Royalty welcomes back a fellow roadtripper to NYC to start 2014!‏

After the King & I returned from Ann Arbor, Michigan to begin 2014, we got a visit from our pal Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk who was back in the Northeast. He came to see some more venues he needed as he continues he quest to join Club 122. He spent his New Year's Day in Upstate New York. He went to Utica with our other buddies from Buffalo, Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell who met him there. They went to see the Comets play at the Utica Memorial Auditorium which the guys from Buffalo gave a rave review. The King & I went there in November. We enjoyed our visit. 

While the King & I drove back from the Midwest, Steve drove down to NYC. We wound up meeting up with Steve who returned the car he rented in New Jersey. He wound up getting a ride to the Nassau Coliseum from me. He met up with the King, our friend Frank Anichiarico aka Duck & I. He took public transportation to Queens. Since I was off from work, we were able to leave extra early which allowed us to get out there with plenty of time to spare. We stopped off at Popeye's in Hempstead for a pre game meal. We then drove over to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks who Steve likes & follows around. They were the main reason he came to visit us. After the game, I drove him back into Queens where he took public transportation back to New Jersey where he was staying while he was in the area. The weather was getting bad as it started snowing as we drove back. Luckily I was able to park the car on the street near the house that the King & I live in. 

Friday morning I went back to work. After work, I took the subway to the World Trade Center where I picked up the Path train to Newark. The Devils were playing the Blackhawks on this night at the Prudential Center. Steve once again joined us as did our new neighbor Sean MacDonald who had just returned from his NFL Stadium Journey. He saw all 32 NFL Stadiums during the 2013 season. He started in Denver on Opening night in September & he finished the regular season in Seattle on Sunday December 29th. A few days later he returned to NYC which is where he calls home for the time being. 

After the game, Sean & I said goodbye to Steve since that Saturday we went in different directions. Steve met up with the King as they both went back to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Carolina Hurricanes. Sean & I wanted to see more football so I extended the car I rented for a week for an additional day. Thankfully I was able to dig the car out of the parking spot Friday night. As a result, I was able to pick up Sean around 11AM so we could drive down to Philadelphia earlier because there was a college basketball game at 2PM in the area. St. Joseph's Hawks were hosting the Denver Pioneers at the Michael J. Hagan Arena. We were also joined by our buddy Andrew Van Cleve who showed up with his son Dylan. It was great to see them again.

St. Joseph's Hawks basketball at Michael J. Hagan Arena

After the game, Andrew went back home to drop off Dylan. Sean & I went to the Landmark Americana where we picked up our pal Frankie Centola who had my ticket for the Eagles NFC Wild Card game with the New Orleans Saints that night. I drove Frankie to Lincoln Financial Field then I dropped Sean off at the Holiday Inn which is walking distance from the Sports Complex since he wanted to watch as much of the early football game between the Chiefs & the Colts as he could. In the meantime, I went to park the car on the street. After I did so, I met up with Sean at Holiday Inn where we both ate a pre game meal together. Shortly thereafter, Andrew Van Cleve joined us there as well.

Prince at Lincoln Financial Field for Saints & Eagles NFC Wild Card Game 

As for the game we saw, the Eagles put up a good fight but they wound up falling short to the Saints who beat them, 26-24 to end their season which turned out better than expected.

After the game, I drove Sean back to Astoria with me. That Sunday I wound up staying home after I returned the car I rented to Avis in the morning. Since there were no local games in the area to go to, I watched the other football games on TV. In addition, I got to catch up on some much needed rest since I was ran around all week. As a result, I went to sleep early that night.

Stay tuned for my w/o 1/6 in review. In addition, I plan to do some special posts that will highlight some more of the adventures we experienced during the month of January.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/16 in review

Monday night after work I came home I made myself dinner then I went around the corner & I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went out to Citi Field to see the Mets open up a three game series with 2012 World Champion San Francisco Giants who were making their first & only appearance in Queens. As an added bonus for their fans the Giants went to the Bronx to play the Yankees over the weekend too. As a result, the Giants got to spend six straight days in the area. With that being said, there were a good number of Giant fans at all of the games. At Citi Field, they was a large group of fans that took over the last two or three sections out in left center field behind the Party City Party Deck. There was a sea of black & orange for the Giants not blue & orange for the Mets. Thanks to the Giant fans who made the trek across the country plus the ones who remember when the Giants played here in NYC way back in the day for helping to enhance the attendance so the announced crowd could look more legitimate.

As for me, I went straight to ballpark. I was greeted by my pal Sam Citron when I arrived at the Rotunda gate. After we exchanged pleasantries, I went inside I decided to have Two Boots pizza for dinner. Since it was another Citi Tuesday I was able to get my $10 gift card just for showing my Citi Card at the special booth out behind the Apple in center field. By doing so, I was able to enjoy some of the great food choices Citi Field has to offer. When I finally got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams, Mike Jaffee who made a rare appearance, Al Linderman & Frank Anichiarico who happen to be Giant fans from way back when they were very young. That was their team. It should also be noted that on this night it was the King's 7,400th lifetime baseball he's seen live in person. It was also his 245th baseball game in 2013 for those who were wondering.

As for the game we saw, it was a marathon time wise as it lasted three hours & 55 minutes. The Giants went on to outlast the Mets, 8-5.

Wednesday night after work I returned to Citi Field for game two of the three game set between the Mets & Giants. This time I had chicken tenders & Nathan's fries for dinner at the ballpark. They were really good. I wound up sitting in section 515 that night with Manny Morales, Phil Butleman, Charlie O'Reilly, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico, Alan Gimpel & Pat Gorman who were present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Mets' rookie catcher Juan Centeno who was called up from the minor leagues got his first major league hit. The Mets went on to win this game in dramatic fashion. They entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by a score of 4-1. The Mets rallied to come all the way back as Josh Satin delivered the game winning hit to cap off the four run rally to give the Mets a 5-4 victory.

Thursday I took the day off from work knowing the Mets were playing an afternoon game at 1:10PM to wrap up their series with the Giants. In addition, the Philadelphia Eagles were also home against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday Night football. When I saw that on the NFL schedule back in April I decided that would be a perfect day to take off so I could see both games.

In the morning, the King went to Dollar Rent a Car by LaGuardia airport & he picked up a car for a week since he decided to make one last road trip before the regular season came to a close. By doing so, he drove Vincent Ascanio & I down to Philadelphia for the Eagle game. He came back home & he picked me up & we drove over to Citi Field for the afternoon game.

When we got to the Promenade level in section 515 we were joined by Mike & Sharon Jaffee who usually like to attend the mid week afternoon games that I normally don't get to go to. It was nice to see both of them again. In addition, Michael Abrams, Phil Butleman, Al Linderman & Alan Gimpel came back for more as well.

As for the game we saw, it was a rare fast one as the Giants went on to beat the Mets, 2-1 in two hours & 37 minutes. By doing so, the Giants took two out of three from the Mets before they headed to the Bronx for the weekend.

Thankfully the game went fast. It turned out that we needed it to do so because getting down to Philadelphia during rush hour is no bargain. In addition, we ran into some pockets of traffic that delayed us even further. We did manage to stop of at McDonald's fast off I-95 in Pennsylvania. I was able to get myself chicken nuggets and a few grilled onion cheddar burgers to go along with an order of fries, a drink and three chocolate chip cookies which I ate in the car. It definitely hit the spot.

Me at Lincoln Financial Field

When we got closer to the City of Brotherly Love, we found out that the Eagles were retiring Donovan McNabb's #5 jersey at halftime. I wound up sitting with our pal Frankie Centola on the Club level. The King & Vincent Ascanio bought tickets at the box office since they had a limited number available. We also met up with our buddy Andrew Van Cleve who went to the game too. Furthermore, at halftime I got to see our pal Sean MacDonald who is in the midst of seeing all 32 NFL teams play a home game this season. As always, it was great to see him again.

Donovan McNabb #5

As for the game we saw, the Eagles wound up losing to the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, 26-16. The Eagles committed numerous turnovers throughout the game & the Chiefs took total advantage of their opportunities. It was also the return of former Eagles' coach Andy Reid to Philadelphia where he brought plenty of success during his tenure there. On this night he wound up getting the last laugh as his Chiefs beat his former team.
After the game, the King decided to drive Frankie home. He lives in the Philadelphia area. Then he drove Vincent Ascanio back to Brooklyn before he finally took us both home. As a result, we arrived back in Astoria at 4:35AM. I laid down for a few hours then I got up and I went to work.

Friday I was exhausted but I still went back to work. After work, I went up to the Bronx to see the San Francisco Giants continue their road trip as they spent the weekend at Yankee Stadium taking on the Yankees. This was their first visit to the new Stadium. They came to the old one back in June 2002.

I stopped off at U.S. Fried Chicken before I went into the Stadium. I had a few slices of pizza there. When I finally got up to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was greeted by Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Phil Butleman & William Frank Guthrie who were also in the building.

As for the game we saw, it was a pitcher's duel until the seventh inning between Tim Lincecum of the Giants & CC Sabathia of the Yankees. With the bases loaded & two outs, Alex Rodriguez aka A-Roid hit a grand slam to right field that cleared the bases and it gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead. For what it's worth, A-Roid passed legendary Yankee Lou Gehrig for the most grand slams in MLB history by hitting his 24th of his career. Speaking of legendary Yankees, Mariano Rivera came on to pitch a scoreless ninth inning as the Yankees beat the Giants, 5-1.

After the game, our pal Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Frank Anichiarico & I to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. We were joined by the King's brother Charlie Casiano who met us there. It was a good time as it always seems to be when we get to go there. It was nice to see Charlie again.

Saturday afternoon the King & I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series with the Giants. Al Linderman & Frank Anichiarico were there to see their Giants play again. We also had Bryan Gilligan & Vincent Ascanio on hand as usual.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees silenced the Giants, 6-0 as Ivan Nova threw a six hit shutout.
After the game, the King drove Bryan, Vincent & I to Philadelphia where we saw the Mets play the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park that night. We once again stopped off at McDonald's and we took out some food & we ate it in the car since we were pressed for time.

We got to the game just before it started. We wound up sitting up in section 421 under the overhang because there was a threat of rain for most of the night. Shortly after we sat down, we got a visit from our pal Andrew Van Cleve who came up to say hello. He was sitting downstairs with his father who came to visit from the Bay area. As always it was great to catch up with Andrew.

As for the game we saw, the Mets built a 5-1 lead by scoring four runs in the top of the sixth inning. The Phillies answered back by scoring three in their half to make it a 5-4 game. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, David Wright walked then the umpires decided to put the tarp on the field as the rain picked up. We all wisely decided to leave knowing that the game probably wasn't going to be resumed based on the weather forecast. It turned out we were right. As a result, the Mets won the game, 5-4.

Sunday afternoon the King went back to Philadelphia to see the Mets play the Phillies again. As for me, I passed up the opportunity to go to Yankee Stadium for what turned out to be Mariano Rivera Day. I stayed home watching the ceremony on television while I waited to leave the house to go out to MetLife Stadium to see the Jets play the Buffalo Bills in a battle of young rookie quarterbacks. I'm referring to E.J. Manuel who was drafted in the first round surprisingly by the Bills and Geno Smith who surprisingly fell to the Jets in the second round.

As for the game I saw, it was the second rounder who lead his team to victory. Geno Smith made a few mistakes that resulted in turnovers but when he needed to shine, he did. He lead the way as the Jets beat the Bills, 27-20. It should be noted that running back Bilal Powell ran for 149 yards on the ground which helped the Jets hold off the Bills.

Stay tuned as I will continue to play catch up. Please bear with me as I try my best to do so.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/10 in review

Upon returning from Jacksonville late Sunday night, I wisely took off Monday from work so I could rent a car and drive to Foxboro, Massachusetts to see Monday Night football as the New England Patriots were hosting the Houston Texans in what was deemed a preview of the AFC Championship game come January.

I went to Avis and I rented a Ford Fusion for the day. I went back home and I picked up the King and away we went. We wound up driving in some horrible rain which lasted most of the ride. We stopped off in Warwick, Rhode Island to pick up our pal Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk who was staying at the Comfort Inn there. He just finished driving from Cincinnati where he saw his Dallas Cowboys beat the Cincinnati Bengals that Sunday afternoon. I know he needed a break from driving and it made perfect sense for us to pick him up. We know a back way in and out of the Gillette Stadium area so I preferred to handle the driving.

Thankfully as we were approaching Foxboro the rain was letting up. When we parked the car at 6:53PM it stopped. With that being said, we were now ready for some football. It was a warm night for this time of year especially in New England. We got out of the car and we walked over towards the Stadium. Along the way, we made a pit stop at Papa Gino's which claims to have the best pizza in New England. I like to believe that's true because I think it's really good myself. Steve also approved of it as well. After we finished eating, we finished walking over to Gillette Stadium.

We got inside just before the game started.

As for the game we saw, it didn't exactly live up to the hype. Apparently the Texans had stage fright. The Patriots scored early and often. Tom Brady hooked up with tight end Aaron Hernandez for a 7 yard touchdown pass with 9:27 left in the first quarter. The Patriots extended their lead to 14-0 with 2:49 to go in the quarter when Tom Brady connected with wide receiver Brandon Lloyd for a 37 yard touchdown pass to make it a 14-0 game.

In the second quarter, Tom Brady and Aaron Hernandez found the end zone again. This time a four yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0. That's how it stayed as the teams went into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, Tom Brady aired it out as he hit newcomer and former Patriot Donte' Stallworth on a 63 yard bomb to give the Patriots' a 28-0 lead with 9:49 left. The Texans finally got on the scoreboard on their next drive as running back Arian Foster ran in from a yard out to make it a 28-7 game. The score stayed that way after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Patriots' Brandon Lloyd recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown which made the score 35-7 with 14:15 left. The Patriots' offense wasn't done yet. They got another touchdown on a 14 yard run from Stevan Ridley with 7:23 left to make it 42-7. The Texans found the end zone one more time as back up quarterback Tyler Yates ran in from a yard out with two minutes to go to make it 42-14. That's the way it ended as the Patriots showed the Texans who the best team is in the AFC. For the Texans' sake, they're hoping for payback to come in January. We'll wait and see how things unfold then.
After the game, we drove Steve back to his hotel and the King and I came home. We arrived around 4:30AM.

Tuesday morning I took off from work so I could get some sleep. I went and returned the car I rented. I drove 449 miles safely. After I returned the car, I went to work for the afternoon.

After work, I went to the Barclays Center to see the Battle of the Boroughs part two as the Brooklyn Nets were hosting the New York Knicks.

Steve also drove back to Brooklyn and he joined us for the game. After the game, he was heading towards Charlotte, North Carolina where he was going to see the LA Clippers play the Bobcats.

As for the game we saw together, the Nets raced out to a 26-9 lead in the first quarter. They led, 30-16 after the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Knicks made a comeback and they trailed only 53-49 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Nets maintained their slim lead as they led, 79-74.

In the fourth quarter, the Knicks found a way to overcome the Nets as they left the Barclays Center with a 100-97 victory. The Nets had chances in the closing seconds be they came up empty and they fell short this time.

Wednesday night after work I came home made dinner and I did my laundry.

Thursday I went to work in the morning. I took off in the afternoon so I could go to the dentist and I rented a car so I could drive down to Philadelphia to see the Eagles play the Cincinnati Bengals in Thursday Night football at Lincoln Financial Field.

I wound up renting a Ford Focus for the day. After I went to the dentist where I got a good report on my teeth, I went to pick up the King and our friend Frank Anichiarico who joined us for the football game.
We left later then I wanted to but luckily traffic getting out of NYC was better than I expected so we were able to get to Philadelphia without a problem. We stopped off at McDonald's on the way and we ate in the car as we headed to Philadelphia.

I parked the car around 8PM and we walked over to the Stadium. We barely made the opening kickoff. I knew it was going to be a close call. Thankfully it worked out well in the end.
As for the game we saw, the Bengals' running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored on a 1 yard touchdown run with 11:10 left in the opening quarter to make it 7-0. Kicker Josh Brown booted a 24 yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0 with 7:51 left.

In the second quarter, the Eagles responded as they got on the scoreboard thanks to an eleven yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Foles to wide receiver Riley Cooper with 11:40 left until halftime to make it a game at 10-7. The Eagles tied at the game at 10 with 7:37 left as Alex Henery kicked a 22 yard field goal. With 17 seconds to go in the half, Alex Henery gave the Eagles a 13-10 at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Bengals regained the lead with 1:10 to go as quarterback Andy Dalton ran in from 11 yards out to give the Bengals a 17-13 lead. Moments later with 21 seconds left, the Bengals scored again as defensive end Wallace Gilberry recovered a fumble and he returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to extend the Bengals lead to 24-13.

In the fourth quarter, the Bengals got the ball back again and they capitalized as kicker Josh Brown kicked a 32 yard field goal with 14:12 left to make it 27-13. They scored another touchdown with 12:47 left as wide receiver A.J. Green caught a 5 yard pass to make it 34-13. That's how it mercifully ended. The Eagles were competitive for most of the game then they self destructed and it made the score more lopsided than it should have been.

Friday morning I returned the car I rented from Avis before I went to work. I drove 273 miles safely.
After work, I went back to the Barclays Center to see the Nets play the Detroit Pistons. Before the game, I stopped off at McDonald's at the Atlantic Center Mall and I had my pre game meal.

After I finished eating, I went inside the arena and I meet up with my pal Phil Butleman who was also there.
As for the game we saw, the Pistons lead, 25-23 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Nets took the lead, scoring the Pistons by 14 points to lead, 59-47 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Pistons roared back and they went back ahead, 77-73 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Nets out scored the Pistons by four to even the score at 90 to force overtime.
In overtime, both teams scored 10 points to remain tied at 100. By doing so, they were forced to play a second overtime.

In the second overtime, the Nets outlasted the Pistons as Joe Johnson hit the game winning shot at the buzzer to break the tie at 105 to give the Nets a dramatic 107-105 win.

Stay tuned for a few special posts that will recap the memorable weekend I spent in Western New York and North of the Border.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/26 in review

Monday morning I went to work for a half a day. After work, I went to the doctor for my annual exam. Thankfully I got a clean bill of health.

After my check up, I went to Avis and I rented a car for the day so I could drive to Philadelphia to see Monday night football between the Eagles and the Carolina Panthers.

I picked up a Ford Focus and then I drove back home to pick up the King. I also arranged to meet up with my pal Eddie Pelle who wanted to go to the game as well.

We got down to the sports complex area around 6:45PM. Before we went to park the car we stopped off at Burger King for a pre game meal.

Once we were done we parked the car and we walked over towards Lincoln Financial Field. We stopped off at Holiday Inn first because Eddie had to pick up a ticket he had bought on Stub Hub. After that, we walked over to go inside to see the game. The King waited to meet up with our buddy Andrew Van Cleve who was on his way after he put his kids to sleep. They got tickets and they went in. I had a club seat with our pal Frankie Centola who I met inside.

As for the game we saw, the Eagles got the ball first and they drove down the field but their drive stalled and they wound up settling for a 36 yard field goal by kicker Alex Henery with 11:12 left to gave the Eagles an early 3-0 lead. The Panthers responded on their first drive of the night as they drove down the field 72 yards which culminated with a 24 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cam Newton. The Panthers led, 7-3 with 6:12 left in the first quarter. After stopping the Eagles, the Panthers got the ball back and they scored again. This time Cam Newton threw a 43 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon LaFell to extend the Panthers' lead to 14-3 with 3:36 left.

The Eagles took the kickoff and they went down the field but they stalled again and they settled for another field goal. This time from 41 yards out as Alex Henery split the uprights to make it a 14-6 game with 14:15 left in the second quarter. After stopping the Panthers, the Eagles got the ball back and thanks to running back Bryce Brown they got closer as he ran 65 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-12. The Eagles decided to go for two to try and tie the game but it was unsuccessful with 10:56 left until halftime. Later in the quarter with 3:20 left the Eagles took the lead, 15-14 thanks again to the right foot of Alex Henery who booted a 45 yard field goal. It stayed that way as both teams headed to the locker room.

In the third quarter, the Panthers took the kickoff to start the second half. They started at their own 5 yard line. Cam Newton drove his team down the field and he dove into the end zone to cap it off from a yard out to give his team the lead again at 21-15. The Eagles fought back again as they went back ahead with 3:30 left in the quarter as Bryce Brown scored again. This time he ran in from 5 yards out to give the Eagles a 22-21 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Panthers got a 23 yard field goal from Graham Gano to make a 24-22 in favor of Carolina. The Panthers padded their lead with 4:40 left as Cam Newton ran in again. This time from two yards out to make the score 30-22. Graham Gano missed the extra point which gave the Eagles a glamor of hope. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't score anymore and that's the way it ended. Bryce Brown of the Eagles had a memorable night as he ran for 178 yards on the ground. Unfortunately he fumbled twice which cost his team along the way. Hope for his sake, he learns from his mistakes.

After the game, we all met at the car and I drove Andrew Van Cleve home then I took Frankie to his mother's house where he was spending the night. I dropped off Eddie at his job then I took the King and I home we got in around 2:30AM.

Tuesday morning before I went to work I went to Avis to return the car I rented. 260 miles were safely driven.

After work I came home to catch up on some much needed rest.

Wednesday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see college basketball at LIU. The Blackbirds were hosting the Columbia Lions. After I went to McDonald's for dinner, I met up with the King at the Wellness Center where LIU plays its home games. We went inside and we had plenty of company. We were joined by ours pals Phil Butleman, David Sack, Vincent Ascanio, Larry Peim and Frank Anichiarico.
As for the game we saw, the Blackbirds picked up their first win of the season after losing their first four games. They won, 70-61. Julian Boyd led the way with 19 points. His teammates Jamal Olasewere and Jason Brickman added 16 points each to pace the Blackbirds. As for the Lions, Mark Cisco had 18 points in the losing cause.

Thursday night after work I went out to Jamaica, Queens to see the St. John's Red Storm play at Carnesecca Arena which is on their campus. They were hosting the Gamecocks from South Carolina in the SEC/Big East Challenge. On the way there, I stopped off at Popeye's for some fried chicken. When I was done, I got back on the bus and I met up with the King outside the arena. We got tickets and we went inside.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm raced out to a big lead which grew as the game wore on. Guard D'Angelo Harrison led the way for the Red Storm as he poured in 26 points as they went on to blow away the Gamecocks, 89-65.

Friday after work I went to Madison Square Garden where I saw the Knicks play the Washington Wizards.
As for the game I saw, the Knicks made fast work of the lowly Wizards who finally won their first game a few nights earlier at home. On this night, it wasn't meant for the Wizards to make it two in a row. The Knicks took it to them early and often. The Knicks led by 9 after the first quarter. They were up by 11 at halftime. They pulled away in the third quarter as they went up by 21. That's how it ended as the Knicks won by 21, 108-87. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith paced the Knicks with 20 points each.

Saturday morning I did my laundry. Later in the afternoon, the King and I took a ride on Metro North up to Bridgeport, Connecticut so we could see some AHL hockey since the NHL is still locked out.
We went to the Webster Bank Arena where we saw the Bridgeport Sound Tigers host the Worcester Sharks.

As for the game we saw, the Worcester Sharks lead 2-1 after a fight filled first period. After a scoreless and fightless second period, the Sound Tigers got the equalizer 2:51 into the third period to tie the game at two as Nino Niederreiter found the net. With 6:08 left in the third, Worcester regained the lead at 3-2 when Tim Kennedy scored his second goal of the game for the Sharks. The Sound Tigers evened the score once again with just 2:28 left in regulation time as Brock Nelson scored on a late power play. After a scoreless overtime session, the game was decided by a shootout. The Sharks wound up beating the Sound Tigers in the skills competition to give the Sharks a 4-3 victory.

Sunday the King and I met up with our friends Frank Anichiarico, Michael Abrams and Larry Peim who picked us up in Midtown Manhattan and he drove us out to MetLife Stadium where we went to see the Jets play the Cardinals.

When we got out there, we met up with Andrew Van Cleve who came up from Philadelphia and Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich who also came to the game.

As for the game we saw, it was a poor display of football to say the least. It got so bad that the Jet fans got their wish when head coach Rex Ryan decided to pull quarterback Mark Sanchez. He put in backup Greg McElroy in his place with 4:48 left in the third quarter with the Jets trailing 3-0. During his brief stint, he threw his first NFL touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland from a yard out with 14:55 left in the fourth quarter to give the Jets a 7-3 lead. The Cardinals got a 35 yard field goal from former Jet kicker Jay Feely with 10:39 left to make it a 7-6 game. The Jets decided to run out the clock when they got down to the one yard line so they could preserve the ugly 7-6 victory.

After the game, Larry drove us back to Manhattan and we all went out for dinner at Jackson's Hole which is the home of the 7 ounce burger. We all enjoyed our burgers and each other's company.

With that, another week of sports travel has come and gone.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty starts the New Year with a bang!

After finishing 2011 strong, 2012 got off to a flying start for me.

The King and I took a bus from Chinatown to Philadelphia early Sunday morning to get the New Year started.
We went to Lincoln Financial Field where we met up with Andrew Van Cleve and his son Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby. We rounded up cheap tickets outside the stadium and we went in to see the Eagles close out their season with the Washington Redskins.

When we got inside we met up with our friend Frankie Centola who was with his son, Frank the third. Frankie gave the King and I a nice upgrade to the club level. Andrew couldn't join us because he had the baby in a stroller. He decided to watch the game from the ramps instead. It worked out well for all of us.
As for the game we saw, the Eagles dismantled the Redskins, 34-10.

After the game, the King took the bus back to Chinatown. We then took the subway to the Port Authority Bus Terminal when we got back to NYC just after seven o'clock.

We decided to brave the weather since it was raining to try and get into the Giants game against the Cowboys at 8:20PM.

We got out to MetLife Stadium with no problem. The problem we had was we didn't have tickets for the game. We knew it wasn't going to be easy.

As expected, a number of people were looking too. There were scalpers with tickets but they were too pricey for our liking.

We waited awhile. The game started and the prices were still too high. Shortly thereafter, we were wandering around the stadium and I found a ticket on the floor. The King told me to go ahead and try it. I did and I got in. He continued to look but he couldn't get anything so he decided to go home.

I walked into the stadium with 5:54 left in the first quarter. The game was still scoreless.

Less than a minute later, Victor Cruz turned a short gain for a first down into a 74 yard touchdown pass to give the Giants a 7-0 lead.

They continued to build their lead to 21-0 before the Cowboys came back to get within a touchdown at 21-14. The Giants managed to extend their lead. They eventually won the game, 31-14. As a result, they won the NFC East division.

Stay tuned for my latest visit to the Winter Classic. I will do a special post recapping the whole experience which will include the past ones I've been to.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with fellow roadtrippers Andrew Van Cleve and Kurt Smith in the City of Brotherly Love!

Andrew Van Cleve, Kurt Smith, The King and I

The King and I arrived in Philadelphia around 1PM on Sunday as we planned to meet up with some special people.

I'm talking about Andrew Van Cleve aka the Ultimate Sports fan who just moved to the City of Brotherly Love after spending the last 17 years of his life in Chicagoland. He spent the last ten years up the block from Wrigley Field.

He was forced to move because his lovely wife Nicole aka the Ultimate Sports wife got a job as a professor at Temple University.

Andrew is also the proud father of Dylan Salvatore aka the Ultimate Sports baby who has the unique distinction of seeing his first sporting event at Wrigley Field at a mere three days old. He's been to over a hundred live games since.

We were also joined by Kurt Smith, the author of ballpark e-guides. Kurt felt like he was out of his league because he doesn't have the time to attend nearly as many live sporting events as the rest of us. He was privileged and honored to be sitting at a table at Jon's Bar & Grille which is located a few blocks from Andrew's new home with us sports travel legends. He deemed it a Kodak moment.

Kurt has a baby on the way who's due to arrive in February so that will further prevent him from going to games live.

Regardless Kurt is a great guy who has to continue to find a way to support his latest family addition. With that being said, he has his side business of writing and selling ballpark e-guides which are tremendous sources of information for sports travelers as well as people in general. He has put lots of time and effort into producing these which he sells for a mere $5. I strongly suggest that if you haven't gotten one for your local team that you do so. He has done a number of them. Believe me, you can't go wrong and you'll be supporting a good cause in the process.

It was great to see Kurt again. He came in special from his home in South Jersey to meet up with us. Even though he couldn't make the football game, we still got to spend some quality time together. I want to thank him for giving us some of his precious time.

As for the football game, the King and I drove Andrew there with us.

We wound up working some royal magic as we met up with our good friend Frankie Centola who lives in Philadelphia. We all got to see the game from the club level, royal treatment indeed. We showed Andrew some of our own Brotherly Love.

With Andrew relocating to the Northeast, I fully expect to see him more often.

As for the game we saw, the Eagles raced out to a 28-0 lead over the Jets with 9:57 still left in the second quarter. The Jets cut into the lead as they trailed, 28-13 at halftime. They got the ball first in the second half but they continued to make costly mistakes which prevented them from pulling off another miraculous comeback on the road. They wound up losing to Eagles, 45-19.

Andrew decided to depart a little early since the game was over for all intent and purposes. By doing so, he was able to get back home to see Nicole and Dylan.

I want to thank Andrew for spending the rest of the afternoon with the King and I. As always it was an absolute pleasure to see him again.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/12 in review

Ceremony for Scott Niedermayer #27

This week was rather slow compared to the week before but occasionally it's nice to have a few nights off so I can catch up on things and recharge the batteries.

With that being said, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday were my nights off after work.

Tuesday night I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Dallas Stars. It was a scoreless game until defenseman Trevor Daley broke through with 5:01 left in the third period to give the Stars' the 1-0 victory. Rookie goaltender Richard Bachman stopped 34 shots as he earned his first NHL shutout in his second career start.

Friday night I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ where the Devils were hosting the Dallas Stars who were in the midst of a massive coast to coast road trip.

More importantly, the Devils honored former defenseman Scott Niedermayer by raising his number 27 to the rafters. His number was the third to be retired by the Devils. The others were Scott Stevens number 4 and Ken Daneyko number 3. All three of them were part of their three Stanley Cup winning teams in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

In addition, Scott Niedermayer won a fourth Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy which is given to the playoff MVP.

Mike "Doc" Emrick, a hockey broadcasting legend was the Master of Ceremonies which made the night even more memorable. Doc is a true professional in every sense of the word.

As a hockey fan, I was thrilled to be part of this special occasion.

As for the game that followed, the Devils capped off the night with a 6-3 win to send the sellout crowd home very happy.

Saturday morning I woke up early so I could go to Avis to pick up a car for the weekend.

The King and I took a ride to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where my parents live. We went to Hershey which is nearby to see a minor league hockey game while we were there.

The Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals affiliate were hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the NY Islanders farm team on this night at the Giant Center. We were joined by our friend Michael Abrams who was spending the weekend in the area with his lady friend Angelina. It was nice to see them again. Michael happens to be a Bear fan for over 30 years even though ironically he's an Islander fan.

As for the game, the Bears didn't let Michael down as they cruised to a 5-0 decision. Long time minor league goaltender Dany Sabourin got credit for the shutout.

After the game, the King and I spent the night at my parents' condo. Late in the morning, we said goodbye to them and we headed to Philadelphia to see the Jets play the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Stay tuned for the special post regarding the pre game festivities as we caught up with some very special people while we were there.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/7 in review

After enjoying a memorable weekend in Annapolis and Washington DC, I went back to work Monday. I left early so I could go back to the car I rented. I met the King and we drove down to Philadelphia to see the Eagles play the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

We met up with our friend Frankie Centola in Philly who arranged to get us tickets for the game.

As for the game we saw, it was a good one. The Eagles and Bears battled it out but when it was all said and done, the Bears escaped the City of Brotherly Love with a big win, 30-24.

As a result, our friends from Chicago, the Van Cleves were thrilled and relieved that their Bears' rose to the occasion on enemy territory. Nicole, Andrew and Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Wife, Fan and Baby were there with us in spirit.

After the game, I drove the King to the Post Office at Grand Central Station here in NYC where he started work at 2AM. I then took myself home. I got some sleep then I had to go to Avis and return the car before it was my turn to go back to work.

Tuesday night after work tired and all I went to the Prudential Center in Newark to see the Devils play the Carolina Hurricanes. We wound up seeing a decent game as the Devils came out on top as rookie Adam Henrique scored the game winning goal with 3:19 left in third period to give the Devils the 3-2 decision in regulation time.

Wednesday and Thursday after work, I got to catch up on rest which was much needed after the busy weekend and start to the week I had.

Friday night after work I arranged to meet my Cousin Andy who joined me, the King and our friend Bryan Gilligan for the Devil game against the Washington Capitals. It was great to see him again. He always enjoys our company and the royal treatment we provide.

As for the game we saw, the Devils broke through first as they scored the first goal of the game when rookie Adam Larsson scored his first NHL goal to give them the early lead. The Devils were shut out the rest of the night as the Capitals turned it up a notch. They scored the equalizer late in the second period when their superstar Alex Ovechkin put the biscuit in the basket to tie the game at one.

In the third period, the Capitals' got a shorthanded goal early from Jason Chimera to take the lead for good. They added an insurance goal as they won the first game of the home and home weekend series, 3-1.

Saturday morning I woke up early and I went back to Avis to rent another car for the weekend.

I drove back and I picked up the King and we drove to Princeton, NJ for a college football game as the Yale Bulldogs were visiting the Princeton Tigers.

The King and I had company as we got to see some of the many sports fans we know. I'm talking about Steve Tepperman aka Princeton Steve as we call him. In addition, we also had our pal Pat Gorman there as well as Richie Iannotta who happened to be present too. Last but not least we got to see a guy from Philadelphia we know as Sleepy Bob, who we haven't seen in a very long time. We all enjoyed each other's company.

As for the game we saw, the Yale Bulldogs held on this time as they beat the Princeton Tigers, 33-24 unlike when we saw them lose to Penn last month. The one bright spot for the Tigers was that we got to see history as their true freshman running back Chuck Dibilio ran for 178 yards on the ground and he scored three touchdowns. By doing so, he got himself into the history book as he became the first true freshman player in the history of the Ivy League to rush for over 1,000 yards.

After the game, the King and I drove down to Washington DC so we could the back end of the Devils and Capitals home and home series at the Verizon Center where tickets these days are hard to come by.

Thankfully our good friend Peter Agnew who has Capital season tickets was able to accomodate us. Since he was going to see Notre Dame play Maryland in a college football game at FedEx Field that night, his club seats were available. With that being said, the King and I decided to buy them from him.

It was our first time seeing a game there on the club level. It was a treat as we had a great view of the action. This time the Devils fell behind early 2-0 in the first period. They came back and tied the game at two after two periods. They played a scoreless third period and overtime.
The game was decided by a shootout which lasted four rounds before the Devils outlasted the Capitals, 3-2 to split the weekend series.

After the game, we drove to Aberdeen, Maryland where we spent the night.

Sunday morning we stopped off at the Waffle House for breakfast before we went to Philadelphia to see the Eagles try to keep their season alive. After losing to the Bears Monday night, the Eagles couldn't afford to lose again. This time they were hosting the Arizona Cardinals who I saw a few weeks prior in Baltimore where they blew a 21 point lead as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

This time the Cardinals fell behind by a touchdown early. They fought hard all game long despite their place kicker Jay Feely missing a few field goals. They persevered and when it was all said and done, the Cardinals delivered the knockout punch as they beat the Eagles, 21-17.

After the game, the King and I drove back up to MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands to see the Sunday night game between the Jets and their division rival, the New England Patriots.

The Jets' place kicker Nick Folk followed former Jet Jay Feely's lead as he missed a field goal on the Jets' first drive of the game after they went down the field like it was nothing. That miss set the tone for the evening as it turned out. The Patriots came into the game looking like they were beatable but the Jets couldn't find a way to beat them.

The Jets' hung tough in the first half. The second half proved to be a different story as the Patriots' made the necessary adjustments as they exploited the Jets on their way to a 37-16 triumph over their nemesis who knocked them out of the playoffs back in the middle of January. As a result, it appears the Jets hopes of winning the AFC East are a long shot now at best.

With that another royal week is in the books for the King and I.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys a weekend getaway for post season baseball and football in Philadelphia and Baltimore!

Last Saturday morning I woke up early and I went out to Avis to rent a car for the weekend. I drove back to Astoria and I picked up the King and we went on our way.

We drove down to the City of Brotherly Love to see a college football game at Lincoln Financial Field which is the home of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Temple Owls were hosting the Toledo Rockets at Noon. The King and I had to go near the Philadelphia airport first to meet our friend Frankie Centola who arranged to get us tickets for the Phillie game against the St. Louis Cardinals which was Game 1 of the National League Division Series. First pitch was scheduled for 5:07PM.

Despite the detour which cost us a half hour, I still managed to get us to the football game on time. In classic royalty fashion, we barely made it but we did and that's all that matters. I found a way to make it happen.

We wound up parking the car on the street for the day. We walked over to the box office and took advantage of the $5.00 deal they had if you showed a Phillie ticket.

We proceeded to go inside and we watched the game. As for the game we saw, the Owls got beat up, 36-13.

After the game, we walked back to the car and we dropped off some stuff. Once we got ourselves set, we walked back to Citizens Bank Park and got ready for some post season baseball. It was a rare time that we arrived early enough to watch batting practice there.

As for the game we saw, Phillies ace Roy Halladay started. He got touched up for three runs in the first inning as Lance Berkman smacked a three run home run off him. He settled down and he retired 21 straight batters before he departed after pitching 8 solid innings. The Phillies chipped away after they were shut down for five innings by Cardinals' starter Kyle Lohse. They finally got to him in the sixth inning and they hit him very hard as they scored six times on their way to a 11-6 victory.

After the game, we waited out the traffic and we drove over to one of our favorite restaurants in the area, the Oregon Diner. After we enjoyed a hearty dinner, we went to the Sugar House Casino in nearby North Philadelphia which was located right off I-95. In years past, we would have driven to Atlantic City instead.

After we spent a few hours there we called it a night. We drove over the Betsy Ross Bridge to Mt. Laurel, NJ where we got some sleep.

We woke up in the morning and we drove up the road a mile and a half and we had breakfast at another royalty staple, Cracker Barrel. As usual, we weren't disappointed in our great meal.

After we ate, we drove back to the Sports Complex in South Philadelphia. We had the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the San Francisco 49ers at 1PM.

Ironically back in 1991, I saw my first football game at Old Veterans Stadium and the Eagles played the 49ers that day with a quarterback named Joe Montana. The 49ers won, 24-7.

On this day, we saw Michael Vick of the Eagles lead the way as the Eagles took a 23-3 lead with 9 and a half to go in the third quarter. Unfortunately that lead disappeared thanks to the Eagles failure to run the ball which would have helped kill the clock. Instead the Eagles let the 49ers hang around. With three minutes to in the game, the 49ers completed the comeback as their running back Frank Gore ran into the end zone with what turned out to be the winning score. The 49ers came back to win in improbable fashion, 24-23.

After the game, the King and I parted ways temporarily. He stayed in Philadelphia and he went to Game 2 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.

I went back to the car and I took a hundred mile drive South down I-95 to Baltimore, Maryland to see the Jets play the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday night football at 8:20PM.

I stopped off at McDonald's in Delaware quickly so I could have some dinner in the car since I didn't have too much time to burn on my way to Baltimore.
I parked the car on the street within walking distance of M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens. I proceeded to get myself in position to get a ticket despite having to deal with a mob of people who were trying to enter the Stadium.

I finally rounded up a ticket after looking for a short time. I managed to get into the Stadium relatively fast considering what a mess it was. I got situated and I went upstairs to get ready for some football.

As for the game I saw, the Jets came out looking over matched. The Ravens came out ready to play. They were lead by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the anchors of their ferocious defense who gave Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez all he could handle and then some. On the Jets' opening possession of the game, Ed Reed blind sided Sanchez and he forced a fumble that lead to a touchdown to give the Ravens an early 7-0 lead which set the tone for the rest of the night.

Despite Joe McKnight of the Jets returning the ensuing kickoff a team record 107 yards to tie the game, the Jets didn't stand a chance.

They did briefly in the third quarter as the trailed 27-17 when they got a turnover but on the first play Mark Sanchez threw the ball in the flat and the Ravens returned it 73 yards to seal the deal, 34-17. That's the way it ended as the Jets had no response for the Ravens' Super Bowl like performance.

After the game, I went back to the car. I got going at 12:21AM. SIx minutes later I got on the highway and I drove towards Philadelphia where I went back to pick up the King who was waiting for me.

I avoided a potential delay getting out of Baltimore. I noticed a construction area where two lanes were closed and traffic was backed up. I wisely got off the exit just before the mess and I found an alternate route which saved me plenty of time.

I met up with the King at 2AM. I drove him back to the Post Office at Grand Central Station in Manhattan where he works. I dropped him off at 3:47AM. I proceeded to drive home so I could get an hour of sleep before I went to return the car.

I wound up driving 518 miles then I went to work dead tired and all. With that being said, another adventurous weekend getaway was in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/29 in review

After an exhausting Thanksgiving weekend where I saw 7 games in 4 days, I came home to rest and to catch up on lost sleep after work Monday night.

Tuesday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to the new look Knicks try to continue their winning ways against their crosstown rival, the New Jersey Nets.

As for the game, the Knicks fresh off a successful road trip beat up the Nets, 111-110!

Their big free agent signing, Amar'e Stoudemire led the way scoring 35 points. Wilson Chandler added 27 while newcomer Raymond Felton poured in 21 of his own.

For the Nets, Brook Lopez was a monster he scored 36 points in the losing effort. Unfortunately he had no supporting cast on this night.

Wednesday night after work I went to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Nets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Just like a few weeks ago when the King and I went to Boston to see the Thunder play, their superstar forward KD aka Kevin Durant wasn't playing.

Despite that the Thunder won the game again. This time they needed three overtimes to do so as they overcame the Nets.

Anthony Morrow of the Nets forced the game to go into overtime initially when he hit a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game.

In the overtimes, it appeared the Nets were going to win the game but they finally fell short in the third one and they lost, 123-120!

Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green paced the Thunder with 38 and 37 points respectatively.

The Nets were lead by Brooks Lopez and Jordan Farmar who each had 28 points. Anthony Morrow contributed 25 and he forced the game to go into overtime.

Thursday I left work early at 3:30PM so I could go back to Queens and pick up the car I rented from Avis before I went to work that morning.

I went down to Philadelphia to see the Eagles play the Houston Texans at 8:20PM.

More importantly, I arranged to meet a fellow roadtripper named Kurt Smith who lives in the area.
Kurt is a great guy. We had been e-mailing each other back and forth exchanging a variety of information and stories of things we have in common.

Kurt recently started a business selling "e-guides" to a handful of ballparks such as Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Citizens Bank Park and Fenway Park. He has a website dedicated to this. For more information, check out his site that's listed on my blog list.

The guides cost only $5.00 and they will be a steal of a deal when you utilize his ways of saving money.
Speaking of saving money, Kurt was kind enough to get to the Stadium area early so he could hold a parking spot for me.

Once I got there he pulled out and I pulled in. Now that's teamwork.

Since he couldn't join me for the game, we planned on going out for dinner that way we could talk face to face for the first time.

After dinner, Kurt drove me back near the Linc so I could get to the game on time which I did.
Thanks to my friend, Frankie Centola who arranged to get me a Club seat for the game which made my life real easy. I got the royal treatment as a result.

The Club entrance is separate from the regular entrance which was mobbed with late arriving fans.

With the help of other kind hearted people like myself, my visit to the Linc was a success.

As for the game, the Eagles went on to beat the Texans, 34-24. The Texans fell behind early but they stormed back to take the 27-24 late in the third quarter only to see the Eagles comeback and overtake them in the end.

It was another heartbreaking loss for the Texan fans.

Friday I was tired again since I drove home right after the Eagle game and I returned the car and went to work.

After work, I went home to rest up for the big weekend I had planned to the Queen City of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Just before I left work at 5:30PM Friday night my cell phone rang.

I answered it and it was Jake Cain, another roadtripper who lives in Cincinnati who I was planning to see over the weekend. He also has a website called Ballpark Savvy which you can also find on my blog list. Please feel free to check it out. It's to your advantage to do so.

I did that's how I got in contact with Kurt Smith.

He called me to tell me he's going to Texas for the weekend due to change in plans. I thought it was going to be a total missed opportunity. It wasn't thanks to Jake's brainstorming. He knew the King and I needed tickets for the University of Cincinnati Bearcat game Saturday at Noon. Jake and his father Dale have season tickets and a parking pass. Since Jake was going to be away he told me he was going to arrange to leave the tickets and the parking pass for us to use free of charge. That was very nice and thoughtful of him.

He said he would e-mail me the plan. When I woke up early Saturday morning the e-mail was on my Blackberry.

I proceeded to drive to the airport to catch my flight on Delta Airlines. I met the King there. After we got through security we went to the gate to get ready to board the plane. We finally get on the plane and a person in first class looks at us like he knew us. Yes, indeed he was right. The person we saw was Bob Kelly. Bob's brother Dennis and his wife Sue met us when we went to Japan in  March 2000 to see the Mets play the Cubs. Bob was flying home to Norfolk, Virginia via Cincinnati from a business trip. What timing that was.

I told Bob we have plans to go to Norfolk in the middle of March. He said we can have dinner at his house. That was very nice of him. He took a picture of the King and I and he sent it to his brother Dennis who lives in Irvine, California. What a small world it is we said. We saw Bob at Citi Field back in June when he came to New York to see the new stadium for the first time.

After arriving in Covington, Kentucky where the airport is located, I wound up meeting  up with Jake's father, Dale in Downtown Cincinnati and he gave me the tickets and the parking pass. He told me Merry Christmas and I said same to you and I mentioned that Christmas came early. The King and I were very grateful.

We proceeded to dodge the snow flurries and we went to Nippert Stadium to see the Pitt Panthers play the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Ironically last year I was in Pittsburgh to see these two teams play for the Big East Championship game. The Bearcats won a thriller, 45-44!

This time the Panthers returned the favor as they won 28-10 but the Big East Championship was not on the line.

It was an amazing experience watching a game in this old time venue. Mother nature helped enhance the experience by adding to the setting. I strongly suggest that if you haven't been to Nippert yet that you go there.

If you need any assistance, Jake Cain is there for you. Just get in contact with him so he can guide you along.

After the football game, the King and I went to see the Cincinnati Cyclones play the Florida Everblades in an ECHL minor league hockey game at the US Bank Arena.

The Everblades won,5-3!

Sunday we went to Paul Brown Stadium to see the "Who" Bowl. The hometown Bengals are referred to as " Who Dey" and the visiting Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints are known as "Who Dat".

As for the game, the Saints came marching in and they marched out of the 'Nati with the W. The Bengals who I saw play the Jets on Thanksgiving night beat themselves. They've had a rough season and this game was indicative of that fact.

The Saints blew a lead and came back to beat the Bengals, 34-30!

After the game, I drove the King to the airport so he could catch his 7PM flight home. He had to get to work.

On the other hand, I was flying home Monday morning.

A former co-worker of mine, Melissa Vierling got a job at the ABC affiliate WHAS-TV in Louisville, Kentucky as an account executive in late October.

I told her before she left that I'll come visit her and we can go out for dinner.

True to my word, after I dropped the King off at the airport I proceeded to drive 100 miles to meet Melissa for dinner at Joe's Crab Shack in Downtown Louisville right by the ballpark where the Louisville Bats play home of the Triple A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

I spend a few hours catching up with "Sweet Melissa". She's such a nice person. We enjoyed each other's company in the "Ville".

I would want to personally thank Melissa for making the time to see me. That was very thoughtful of her.

Another incredible week is now in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman