Royalty sees a hockey/basketball doubleheader on Martin Luther King Day!

Prince at Sovereign Center

On the day we remembered the man behind the Civil Rights movement, the King & I and our pal Vincent Ascanio spent the day watching hockey and basketball.

After I spent another night with my parents in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I went to Super 8 and I picked up the King & Vincent. We drove to Reading, PA aka Baseball town and we stopped off at First Energy Stadium which is the home of the newly named Reading Fightin Phils of the Eastern League to show Vincent the ballpark which we think is one of the best in the minor leagues.

We wound up going to Zabala's Sports Diner for breakfast which was located right across the street from the ballpark in right field. We had a very nice meal there which consisted of bacon, eggs, home fries and toast for $2.25 each. What a deal that was.

After we ate, we drove to downtown Reading to the Sovereign Center, home of the Reading Royals. We got to see a rematch of the teams we saw play there Saturday night. I'm referring to the Elmira Jackals who were visiting the Royals again for a special holiday matinee affair.

As for the game we saw, the Royals scored first late in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. A minute and two seconds later the Jackals tied it up at one with just 26 seconds to go in the period. In the second period, the Royals went back ahead midway through the period to take a 2-1 lead. In the third period, the Jackals score four unanswered goals including an empty netter with 2:15 to go to beat the Royals this time, 5-2 in front of a crowd of 4,253 which was slightly smaller then the one they had Saturday night..

Prince at Wells Fargo Center

After the game, we drove to Philadelphia for game two of our two sport doubleheader as we saw the Philadelphia 76ers host the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center.

Before the game, we stopped off at the Oregon Diner for a great pre game meal since our pal Vincent wanted to see it for himself. He had trouble finishing the two massive breaded pork chops he ordered. With that being said, he was a very satisfied customer. As for me, I had the broiled fillet of flounder that was stuffed with crab meat again. It was delicious. When we were done, we drove over to the sports complex area and I parked the car.

We proceeded to walk over to the Wells Fargo Center. Upon arrival, we headed inside to our seats in section 221A that our pal Frankie Centola arranged to get for us. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by our buddy Andrew Van Cleve and his new born son Micah. It was great to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Spurs led the 76ers, 25-17 after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 14, 49-35 at halftime. In the third quarter, the 76ers cut the lead in half to seven, 71-64 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the 76ers ran out of gas as they fell short in their comeback attempt as they lost, 90-85 in front of a crowd of 15,346. I was surprised they didn't have a bigger crowd on hand. I guess since the 76ers have been struggling lately, people decided to stay home.

After the game, we drove back home as the holiday weekend getaway came to a close.

Stay tuned for the rest of my w/o 1/21 in review.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Hershey, Pennsylvania for AHL Outdoor Classic at Hersheypark Stadium!

Live action  from AHL Outdoor Classic at Hersheypark Stadium

Back in August 2012 when the American Hockey League schedule came out, they announced that in celebration of the Hershey Bears 75th Anniversary season, they were going to play an outdoor game at Hersheypark Stadium on January 20th. With that being said, I marked my calendar to make sure I would be there. It wasn't an easy decision to make since that was going to be the same weekend the NFL would be playing its Championship games. It turned out the games were being played in Atlanta and Foxboro this time. Since I was in Foxboro last year for the game, I didn't mind passing up the opportunity to go there again this year. After all, it's impossible to be everywhere at the same time.

With 7 Championship games seen live including three straight AFC ones, it was time to do something different & unique. With that being said, I was also able to visit my parents while I was in the area since they live nearby in Lancaster, PA.

After I spent some time with them Sunday morning, I drove to Super 8 and I picked up the King and our pal Vincent Ascanio. We wound up going to Cracker Barrel which was nearby to have breakfast. I must say this was the worst one I've ever been to. Normally they have great food and service. This time that wasn't the case. As they say, everybody has a bad day from time to time. On this day, apparently it was their turn.

After we ate, we went to Walmart to do some shopping since we had some time to kill because we arranged to meet up with some of our buddies from New York City who were driving to Hershey for the 5PM game as well. In fact, our pal Larry Peim was able to round up tickets for us on e-bay below face value which worked out well for all of us. He arranged to meet the person who had the tickets at Chocolate World which is right next door to the Stadium at 3PM.

We wound up meeting Larry along with our pals Michael Abrams and Rob Pierlewski aka Pittsburgh Rob as we call him at 2PM at Fuddruckers which is within a mile or two of the Chocolate capital. We decided to join them for a light lunch since we weren't going to eat dinner until after the game. It turned out to be a wise choice.

After we ate we followed each other over to the stadium and we parked next to each other.

We walked over and Larry met up with the person who had the tickets for us. The seats were towards the top of the building which gave us a better view of the action. It worked out well as we were able to see the action from a decent vantage point all things considered. I want to personally thank Larry for looking out for all of us.

As for the match up we saw, the Hershey Bears who are affiliated with the Washington Capitals were playing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who are the farm club for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They announced a crowd of 17,311 which was allegedly a sell out but I did notice a section across the ice from us that had some empty benches. The crowd consisted of fans of both teams as well as hockey fans in general.

In all fairness to the people who braved the elements, the temperature did drop from the upper 40's into the mid 30's as the day & game wore on. The wind was gusting early then it calmed down for the most part as the game and night went on.

All things considered, they had a nice festive turnout for this unique event. Over the years, Hershey has been known for its loyal fan base and on this day it showed the area's passion for the sport.

As for the game we saw, it started slow as both teams felt each other out. Thus the first period was a scoreless one. In the second period, the Bears finally broke through with 4:20 left to play as their leading scorer Tomas Kundratek blasted a one timer from the slot that flew over the glove of Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. In the third period, the Penguins evened the score as Riley Holzapfel found the net to tie the game at one with 12:13 to go. The game wound up going into overtime. It ended in sudden death as the Penguins' Paul Thompson got the game winner on a breakaway 1:19 into the extra session which gave the Penguins a 2-1 victory.

After the game, the fans were treated to a fireworks show which was very impressive to say the least.
Regardless of the outcome, it turned out to be a great day of hockey outdoors.

After the game, we all headed to our cars and we followed each other out. We all decided to drive to Allentown, PA where our pal Michael Abrams recommended having dinner at the Starlite Diner which was located off of exit 49A on I-78. It wound up being a terrific decision. We got to have a full course meal before we all headed our separate ways. They went back to NYC and we went back to Lancaster to spend the night. In addition, we got to watch the end of the football game as the Ravens beat the Patriots to play the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. I want to thank Michael for the suggestion. It was a great way to cap off a memorable day.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to see AHL hockey in Hershey, PA!

Prince at Giant Center

After spending Saturday afternoon in Villanova, the King and I passed through Lancaster, Pennsylvania which is known as for its Amish population. More importantly, my parents live there.

We did stop off at McDonald's for a fast dinner in Lancaster on Route 30 before we continued on to Hershey, Pennsylvania which is called the sweetest place on earth. It's a great place for tourists to visit. They have different attractions such Chocolate World where chocolate is made. In addition, there's HersheyPark, which is an amusement park for people of all ages.

Since we decided to avoid the toll roads, we got to experience the local flavor of the Eastern part of the Keystone state by driving through different country areas which is quite a contrast from the city life we usually deal with day in and day out. A change of scenery is always a welcomed sight. That's why we love to go away.

After dealing with some local traffic along the way, we arrived at the Giant Center, which is the home of the Hershey Bears, the minor league affiliate of the Washington Capitals in the American Hockey League at 6:45PM. We parked the car in the parking lot and we walked over to the arena. Shortly thereafter we rounded up tickets then we went inside to see some hockey.

The Hershey Bears were playing the St. John's IceCaps who are the Winnipeg Jets' farm club. It should be noted that the Bears are celebrating their 75th Anniversary this season.

As for the game we saw, after a scoreless first period, the IceCaps finally broke through 5:19 into the second period as right winger Eric O'Dell lit the lamp to give the IceCaps a 1-0 lead. The Bears got the equalizer late in the period as left winger Barry Almeida scored with 1:14 left in the period to tie the game at a goal a piece.

In the third period, the IceCaps took advantage of a four minute power play as they scored the go ahead and eventual game winner with 13:04 left in the game as defenseman Derek Meech buried the puck in the net which gave the visiting IceCaps a 2-1 victory.

After the game, we drove back to Lancaster where we stayed over with my parents. We stayed up a few hours talking and catching up with them. I want to personally thank them for putting us up for the night.
Sunday morning after getting a good night sleep, we enjoyed a nice home cooked breakfast.

After we ate, we made our way back towards home. On the way back, we made a pit stop in Philadelphia for some football before we came home.

Stay tuned for the special post that will go into detail regarding the way we spent the rest of our Sunday.

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 10/24 in review

This was another week that started slow as far as attending live sporting events, but it did end in royal fashion when the week was all said and done.

I wound up going home after work four straight nights Monday-Thursday because they're were no local games I could get to after work. As a result, I wound up watching the World Series on TV instead.
Friday night I didn't see a game either live or on TV. I went out to Avis after work instead to pick up a car for the weekend which turned out to be a surprise preview of winter that was coming our way.

I drove 175 miles to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where my parents now live on a full time basis. After struggling to get out of NYC thanks to traffic, I finally arrived there just after midnight.

I did get to listen to the radio as the St. Louis Cardinals became World Champions again for the 11th time in their history. The most by any National League team I might add. The Texas Rangers blew that memorable Game 6. They were a strike away from winning not once but twice. It turned out to be a hard fought not necessarily a well played World Series but it did create interest as it went seven games for the first time since 2002.

Now the "off season" if you will is officially upon us. That depends on how you look at it. I don't really have such a thing. For me, now it's football season until late January, early February.

In addition, I have hockey to follow too. I like basketball but since the NBA is locked out, my options in the local area are limited as far as college goes but I plan to see some along the way as well.

In the meantime, I went to visit my parents and I got to take in some football games too. Quite amazingly, the weather felt like it was sometime in January. When I checked the calendar I didn't remember Halloween coming and going. I was right it was still a few days away. It was strange but like royalty it was true.

With winter in the air, I still decided to take an adventurous ride to Towson, Maryland which was 75 miles from Lancaster. I saw an opportunity to see some lower level football since my options in the Northeast were limited on that Saturday. I passed up a chance to go to Reading, PA for other royal treatment in the form of ECHL hockey where the Reading Royals play. I preferred to brave the elements and see a new venue, Johnny Unitas Stadium where the Towson Tigers play. On this night, they hosted the Blue Hens of the University of Delaware.

As for the game I saw, it was a rather entertaining one. Despite the less than ideal playing conditions with the wind howling and some light snow falling during the game, I thoroughly enjoyed my time outside. It turned out to be a seesaw battle as the lead changed five different times during the game. The hometown Tigers roared out to a early 10-0 lead before the visiting Blue Hens came back to take the lead, 14-10. The Tigers went back ahead, 16-14. Then the Blue Hens took over for a while building a 29-16 advantage. The Tigers once again answered by scoring a few more touchdowns to go up, 30-29. Delaware took the lead for good, 36-30 as the Tigers blew a few chances late in the game by making critical and costly mistakes. The Blue Hens pulled off the upset of their neighboring rival which is only 58 miles away in nearby Newark, Delaware.

After the game, I drove back to Lancaster and I spent the night with my parents. After getting a good night sleep and having a hearty home cooked breakfast, I said goodbye to them and I went back to Baltimore, Maryland to see the Ravens play the Arizona Cardinals in game one of my NFL football doubleheader.

I lucked out big time at the Raven game. I wound up getting myself a nice upgrade. I ended up sitting right at the 50 yard line in section 500 in the last row. I met a gentleman named Harry who said everybody knows him as "Nib". We enjoyed each other's company throughout the game. He has season tickets there and he told me to stay since one of his seats was empty. He was with his daughter and her boyfriend and some other family members. He said he's seen every Raven home game since day one when they moved to Baltimore in 1996. He's been a season ticket holder for them for 16 years now. He said he liked the Redskins but he could never get tickets for them back in the day. So instead since he's a big football fan he decided to get Ravens tickets.

As I like to say "timing is everything". On this day, I was in the right place at the right time. Nib was impressed with my score keeping. For those of you who don't know, I do keep track of the play by play when I'm at a football game live. It's fun and educational. Nib took a liking to my style. I told him I saw the Ravens play the Jets at the beginning of October and I mentioned to him I'm planning to come back for Thanksgiving night to see the 49er game. He told me I can join him and his family and friends for their massive tailgate party which starts 4 or 5 hours before kickoff. We exchanged contact information and I plan to take him up on his generous offer.

Please check back for the recap of that special occasion.

In the meantime, the game we saw was shaping up to be another nightmare for the Ravens as they fell behind the visiting Arizona Cardinals 24-3 late in the second quarter. Needless to say, the natives were restless and they started booing at halftime as the Ravens were trailing, 24-6.

The Ravens went into the locker room and they came out playing like the Ravens team I thought they were as they came back to take a 27-24 lead on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter as Ray Rice ran for a 3 yard touchdown, his third of the day as the Ravens took the lead. The Cardinals later tied the score at 27 but the Ravens failed to get the game into overtime as they won it at the end of regulation with no time left as their kicker Billy Cundiff kicked a 25 yard field goal to give the Ravens a 30-27 victory. It should be noted as a result of this huge comeback I witnessed history as the Ravens overcame their largest deficit to win a game. I got to celebrate the occasion with Nib who like Ray Lewis is an original Raven. I want to personally thank Nib for enhancing my latest Raven experience. I truly had a blast.

After the game, I drove back towards NYC but I made a pit stop in Philadelphia first to see the night cap of my NFL double dip as the Philadelphia Eagles destroyed their arch division rival Dallas Cowboys, 34-7.

I got to spend the evening with our good friend Frankie Centola who goes to all the Eagle games. In addition, he arranged to get me my ticket.

Afterwards, I drove back home to get a few hours sleep then I went to Avis and I returned the car and back to work I went.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty reunites with ballpark chaser, Sharon McCard at Citi Field!

Sharon McCard with the King and I

Last August when the King and I went to Baltimore to see the Orioles play at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, we got to meet up with another ballpark chaser while we were there. Her name is Sharon McCard and she happens to be a big Met fan even though she lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania of all places. Ironically my parents have a place there too.

On Saturday afternoon, Sharon showed up at Citi Field for the first time. It was the 25th different ballpark she has been to she said. Some of them she's been to are no longer around. She still has a number of places to get to. She knows when she needs any assistance, royalty is here to help speed up the process.

She wound up driving to Philadelphia where she caught a bus that was taking people to the game. She said she was one of three Met fans that were on the bus. Since the Phillies were playing the Mets, it was an opportunity for their fans to take a road trip to NYC.

As a result, Sharon decided to join them. Even though the Mets lost two of the three games, she picked the right one to attend as it turned out. It must have been a tough ride back for the majority of the people on the bus who saw their Phillies lose.

As for their seats in the ballpark, they were sitting by the home run apple out in centerfield. Wisely she decided to give herself an upgrade. Despite being afraid of heights, she came up to the "royal" box if you will in section 516 row 3 where the King and I sit.

Luckily we had one open seat available for Sharon. She wound up watching most of the game with us. We enjoyed each other's company.

I want to personally thank Sharon for joining us. It was an absolute pleasure to have her.

Hopefully we'll hook up at a ballpark again soon.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman