Royalty is starting 2015 appropriately on the road!

Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car on New Year's Eve December 31st from Avis for a week to start 2015 in style.

The King  & I will be driving out to Washington DC, Pennsylvania and Ohio before we return home late Sunday night.

Thursday January 1st Winter Classic Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals at Nationals Park 1PM 

Friday January 2nd Lightning at Penguins 7PM

Saturday January 3rd Winterfest Fort Wayne Komets  at Toledo Walleye at Fifth Third Field 6:30PM

Sunday January 4th Mavericks at Cavaliers 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 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 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 3/4 in review

Monday morning before I went to work I woke up bright and early after getting a little less than three hours sleep because I had to go to Avis to return the Dodge Avenger I rented for the weekend. I drove 549 miles safely.

After work I came home and I made dinner. After I ate, I went out and I did my laundry. It was a long tiring day to say the least.

Tuesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The King decided to go to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders with our friend Frank Anichiarico instead. With that being said, I wound up meeting up with our pal Vincent Ascanio who took the King's place. The Devils were hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. I wound up getting a pulled pork sandwich at the arena for dinner.

As for the game we saw, the Lightning scored the first four goals of the game as they lead, 4-0 midway into the third period. The Devils made a late comeback attempt as they scored a shorthanded goal and a power play goal to slice the deficit in half at 4-2 with 4:45 to go. They couldn't get any closer as the Lightning added a late empty net goal to escape with a 5-2 victory. As a result, the crowd of 15,229 went home unhappy.

Wednesday after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament as the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds were hosting the Quinnipiac Bobcats at the Wellness Recreation. Athletic Center aka the WRAC.

Before the game I went to 2 Bros Pizza and I had a few slices. While I was there I ran into my pal David Sack who was there with his friend Andrew who he introduced me to. They had a few slices too. Once we were done we all walked down a few blocks to go to the game. When I got inside I met up with the King, Vincent Ascanio and our friend Larry Peim who was there to see his alma mater play again.

As for the game we saw, the Blackbirds got off to a slow start. They trailed the Bobcats, 47-43 at halftime. In the second half, the Blackbirds fought back as they hung tough. Late in the game, they went ahead for good as they went on to defeat the Bobcats, 91-83 to advance to the next round.

After the game, we all celebrated the victory with a post game meal at Junior's Restaurant which is only a few blocks away. Larry treated me for my birthday. I was very grateful & thankful for his kindness. I wound up have a corned beef and pastrami combo with steak fries. He did the same while the King and Vincent had steak burgers. It capped off a great night.

Thursday night after work I went back to the Prudential Center to see the Devils take on the Buffalo Sabres. This time I met up with the King and our pal Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike. Our road trip buddies, Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell from Buffalo were there with us in spirit. As for dinner, I wound getting chicken tenders and fries at the Rock.

As for the game we saw, after a scoreless first period, the Sabres took the lead 7:56 into the second period as Thomas Vanek lit the lamp to make it 1-0 Buffalo. Two minutes later, the Sabres went up 2-0 as Brian Flynn put one in the net. It stayed that way until there was six and a half minutes left in regulation time when Adam Henrique of the Devils broke the shutout to make it 2-1 with a power play goal. The Devils pulled goalie Johan Hedberg to have an extra attacker in hopes of tying the game. Shortly thereafter, the Devils got the equalizer as Patrik Elias scored to tie the game at two with 1:06 left in regulation. The game went into overtime but since neither team was able to score, so the game was decided by a shootout. The Devils wound up prevailing in the skills competition which sent the sellout crowd of 17,625 happy except for the number of Sabre fans who were there to see their team play.

Friday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn. This time I went to the Barclays Center to see the Nets play the Washington Wizards.

Before the game, I went to McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall to have my pre game meal. When I got done I walked back over to the arena and I went inside. I met up with the King and our pal Al Linderman who was there as well.

As for the game we saw, the Nets raced out to a 22-2 lead & they lead 38-14 after the first quarter. Deron Williams lead the way as he was on fire from beyond the three point line. In the second quarter, the Nets added a few points to their lead as they went into the locker room up, 59-33. In the third quarter, the Wizards made a comeback attempt as they cut the Nets' lead to 16, 74-58. In the fourth quarter, the Nets maintained their lead as they went to beat the Wizards, 95-78.

As for Deron Williams, he hit 9 three pointers in the first half to set an NBA record. He wound up finishing the game with 42 points. His teammate Reggie Evans had a triple double if you will. He scored 11 points, he missed 11 free throws and he grabbed a career high 24 rebounds.

Saturday late in the morning the King and I took public transportation to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Capitals in an afternoon affair.

We wound up meeting up with our pals Mike Carroll, Manny Morales and Joe Rossi who was at the game with his adorable daughter Grace who was all dressed up in Islander gear. It was great to see them again.
As for the game we saw, the Islanders scored first midway through the first period as Josh Bailey buried the puck to make it 1-0. In the second period, the Capitals evened the score at one 1:26 into the period when Mathieu Perreault scored a power play goal. The Islanders went back ahead, 2-1 midway through when Casey Cizikas scored. In the third period, the Capitals got the equalizer as Nicklas Backstrom found the net 7:09 into the period. Shortly thereafter, the Islanders got a break as the Capitals committed penalties that gave the Islanders a golden opportunity to take the lead and they took full advantage of it. They got two power play goals from John Tavares who scored twice in a 30 second span to put the game away. Frans Nielsen added a shorthanded goal later in the period to give the Islanders a 5-2 victory.

After the game, the King & I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Utah Jazz.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks were missing Amar'e Stoudemire who hurt his knee and he's going to miss six weeks. In addition, Carmelo Anthony didn't play. Regardless the rest of the Knicks came to play and they wound up blowing away the Jazz, 113-84.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub in Woodside which is now under new management. We met up with our pal Bryan Gilligan who joined us for a post game meal.

Sunday I got to relax and catch up on things around the house during the day. Once I got done, I made dinner then the King and I went to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Winnipeg Jets at the Prudential Center.

As for the game we saw, the Devils took a 2-0 lead midway through the first period then the Jets scored a late goal to cut the lead to 2-1. In the second period, the Jets tied it up late at two. The two teams failed to score in the third period and in the extra session. As a result, the game was decided in a shootout again. This time Patrik Elias of the Devils scored in the skills competition to gave the Devils the 3-2 win as the sellout crowd went home happy.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/4 in review

Prince at Barclays Center 

Monday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for my pre game meal in Penn Station before I went upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks host the Detroit Pistons.

I met up with the King and our pals Al Linderman and Alan Gimpel when I got inside the building. I wound up sitting with them in section 221 row 18 which is towards the corner on the press box side of the court. I usually sit in section 416 row 2 behind the basket below the West Balcony. I decided to see the game from a different vantage point on this night. In addition, I was able to enjoy their company too.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks got off to a fast start as they led the Pistons, 28-13 after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 21, 57-36 at halftime. They led by as many as 26 before the Pistons made a comeback to make the score look more respectable. The Pistons trailed, 76-58 after three quarters. They sliced into the lead some more in the fourth quarter but the Knicks won rather easily, 99-85. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 27 points. Tyson Chandler added 8 points and he grabbed 20 rebounds for the third consecutive game to tie a Knick record that was set back in the 1960's by Willis Reed who did it twice.

Tuesday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to the Barclays Center to see the Nets take on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who were playing in Brooklyn for the first time.

Before I went into the arena, I walked across the street and I ate dinner at McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall. After I ate, I went inside the arena and I stopped by where the radio announcers call the game. I got to say hello to Nets broadcaster Tim Capstraw. He's always so friendly. It was great to see him again.
When I got done, I went up to my seat in section 230 row 13 where I met up with the King who was already up there.

As for the game we saw, the Lakers were playing without Dwight Howard who was hurt and Metta World Peace formerly known as Ron Artest who played his college ball at St. John's. He was suspended by the league for a game. As a result, the Nets led, 24-18 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the shorthanded Lakers roared back as they out scored the Nets, 31-16 to take a 49-40 lead at halftime much to the delight of the numerous Laker fans that were among those in the sellout crowd of 17,732. In the third quarter, the Nets cut into the Laker lead as they trailed by only three points after three quarters, 67-64. In the fourth quarter, the Lakers turned it up a notch late as they scored the last ten points of the game to beat the Nets, 92-83.

Kobe Bryant lead the way for the Lakers as he scored a team high 21 points including a number of clutch shots down the stretch to seal the deal. Brook Lopez of the Nets led all scorers with a game high 30 points and he grabbed 11 rebounds in the losing effort.

Wednesday night after work I came home and I got to have dinner then I caught up on the things around the house. It turned out to be a very productive night to stay home.

Thursday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ where I met up with my Cousin Andy who joined me for the Devil game at the Prudential Center. The Devils were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning. I also met up with my pals Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich, Frank Anichiarico and the King. We were one big happy family among the announced crowd of 14,802.

As for the game we saw, the game was scoreless after the first period. In the second period, the Devils got the game's first goal when Adam Henrique lit the lamp 3:28 into the first period. The Lightning tied it up later in the period as former Islander Nate Thompson scored to even the score at one with 6:41 to go in the period. The Devils regained the lead, 2-1 as Ilya Kovalchuk got a shorthanded goal with 2:26 left. In the third period, the Devils put the game away as they scored two power play goals 14 seconds apart just over five minutes into the period to take a 4-1 lead. The Lightning added a late goal with 2:15 to go to make it 4-2 which is how it ended.

Friday with a potential snow storm called Nemo approaching the area, I got out of work early. With being said, I was able to get a much needed haircut on my way home. In addition, I was able to catch up on some things at home before the King and I decided to take a subway ride to Upper Manhattan since the Columbia Lions college basketball game against the Big Green of Dartmouth was scheduled to be played at Levien Gymnasium. Our pal Frank Anichiarico decided to meet us there.

As for the game we saw, the Big Green lead the Lions, 29-26 at halftime. In the second half, the Big Green extended its lead to 11, 40-29 five minutes into the second half. The Lions came roaring back to make it close but the Big Green wound up holding them off as they won, 60-57 before a crowd of 1,016. There were a good number of people there considering the weather conditions.

After the game, we all got back home safely as the snow was coming down.

Stay tuned for a few special posts I'm going to do that will recap the exciting weekend I had despite the bad weather.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/26 in review

Another royal week of attending sporting events has come and gone.

Here's how it went:

Monday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Bucks. Both teams were battling for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. I went with expectations of seeing a really good game. I wound up not getting the result I hoped for. Both teams played awful most of the night. They shot terribly and they didn't resemble teams that even belonged in the playoffs or in the professional ranks for that matter. The Knicks wound up beating the Bucks, 89-80. The Knicks played without Amar'e Stoudemire who hurt his back and Jeremy Lin was listed as day to day. In their absence, Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks as he scored 28 points and he pulled down 12 rebounds.

Tuesday night after work I went to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Blackhawks at the Prudential Center.

As for the game I saw, it was 1-1 after regulation time. It remained that way after the overtime session, so it was decided by a skills competition. The Devils got rewarded with the extra point as they won the shootout, 2-1.

Wednesday night I went back to the Garden to see the Knicks play the Magic who were still without Amar'e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin.

The Magic got off to a good start with their guard Jameer Nelson leading the way in the first quarter. After that the Magic disappeared for the night as the Knicks shot the lights out as they destroyed the Magic, 108-86.

Thursday night I went back to the "Rock" to see the Devils again. This time they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was a rare high scoring game as the Devils lit the lamp early and often as they beat the Lightning, 6-4 despite Ryan Malone of the Lightning who had a hat trick.

Friday night after work I went home to do the laundry so I could have some clean clothes to wear. I was very tempted to go to the Garden to see the Rangers play the Canadiens but I thought better of it.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Bruins. We were joined by our friend Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich.

We took public transportation to get out there so it seemed like a road trip for the King and I. When we got inside the building we thought we were in Boston. They're were a tremendous number of people who came down from Boston to see the game too. People were dressed up in their Bruin gear to root on their defending Stanley Cup Champions.

As for the game we saw, it was competitive for the first two periods as the score was tied at two. In the third period, the Bruins put the pedal to the metal as they crashed the net much to the delight of their fans who were in the house as they went on to whip the Islanders, 6-3.

After the game, the King and I took another road trip if you will to Madison Square Garden courtesy of public transportation. We arrived at the Garden with plenty of time to spare as we prepared to see the Knicks play the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As for the game we saw, not only did Amar'e Stoudemire not play, I found out that Jeremy Lin is now out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. To make matters worse, the Cavaliers were without potential rookie of the year candidate, Kyrie Irving. I was looking forward to seeing him play again. With those key players out, the Cavaliers had a very tall order to overcome. They did hang around for the first three quarters but the Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter as they cruised to a 91-75 victory. I was hoping the Cavaliers would find a way to win for the great people I know from Cleveland but it wasn't meant to be on that night.

Sunday afternoon the King and I took our last road trip to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders battle the Ottawa Senators. Unlike Saturday afternoon, the visiting team only had a handful of their fans there this time.

As for the game we saw, the Senators raced off to victory after they gave up the first goal of the game to the Islanders. After that, they didn't look back as they scored five unanswered goals to beat the Islanders, 5-1. Kyle Turris of the Senators had two goals and an assist.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty returns to Cleveland to meet up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge and to see the Browns!

Who let the Dawgs out?

Almost a year to the day when we last saw the Browns play the Jets in Cleveland back on November 14, 2011, we returned to scene of the crime if you will. Mind you that's not meant in a bad way. Please don't get me wrong. Please read for further explanation.

That was a historic day for Royalty because the King and I had the privilege and honor of being introduced to a guy named Rick Morris for the very first time thanks to our pal Ira from Staten Island who calls into sports radio talk shows in different parts of the country. It should be noted he's a regular caller on New York sports radio especially during football season.

Ira told Rick about the King and I numerous times in the past. Finally we all got to meet and greet each other in person once and for all.

As a result, the King and I instantly boggled Rick's mind with our sports travel knowledge and stories. In matter of fact, the King told Rick about his unique road trip that he took back on February 14 & 15, 1997 when he went to Washington DC really Landover, Maryland at the time when the Capitals played at the old USAir Arena aka the Capital Centre where he saw the Tampa Bay Lightning play the Capitals that Friday night. Saturday morning he came back to meet me as we were flying down to Tampa via Baltimore to see his Red Wings play in Florida and Tampa Bay. In addition, we saw the back end of the Lightning and Capitals home and home series as it turned out. That trip alone really got Rick's attention. He still to this day tells me how many people that he's told that story to. Needless to say, everybody was blown away.

With all that being said, the King and I and some special company in the form of Frank Anichiarico as well Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike were also with us as we arranged to meet Rick at a Cracker Barrel in Willoughby, Ohio on our way to downtown Cleveland to see the Browns play again. This time they were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Rick couldn't join us for the Brown game due to a family commitment. After all, even family comes ahead of Royalty.
 
With that being said, I told Rick we'll all get the best of both worlds instead. As usual, I lived up to my reputation, I promised Rick we'll find a way to see him while we were going to be in his neck of the woods.
Rick being a rare breed like myself was very willing to make it work out. We decided to go to Cracker Barrel to have breakfast together. Afterwards, I made some special time for him per his request to do a podcast so he could hear our tentative plans for the remainder of 2011 and the game plan that lies ahead for 2012.

For your listening pleasure, please see the special post that I did previously which has our conversation linked up.

After we said our goodbyes, we all went on with our day. Rick went his way and the rest of us went to see the Browns play.

We arrived in downtown Cleveland with plenty of time to spare before the game started. Another game plan was perfectly executed.

As for the game we saw, it was a battle of two teams that were evenly matched record wise. The Browns and the Jaguars both came in with gaudy 3-6 records.

As the game wore on, the statistics were almost identical. Unlike the Jet game we saw here last year, the score didn't end in a tie like should have.

Despite missing a late field goal in the fourth quarter that would extended the Browns' lead to a touchdown, the Browns were forced to hold on for dear life as they survived a last second scare to defeat the Jaguars as time ran out, 14-10.

With that, it was time to say goodbye to Cleveland as we had to drive back home 480 miles in order to get our friend Mike Carroll back to Grand Central Station so he could make the last train at 1:50AM so he could go home.

In addition, the King had to go to work at 2AM. I managed to stop for a quick dinner break as well as other needed rest stops in order to finish the mission. I got back to NYC with plenty of time to spare as I dropped off Mike Carroll at 1:10AM. He made his train and he arrived home safely. Then I took the King to the Post Office which was a few blocks away.

I proceeded to drop off Frank in Queens where he lives then I took myself home.

Another amazing and memorable weekend was put in the unwritten book.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/21 in review‏

Upon returning from Western Canada Monday night, I was able to catch up on rest.

Tuesday I went back to work and home for more rest and clean up since there were no games to attend in the local area.

Wednesday night after work I went to Legends Night at Madison Square Garden.

In addition, the Knicks finally made a splash as they acquired Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups from the Denver Nuggets late Tuesday night.

As a result, the Garden was an electric atmosphere for the first time in a long time for the Knicks.

It reminded me of the 90's when the Garden rocked on a nightly basis.

The Melo effect has taken the City by storm. It looked like Halloween as many people changed their wardrobe overnight as they dressed up in t-shirts and jerseys with the number seven on them in support of him.

This night set the tone for many years to come at the World's Most Famous Arena as it continues to undergo its transformation into World's Most State of the Art Arena.

The Garden is known as the mecca of basketball. Now the City's game is back and so are the fans. On this night, it was packed with people wearing orange and blue.

During halftime, the Knicks honored their Legends of years past.

They did it by decade. In the 60's, they recognized Dick Barnett who was known for his fall back jumper.

In the 70's, they acknowledged the "Pearl" Earl Monroe who they acquired from the Baltimore Bullets and he arrived in time to be part of the 1973 World Championship team.

In the 80's, a local product from Queens and St. John's, playmaker Mark Jackson was honored.

In the 90's, fan favorite John Starks was introduced to the crowd to a rousing ovation. He was best known for his slam dunk over Michael Jordan in the playoffs back in the day.

In the 2000's, sharp shooter Allan Houston whose runner in the lane enabled the Knicks to beat the Heat as they went to the Finals back in 1999.

Now the Melo effect has ignited the city for many years to come.

As for his debut, he led the Knicks to victory as they beat the Bucks, 114-108!

Melo had 27 points and he grabbed 10 rebounds to help his team get the win.

Newcomer Chauncey Billups played well too.

For one night, it looked like a good move. Time will tell for sure.

The Knicks did have to part with a lot of good young talent to make this deal finally happen.

Business wise it was a no brainer. The question is will they eventually win another championship. As for an answer, we'll have to wait and see.

Thursday and Friday I went home again after work due to the lack of events in the area.

Over the weekend, I got to see a double dip on Saturday as I took a short drive to Hofstra University where the King and I saw the Pride take on the Blue Hens of Delaware on Senior Day.

As part of the festivities, the Pride retired uniform number 22 for Senior guard Charles Jenkins who's from Queens.

In his last regular game Jenkins finished scoring 21 points to lead the Pride to an easy 79-60 victory.

With less than a minute to go, Jenkins checked out for the final time and he received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The King and I were joined by our new found friend Eddie who loves attending college basketball games. In matter of fact, he went all the way to Alaska to see a game on a wild trip he made in late January as he flew out to Detroit then to Edmonton then to the Bay Area in California before he decided to brave the freezing cold weather as he went up to the last frontier. On his way back he stopped off in Minneapolis and he drove to Green Bay to see a college basketball game before he finally came back to NYC.

We were able to relate well with him since we just came back from Western Canada. We enjoyed each other's company throughout the game.

We were impressed with his excursion. He still thinks what we've done over the years is amazing.

We asked him if he wanted to join us for the Islanders/ Washington Capitals game we were attending across the street. He said he couldn't since he had other plans that he was committed to already. He did appreciate the offer though.

The King and I went to grab some dinner between games.

Afterwards we went to the Nassau Coliseum to see the second game of our convenient doubleheader.

This was my 1,500th NHL game I've seen in person. Ironically my first one was also at the Coliseum back on January 17, 1980 when the Islanders hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As for this one, we saw a good one as the Islanders before a rare sellout crowd took an early 2-0 lead during the first half of the game. As the game wore on, the Islanders got worn out. They wound up giving up a goal to get the Capitals back into it at 2-1 as they headed into the third period.

In the third period, the Capitals capitalized as they eventually got the equalizer and the game winner as they went on to win, 3-2!

It should be noted that there were a number of Capital fans who made the trip up from down South to see their team play.

Needless to say, they had a happy ride home.

Sunday the King and I went to the Garden to see the Rangers play the Tampa Bay Lightning in an afternoon game. It  was kid's day.

Unfortunately for the kids, the Rangers fell short in this one, 2-1.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/15 in review

This week started off slow as I was able to catch up on needed rest on Monday and Tuesday after going to work following another great weekend getaway in Buffalo and Cleveland.

Wednesday night after work I went out to the Nassau Coliseum for the first time this season to see the Islanders try to break their losing streak against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Islanders fell behind 2-0 in this game until they finally scored late in the second period to get back into the game at 2-1. It stayed that way until late in the third period when the Lightning struck again to make it 3-1. 21 seconds later the Islanders answered to make it a one goal game again with a minute and 8 seconds to go in regulation time. The Lightning added an empty net goal with 16 seconds left to seal the Islanders fate. Hence their losing streak continued.

After another night off Thursday night I was able to rest up for another busy weekend in the Northeast.

After working a half a day, I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend. I proceeded to pick up the King and off to Boston we went.

We had to dodge the brutal Friday traffic as we headed North to Beantown as we were going to the TD Garden to see the Boston Celtics host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7PM. I did my very best to get us there on time but given the circumstances we had to work with that was humanly impossible.

We wound up arriving in the second quarter. Thanks to our good friend and long time buddy James Gabriele who arranged to provide royal treatment for the King and I. He was able to score us a pair of incredible seats 16 rows up from the court near the free throw line. What a view we had.

As for the game, we were listening to the beginning of it as we were driving there. It was disappointing to hear that the Thunder were playing without their top superstar Kevin Durant. That just made a bad rough ride rougher.

We did our best to enjoy the game regardless. The Thunder even without Durant managed to beat the hometown Celtics, 89-84! It was tightly contested game right throughout but in the end the Celtics couldn't make enough shots as the Thunder hung on to win.

Saturday we went to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to see the Boston College Eagles take on the Virginia Cavaliers at Noon.

We wound up meeting up with a fellow road tripper by the name of Matt Veitas. Matt is a partner of my buddy, Paul Swaney who runs the website Stadium Journey. Stadium Journey is the place to go if you need to find out information beforehand of what to expect when you attend a live sporting event at a particular venue. Their site has in depth analysis so you can get a taste of what goes on ahead of time. Matt told me they're in the midst of revamping their site to make it more interactive and better. As far as I'm concerned they do a great job. Please feel free to check it out at http://www.stadiumjourney.com/.

As for the game we saw at Alumni Stadium, Boston College squeaked past the Cavaliers, 17-13! With the victory, the Eagles become bowl eligible for the 12th straight season. Way to go, BC.

After the game, the King and I went back to the TD Garden in Boston to see the Boston Bruins take on the LA Kings at 7PM. The bruins fell behind early in this one. They gave up three goals and they trailed the Kings 3-0 early in the second period. They fought back and they eventually tied the game at three. It stayed that way in overtime. In order to break the tie, they went to a shootout to declare a winner. A shootout normally goes three rounds to decide a winner unless neither team outscores the other then they continue until they do.

In this case, the shootout lasted six rounds with the King's Michael Handzus scoring the only goal but it was the decisive one that gave the Kings the 4-3 victory.

After the game we drove home to get some sleep as we got ready for a rare NFL doubleheader. The rarity was that we got to see the Jets and the Giants play in the same day in two different Stadiums.

Stay tuned because I'm going to do a special post recapping this amazing day.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

                       

Sabres whip Lightning, 7-1!

This game was over fast. The Sabres lit the lamp early and often.

Paul Gaustad of the Sabres got his team on the board 2:24 into the game to make it 1-0.

Vincent Lecavalier of the Lightning added insult to injury when he was called for a 5 minute spearing penalty. In addition, he received an automatic game misconduct as well.

The Sabres proceeded to take full advantage by scoring 2 power play goals. Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht were the benefactors.

They chased goaltender, Antero Niittymaki from the game. He made 3 saves on the Sabres first 6 shots.

In the second period, the Sabres added 3 more answered goals against back up goaltender, Mike Smith.

Derek Roy scored his second goal of the night in the process.

With just 43 seconds left in the period, Steve Downie broke the shutout for the Lightning when he beat Sabres netminder, Patrick Lalime.

In the third period, Derek Roy added his 3rd goal of the night. That gave him the hat trick.

See the picture as his teammates celebrated with him as hats flew on the ice.

It should also be noted that Patrick Lalime got credit with his 200th NHL victory.