball road trip that they took to the Southeast as well as other trips from years past. Stephanie is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Since I've traveled there many times over the years it was easy to relate to her. She now lives here in NYC. We plan to meet up again in the near future.

As for the game we saw, the Royals broke through in the fourth inning when third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run off of Mets' starter Zack Wheeler to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. In the top of the fifth inning, the Royals added three more runs thanks to a wild pitch, an error & a timing hit by Lorenzo Cain as the Royals batted around. The Mets got one back in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, the Royals tacked on two more runs to take a 6-1 lead. By doing so, Chris Coats who was forced to leave early because he had to catch a flight back home didn't miss anything except for a run the Mets scored in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Royals beat the Mets, 6-2.

After the game, the King drove Frank Anichiarico & I down to Philadelphia where we saw the Phillies play the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Our pal Bryan Gilligan also drove down and he took our friend Phil Butleman there. We all sat in section 418 where we met up with our buddy David Sack who was there on the way back from a road trip he was on that took him through the Midwest.

The Phillies were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1993 National League Champion team over the weekend. It was nice to see some of the players who played on that team there as part of the festivities. They included Kevin Stocker, Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Curt Schilling & Mickey Morandini among others. The King & I could relate well to that team because we got to see them play a lot that year during the regular season as well as the post season. Ironically they beat the Braves to advance to the World Series against the Blue Jays which ended when Joe Carter hit a game winning home run in game six at the Skydome as it was called back then.

As for the game we saw that night, the Phillies' starter Cliff Lee didn't pitch well. He gave up two runs in the first inning on a single by third baseman Chris Johnson. In the fourth inning, the Braves added two more runs on run scoring singles by Jason Heyward & Justin Upton after the Phillies got a run in the bottom of the third inning. The Braves went on to win, 4-1.

Stay tuned for my w/o 8/5 in review. I'm still in the midst of catching up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field!

The last time the Major League Baseball had its All-Star Game in Queens was back in 1964 at Shea Stadium. That was just before my time. A few years ago when plans were in the works to finally bring the All-Star Game back to Queens, I had every intention of going to the game.

On Tuesday night, July 16th, Citi Field, the Mets' new home was the site for the 84th Midsummer Classic. Since I have full season tickets for the Mets I was given the opportunity to purchase strips of tickets for the festivities which included the Futures Game which I missed because I went away over the weekend instead, the Fan Fest, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

The only other time I got to see an All-Star Game was back in 2008 when the Yankees hosted it at Old Yankee Stadium. That game was an epic 15 inning marathon that ended around 1:45AM.

This time I took the day off from work so I could relax and be ready for the special night. Unfortunately the weather was brutal that day & night which tried to put a damper on the occasion. As a result, I didn't get to the ballpark too early. Instead I got a text message from my pal Eddie Pelle who said he was also going to the game. He said he was coming from work. He asked me if I wanted to meet him for dinner first. I replied to him and I said absolutely. We wound up going to a place called the Burger Garage in Long Island City. He told me how good this place was. With that being said, this was a perfect opportunity to see what he was talking about. I wound up getting a Turkey burger and onion strings. All I can say is when I got done was I was a satisfied customer. I want to thank Eddie for the recommendation. Actually his friend Fredy Sanchez deserves the credit because he's the one who found this place.

After Eddie & I finished eating we got back on the 7 train and we went to Citi Field for the big game. On the way in, I got to say hello to my pal, Sam Citron at the Rotunda entrance.As for our seats, Eddie wound up getting a ticket on the lower level. I had my season seat in section 516 row 3. When we got to the field level, I said goodbye to Eddie and I told him to enjoy the game. I proceeded to go upstairs to the promenade level. When I got up there, I saw my pal Vincent Ascanio who was there with his father, Ralph. The King was missing in action. He decided to join our friend, Bryan Gilligan on a road trip to the Midwest instead. In his absence, his brother Henry Casiano who was visiting from Florida, wound up going to the game thanks to our buddy Alan Gimpel who had an extra ticket that he bought from him in section 509 row 12. Vincent & I went over to see them before we went to our seats to get ready for the game and pre game ceremonies. It was nice to see Henry again.

Me at the MLB All Star Game

When I got to my seat in section 516 row 3 I sat down and relaxed while I waited for my pal Andrew Van Cleve to show up since he had what would have been the King's seat next to me. While I waited for him, I got a visit from another ballpark chaser who was at the game that being Bill Pritchard who lucked out and won a contest that got him free tickets for the game in section 402 out in right field. He was very fortunate to be in the building. He stayed for a few innings before he returned to his seat. I want to personally thank Bill for stopping by.

Tribute to real heroes

As for the festivities, there was a special touching tribute to the real heroes, those who have and continue to protect our freedom here and abroad, after the players of both leagues were introduced to the crowd. The players were lined up between the bases in the middle of the infield. The Veterans were positioned along the base lines allowing the players to acknowledge them as we braced for the National Anthem which concluded with a fly over.

Live action from the All Star Game

As for the game we saw, Mike Trout hit the first pitch he saw from Matt Harvey, the Mets' All-Star starting pitcher down the right field line for a lead off double. The next batter was Robinson Cano of the Yankees. Harvey proceeded to hit him with a pitch putting runners on first and second. Cano was taken out of the game. Apparently he got hurt. Matt Harvey settled down as he retired the next three batters to end the inning. He went back out for the second inning and he retired the American League in order. In his two inning appearance, he struck out three. After a shaky start, he proved he was worthy of the starting nod. As the game went on, changes were frequent. In the fourth inning, the American League finally broke the scoreless tie as Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays' hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it a 1-0. In the fifth inning, the Orioles' J.J. Hardy grounded into a fielder's choice that drove in another run to make it 2-0. As for the National League, they got their first hit after the first ten batters made out. Former Met and now Cardinal Carlos Beltran did the honors. It turned out to be the first of just three hits that the National League had for the game. In the eighth inning, Jason Kipnis of the Indians doubled in another run to give the American League a 3-0 lead. After their half of the inning ended, the crowd was treated to a special live version of the song Sweet Caroline as Neil Diamond came onto the field to perform it. When he got done, Mariano Rivera was called in from the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. He came in to the familiar tune by Metallica, Enter Sandman. Mariano was acknowledged by the record breaking crowd of 45,186 as there was a moving tribute to the greatest relief pitcher of the modern era. I beg to differ with Bud Selig's commentary that's he's the greatest of all time. The game has changed so much that it's not right to compare the different eras of baseball. Regardless Mariano is the best at his role as the game is played today. He proceeded to throw a scoreless 1,2,3 eighth inning. In the ninth inning, Jason Grilli of the Pirates was summoned from the bullpen to pitch the top of the ninth. Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about him. He's truly a great story. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning but he was forced to work out of a jam because Prince Fielder got a lead off single that was played into a triple by former Met Carlos Gomez. Grilli bared down and he got the next three batters out keeping it a 3-0 game. The National League managed to get a two out double off closer Joe Nathan of the Rangers but Paul Goldschmidt was stranded there as Pedro Alvarez popped out to second base to end the game. The American League won, 3-0 and they will now have the home field advantage in the 2013 World Series.

Shortly after the game ended, they announced the Most Valuable Player of the game. Since they're wasn't a clear cut choice, Mariano Rivera was given the award. By doing so, they sent him out in style since he's going to officially retire at the end of the season. I personally thought it was fitting since the game was played in New York City.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty returns to NYC to see the Mets open up their season on April Fool's Day!

First & foremost, if you're a regular reader and/or follower of my blog you know I don't joke around too often on here. I'm a person who keeps it real every day of the year even on April Fool's Day.

With that being said, here's the way we spent our first day of April.

Since we had to get to George Bush Intercontinental Airport early to catch our flights back home to the NYC area, so we didn't have time to get a great night sleep. Of course that was part of the game plan in order to make this tight schedule work out. Thankfully we stayed close to the airport so we went to the car rental center and we returned the car we rented for the weekend from Alamo first. It wound up costing a mere $36.97 for the two days. A royal deal indeed. I couldn't believe it when I had booked it. Other companies wanted double or triple that price for the Easter weekend. I wound up driving 550 miles safely.

We proceeded to get on the shuttle bus that took us to the terminal so we could catch our flights back home. Since our pal Bryan Gilligan used frequent miles he had to fly back to Newark, NJ while the King and I flew to LaGuardia Airport. Bryan's flight left at 6:17AM and our's left at 7:25AM. As a result, Bryan who left his car in Newark by the airport got back first. By doing so, he said he arranged to come to LaGuardia Airport to pick us up. He got in early which worked to our advantage. He contacted us and he left us a voice mail so we knew when to expect him. Luckily the King & I also got in early thanks to United Airlines who made our lives less stressful on this day. As usual, we had no margin for error so we needed any break we could get. In addition, there was another twist to the story. Our pal Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk arranged to come back to NYC too. He flew back on his own on US Airways to LaGuardia Airport and he had a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina. His flight out of Houston left at 5:20AM local time. He was scheduled to land in LaGuardia at 11:51AM which was five minutes earlier than the King & I. Since US Airways is located at a separate terminal, we told Bryan to get him first. Bryan got to LaGuardia really fast and he rode around. He wound up picking us up first since we got in 15 minutes early. We then circled back around to get Steve. We wound up waiting a few more minutes. Shortly thereafter, the Padre Punk dressed up in his Padre jersey came towards us. Just before he got in the car he put his hand up to stop a local car service car so he could get into Bryan's car. Needless to say, the driver had something nasty to say to Steve. Steve gets in the car and says doesn't that guy know who I am. I'm the Padre Punk. It was hilarious.

Bryan proceeded to drive us over to Citi Field which is right nearby. We wound up parking the car on 114th Street just before Northern Blvd at 12:20PM. We walked over to the ballpark with plenty of time to make it there for first pitch at 1:10PM which wound up being at 1:13PM. We passed by the left field gate which was pretty empty. The King & I decided to keep walking to the Rotunda area which is behind home plate where we usually go when we get off the subway when we take the 7 train to the game.

Sam Citron

The main reason we did that was because we wanted to see our pal and avid reader and follower of my blog, Sam Citron. To be perfectly honest, that was the highlight of the day. The last time we saw him was at the end of September. He told us he had a rough winter. He had some health issues but thankfully he's back and ready to work all the games this year at Citi Field. We were so happy and elated to hear that. As usual, he greeted us in royal fashion. He said and I quote "it's always a pleasure." We told him the same. With that being said, baseball is now officially back at home for us.

My ticket to Mets Opening Day at Citi Field

We proceeded to walk inside at 12:30PM which gave us plenty of time to get upstairs to our season seats in section 516 row 3. We were greeted by some familiar faces as people who have had season tickets like us since Citi Field opened in 2009 were on hand. It's always nice to see people we recognize by face not necessarily by name.

Prince at Citi Field in time for Opening Day

In addition, we received visits from people we know. I'm referring to Ralph & Vincent Ascanio, Cory Zimmerman, Andy Weinstein who we met back in March 2000 when we were sitting next to him on our flight to Tokyo, Japan to see the Mets open their season there.

Speaking of openers, the King has been at every Met opener since 1977. As for me, I've been to every one since 1982. This time we really cut it close but thankfully it worked out for us. Andy Weinstein chimed in that this was his 40th consecutive one. We're all true die hard Met fans if you will.

Furthermore, we were also joined by our pals Eddie Pelle & Fredy Sanchez. They had offered to pick us at the airport before the game. Thanks to Bryan we didn't need to take them up on their generous offer.

Moreover, I saw our pal Alan Gimpel who also has season tickets for the Mets as well as the Jets, Knicks and Rangers. He helped me make it possible to get a Ranger ticket for another buddy of mine, David Curtin who's a firefighter and a big Met and Ranger fan. Thanks to Alan I was able to fulfill my promise of securing a Ranger ticket for their game that night against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden for David who got to see his favorite teams play and win the double dip. I wound up getting the ticket from Alan who held it just in case I had a problem getting back from Houston. Luckily everything worked out as it was scripted by me.

As for the game we saw, the Mets looked like World Champions. For whatever reason, they usually do on Opening Day. In matter of fact, they have the best record of any team since 1970. They rarely lose when they open the season home or away.

It should be noted since their inception in 1962, they had lost their first eight openers. In 1970, they finally won their first opener in Pittsburgh at Forbes Field.

This time they had their hitting shoes on as they beat up the visiting San Diego Padres, 11-2 much to the Padre Punk's chagrin.

The Mets were backed by a solid pitching performance by Jonathon Niese who went six and two thirds innings to pick up his first victory of the season. He was supported by plenty of timely clutch hitting as the Mets got five two out hits and newly acquired outfielder Collin Cowgill hit a grand slam to round out the scoring. As for the Padres, Yonder Alonso hit a solo home run.

Stay tuned for the next installment of that day as the King and I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/25 in review

Gio Gonzalez in his first Spring start

Monday night after work I decided to come home to relax and catch up on things in the house after I made myself dinner. I really wanted to join the King and our pal Sean MacDonald who was visiting on business from Singapore. They wound up going to see Seton Hall Pirates basketball at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ but it didn't start until 9PM. I thought it was better for me to just stay home.

By doing so, I got to see a special treat on television. During the day, I saw on Twitter that the Mets were playing the Washington Nationals at 6:10PM. More importantly, my boy Gio Gonzalez was making his first start of the spring. With the accusations of performance enhancing drugs behind him, he set his sights on getting ready to build on the great season he had last year when he went 21-8. In addition, he was tuning up for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He'll be pitching for the United States.

When I knew he was starting the game, I made sure I got home in time to see him. He wound up pitching two innings. He got off to a rough start because his shortstop made an error on the first batter he faced. He proceeded to walk the next batter. Luckily he worked out of the jam and he got the Mets out without allowing a run to score. In the second inning, he got the Mets in order. He looked like the Gio I know and love. He finished his brief outing walking one and striking out three. The Nationals scored a few runs for him so he got credited with the win as they held on to win the game, 6-4.

It was great to see him even if it was just on television. I can't wait to see him again in person at Citi Field when the Nationals come to town in April.

Tuesday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for a pre game meal in Penn Station before I headed upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Winnipeg Jets. I want to personally thank my pal Alan Gimpel who had an extra ticket and he was kind enough to sell it to me. As a result, I got to see a hockey game at the Garden. Ranger tickets are hard to come by. I wound up sitting upstairs in section 211 row 17 which is right at center ice so I had a great view of the action.

As for the game we saw, the Rangers and Jets played a scoreless first period. In the second period, the Jets broke through as they got a goal from Olli Jokinen with 14:05 left in the period to take a 1-0 lead. A minute and seven seconds later the Jets scored again. This time Evander Kane got the goal to make it 2-0 Jets. The Rangers got on the board with 10:32 to go when Ryan Callahan buried one to slice the Jets' lead in half at 2-1. With 5:12 left in the period, Olli Jokinen lit the lamp again to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. In the third period, with 10:43 to go, the Rangers got within a goal at 3-2 when Taylor Pyatt scored. 20 seconds later, Evander Kane of the Jets answered right back to make it 4-2 with his second goal of the game. The Rangers got back within a goal 53 seconds later when Anton Stralman found the net to get the Rangers within a goal again at 4-3. Despite their hard work the last ten minutes of the game, the Rangers fell short as the Jets held them off, 4-3.

Wednesday after work I went back to the Garden this time to see the Knicks play the Golden State Warriors. Before I went there, I stopped off at Popeye's for dinner.

When I was done I arranged to meet my pal Sean MacDonald outside the Garden so I could give him the ticket I was able to get for him. Since the game was on ESPN, it started at 8PM which gave him more time to get there since he was working. Since I missed seeing him on Monday night, I'm glad he was able to join me again.

We went inside and he got to see the new additions to the Garden since his last visit back in 2008. He was impressed with the new main concourse on the 100 level he said. For his whole take on the transformation please see his blog where he keeps track of his various sports travels. Since he lives abroad, he's done plenty of international traveling. He takes nice pictures and he gives excellent detail on his excursions. Take a look you may learn some things.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks got off to a fast start. They led the Warriors who were playing without former Knick, David Lee who got suspended for a fight that broke out in Indiana the night before. As a result, the Knicks led, 27-18 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Warriors closed the gap to three as the Knicks led, 58-55 at halftime. In the third quarter, both teams scored 26 points so the Knicks continued to lead by three, 84-81. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks held off the Warriors who took a late lead but they collapsed down the stretch as they fell to the Knicks, 109-105.

It was an historic night as the Warriors' Stephen Curry scorched the Knicks for a career high 54 points. He shot 11 for 13 from the behind the three point line to keep the Warriors in the game.

As for the Knicks, they got 35 points from Carmelo Anthony and 16 points from Tyson Chandler who also grabbed a career high 28 rebounds to carry the Knicks to the win.

Friday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Dallas Mavericks at the Barclays Center.

Before the game, I stopped off at McDonald's for dinner.

After I ate, I went inside the arena and I met up with the King by our seats in section 230 row 13.

As for the game we saw, the Mavericks led the Nets, 22-21 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets out scored the Mavericks by two to take a one point lead, 49-48 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Mavericks pulled away as they took a 77-63 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Nets tried to make a comeback but they came up short as the Mavericks won, 98-90.

Dirk Nowitzki and former Net Vince Carter each scored 20 points to lead the Mavericks. Deron Williams added a game high 24 points in the losing effort for the Nets.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do about our weekend getaway.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

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