Royalty is hitting the road again over President's Day weekend!

Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car on Friday February 13th from Payless Car Rental for President's Day weekend.

The King  & I will be driving out to Columbus, Ohio then to Michigan before we head North of the Border & to Buffalo for the rest of the weekend. We plan to return home late Monday night/early Tuesday morning.

Friday February 13th Flyers at Blue Jackets 7PM

Saturday February 14th Akron Zips at Eastern Michigan Eagles 2:30PM

                                       Jets at Red Wings 7PM

Sunday February 15th Rider Broncos at Niagara Purple Eagles 2PM

                                     Flyers at Sabres 7:30PM

Monday, February 16th Tulsa Oilers at Brampton Beast 2PM

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

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 w/o 1/20 in review

On Monday January 20th which was Martin Luther King Day I was off from work. The King & I returned from our North of the Border weekend getaway early in the morning. We got some sleep then I drove us to the Nassau Coliseum with the Toyota Camry I had rented Friday night after work for the weekend from Avis.

We saw the Islanders play the Philadelphia Flyers that afternoon. As for the game we saw, the Islanders who trailed the Flyers, 3-1 after two periods came back to tie the game late at three. After they played a scoreless overtime period, the Islanders won the game, 4-3 in a four round shootout. It was an exciting game.

After the game, I returned the car I rented from Avis which worked out well. I wound up driving 1,220 miles safely over the three day weekend. I then took public transportation back home. The King got a ride home from our friend Dennis Barbera who was also at the game. 

Tuesday after work I went out to Newark, NJ where I met up with my Cousin Andy who joined the King & I for the hockey game at the Prudential Center. The Devils took on the St. Louis Blues that night.

As for the game we saw, it wasn't much of a contest. The Devils scored early & often as they raced out to a 3-1 lead midway through the first period. They padded their lead with two more goals in the second & third periods as they went on to beat the Blues, 7-1. 

The highlight of the night was I got to see my Cousin Andy again. As always, it was great to see him. We enjoyed each other's company so the result of the game was secondary but since my Cousin likes the Devils I'm glad they won for him.

Wednesday night after work I went to the Transformed Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers. I was joined by the King & our pal Frank Anichiarico aka Duck who was there. Duck happens to be a 76er fan. 

As for the game we saw, the 76ers wound up beating the Knicks, 110-106 which made for a happy Duck. The 76ers have had an awful season but they looked on this night.

Thursday night after work I came home. I made myself dinner then I went out & I did my laundry.

Friday night after work I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Devils battle the Washington Capitals at the Rock. I met up with the King there.

As for the  game we saw, the Devils won the game, 2-1. They held the Capitals scoreless until midway into the third period. 

Saturday afternoon the King & I went out to Long Island for a doubleheader. We saw the Islanders host the St. Louis Blues at the Nassau Coliseum.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders blew a 2-0 lead. The Blues tied the game at two before the Islanders regained the lead shortly thereafter. It stayed that way until the Blues tied the game again with just 27 seconds to go in regulation. After a scoreless overtime session, the Blues went on to win, 4-3 in a shootout.

Due to time constraints, we raced across the street & we went to the Mack Sports Complex where we saw the Hofstra Pride play a college basketball game against the Northeastern Huskies with our buddy Michael Abrams. 

As for the game we saw, the Pride who lead, 33-30 after the first half collapsed in the second half as the Huskies pulled away as they ran the Pride off the court, 70-57. 

To cap off the day, we met up with our friend Bryan Gilligan who was out on Long Island watching some high school basketball games. He picked us up & he drove us back to Queens. We wound up going to Donovan's Pub to have dinner together.

Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about the Stadium Series games the King & I witnessed at Yankee Stadium.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/6 in review

Monday night January 6th after work I went to the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn where I saw the Nets host the Atlanta Hawks with the King. Before the game started I stopped by the press area where the radio announcers sit. I got to say a quick hello to my pal Steve Holman, the legendary broadcaster for the Hawks who has done over 2,000 consecutive Hawk games. It was nice to see him again. As for the game we saw, the Nets beat the Hawks, 91-86.

Tuesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark as the Devils played their division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers. I met up with my Cousin Andy who joined the King & I for a rare night out. The Flyers got the game winner in overtime thanks to Brayden Schenn as they defeated the Devils, 3-2. 

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Barclays Center as the Nets entertained the Golden State Warriors. I met up with the King & our pal Sean MacDonald who decided to join us. He wanted to see Stephen Curry play. Last time he saw him in the area was last February when he came to New York on a business trip. That night Curry scorched the Knicks at the Garden as he scored a game high 54 points. This time he lead the way again with 34 points. Unfortunately for the Warriors, it wasn't enough as the Nets outlasted them, 102-98.

Thursday night after work, I returned to the Prudential Center in Newark as the Devils took on the Dallas Stars. This time I was accompanied by the King & fellow roadtripper Paul Derrick who returned to the area for the second time in a month. Paul flew into LaGuardia airport earlier in the day from Houston, Texas for the weekend. Since he missed the Devils the last time he visited, he wanted to return to cross the Rock off his to do list. As for the game we saw, the Devils blanked the Stars, 1-0 as goaltender Corey Schneider recorded the shutout.

After work Friday I came home & I relaxed as I wanted to rest up for the busy weekend I had planned. Paul Derrick wound up going to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Stars. He saw the Knicks play in December. 

Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail regarding our getaway to New England for another three sport weekend. 

Thank you for reading & following along. 

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/28 in review

After work on Monday I came home to rest up from the exhausting weekend I wound up taking to the Buckeye State. 

Tuesday night after work I met up with my Cousin Andy at Newark Penn Station. We walked through the Gateway Center & we stopped off at Subway to have dinner together. After we ate, we continued walking over to the Prudential Center where we saw the Devils play the Tampa Bay Lightning. We were joined by the King when we got up to our seats in section 226 row 6.  My Cousin was so happy to see us. Unlike us, he doesn't get to go out that often so it's a real treat for him when he meets up with us. We always have a great time together.

As for the game we saw, the Devils beat the Lightning, 2-1. As a result, my Cousin was thrilled. He couldn't thank me enough for getting him the ticket for the game.

Wednesday night after work I went to the completely Transformed Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks open their new season against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

First & foremost, I want to mention all the additions in the final phase of the three year transformation process. Upon entry to the building, you'll notic the newly designed lobby & box office area which is more spacious than it was in the past. They've also added a team store so you can pick up souvenirs before and/or after the game. When you go inside I strongly suggest that you take a ride up to the tenth floor. That way you can check out the new Chase bridges that they've added which are connected to the West Balcony on the 8th avenue end of the building. The seating on the bridges is like the West Balcony. In other words, they have a few rows of seats that are protected by very thick glass as well as a row of bar stool seats behind them that have a ledge for you to put food and/or paperwork like I do when I sit at one of them. As long as you're not afraid of heights, you'll love the aerial view these seats have to offer. The Bridges are made so you feel like you're right on top of the action. They overlook the court for basketball & the ice for hockey. These seats are pricey & they're not sold on a season ticket basis. I recommend that if you have some money to burn that you try to get a seat up there. By doing so, you'll appreciate what they did to transform the building. The other change they made that stands out was they added a new massive HD scoreboard which hangs over the court and/or the ice. If you happen to be sitting on the side on the 200 level in the higher rows, the scoreboard is partially blocked. But they wisely added big screens on the side of the Bridges so you can see whatever you miss. Overall, I think they did a nice job in transforming the building. This may be a short lived process though since I've heard that in ten years they may be forced out of Penn Station which is built below the Garden. If you want to see the building as it is now, you should get there sooner than later.

As for the game I saw that night, the Knicks got off to a fast start. They lead by 25 points at halftime, 56-31. The Bucks fought back in the second half but the Knicks were able to hold them off as they went on to win their first game of the season, 90-83. Carmelo Anthony lead the way as he scored a game high 19 points & he grabbed 10 rebounds. Raymond Felton added 18 points.

Thursday night after work I spent my Halloween night doing my laundry after I made myself dinner.

Friday night after work I met up with the King at the Barclays Center where we saw the new look Brooklyn Nets open their home slate with a nationally televised game against the defending two time World Champion Miami Heat.

As for the game we saw, the Nets wound up beating the Heat in a drawn out game that took nearly three hours to play. The Nets won, 101-100. The Nets got 19 points from former Celtic Paul Pierce while Kevin Garnett aka KG who was also acquired in the same deal had just 6 points. Joe Johnson helped the Nets' cause by scoring 19 points as well. As for the Heat, LeBron James lead the way with 26 points but he didn't do anything exciting on this night as his team came up short.

Saturday afternoon the King & I took a ride via subway, Ferry & bus to see a college football game on Staten Island as the Wagner Seahawks were hosting the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut at Hameline Field. We were joined by our pal Eddie Pelle who met us there.

As for the game we saw, the Blue Devils beat the Seahawks, 52-17. The game actually was 24-17 with 13:09 to go but the Seahawks fell apart as they gave up four unanswered touchdowns as running back Rob Hollomon lead the charge for the Blue Devils. He finished the game with 147 yards rushing & he scored four touchdowns.

After the game, the King & I went out to the Prudential Center to see the Devils take on the Flyers. Eddie couldn't join us since he needed to take care of things at home. It was nice to see him again. 

As for the game we saw, the Flyers scored the only goal of the game in the first period. They held on to beat the Devils, 1-0.

Sunday the King & I went into Midtown Manhattan where we met up with our pal Larry Peim who drove us out to MetLife Stadium where we saw the Jets host the New Orleans Saints.

As for the game we saw, the Jets surprised the Saints as they beat them, 26-20. They were lead by former Saint Chris Ivory who ran for a game high 139 yards on the ground.

After the game, Larry drove us back to into Midtown. I went to see the Knicks play the Timberwolves at the Transformed Garden while the King decided to go home. 

As for the game I saw, the Timberwolves  played well & they beat the Knicks, 109-100. They got a monster performance out of Kevin Love who scored 34 points & he pulled down 15 rebounds. Kevin Martin added 30 points to help lead the charge for the Wolves. As for the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony poured in 22 points & he grabbed 17 boards while Metta World Peace finished with 17 points in the losing effort.

Stay tuned as I continue to attempt to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/18 in review

My niece Taylor, my nephew Jeremy & I

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Legends Night at St. John's University

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/11 in review

Tim Capstraw & Chris Carrino

Monday night after work I came home and I ate dinner then I went out and I did my laundry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/5 in review

1,000 NHL games for Petr Sykora

Monday morning before I went to work I went back to Avis to return the car I rented for the weekend. I wound up driving 637 miles safely over the two days.

After work, I came home and I did my laundry even though I was tired from having to get up an hour earlier than normal since I had to return the car.

Tuesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils host their cross town rival, the NY Rangers.

In a pregame ceremony, the Devils honored their winger Petr Sykora who played his 1,000th NHL game on Sunday March 4th.

The Devils came in on a losing skid. On this night, Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils set the tone early in this one as he lit the lamp just 49 seconds into the game. The Rangers tied the game later at one. It stayed that way as they headed into the third period. The Devils turned it up a notch as they crashed the net and they beat goaltender Henrik Lundqvist a few times to break the tie. They added an empty net goal late to wrap up a 4-1 decision.

Wednesday night after work I went back out to the Prudential Center. This time I went to see the Nets play the new and improved LA Clippers who traded for Chris Paul right after the lockout ended.

As for the game I saw, the Nets led big most of the game. The Clippers hung around late as it appeared like they were going to win the game. They took a brief lead in the closing minutes but Jordan Farmar of the Nets hit the game winning shot from beyond the three point arc with just .2 seconds left to win it in dramatic fashion for the Nets, 101-100.

The game featured two of the best point guards in the game today. Deron Williams of the Nets who had 21 points and 10 assists and Chris Paul of the Clippers who came on late to finish with 22 points and 10 assists.
The other battle in this game was between Kris Humphries of the Nets who had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Blake Griffin the young rising star of the Clippers who finished with a game high 28 points to go along with 17 rebounds. He worked very hard to get his stats up. Throughout the game, they gave each other a physical beating. In the end, Humphries got the last laugh because his team won the game.

Thursday night after work, I went back to Newark for more Devil hockey. This time they played the other NY team from Long Island, the Islanders.

The Devils took an early 2-0 lead as Ilya Kovalchuk scored again. When he scores the Devils win. The Islanders cut the lead in half at 2-1 then Kovalchuk scored again. In the third period, Kovalchuk added his third goal which gave him a hat trick. The Devils cruised to a 5-1 victory.

Friday night after work I went home since there were no games to attend in the area. Thankfully it worked out that way since I was running on fumes. I needed to rest up and recharge my batteries.

Saturday during the day I got to catch up on sleep and I cleaned up around the house. At night I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Houston Rockets.

This was a very well played game. The Rockets wound up outlasting the Nets in a good competitive affair as they beat the Nets, 112-106.

Sunday after turning the clocks ahead, I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks who returned home after a brutal 0-4 road trip to take on the surprising Philadelphia 76ers at Noon.

The King and I were there along with our friends Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and Al Linderman who were also in the building hoping to see some more Linsanity.

As for the game we saw, Jeremy Lin is starting to come down to earth it seems. He did manage to score 14 points and he dished out 7 assists but it wasn't enough as the 76ers who were lead by Lou Williams who scored 28 points off the bench and Evan Turner their second year pro from Kentucky who added 24 points and 15 rebounds which proved to be too much for the Knicks to handle as they fell to the 76ers, 106-94.

After the game, the King and I met up with our pal Manny Bonilla who contacted me during the game and he asked me if I could get him a ticket for the Devil game against the Flyers out in Newark. He said he never went to a hockey game. With that being said, I found a way to make it happen for him.

Manny's a good kid. It was a pleasure to accomodate him.

As for the game we saw, the Devils continued their hot streak at home as they knocked off the Flyers, 4-1. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists to lead the way again.

What a week it was for the Devils and Kovalchuk as they continue their playoff push up the standings.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/30 in review

Quick Change

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

The Winter Classic Experience

Me in the Crowd at Winter Classic

On January 1, 2008 the NHL decided to stage a unique event that being the Winter Classic in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium which is the home of the Buffalo Bills.

Thanks to my pals Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell who are Sabre season ticket holders, they were able to secure tickets for my friend the King and I to see this unique event.

The experience that day was priceless. Despite not feeling our best, we still braved the elements on this day to see hockey history in the making. With snow falling during the game, the ice needed to be repaired numerous times but that didn't stop the game from being a big hit. A record crowd of 71,000 were on hand to witness it.

The game wound up being decided in a shootout as the Penguins beat the Sabres, 2-1 as Sidney Crosby scored the game winner.

On January 1, 2009 the NHL decided to do another Winter Classic. This time they chose Wrigley Field in Chicago as the site of the event. The Chicago Blackhawks took on their original six rival, the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately I didn't get to witness this one in person. I did watch it on TV with deep regret.
Since the game was at a smaller venue, the ticket prices were rather pricey. That coupled with the fact I live in NYC, it's a long drive to Chicago and mother nature can always play her tricks. In addition, my friend the King who happens to be a Red Wing fan thought he was going to have to work so we decided it was better not to go.

Ironically we met up with Andrew Van Cleve a few years ago when we visited Chicago. He was at that Winter Classic. I wish we knew each other then.

As for the game that day, the Red Wings beat the hometown Blackhawks, 6-4 in the highest scoring Winter Classic game.

On January 1, 2010, the tradition continued. This time the Winter Classic was played at Fenway Park in Boston as the Philadelphia Flyers invaded Beantown to play the Bruins.

Once again the King and I decided to go. We wound up buying tickets at the last minute on Craiglist because we were concerned about the weather.

Thankfully mother nature cooperated. It turned out to be a beautiful winter day. The temperature was a comfortable 36 degrees which made for a wonderful setting. We had the privilege of sitting towards the back of the grandstand near first base which was the corner of the rink. We had the Green Monster staring us right in the face.

As for the game, the Flyers lead 1-0 into the third period. Late in the period, the Bruins evened the score at one. This one was decided in overtime as the Bruins found the net in the extra session as they sent the natives home happy, 2-1. It should be noted their were a number of Flyer fans in attendance as well who had a long ride home after the loss.

As for the King and I, since we didn't have a real rooting interest so we got to enjoy the outcome regardless of who won.

On January 1, 2011, the Winter Classic returned to a bigger venue. This one was played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh which is the home of the Steelers. The Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals.

This game was originally scheduled to start at 1PM like the others. Unfortunately mother nature was up to her tricks again. This time the temperature was in the 40's and rain was expected. With that being said, they decided that with the rain suppose to clear out by the evening, they changed the starting time to 8PM. By doing so, this turned out to be the first Winter Classic in prime time.

As for the King and I, we got to go again. This time our friend Peter Agnew who has season tickets for the Capitals said he didn't want to go. He asked us if we wanted to buy the tickets he was offered. We instantly told him yes.

We wound up sitting in the upper level with other Capital fans. They did a nice job distributing the tickets for this game. It seemed like every other section was divided by each team's fans. By doing that it made for a fair view for everybody who was able to be part of this unique experience. They drew a crowd of 68,000.
As for the game, the hometown Penguins came up short as the Capitals won, 3-1.

This year New Year's Day came out on a Sunday. With that being said, the NHL decided to move their Winter Classic game to Monday, January 2nd instead.

This time they went back to the baseball park setting as they chose to have the Philadelphia Flyers host the game at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies. The Flyers played the New York Rangers in the latest installment of the Classic. The game was scheduled to start at 1PM but since the weather conditions weren't ideal they decided to move the starting time to 3PM.

The King and I once again got to take part in the festivities. We were also joined by our friend Andrew Van Cleve who recently moved to Philadelphia.

The King and I got tickets with the help of season ticket holders that we know. Andrew found a person on Craigslist who sold him a ticket for face value.

Surprisingly it seemed like their were a lot more Flyer fans than Ranger fans at the game. We happened to be sitting around a lot of Flyer fans. There were a lot of people dressed up in their Flyer colors throughout the ballpark.

Don't get me wrong, there were a good number of Ranger fans in the building but with the ticket prices being really pricey I think that prevented some people from going to the game.

The experience is different than seeing a hockey game indoors. The outdoor game makes for a once in a lifetime scenario for those who have some spare money to burn. If you like the game of hockey, I strongly suggest that you go to a Winter Classic so you can see the experience for yourself.

As for the game, the Flyers took a 2-0 lead in the second period after there was no scoring for the first half of the game. The Rangers cut the lead in half at 2-1 after two periods. During the intermission, I ran into a guy I knew from New York who happens to be a big time Ranger fan. He said and I quote "this game isn't over yet." He turned out to be right. The Rangers proceeded to tie the game at two and then they got the eventual game winning goal as the Rangers hung on for the 3-2 victory.

In retrospect, I may regret not going to Wrigley Field in 2009 but I've been to the last three in a row. I hope to be able to keep going to see this unique event year after year. Time will tell.

If you plan to go, please take into account that many of the seats are bad. That's the nature of setting up a rink in a baseball and/or football stadium.

In a baseball stadium, the rink usually runs from across the outfield behind second base.

In a football stadium, the rink is laid across the gridiron between the 20 yard lines.

The bottom line is this experiment is working as the NHL now has a day it can call its own.

In the future, if you like hockey New Year's Day is the day you can see the sport outdoors. Hopefully they'll chose different locations and teams so it's more fair to the rest of the country.

I hope I've given you a reason to see for yourself what the Winter Classic experience is all about.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/17 in review

Legendary Franklin Field

Monday I worked a half a day because I had to go to the doctor for my annual exam in the afternoon. Thankfully I got a clean bill of health. I took off some weight too. Even with my rigorous lifestyle, I still find time to take care of my body. I avoid eating at ballparks and arenas at all cost. I rather save money on the outside and eat well whenever possible. In addition, when I drive to a game I always try to park on the street that way I can cut cost and get exercise to burn off the junk food that I eat on a regular basis like ice cream and cake.

My doctor is a great guy. I told him I was going to the Jet game, he said and I quote "we have to get you out of here so you can get to the game." I have a good rapport with him so it's nice to fill him in on my whereabouts. In matter of fact, he had a young man training to become a doctor there with him. He told him when he introduced us that I go to more live sporting events than anybody. I told him my friend goes to more but he neglects eating well and seeing a doctor. Word to the wise, don't abuse your body. Make sure you get checked out once a year like I do.

After the doctor told me I'm in good shape, I went on my way to MetLife Stadium to see Monday Night Football as the Jets were hosting their hated division rival Miami Dolphins.

Back on October 23, 2000, the Jets fell behind the Fish 30-7 early in the fourth quarter. They wound up coming back and they forced overtime and they beat the Dolphins that night, 40-37. That particular game is referred to as the Monday Night Miracle. Offensive lineman Jumbo Elliott, who was an eligible receiver caught the touchdown pass that tied the game at 37 forcing overtime. John Hall added a 40 yard field goal to complete the improbable comeback. What a memorable ending that was.

This time around it wasn't quite as dramatic. The Jets did get off to a slow start as the Dolphins drew first blood as they kicked a field goal to lead 3-0. They were looking for more when Brandon Marshall ran the wrong way as Darrelle Revis intercepted a pass at the goal line. He took it back 100 yards for a touchdown to give the Jets a 7-3 lead. The Dolphins kicked another field goal to pull within one at 7-6. The Jets behind Mark Sanchez stepped up and took over from there. They added another touchdown as Sanchez ran one in himself to give the Jets a 14-6 lead at the half.

During halftime, the Jets got more inspired as the team welcomed back four former players by inducting them into their Ring of Honor. The class of 2011 consisted of running back Freeman McNeil who played for the Jets from 1981-1992. He was one of my favorite Jets when I was growing up. He was a class act I might add. Another one was wide receiver Al Toon who had his career cut short due to too many concussions. He played for the Jets from 1985-1992. There were two others who played before my time. They were linebacker Larry Grantham who played from 1960-1972 and Gerry Philbin, a defensive end who played from 1964-1972.

After the ceremony honoring these special people the 2011 Jets went back to work and they made sure they were no miracles needed on this night. The Jets cruised to a 24-6 victory over the winless Dolphins.

After resting up Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night it was back to Newark, NJ after work Friday night for me. The Devils were entertaining the San Jose Sharks who were visiting the East coast.

The Sharks gave the Devils all they could handle as they scored late in regulation with 33 seconds left to tie the game at three. After a scoreless overtime session, the Sharks outlasted the Devils in a shootout as they left the Prudential Center with a 4-3 win.

Saturday morning the King and I and our friend Frank Anichiarico decided to take a bus from Chinatown here in NYC to Philadelphia for the day.

We had a football/hockey doubleheader in the City of Brotherly Love.

First we went to Franklin Field, which opened in 1895 and is the oldest venue still in use today. The Philadelphia Eagles called this home from 1958-1970. In the early 1980's, the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL played there.

We saw the University of Pennsylvania play there back in 2007. This time we went back in time again. What a great place to see a game. Things have changed dramatically here in the 21st century but going back in time is a good thing. It's a reminder of how life was back in the day. I strongly suggest and highly recommend if you haven't gotten to experience football at Franklin Field that you make time to do so before it's too late. I don't foresee this legendary venue closing its doors anytime soon but you never know for sure.
As for the game we saw, the Penn Quakers came back to beat the Yale Bulldogs, 37-25. The Quakers trailed 20-10 in the third quarter but they rallied to come back and snatch the victory.

After the game, we met up with our friend Frankie Centola for dinner at the Landmark Bar & Grill which is a favorite of his. It was my first time there. After enjoying a good meal and his company we parted ways as he went home and we headed to the Wells Fargo Center for the second game of our doubleheader.

We saw the Philadelphia Flyers take on the St. Louis Blues. Just like in baseball, the Blues followed the Cardinals lead by beating up the Flyers, 4-2.

After the game we hopped on the subway and we went back to Center City where we caught the Chinese bus back to NYC.

Sunday the King and I went back to MetLife Stadium to see the Jets play the San Diego Chargers. The last time we saw these two teams play was back in January 2010 in the Divisional Playoffs out in San Diego. The Jets emerged victorious that day, 17-14. This time the Jets needed to win so hopefully they can play well in January and beyond.

After a sluggish start, they were able to storm back to overtake the Chargers again. They trailed 21-10 in the third quarter but Mark Sanchez made key decisions and plays unlike his counterpart Phillip Rivers who didn't as the Jets came away with a big 27-21 triumph. The Jets were very lucky as they seemed to get some breaks on different penalty calls that appeared to go their way.

Regardless I'll take the W. They need to play a full 60 minute game on a regular basis in order to achieve their ultimate goal.

Stay tuned as the season progresses because I'll be seeing them a number of times in the near future.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees a convenient doubleheader in Philadelphia!

As many people know the City of Philadelphia is not known for having the nicest people or fans in the country. They have a reputation for a reason.

With that being said, the King and I are very fortunate to know some good people that live there.

On the other hand, they do have the best sports complex. That won't change anytime soon either.

In the past, they had Veterans Stadium which has been replaced by Citizens Bank Park as the home of the Phillies.

Years ago, they had the Spectrum which has now been demolished but it was replaced by the Well's Fargo Center as it's called these days. It's the home of the Flyers and 76ers.

Furthermore, back in the day they had JFK Stadium which hosted Live Aid back in 1985.

That has been replaced by Lincoln Financial Field aka "The Linc", home of the Eagles.

Most importantly, the complex is very easy to get to either by car or train.

On this past Sunday the King and I as well as our friends Rich Wolber & Mike Carroll had the privilege of seeing a nice easy same building doubleheader.

However, Rich decided he didn't want to stay for the Flyer game so he wound up taking a bus back to NYC instead. That was his prerogative.

We saw the 76ers play the Sacramento Kings at Noon and the Flyers hosted the Boston Bruins at 7PM.

In between games we got to go to the Oregon Diner for a nice full course meal too.

What a way to spend a day in Philadelphia if you're a sports fan.

The King and I have done many doubleheaders here over the years.

As for the games we saw, the home teams lost both of them.

First, the 76ers got crowned by the Kings as royal treatment was delivered in more ways than one in the matinee.

The Sixers tied the game at the buzzer in regulation as Lou Williams hit a three pointer from just inside half court.

In the overtime, the Kings managed to overcome the Sixers as they went on to win, 114-111.

As for the nightcap, the Flyers were tied at one late in the third period but the they got called for an untiming penalty.

As a result, the visiting Bruins took advantage and capitalized on the power play as Brad Marchand found the net with just 3:43 left in regulation to win it for the Bruins, 2-1.

In the future, if you want to experience a live sporting event or two in the City of Brotherly Love you should make sure you talk to me.

I've seen hundreds of games down there over the years.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/21 in review

This week consisted of a few nights off on Tuesday and Thursday after work.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I went to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

On Monday night, the 2010 Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics came back to play the Knicks. The last time they played here in December they wound up winning a thriller with Paul Pierce making the game winning shot with a fraction of a second remaining. To refresh your memory, Amar'e Stoudemire made a shot that would have won it for the Knicks but it came after the buzzer upon review as the referees looked at the replay.

This time the Celtics didn't show up for the first three and a half quarters but they woke up with 5:31 left in the game to eventually overtake the Knicks who collapsed mightily down the stretch after leading most of the game.

Paul Pierce scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to once again help the Celtics beat the Knicks, 96-86.

It should be noted this was a very physical game throughout. There were many hard fouls by both teams.

Ray Allen took an elbow to his face and he wound up getting stitched up and he came back to finish the game.

On Wednesday night, the Orlando Magic made their first appearance at the Garden this season.
The Magic wound up pulling away from the Knicks in the fourth quarter to come away with a 111-99 victory.

They got 33 points from Superman aka Dwight Howard, their dominant center.

The most impressive part of his game on this night was his free throw shooting. He's notorious for being a lousy shooter from the charity stripe. He made 11 out of 13 free throws which totally shocked me. He made his last eight in a row too. He normally misses almost half of them.

Friday night the Milwaukee Bucks returned to the Garden. They were the opponent the night Melo played his first game in a Knick uniform back on February 23rd.

Before the game, I got to speak to Knicks radio announcer, Mike Crispino. He said and I quote "the Knicks can't beat anybody." His honesty was a breath of fresh air.

He was right as the Bucks returned the favor by beating the Knicks on their home court this time.

They were led by second year guard Brandon Jennings who ran circles around the Knicks with his amazing quickness as he scored a game high 27 points.

He made a number of big baskets late in the fourth quarter as the Knicks hung around but they couldn't close the deal.

The Bucks emerged victorious in this one, 102-96.

On Saturday night I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Philadelphia Flyers play the Islanders.
With a near capacity crowd on hand, the Islanders fell to the Flyers, 4-1.

As for the crowd, there were many Flyer fans in attendance. They wound up going home very happy.

As for the game, it started with a fight just 2 seconds in. 19 seconds later, there was another fight. Order was restored for most of the game thereafter. With just under 8 minutes left in the contest, a third fight broke out.

In the second period, two goals were scored in span of 22 seconds.

In addition, James Van Riemsdyk of the Flyers scored his first career hat trick.

When he scored his third goal of the game, hats went flying onto the Coliseum ice by many of the Flyer fans who were there. They came prepared just in case.

Speaking of Philadelphia, the King and I and company went down there on Sunday to see a basketball/hockey doubleheader.

Stay tuned as I'll write a special post about our visit to the City of Brotherly Love.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty debuts on the FDH Lounge on Internet TV!‏

Last night was a first for Royalty as I was interviewed live on Internet TV.

I want to personally thank Ira Lieberfarb aka Ira from Staten Island for ultimately making this happen.

Back on November 14, 2010 the King and I were in Cleveland to see the Jets play the Browns.

Before we went to our seats we stopped off to say hello to Ira.

It should be noted that Ira has seen the Jets play all their home and away games for the last 5 seasons which includes the pre season and the post season.

Ira is a great guy and lifelong Jet fan who doesn't go out of his way to be recognized like Fireman Fraud.

Ira's claim to fame is that he calls all the local sports talk radio stations in the area.

For example, on Saturday he called ESPN radio 1050 in NY. He told the hosts that the Jets were going to beat the Patriots. The hosts sounded like Ira was crazy based on the reaction I heard from them. Ira was right on Sunday. He wasn't crazy after all.

Apparently he calls other parts of the country as well.

When we saw Ira from a distance he got our attention and he rapidly waved us up. We were in the right place at the right time.

Ira was speaking to a gentleman named Rick Morris. He proceeded to introduce the King and I to him. We briefly told him about our adventures. Upon hearing a few stories, Rick was left in awe. Before we parted ways, we exchanged contact information. He told me he hosts a talk radio show on the internet. He said I want to put you guys on my show.

Last night marked the four year anniversary of his Great American Radio Show live on Internet TV which is called the FDH Lounge, "Where nothing is off-topic".

The last few months I've been in contact with Rick e-mailing him my current schedule and past credentials to prove we weren't making this stuff up.

The King caught his attention when he told him about the time he saw the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning play a home and home series on a Friday and Saturday night back in the day I believe in 1997 or 1998. Rick was left speechless when he heard that story.

Unfortunately last night the King was unable to join me because it was in Philadelphia watching the Capitals play the Flyers. It should be noted he's a Red Wing fan. Our friend Frankie Centola called him late last week to tell him he had an extra ticket for him so off he went to see yet another sporting event. The countdown to 400 is on again.

As for me, I came home from work after finalizing a deal for a pair of tickets for the Jets/Steelers AFC Championship game on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

After I got home I had to eat and get ready for my for 30 minutes of fame thanks to Ira and Rick.

As I told Rick on the air I cherished the moment from the bottom of my heart.

I look at this as only the beginning of better and better things to come for Rick and Royalty.

I want to personally thank Rick for giving me the opportunity to "scratch the surface" of what Royalty is all about.

In addition, I want to thank those who were able to get access to the show on the internet. Those who couldn't I know you were there in spirit.

I did my best to acknowledge a number of people who I've been blessed to meet in my life who have made my lifestyle what it is today. Without them, this blog would have never happened.

I said 2010 was a great year but 2011 is going to be even better.

So far I look like I know what I'm talking about and the year has just started. I can only imagine what the future holds.

Please keep abreast with me and my blog so you know what's going on in the Life of Royalty.

If and when you want to meet and greet me just let me know so I can arrange to make it happen. Hopefully the King will be around as well. If not, he could be at a game near you.

Thank you for your continued support in the past, present and future.

I hope you enjoyed Rick's show. If so, you can tune in every Tuesday night from 7-10PM. I plan to be apart of a future show.

I want to thank everybody for spending their precious time on me.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/22 in review

After a wild weekend, another crazy week followed. Here's how it went:

Monday night after going to work tired I still saved up enough energy to go to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Capitals at the Prudential Center. The Capitals failed to show up literally. The Devils scored early and often as they shut down Alex Ovechkin and the Caps, 5-0! Johan Hedberg playing for the injured Martin Brodeur recorded the shutout.

Tuesday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks host the Charlotte Bobcats. The Knicks played well on their West Coast road trip. On this night they were trying to continue their winning ways. It appeared for most of the game that the Knicks were in control until late in the game when the Bobcats tried their best to overtake the Knicks but their attempt came up short as the Knicks hung on for a 110-107 victory.

Toney Douglas lead the Knicks with 22 points but it was a balanced attack as six players finished with double figure point totals.

D.J. Augustin had 24 points and Gerald Wallace added 20 in the losing effort for the Bobcats.

Wednesday night after getting out of work early at 3PM I went to see the Devils entertain the Calgary Flames.

The Devils outlasted the Flames as they beat them in a shootout, 2-1!

Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils scored the only goal in the shootout which gave the Devils the extra point in the standings in this one.

Thursday after spending the day with the family for Thanksgiving, I went to see the Jets play the Bengals in prime time at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

The Jets came out slow in this one. They struggled in the first half. After returning from the locker room to start the second half, they played like a team that was ready to take over. On their first drive, Brad Smith ran a reverse for a 53 yard touchdown to set the tone for the rest of the game.

Later in the third quarter he ran a kick back for 89 yards for a touchdown which helped seal the deal as the Jets wound up winning 26-10!

Friday morning I rented a car from Avis for a few days so I could drive to Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
I proceeded to pick the King up from work at the Post Office at Grand Central Station. After that, I drove by Madison Square Garden where I picked up our friend Lloyd Ramsland who joined us for this excursion.

We continued through the Lincoln Tunnel as we made our way to Philadelphia to see the Flyers play the Calgary Flames in a Black Friday traditional matinee game at 1PM at the Wells Fargo Center as it's now called.

The Flames beat the Flyers, 3-2 in a shootout.

After the game, we went to Reading, PA to see a minor league hockey game between the Reading Royals and the Cincinnati Cyclones.

The hometown Royals were trailing 3-1 after two periods but they managed to tie the game at three and they forced overtime. They wound up winning the game 4-3 with a goal in the extra session.

After the game I drove to Somerset, PA so we could get some sleep before we continued on to Pittsburgh.
We arrived at the Consol Energy Center, the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins around Noon for a 1PM start.

We were all there for the first time as we needed to catch up to say we've been to every current NHL rink once again.

In addition, we got to visit our friends Mike & Alicia Irr who live in Pittsburgh. They have half season tickets for the Penguins. They helped us with advice in order for us to get our tickets so we could see their new hockey home. It's located right next to their old one, the Igloo as it was known in downtown Pittsburgh.

As for the game we saw, the Penguins beat the Flames, 4-1! Sidney Crosby lead the Pens as he scored a hat trick. It was the first one in the new building. Early in the game, he was awarded a penalty shot but he failed to score. He did have an even strength goal, a power play goal and a shorthanded empty net goal to finish his hat trick though. Needless to say, he was the star of the game.

After the game, we drove 60 miles to Wheeling, West Virginia to see another minor league hockey game between the Wheeling Nailers and the Kalamazoo K-Wings.

More importantly, our friend Lloyd had never seen a game there so we made sure we got him there.

The King and I were there one time back in January 1998 after a Penguin game at the Igloo.

The Nailers wound up winning the game, 3-1!

After the game, I drove us all home overnight. I dropped off Lloyd at his house in Oradell, NJ at 5:10AM after driving 422 miles.

Lloyd said and I quote "you did a terrific job driving".

I proceeded to take the King home then I finally went home. I arrived at my house at 6:15AM.

I laid down for a few hours then I went to Avis and I returned the car I rented. I drove 977 miles in 2 days.

I went back to my car which was parked across the street from the car rental and I drove to the subway. I then took the train to the Port Authority Bus Terminal where I caught the bus to go the New Meadowlands Stadium to see the Giants play the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1PM.

The Giants like the Jets started slow. They trailed 17-6 at halftime. After getting a wake up call and a pep talk in the locker room, the Giants went to work for real.

It culminated when Eli Manning threw a 32 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 3:15 left in the game to give the Giants a 24-20 victory.

After the game, despite being exhausted the King and I took the NJ Transit train to Secaucus where we connected for the train to Newark so we could see the Nets play the Portland Trailblazers at 7PM at the Prudential Center.

The Nets beat a struggling Trailblazer team 98-96! This was a closely contested game throughout.
Devin Harris lead the Nets with 25 points.

Wesley Matthews paced the Trailblazers with 25, Brandon Roy had 21 while LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 in the loss.

That sums up another crazy and tiresome week in the life of Royalty.

Thank you for reading and following along my adventurous path.

If you want to experience a sample for yourself all you have to do is let me know.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thrashers beat Flyers again, 3-1!

After the Knick matinee game, it was time to go for a "royal" ride. With the Hyundai Elantra parked on the street that I rented from Avis we were go to go.

The King and I headed down to Philadelphia to see the Flyers play the back end of a home and home series.

Back on February 13th, we went North of the Border to see the back end of the Flyers and Canadiens home and home. That time the Flyers swept the series.

This time they were on the losing of both games. They lost in Atlanta on Saturday night and Sunday night they fell again.

They did manage to get 45 shots on goal but only one found the net.

The Thrashers struck early just 2:04 into the game when defenseman Ron Hainsey beat Flyers goaltender, Brian Boucher to make it 1-0. Todd White made it 2-0 Thrashers with 8:59 left in the first period.

The score remained that way until the Flyers finally broke the shutout with 8:04 left in the third period.
Mike Richards got the Flyers back in the game but with 3:07 left the Thrashers got the insurance goal they needed thanks to Rich Peverley.

The Flyer faithful stormed out of the building.

More bad news for the Flyers, their leading goal scorer, Jeff Carter who has 33 goals, left in the first period with a broken bone in his foot. He's going to miss 3-4 weeks. They hope he can return for the playoffs.

On a personal level, we did see our buddy Jim Lowry who works the freight elevator at the Wachovia Center. We saw him briefly before and after the game. He was so happy and grateful to have the opportunity to see us even for just a short time.

He's all fired up for baseball to start and more importantly he can't wait to join us for our road trip to Chicago and Milwaukee in the middle of May.

Flyers trick the Canadiens, 6-2!

The Philadelphia Flyers went North of the border to face the Montreal Canadiens in the back end of their home and home series. The Flyers had won 3-2 in Philadelphia on Friday night. So they came in looking for the sweep.

Royalty was also in attendance to witness it. My partner Michael Casiano aka "The King" and I left in the morning and we drove all day to get there. I rented a car from Avis which is located a mile and a half from my house. I picked up the King at the Grand Central Station Post Office where he works. He was working overtime probably for the last time for the time being. Needless to say, he needed the money.

Traveling from place to place does get expensive especially when you do it as often as we do. I always do my best to minimize cost and maximize enjoyment.

In this case, we took a ride up the "Northway" I-87 up through New York State. Once we got halfway up there the traffic thinned out to practically nobody. Unlike most states in our country, state troopers were in full force. Luckily for us we weren't victimized. We didn't need any unexpected expenses.

With that being said, we still needed tickets for the hockey game. Before we actually arrived in Montreal at 5:25PM we stopped to check into a hotel in Plattsburgh. We also got a bite to eat at Wendy's. We took it out since we were pressed for time.

We then proceeded to get to the border to go through Customs to enter Canada. Unlike previous visits, no hassle this time. We were questioned if we had tickets to the hockey game though. We responded not yet. We hoped to pick up singles at the box office. We finally arrived in Montreal on schedule at 5:25PM when the car was parked.

Actually that was 5 minutes earlier than I wanted to be there. We then had to feed the parking meter until 6PM and we were good for the night. Once we got out of the car it was freezing cold and windy.

I said to myself this is going to be fun trying to get tickets. Off we went to the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens. We get to the box office hoping they had cancellations at the window. No such luck. Time to good to work.

After searching for 45 minutes or so, I came across a few different people from the States. After asking different people who mainly spoke French. Thankfully for them we got in relatively cheap considering. The scalpers which there were many wanted 3 or 4 times as much for a single ticket. We were willing to pay a price if necessary but not what they wanted.

We wound getting 2 separate single seats so we didn't get to sit together. I was very lucky because the young lady I bought the first ticket from was really nice.

Her name was Chrissy Capp. We both exchanged stories throughout the game which made for a very memorable night. I gave her my business card in hopes we can stay in touch. We'll have to wait and see about that. She's a big hockey fan.

As for the game itself, it started with a fight only 4 seconds into it when Ian LaPerriere and Ryan O'Bryne squared off. Things settled there after. The Flyers started fast. Daniel Briere opened the scoring with his first of 3 goals which included a penalty shot. The Flyers lead 3-0 after the 1st period and never looked back. They went on to win easily, 6-2!