Royalty is hitting the road again to Canada, Western NY, Erie PA & Cleveland, Ohio at the end of October!

Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car from Avis on Friday morning for the weekend.

I'll be driving up North of the Border to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Buffalo, Erie, Pennsylvania & Cleveland, Ohio to see my first ever Canadian Football League game, NHL & OHL hockey & a NFL game before returning to NYC late Sunday night/Monday morning. My pal Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike as we call him is joining me. He has asked me a number of times the last few years to take him to see his favorite teams, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats & the Buffalo Sabres play. Knowing full well, the World Series will be going on in a National League ballpark that weekend, I decided that this should be the year of the Cubs. I'm counting on them to not let me down. Wishful thinking I know. It may be now or never for them. We shall wait & see. With that being said, I told Mike that I have a trip in the works that's perfect for him. When I told him, he was literally in heaven. His birthday is on November 12th. He'll be celebrating a little earlier this year he said. In addition, I plan to see my pals Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell aka USRT who live in Buffalo. They'll be joining us the first half of the getaway along with another roadtripper, Chris Boyes who we all know who's coming to visit from England that weekend to see an array of sporting events including the Buffalo Bills who he's a fan of. The timing couldn't be more perfect in that regard. Last but definitely not least, I plan to reunite with Nadia Koyratty who I met last year when I went on the Free Royal Tour of London. She's now living in Buffalo while she pursues her PHD at the University of Buffalo. She's not really into sports but I plan to have her join us for breakfast Saturday morning at the Royal Restaurant which is nearby in the Buffalo area.            

Friday October 28th Edmonton Eskimos at Hamilton Tiger-Cats 7PM

Saturday October 29th Panthers at Sabres 1PM

                                       Saginaw Spirit at Erie Otters 7PM

Sunday October 30th Jets at Browns 1PM
           
If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join Mike & I as well as the rest of the very special guests we're meeting along the way.

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Opening Day at Citi Field to see the Mets host the Nationals!

Sam Citron Outside the Rotunda at Citi Field

After shaking off the effects of jet lag, the King & I went to Citi Field Monday March 31st to see the Mets start their 2014 season against the Washington Nationals. Since I wisely took the day off from work, I got to the ballpark when the gates opened. I got to see my pal Sam Citron when I got to the Rotunda. It was great to see him again. When I entered the ballpark, I was hoping to see batting practice but since the weather wasn't ideal, they didn't have any. I was hoping to see my pal Gio Gonzalez before the game but I waited & waited but he never came out. I was able hang around until game time since I knew the usher who watches over the special seats that are located between the tarp & the Nationals dugout. 

Me waiting to see Gio

When they announced the players in the special pre game ‎introductions I saw Gio from a distance. When they went back into the dugout, I yelled out to him. He acknowledged me by giving me a thumbs up before he headed into the clubhouse. It wasn't the same as getting a handshake but he did see me wearing the personalized jersey he gave me in the same spot back on 9/11 when the Nationals were in town last September.
 

Opening Day at Citi Field

Remembering Ralph Kiner 1922-2014

It should be noted that there was a special ceremony to remember former Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner who passed away at age 91 during the off season. Ralph played ten years for the Pittsburgh Pirates‎ during his hall of fame career. He joined the Mets as a broadcaster when the team came into existence back in 1962. Ralph was always fun to listen to. He was notorious for botching up players' names when he was on the air. For example, he referred to the Late Gary Carter as Gary Cooper when he played for the Mets back in the mid 80's into the early 90's. Ralph also was known for having own post game show called Kiner's Korner where he interviewed players from the winning team after the game. Mets baseball won't be the same without hearing Ralph's voice. Thanks for the memories. In his honor, the Mets will be wearing a special patch all season. 

1st Pitch 1:13PM delivered by Mets' starter Dillon Gee

Since ‎the game was getting ready to start, I decided to watch the top of the first inning on the field level before I headed up to the royal court in section 516. When I finally got upstairs I got to see the usual people we know that go to see baseball games on a regular basis. They included Vincent Ascanio, Rich Wolber, Michael Abrams as well as some Mets season ticket holders who were back for another season. 

View from Royal Court in Section 516

As for the game we saw, the Mets started the season with a bang right off the bat after starter Dillon Gee retired the Nationals in the top of the first after allowing a single. The Mets got a clutch two out three run homer from left fielder Andrew Brown to take an early 3-0 lead against Nationals' ace pitcher, Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals responded as first baseman Adam LaRoche hit a two run homer to slice the Mets' lead to one at 3-2 in the second inning. The Mets tacked on another run as Eric Young Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2 after two innings. Stephen Strasburg settled down as he didn't give up any more runs. He left after going six innings while striking ten in the process. The Nationals got him off the hook when they scored twice in the seventh inning to tie the game at four. The Mets regained the lead, 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning when center fielder Juan Lagares lead off with a home run off former Yankee farmhand Tyler Clippard. The Nationals showed resiliency as they tied the game again at five as Denard Span drove a run with a two out double off Mets' closer Bobby Parnell. The game went into extra innings. The Nationals got a sacrifice fly from shortstop Ian Desmond to go back ahead, 6-5 in the top of the tenth inning. They got some insurance runs thanks to a three run homer by Anthony Rendon who made it, 9-5. The Mets made a comeback in the bottom of the tenth as they got a two out walk that was followed by a two run homer by David Wright to pull the Mets within two at 9-7 but reliever Jerry Blevins got Curtis Granderson to strike out looking to end the game. The Nationals picked up where they left off the second half of last season as they fought hard to earn the 9-7 victory.

After the game, the King, Vincent Ascanio & I took the subway to the World Trade Center where we got the Path train to go out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. We saw the Devils take on the Florida Panthers that night.

As for the game we saw, the Devils like the Mets got off to a fast start. They score three unanswered goals in the first half of the first period. The Panthers scored late to cut the lead to 3-1. In the second period, the Panthers made it 3-2. The Devils regained their two goal cushion as they found the net to go up, 4-2 but the Panthers came back to get within one again at 4-3 after two periods. Early in the third period, the Devils got a shorthanded goal to go up 5-3. Then they finally put the game away with another goal midway through the third period as they held off the persistent Panthers by a score of 6-3.

Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about my pal Gio Gonzalez who started game two of the new baseball season. 

Thank you for reading ‎& following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/18 in review

Monday night after work I came home. I made myself dinner, I relaxed and I got to catch up on things at home. It's always nice to have a night off from time to time.

Tuesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The Devils were hosting their cross town rivals, the NY Rangers which made for a very festive night. I was joined by my pal Vincent Ascanio who bought the King's ticket. The King decided to go out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Montreal Canadiens instead.

Before the game started, I got a pastrami sandwich for dinner at the arena. I took it to my seat and I ate it just before the opening puck was dropped.

As for the game we saw, the Rangers got on the scoreboard first as defenseman Michael Del Zotto scored while the Rangers were killing a penalty with 8:11 to go in the first period. With 4:45 to go in the period, the Devils cashed in on the power play this time as Travis Zajac got the equalizer to even it at one. Shortly thereafter, the Rangers regained the lead, 2-1 when Carl Hagelin lit the lamp with 3:10 to go. The rapid fire continued as the Devils answered back just 23 seconds later when defenseman Anton Volchenkov found the net to knot the score again at two. In the second period, the Rangers went back ahead this time for good as Rick Nash buried the biscuit 7:25 into the period to make it a 3-2 game. Quite amazingly, there was no more scoring the rest of the game. The Rangers left the building with a victory much to the delight of the Ranger fans who came across the river to see the Blueshirts play. It should be noted there were a good number of them among the sellout crowd of 17,625. Regardless of the outcome, it was an exciting game to be at especially for the first half of it. It was a playoff like atmosphere.

Wednesday night after work I went to Charley's Subs in Penn Station for dinner where I had a Philly cheese steak sandwich before I went upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks take on the Orlando Magic.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks got off to a fast start as they led, 26-15 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Magic made a comeback as they sliced the Knick lead down to 5, 51-46 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Knicks played like they did in the first quarter. They out scored the Magic by 13 to break it open as they led, 83-65 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, they slacked off like they did in the second as the Magic out scored the Knicks by six again. It was too little too late as the Knicks beat the Magic, 106-94.

It should be noted that Carmelo Anthony returned after missing some games due to a knee injury. He scored 21 points and he grabbed 8 rebounds in his return.

Thursday night and Friday night I wound up coming home after work. It was nice to have more time to catch up on things at home.

Saturday morning I went out and I did my laundry. In the afternoon, I arranged to meet up with my parents who came to visit. It was nice to see them again. At night, I went with the King to Newark, NJ as the Devils were playing the Florida Panthers. We were joined by our pals Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and Vincent Ascanio we were also in attendance.

As for the game we saw, the Devils and Panthers played a scoreless first period. In the second period, the Devils scored the first goal of the game as Patrik Elias broke through 1:24 into the period. The Devils went up 2-0 with 8:57 left in the period when David Clarkson scored. The Panthers finally broke the shutout with 10 seconds left in the period to slice the Devils' lead to 2-1. In the third period, neither team scored as the Devils held on to beat the Panthers before another sellout crowd at the Rock.

Sunday afternoon the King and I went to the Nassau Coliseum with our friend Frank Anichiarico to see the Islanders play the Florida Panthers. We got a visit from our buddy Joe Rossi who was there with his adorable daughter, Grace. They were there with a group from school. As always, it was a pleasure to see them again.

As for us, we wound up taking public transportation there and back. It was an like a road trip since it took us close to two hours each way. As the saying goes, you have to do what you have to do. It's always worth going there especially now that their days are numbered at that old barn since the Islanders plan to move into the Barclays Center in October 2015 if not sooner.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders drew first blood as defenseman Andrew MacDonald scored a power play goal 6:05 into the game to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead. After a scoreless second period, the Islanders got two late empty net goals in the third period as they beat the Panthers, 3-0. Evgeni Nabokov, the Islanders' goaltender recorded the shutout, the 55th of his NHL career in front of a nice crowd of 14,512 on Marvel Comics day. The young fans on hand were treated as Thor and Spiderman were there to entertain them in the stands during the game.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/6 in review

Nets and Spurs on Hardwood Classics Night 

Another royal week of stadium travel is in the books.

 Here's how it turned out:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/31 in review

Monday night after work I went to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Denver Nuggets.

For some reason, when I see the Nuggets play in person they usually don't play well. This was yet another example. They fell to the Nets, 115-99.

The lone bright spot for the Nuggets was Carmelo Anthony who was showcasing his talent.

Melo as he's known was rumored to be possibly coming to New Jersey in a trade until a few weeks ago when the Nets decided to stop pursuing him.

He scorched them for 37 points and he pulled down 9 rebounds in his cameo appearance.

Needless to say, he heard the boos from the announced crowd of 14,039 which didn't seem nearly that big. Despite the Nets trying their best to discount their more expensive tickets in hope of attracting more people.

The NBA in particular has a propensity to fudge their attendance figures.

As for Melo, the latest rumors have him coming to the Knicks instead. If that happens, I'll see him play regularly at the Garden where the atmosphere is second to none when the team plays well.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Prudential Center to see the Devils host the Ottawa Senators.

It was a nice peaceful evening at the "Rock" as the Devils came away with a 2-1 win.

Wednesday night I was at the Garden as the Knicks played host to the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

The Knicks hung around for the first half. In the second half, the Mavericks went on to pull away and they cruised to a 113-97 victory.

The result was much to the delight of my former co-worker, Justin Huff, who I arranged to get tickets for. I know Justin was a big Jason Kidd fan so I made sure I accommodated his need to see him play live. He was grateful for the opportunity to do so.

That's just another example of how Royalty satisfies others needs and wants.

After having a night off on Thursday, I wound up back in Newark on Friday night as the Devils entertained the Florida Panthers.

Unlike Tuesday's game against the Senators, this game featured more scoring and some unusual breaks.

The Devils got an early goal as the puck took an odd bounce off the side board and they took advantage as Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun was out of position. They  lead 3-2 in the third period when the Panthers got the equalizer with just over 7 minutes left in regulation as Mike Santorelli lit the lamp with a shorthanded goal. The score remained tied at the end of regulation time.

Rostislav Olesz of the Panthers got the game winning goal exactly two minutes into overtime to give the Panthers the extra point as they left Newark with a 4-3 come from behind win.

Saturday I wound up getting an unexpected night off due to the fact I needed to dig my car out of the snow and ice. By the time I finally got it out I was exhausted and sore. I decided to use my brain for a change and I passed up on the Islanders/Senators game at the Nassau Coliseum.

Sunday the King and I had given our Knick tickets to our friend Frankie Centola from Philadelphia who wanted to see his 76ers play at the Garden.

We were going to go to Newark to see the Nets and Pacers instead.

At the last minute, Frankie called us and he said he couldn't make it so he mailed the tickets back to us and we wound up going there.

After the Knicks lost a heartbreaker in Philadelphia on Friday night, they came home and returned the favor in front of a sellout crowd as they went on to beat the 76ers convincingly, 117-103!

Amar'e Stoudemire tied his season high as he poured in 41 points while rookie of the year candidate Landry Fields added a career high 25 points to go along with 10 boards.

As a result, it turned out to be another exciting afternoon at the mecca of basketball.

After the game, the King and I went to our good friend Frank Anichiarico's place to watch the Super Bowl. Frank's lovely wife, Tina did the cooking and provided the hospitality as we watched the Green Bay Packers do what our Jets couldn't do. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Big D, 31-25!

With that being said, another eventful week was in the books.

Just so you know I expanded my followings on Twitter so please feel free to follow @royaltytoursusa. 

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman