Royalty gets to go to Big East Tournament Semi Finals at MSG!

Thursday night just before I was getting ready to leave work, I got a text message from a friend of mine, JeanAnn Harrison. She asked me if I had any plans for Friday night. I wrote her back and said no. She replied and asked me if I wanted to go to the Big East Semi Finals at Madison Square Garden. She said she was going to drive down from Nashua, New Hampshire where she currently lives. Without hesitation, I said yes. She told me she was getting tickets on Stub Hub. She told me she wanted to treat me. I was in a state of shock. Shortly thereafter, she sent me an e-mail confirmation. She asked me if I could go to the Stub Hub office here in Manhattan and pick them up. I said absolutely. I went during my lunch break on Friday.

After work, I wound up meeting the King for dinner at Popeye's before I met up with JeanAnn outside the Garden. The King came with me so he could say a quick hello.

JeanAnn and I proceeded to go into the building to see the college basketball doubleheader.

In game one we had the final meeting between the Syracuse Orange who JeanAnn is a huge fan of and the Georgetown Hoyas as members of the Big East Conference. This was a historic occasion. Thanks to JeanAnn I got to take part in it.

As for the game we saw, Syracuse played well early as they were up 29-20 at halftime. In the second half, the Hoyas battled back as they forced overtime as the score was tied at 51 after regulation. What a way to end a storied rivalry. In the extra session, the Orange prevailed, 58-55 as the rivalry was officially closed as a fan in the stands held up a sign acknowledging that fact.The crowd was filled with plenty of Orange and Hoya fans who were into the game from start to finish. It was an electric evening at the Mecca.

In game two, the Louisville Cardinals were hosting the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The winner was going to meet Syracuse for the Big East Championship Saturday night.

As for the game we saw, the Cardinals led the Irish, 32-25 at halftime. In the second half, the Cardinals extended their lead as they cruised to an easy 69-57 victory.

Unlike the first game some of the sellout crowd of 20,057 were long gone which made for a more subdued atmosphere. Regardless we saw one of the best teams in the country play.

After the game, we arranged to meet up with the King who met us outside the Garden around midnight. We wound up going to Stout NYC which is on 33rd Street between 6th & 7th Avenue to hang out. We got to eat, drink and we were merry catching up while JeanAnn was staying over for the weekend.

After spending a few more hours with JeanAnn, the King & I went home. We arrived home at 3AM.

Stay tuned for the special post that I'm going to do regarding how we spent our Saturday afternoon.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees a local NBA doubleheader after Nemo!

Prince at Madison Square Garden

Sunday morning I got up and I went to Madison Square Garden where the Knicks were playing an afternoon game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Unlike Saturday I counted on public transportation to get to and from the Garden in Midtown Manhattan. The MTA was running with minimal delays which made it really easy to get where I wanted to go without a hassle.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks got off to a slow start. They trailed the Clippers, 22-17 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, they continued to fall further behind as they went into the locker room down by eight, 52-44. In the third quarter, the Knicks looked more energized as they got within one, 71-70 after three quarters.

Since the game was televised on ABC the commercial time outs are longer than normal. With that being said, the crowd was treated to a fast edition of an act called "Quick Change." Even when you see it, you can't believe it. These people change outfits within the blink of an eye. It was an unexpected surprise. Normally when they perform it's during halftime.

Quick Change

In the fourth quarter, apparently the Knicks decided their quick change was over too. They took a very brief one point lead at the beginning of the quarter then they disappeared down the stretch as the Clippers emerged victorious, 102-88. The Clippers pulled away as former Knick Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his team high 27 points. Teammate Chris Paul added 7 of his 25 points down the stretch to help seal the deal. As for the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony lead all scorers with 42 points but he had only 4 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks let this one slip away.

Prince at Barclays Center

After the game, I was able to go home and I made dinner before I went back out to downtown Brooklyn where I saw the Nets take on the San Antonio Spurs at the Barclays Center in the night cap of my NBA doubleheader.

I was joined by the King who wound up going to St. Peter's in the afternoon for a college basketball game in Jersey City. In addition, our pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and Dennis Barbera were at the Net game too.

As for the game we saw, the Spurs were playing without superstars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. I was disappointed when I heard that. I was looking forward to seeing them play.

In the first quarter, the Nets took advantage as they out scored the Spurs, 35-25. In the second quarter, the Spurs closed the gap to six as they trailed the Nets, 57-51 at halftime.

During the intermission, I got to meet up with a fellow tweep, Jon Presser, who's twitter handle is @metsjetsnets88. He was visiting the Barclays Center for the first time with his friend Adam. We all thought the Nets had a good chance to beat the Spurs.

In the third quarter, the Spurs despite playing shorthanded, they still out scored the Nets 30-14 to take a 81-71 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs continued to pull further away as they blew away the Nets, 111-86. It was an incredible display of basketball by the Spurs in the second half. Tony Parker led the way as he scored 29 points and he handed 11 assists.

With that being said, we were all proven wrong as the Spurs came away with an easy win. They're an amazing team with a Hall of Fame coach in Gregg Popovich.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,


Gary Herman

Royalty sees a local basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden!

Prince at MSG for St. John's Red Storm

On Sunday January 27th, the King and I saw went to Madison Square Garden , the mecca for basketball, to see the St. John's Red Storm host the Seton Hall Pirates at Noon.

As for tickets for the game, we didn't get them in advance. We decided to wait until the day of the game. With that being said, while I was waiting on line at the box office, a gentleman approached me and he gave me two free tickets. I was very grateful. I shook his hand and I thanked him. As a result, the King and I saved some money that we planned to spend. We lucked as I was in the right place at the right time.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm lead at halftime, 38-33 after they trailed by 8 midway through the first half. In the second half, they added to their lead as they built a 16 point lead early on. The Pirates wound up coming back but they fell short as they lost to the Red Storm, 71-67 before a crowd of 7,641. As a result, they closed off the upper level and the West Balcony. With that being said, we got to sit on the lower level which we can't afford to do for the Knicks. I must say the seating down there is rather snug. In other words, the leg room is tight.

Forward D'Angelo Harrison lead the way for the Red Storm as he played the whole game and he scored a game high 24 points to carry the Johnnies to the victory. For the Pirates, center Eugene Teague had 22 points in the losing effort.

Prince at MSG for Knicks basketball

After the game, the King and I went home for dinner before we returned to the Garden for game two of our convenient doubleheader. The Knicks were playing the Hawks at 6:30PM which was televised on ESPN.
Before the game, I was able to say a quick hello to my pal broadcasting legend, Steve Holman, who's the radio voice of the Hawks. He's now done over 2,000 consecutive Hawk games and counting. That's an incredible accomplishment. It was great to see him again. If you want to follow him on Twitter, his handle is @RealVoiceofHawk.

As for the game we saw, it was eerily similar to the game we saw at the Barclays Center nine days earlier when the Hawks were in town to play the Nets in Brooklyn. This one was tightly contested especially in the first half as the Knicks out scored the Hawks, 27-25 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Hawks returned the favor as they did the same to the Knicks. As a result, the game was tied at 52 at the half. In the third quarter, the Knicks pulled away to lead by 8, 82-74 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks roared back. Josh Smith threw down a thunderous slam late just he did in Brooklyn to keep the Hawks within striking distance. Ironically the game came down to the last shot that would have won it for the Hawks but Josh Smith couldn't drain a three pointer at the buzzer as the Knicks held off the Hawks, 106-104.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with USRT as they invade NYC to see the Knicks at Transformed Madison Square Garden!

Andrew Kulyk, me, the King & Peter Farrell at MSG 

After I returned the car I rented for the day from Avis Sunday morning, I took public transportation to midtown Manhattan & Madison Square Garden where I met up with the King and our fellow roadtripping buddies from Buffalo, Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell aka USRT who were visiting NYC. They decided when the NBA schedule came out back in late July, that Sunday January 13th would be the day they returned to NYC to see some NBA basketball.

The Knicks were hosting the New Orleans Hornets at Noon and the Brooklyn Nets were playing the Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Center at 6PM.

With that being said, I arranged to accommodate these guys so their latest visit would be as painless as possible. As it turned out, it was.

These guys have seen the Knicks play nine times together over the years and quite amazingly their record was 0-9 in those games. As this day got closer, I was hoping that the Knicks would find a way to win for these guys.

With that being said, all good things and in this case bad things have to come to an end I said to myself. Please let this be that day.

Before the game even started, these guys were raving about the transformation of the World's Most Famous Arena which is done with phase two now. There is still one more phase to go. That will occur after the basketball season is over.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks fell behind early, 29-22 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Knicks roared back as they out scored the Hornets, 27-12 to take a 49-41 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Hornets sliced into the deficit as they trailed by only five, 71-66. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks pulled away as they went on to defeat the Hornets by a score of 100-87.

With that being said, the USRT curse was lifted. These guys finally saw the Knicks win a game together. The King & I were so happy for them.

After the game, we all went on the subway to go to Brooklyn. On the way there, we got off the Q train we were on at DeKalb Avenue which is one stop from the Barclays Center. It should be noted it's also a ten minute walk from there as well.

The main reason we got off there was because we went to have dinner at a Brooklyn institution. I'm referring to Junior's Restaurant. Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do about that.

In addition, I'm going to write a special post about the USRT's official visit to the Barlclays Center.

Please stay tuned for all the details.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/5 in review

Prince in Section 230 at Barclays Center

Monday morning I woke up early so I could return the Crown Victoria I rented from Avis for the weekend. I wound up driving 1,134 miles safely over the two days I had the car.

I went to work afterwards tired and all. I survived the day and after work I took the subway to downtown Brooklyn where the new Barclays Center is located. It's the home of the Brooklyn Nets who moved from New Jersey. On this night, the Nets were hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. It should be noted that they were missing two of their key players, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio who were inactive due to injuries.

Even though I saw the Barclays Center during the preseason, this was my first official visit if you will. It was my 58th NBA arena which includes all the current ones.

Before I went inside I stopped off a Subway restaurant for my pre game dinner. It was conveniently located in the Atlantic Center Mall which is right across the street from the arena. When I finished I proceeded to go into the building to see some NBA basketball.

When I got to my seat in section 230, I met up with the King and our pal Vincent Ascanio who was also there.

As for the game we saw, it started well for the new team in town. The Nets got off to a fast start as they lead by four, 31-27 after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 15 at halftime, 62-47. They lead by as much as 22 along the way. After three quarters, they lead, 86-75. In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves finally awoke. Did they ever, they stormed back and they blew past the Nets as they dominated down the stretch making one shot after another. The Timberwolves outscored the Nets, 32-10 over the last twelve minutes to come away with an improbable 107-96 victory.

The Timberwolves rallied without their two star players. They got a game high 21 points from center Nikola Pekovic. In addition, forward Chase Budinger came off the bench and he added 16 many of which came during their late surge as they stunned the Nets. In the losing effort, Deron Williams had 18 points to go along with 13 assists.

Tuesday night after work I went out for dinner with my Aunt Joan and Uncle Mort who were in Manhattan for the day. We went to Ben's Deli. We had some good food and we got to catch up at the same time. It was really nice to see them again. I want to personally thank them for meeting me.

Wednesday night after work I went home to relax as it was snowing believe it or not. If Hurricane Sandy didn't do enough damage, we got a Noreaster on top of it which produced some wet and slushy snow.
Thursday night after work the snow disappeared thanks to some warmer weather. As a result, I was able to do my laundry when I got home.

Friday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for dinner in Penn Station. When I was done, I went upstairs to Madison Square Garden. I saw the undefeated Knicks take on the visiting Dallas Mavericks who were playing without their superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion.

As for the game I saw at the Transformed Garden, the Knicks and Mavericks battled it out. The Knicks lead by two after the first quarter, 25-23. In the second quarter, the Mavericks went ahead as they lead at halftime, 57-55. In the third quarter, the Knicks started to take over the game as they took the lead at 84-78 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks maintained their lead as they beat the Mavericks, 104-94 to stay unbeaten at 4-0 on the young season. Once again, Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks as he scored a game high 31 points while teammate J.R. Smith added 22. For the Mavericks, O.J. Mayo paced them with 23 points.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do that will recap my latest getaway weekend from NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Opening Night at MSG to see the Knicks host the World Champion Miami Heat!

MSG Transformation Phase 2

After their game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn was postponed Thursday night due to Hurricane Sandy, the Knicks got to officially open their new season at home at Madison Square Garden on Friday night instead.

They were hosting the World Champion Miami Heat at the newly transformed Madison Square Garden phase two of three.

As for the latest phase in the transformation process, the Garden has taken on a different look especially in the seating bowl. In 1991, they added luxury suites around the very top of the arena. In phase two of the transformation, they've taken many of them out. In their place, they've added seats that extend all the way to the top of the building on the sides and the corners. The luxury suites have been moved to the middle level which is between the 100 level and the 200 level as it's now comprised. It should be noted that not all the luxury boxes are finished yet. Half of them are not. This is a work in progress as they continue to transform the Garden. Next year will be phase three. Once they finish that, the Garden will have a totally different look than it did in years past. It's taking shape as they've also moved the seats closer to the action so the sightlines are improved to see an event there. Furthermore, they've added nice cushioned seats throughout the seating bowl which makes the experience more comfortable for its patrons. The seats are all black except for the ones on the 400 level just below the West Balcony. Those are colored blue in honor of the iconic blue seats that the Garden was known for. That's where the working class people were notorious for sitting. Hopefully you'll get a chance to go to see the latest phase as progress continues to be made at the World's Most Famous Arena.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks came ready to play. With all the distractions from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Knicks put on a clinic to help ease people's minds for a few hours in the wake of the disaster we had. It's going to be a long healing process but for one night was a nice relief.

The Knicks played inspired basketball from start to finish as they made the champs look like chumps on this night. The Knicks lead 33-17 after the first quarter which set the tone for the rest of the evening. They were a team on a mission and it showed. The last time they played the Miami Heat, they got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs. This was a little bit of a payback for them. Carmelo Anthony lead the way as he scored 30 points and he grabbed 10 rebounds. His teammates contributed as five other players pitched in. They scored in double figures to give the new look Knicks a balanced attack. The Knicks lead 55-44 at halftime. In the third quarter, they held their biggest lead of the game at 75-52 with 3:11 left. When it was all said and done, they came away with an easy 104-84 victory. With that being said, basketball was back at the mecca.

Stay tuned as I recap the wild weekend I had thanks to Sandy's destruction to the Northeast.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty entertains special people at Prudential Center for Nets Basketball!

Don Allen, his Grandson Jack and I 

When I was going to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins back on March 31st, I got a call from my good friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore. He asked me if I could help out an old friend of his. I told Peter without hesitation absolutely. He said I'll have my friend Don Allen get in touch with you by e-mail. I told him that sounds like a plan.

With that being said, that Monday I got an e-mail from Don. He told me he wanted to take his 18 year old grandson Jack to some sporting events during the week because he came up from Northern Virginia to visit and he wants to spend some quality time with him.

Peter had told him about the King and I. He said these guys see more sporting events live than anybody he knows. They can guide you along the best.

With that being said, I replied back to Don's initial e-mail he sent me and we got the ball rolling towards making this dream a reality. I gave Don a number of options to choose from. Mind you Don isn't a sports fan so he didn't know exactly what I was talking about. I asked him what teams his grandson Jack liked. He told me he likes the Islanders, the Knicks, the Nets and the Mets.

With that being said, I went to work to figure out a way to accomodate Jack's needs and wants since his grandpa Don was willing to go for the ride and have a great time regardless of where they wound up going to.

I told him tickets shouldn't be hard to find to see these teams play except for the Knicks. Luckily I had a few extra Knick tickets available so I told Don we'll work out a fair deal so you can spend Easter Sunday at Madison Square Garden with your grandson Jack when the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls in the afternoon.
In addition, he said he wanted to go to see the Nets and Mets play since I told him they were home too. We wrote each other back and forth so we could arrange to meet up since I was going to the Net game that Friday night at the Prudential Center after work.

Since it was Good Friday, I got out of work early at 3PM. I told Don I want to go home fast after work and then I could meet him near the Prudential Center for the Net game. He wrote back to me and said unless you have a prior commitment I want to treat you for dinner. I was beside myself to say the least. I gathered myself and I gave him a few options. He said how about we meet up at the Edison Ale House which is right next to the Prudential Center at 5:30PM. I said you got a deal. I'll see you there then. Being such a precise planner, I managed to arrive there right at 5:30PM. I got to meet and greet Don and Jack who were already seated at a table. Before we ordered our food, Don and I conversed. He said he looked at my blog. I was speechless for a moment. He said just from reading it I know you're a sensitive person. I agreed with him. I told him I am especially when it comes to different people's needs and wants. I have a marketing degree and I practice what I preach. I'm an upfront and honest person. That's who I am. He continued to praise me based on my writing ability. I felt so proud.

Meanwhile his grandson Jack was sitting there taking this in. He unfortunately didn't have much to say. I knew he had a problem which made me even that much more willing to bend over backwards to do whatever I needed to in order to make him happy.

After we enjoyed a delicious meal together, we walked out to look for a few tickets for Don and Jack so they could get into the building to see the Nets play the Washington Wizards. After a few minutes, I saw a familiar face, my friend Bob aka Doc as we know him was there. He tried to help me get them tickets. Moments later a security guard by the door said he had some extra tickets. He was so kind to give them to us. I already had one. So now we were all set. Don was totally beside himself watching me in action.
We all went inside. Jack said he wanted to sit downstairs. With Doc's assistance, Jack's request was fulfilled. We wound up sitting 13 rows up from the Net bench in section 10. A royal upgrade indeed.
As for the game we saw, the Nets found a team they could beat as they ran past the Wizards, 110-98.

After the game, I took the Path train back to Lower Manhattan where Don lives part time since he's semi retired he said, he has three different places to call home. One here in Battery Park, another near his daughter, Jack's mom in Northern Virginia and another place in Italy. He was a very interesting gentleman to say the least.

We parted ways for the night but we arranged to meet at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon so Jack could see the Mets play.

Stay tuned for the other special posts I'm going to do about the continuation of that plus the rest of the amazing holiday weekend I enjoyed.

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 w/o 2/27 in review

This was another week where I just fell short of having a royal week of Stadium Travel.

The week started rough because I had to starve all day Sunday into Monday morning so I could be ready for a colonoscopy that I had scheduled for Monday morning. I could only drink liquids. With that being said, I didn't go to work.

I wound up meeting my sister Abbey who took me to the doctor's office. I needed her to take me home because I wasn't allowed to leave on my own.

As for the colonoscopy, I got an injection that put me into the twilight zone so I didn't feel a thing during the procedure. When it was all said and done, I checked out with a clean bill of health. Due to family history, I was told to take the necessary precautions just in case so I wisely listened to that advice. I'm good for another three to five years now in that regard.

Despite the fact I've been everywhere there's no need to let up yet so I don't want to suddenly have a health issue if I can do something to prevent it. Unlike many people I know, I incorporate visits to the doctor when it's deemed necessary into my rigorous work and play schedule. For example, I always go for a yearly check up. By doing so, I increase the chances that I can live longer and enjoy what life truly has to offer.

In order to have a full life barring a freak incident along the way, you need to make your health your top priority. In that case, my lifestyle needs a break once in a long while so I can continue on for the long haul I hope.

After starving for so long, I took my sister out for a late breakfast on the way back home. After I rested up during the afternoon, I went on my way back to living the life of royalty.

I went to Madison Square Garden that night to see the NY Rangers play their cross town rival, the NJ Devils. The game itself was rather boring. Both teams barely had any shots on the goal throughout the game. The Rangers got an early goal which proved to be the difference as they added an empty net goal late to beat the Devils, 2-0 as their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist recorded his eighth shutout of the season.

Since it was a rivalry matchup, tempers flared during the match as the Rangers' Mike Rupp, who used to play for the Devils and the Devils' David Clarkson both were in and out of the penalty box for causing havoc on the ice a number of times during the game.

Tuesday I went back to work and afterwards I came home to relax since there were no sporting events in the area to attend.

Wednesday night after work on "Leap" day I went back to Madison Square Garden for another dosage of Lin-Sanity as the Knicks were hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Before the game, I treated myself royally as I indulged in a huge corned beef and pastrami sandwich on rye bread from the Carnegie Deli stand at the Garden. I know how to get the both of all worlds when I have the time and money to do so.

After enjoying my meal, I went to my seat to enjoy the game.

As for the game, I got to see Lin-Sanity as he paced the Knicks with 19 points and 13 assists. Steve Novak came off the bench to drain five three point baskets in the second half to help sink the Cavaliers who had a twelve point lead at halftime. The Knicks went on to over take the Cavaliers as they raced off with a 120-103 victory.

I did get to see rookie Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers number one draft pick out of Duke play for the first time live. He was impressive as he scored 22 points. Unfortunately the Cavaliers ran out of gas in the second half. It should be noted that the officials didn't help their cause either. That's the way it is in the NBA when you're the road team.

Thursday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see LIU aka Long Island University Blackbirds play the Pioneers of Sacred Heart in the Northeast Conference quarterfinals.

I was there with the King and our friends Frank Anichiarico and Larry Peim who graduated LIU back in the day.

As for the game we saw, the Blackbirds managed to beat the Pioneers, 80-68 to advance to the next round.
Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do that will recap my royal birthday celebration weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Official review of Transformed Madison Square Garden Phase One - Home of the Knicks, Rangers and St. John's

Here's my official review of Madison Square Garden,  home of the Knicks, Rangers and St.John's. If you're lucky enough to go there in the near future, I strongly suggest you take a look at what I wrote so you know what to expect before you get there.

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/madison-square-garden-s95

I officially joined forces with my buddy Paul Swaney as a Special Correspondent by doing reviews for him when time allows me to do so. I also plan to contribute to great team of writers who cover different sports venues in the United States and other parts of the World.

His website, Stadium Journey is on my blog list. Here's the link: www.stadiumjourney.com/

Please feel free to check out his amazing site which will educate you greatly if and when you decide to take a road trip to see a new venue or if you're just curious how life is in other parts of the country and/or the world.

When it comes to sports travel knowledge, I have plenty but I don't have the time to go in depth like his site does. Regardless you can always feel free to e-mail me and pick my brain.

I'm a team player so whenever I can help somebody else, I indirectly help myself too. I think if you follow my blog, you should do the same.

Life is short. Play hard. I do, I believe you should too.

I hope you enjoy my evaluation.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty gets a taste of "Lin-Sanity" at MSG!

When the King and I were at Madison Square Garden on February 4th, we saw the Knicks play the
Nets that night. Little did we know we were going to get a glimpse of the hottest thing to hit NYC in recent memory.

All of a sudden, the first ever Asian American player of Chinese descent came into the game. His name was Jeremy Lin. We like others we're wondering who is he.

Since he entered that game 10 days ago, he continues to be the talk of the town. He was living with his brother on the East Side on a couch. I think he may be ready to check in for a while at the Trump Tower now. He's no dummy. He graduated from Harvard. He went undrafted. In matter of fact, two teams had him and cut him. First the Golden State Warriors who he played briefly for. He was let go and the Houston Rockets picked him up. After they dumped him, the Knicks decided to take a chance on him. What a decision that was. They put him in the game and he exploded on the scene.

He electrified the crowd instantly hence the reference "Lin-Sanity". He finished the game with 25 points off the bench and he added 7 assists and 5 rebounds. What a performance.

He was rewarded with his first NBA start that Monday night when the Utah Jazz came to the Garden. "Lin-Sanity" took center stage again. This time he scored a new career high of 28 points and he added 8 assists. It was absolutely "Lincredible".

He took his instant success to Washington DC Wednesday night where the Knicks were visiting the Wizards and John Wall. The "Linning" ways continued again. This time he led the way as he scored 23 points and dished out 10 assists.

The Knicks returned home on Friday night to face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at the Garden. "Lin-Sanity" stole the show as he outscored Kobe by pouring in a new career high 38 points as he led the Knicks to another victory.

Saturday night the Knicks hit the road again as they went out to the Twin Cities to play the Timberwolves. It appeared that the Knicks were going to lose but "Linderella" wouldn't let the glass slipper wear off just yet as the "Linning" ways continued.

Tonight the Knicks headed north of the border to play the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks trailed most of the game but once again "Linderella" got across the border and was the difference as the Knicks return home a winner again. He scored 27 points including the "Linning" shot and he handed out 11 more assists. By the way, that was Jeremy's way of saying "Happy VaLINtine's Day" to all his fans.

Since Lin got some serious playing time against the Nets, the Knicks haven't lost they're 6-0. He continues to be the talk of the town but he always defers the credit to his teammates.

Now the question is if and when is "Linsanity" going to end. At this rate, I think it's here to stay.

Time will tell.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/9 in review

View from the West Balcony

I basically spent my week at Madison Square Garden after work Monday-Thursday.

I took turns watching the Knicks on Monday and Wednesday nights and the Rangers on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Here's how the games I saw went:

Monday night the Knicks hosted the Charlotte Bobcats. The Knicks played them the week before and they lost to them. I didn't go to that one. This time it was payback as the Knicks returned the favor as they beat the Bobcats, 91-87.

I did get to see Kemba Walker play as a pro for the first time. He played college ball at UCONN and he's from the Bronx. He came off the bench and he scored 10 points.

Tuesday night I saw the Rangers play the Phoenix Coyotes. I sat in the newly added West Balcony which is located upstairs behind the goal. It's a great aerial view of the action.

As for the game, it was scoreless after two periods. In the third period, both teams scored a goal which forced overtime. Neither team was able to score in the extra session so the game had to be decided in a shootout. This one took six rounds until the Rangers finally emerged victorious as Derek Stepan lit the lamp to give the Rangers the 2-1 victory in the skills competition.

Wednesday night I saw the Knicks take on the red hot Philadelphia 76ers who had won six in a row. The Knicks came to play as they held off the tired Sixers who played the two nights in a row prior to coming to the Garden. The Knicks won the game, 85-79.

Thursday night I saw the Rangers entertain the Ottawa Senators. Once again I sat up in the West Balcony. This time I wound up meeting a guy named Evans Longacre who was at the game with his co-workers. We spoke to each other during the game which enhanced my game experience on this night. I hope to see Evans down the road again.

As for the game, the Rangers had an off night as they failed to score a goal as they fell to the Senators, 3-0. Jason Spezza of the Senators scored two goals to lead the way. I'm a big fan of his since I remember seeing him play back in 1999 in Junior hockey. He has had himself a nice career with the Senators.

Friday night after work I came home and rested since there were no games of interest in the local area for me to attend.

More importantly, I had to do my wash and get ready for my busy weekend getaway for some playoff football and then some.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that will recap all the festivities of this classic weekend. It was very royal to say the least.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/2 in review

Rangers Win, 3-2 in OT!

After starting the week at the Winter Classic on Monday, I got a much needed night off on Tuesday after work. Not really I came home and I did my wash in the freezing cold.

Wednesday after work, I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.

As for the game, it was an impressive performance by the Bruins as they overpowered the Devils, 6-1.
Thursday night after work, I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Florida Panthers. It was their first game after the Winter Classic.

The Rangers and the Panthers battled it out on the ice as they took turns scoring goals. After regulation time, the game was tied at two. In overtime, Marian Gaborik lit the lamp with 1:31 left to give the Rangers a 3-2 sudden death victory.

Friday night after work I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Devils host the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center. Patrik Elias of the Devils played in his 1,000th NHL game on this night.

As for the game, the Devils beat the Panthers by a score of 5-2. The score is deceiving because the Devils scored two empty net goals in the last minute. One of them was while they were shorthanded. It was a good competitive game until that point.

Saturday night after resting up during the day and catching up on my necessities, the King and I went out to Newark, NJ again. This time to see the Nets play basketball against the Miami Heat. We had some company as our friends Ralph and Vincent Ascanio were there too. It was nice to see them again. We got to catch up and enjoy each other's company.

As for the game we saw, LeBron James aka LeFraud as I call him, was exciting to watch as he scored 22 points in the first quarter alone. He helped the Heat raced out to a early 10-0 lead. The Nets cut the lead to 2 at 12-10 then the Heat pulled away for good as they cruised to a 101-90 win. LeFraud finished with a game high 32 points. It should be noted that Dwayne Wade didn't play due to an injury.

Stay tuned as I'm going to do a special post about the first ever playoff game at MetLife Stadium that I saw that Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys the return of the NBA at MSG on Christmas Day!

Andrew and Dylan Van Cleve with the King and I

Like the NFL, the NBA decided to finally return to business as usual. The only difference is the NBA season didn't start on time.

With that being said, the NBA season started on Christmas Day with five games on tap.

The first one being at Madison Square Garden at Noon as the Knicks were hosting the Boston Celtics.
The last time I saw the Knicks play the Celtics on Christmas Day was back in 1985 when the Knicks trailed the Celtics by 25 points in the third quarter before they miraculously came back to win the game in double overtime. I remember it being called the "Miracle on 34th Street."

On this day, the King and I were joined by the Ultimate Sports fan Andrew Van Cleve and his son Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby.

It was great to see them again as the Knicks wound up winning a thriller as Kevin Garnett missed the last shot as the Knicks won the game, 106-104.

The Knicks were lead by Carmelo Anthony who led the way with 37 points.

The Garden is once again the place to be to see NBA basketball.

These days tickets are hard to come by. Hopefully royalty can work some magic so you can experience it for yourself when the time comes.

If so, please let me know and I'll see what I can do for you.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/14 in review

Opening Tip off

This week started off slow for me as I went home after work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night.

After work Thursday night, I decided instead of staying home and watching the Jets play on TV that I would go to Madison Square Garden to see a few college basketball games thanks to the 2K Coaches vs. Cancer Sports Classic. With the NBA still locked out with no end in sight, I figured here's my chance to see the transformed Garden for basketball.

It was well worth it because for $10 I got to see a doubleheader. More importantly, I got to meet up with a guy named Eddie who I met last December thanks to my blog. We got to catch up and enjoy each other's company throughout the night.

As for the games we saw, in game one we saw the Bull Dogs of Mississippi State upset the Aggies from Texas A & M, 69-60. The Bull Dogs got off to a fast start as they were blowing out the Aggies. In the end, they held them off to emerge victorious.

In game two, we got to see local favorite, the Red Storm of St. John's University who play a majority of their home games at the Garden. They were taking on the Wildcats of Arizona aka U of A as a good number of people who support them were yelling. As a result, St. John's didn't have a distinct home court advantage as you might have expected.

The Wildcats used the crowd feed to knock off the Red Storm by a score of 81-72.

Friday I took off from work as I got ready for another memorable and adventurous weekend.

I went to Avis and I rented a car for a week. Stay tuned as I go into detail in a special post recapping this epic excursion.

As always it will be something you'll want to read. Hopefully in the future you'll get the bug to want to take a royal ride somewhere either with me or on your own. Either way I'll gladly guide you along so you can experience what royal treatment is all about.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

A Royal take on the Transformation of Madison Square Garden Phase One!

A View from behind the Goal

For those of you who don't know, Madison Square Garden aka the World's Most Famous Arena as it's known is in the process of undergoing a make over. In other words, they prefer to refer to it as a "transformation".

In today's ever changing world, everything is obsolete a lot faster than in the past. Technology has altered all of our lives in one way, shape or form.

With that being said, the people who run the Garden decided that building a whole new building was out of the question due to the ridiculous amount of money it would cost. Mind you, this transformation project isn't going to come cheap either but it makes more logically sense to me.

Instead they decided to "transform" the building to get it up to the modern standards of the 21st century.
It's a long term process that won't be completed until sometime in 2013. It will be done in three different phases.

During the summer, the Garden was shut down so they could start doing phase one of the project. By doing so, they have started to change the Garden as we used to see it.

For example, they have upgraded the locker rooms for the players so they can feel like their really playing at home literally and figuratively speaking.

As for the fans, they've redone different parts of the seating areas. On the lower level, they used to have seats separated by different sections of seats. Now they decided to make rows of seats that go back around 25 rows consecutively.

By doing so, they 're trying to make the sightlines better for the fans in the process. In addition, they've remodeled and widened the concourses and bathrooms downstairs as well.

For those of us who prefer or can only afford the upper bowl seats and/or the old "blue" seats, they've ripped out seats and redid the areas behind the goals on both sides where the old green seats used to be.
Furthermore, they've added an aerial view behind the net that hangs over the ice that's accessible for everybody who wants to stand and peak at the game while enjoying a beer at the newly created bar areas on this level. I personally think it's a cool addition. It reminded me of the old arena in Pittsburgh, the Civic Arena aka the Igloo where you were able to see the game from the top of the building behind the net. They also have a few rows of seats that are surrounded by big glass partitions so you can watch the game if you can afford the price of admission for these newly added perchs. They also have bar stool style seats in the row behind them with a ledge. They also come with a high price tag.

My overall take is incomplete just like the rest of the transformation. Needless to say, in order to enjoy and appreciate all of the new modern amenities, you're going to need a bundle of money to do so.

The bottom line is I'm glad I got to see the beginning of the new look Garden. Time will tell if I'll be able to see the finished version in a few years.

If you haven't had the privilege of going to the Garden then you won't know the difference. Right now, it's a work in progress and even regular visitors like myself will have a hard time navigating the ins and outs with all the different changes that are taking place in Midtown Manhattan high atop New York Penn Station.

With the NBA lockout ongoing and with no end in sight, the number of games played at the Garden are less than expected. With that being said, if you get a chance to go there I strongly suggest you do. That way you can witness firsthand what I'm talking about.

It's an old building and foundation so they can only do so much as far as fixing up the facility.

When it's all said and done, it should be an improvement for those people who are fortunate enough to experience it.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/31 in review

View from Center Ice

After experiencing a winter preview over the weekend, Halloween officially arrived that Monday.
I went to work on Halloween tired and all. After work, I found a way to get up the energy to go to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the San Jose Sharks. It was my first game there since they started the Transformation of the Garden.

Stay tuned for the special post I'll be doing to give you an idea of what to expect if and when you have a chance to go to the World's Most Famous Arena.

As for the game I saw on Halloween night, the hometown Rangers gave their fans a treat as they beat up the Sharks, 5-2 after the game started with a fight just seven seconds into the contest as the Sharks' Ryane Clowe and the Rangers' Brandon Prust dropped the gloves.

After the fight, the Rangers raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. The Sharks got on the board late in the period to cut the lead in half 2-1 after the first period. The Sharks got the equalizer almost midway through the second period. After that, the Rangers scored three unanswered goals including two from newly named team captain Ryan Callahan as the Rangers cruised to the victory.

It was nice to see many of the regulars that were in attendance. Over the years, I've seen my share of Ranger games at the Garden so familiar faces aren't hard to find. I recognize many different people even if I've never spoken to some of them. It's nice to see many of them are back for another season.

Tuesday night I went home after work to catch up on much needed rest.

Wednesday night after work, I went to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center. Ironically four years ago to the day on November 2, 2007, I saw my first Devil game at the "Rock" against the Maple Leafs no less.

The only difference between the games was the outcome. The Devils won, 3-2 back in 2007 but this time the Maple Leafs emerged victorious as Joffrey Lupul scored a hat trick that included goals to break a 2-2 and 3-3 tie as the Leafs turned back the Devils, 5-3.

Thursday night after work I went back to the Garden to see the Anaheim Ducks who were in town to play the Rangers on this night.

This time the Rangers lead 1-0 until late in the second period when the Ducks tied it up at one. The score remained that way through the third period and the overtime session.

This game was decided by a shootout and the Rangers managed to win the skills competition if you will. As a result, they won the game, 2-1 in a shootout.

Friday night I went home after work to rest up since there were no games in the local area. I got to rest up for another busy weekend that was ahead of me.

For all the details, please stay tuned for the special post that I'm going to write recapping my latest adventure. It may take some time but it will definitely be worth the wait. Please bear with me.

As always, I want to thank all my readers and followers for taking your precious time to read about me and my whereabouts.

Needless to say, if and when you need my assistance and/or advice please feel free to consult me. If you don't, I'll feel insulted.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys the return of Mets baseball at Citi Field over Opening Weekend!

The King and I

When the schedule was released back in the middle of September I marked down April 8th, that was when the Mets would open their home schedule at Citi Field.

With that being said, I arranged to work a half a day so I could be there for the special occasion. After work on Friday I went out to Citi Field for the Mets home opener against the Washington Nationals at 4:10PM. It's been an annual tradition since 1982 for me to see the Mets home opener. In 2000, the King and I went all the way to Japan to see them open the season there.

Ironically the Mets lost their Opening game in Japan which was designated as a "Cub" home game as pitcher Mike Hampton who was on the mound wound up walking 9 Cubs in that one. He still induced them to hit into 5 double plays in the 5-3 defeat.

This time the Mets pitching staff issued 8 free passes while they got the Nationals to hit into 3 double plays as they lost this one, 6-2 in front of an alleged sellout crowd of 41,075. It should be known that there were noticeable areas of empty seats scattered throughout the ballpark. The Mets classified this game as a "platinum" game so the ticket prices were just as expensive as if they were playing the Yankees in a subway series game in July.

Honestly speaking, they didn't deserve to sell this game out because they were only playing the Washington Nationals even though it was Opening Day which is the only reason why they charged so much. In my view, it was a typical modern greedy business move by the Mets. In other words, a sign of the times. My advice is to get used to it because this is fast becoming the norm not the exception I'm sorry to say. My just telling you the truth. The media doesn't get paid to bad mouth. I write to to enlighten you and to enhance your knowledge. That the way royalty likes to roll. It works for us so it should work for you.   

As for the actual people who really did show up, it was nice to see some fellow season ticket holders in our section that also renewed their seats for another season. It's always nice to see familiar faces.

Speaking of familiar faces, upon entry to the ballpark, I was greeted by Sam who checked my bag before I got to the ticket taker to have my ticket scanned. It was nice to know Sam is back for another year. I saw him many times last year and it was always a pleasure to see him because he always made me feel wanted.
After I spoke briefly to Sam, I went to the ticket taker who happened to be Tony, another familiar face. I told him this is my lucky day. That was being a little premature though. Things actually got better. Not only were they giving out Mr. Met bobblehead dolls, I saw a ticket taker who I knew from Madison Square Garden, that being Rose who always has a happy face and a big sincere smile. I got to speak to her for a short time too. Now my royal entry was complete.

Before I could make my way to the escalator to head up towards my seat I ran into fellow Met fan and big fan of royalty, Cory Zimmerman who was all dressed up in his Met gear and he was all fired up for the new season that was finally upon us.

In addition, he also sells tickets to Met games. If you need tickets to see the Mets play and/or you want to see Citi Field in style, I strongly suggest you contact him so he can satisfy all your needs and wants.

Needless to say, tell him the Prince referred you so he can provide the royal treatment you expect and deserve.

Once I finally got to my seat in Section 516 row 3 I received visit from our friend Eddie who's also a road warrior and fan of the royalty way. It was great to see him again. Royalty has a knack of attracting good people.

For example, I got to see a few young kids who we met last season here at Citi Field, Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal. It was a thrill to see them again especially since they were so happy to see the King and I. We have built up quite a fan club over the years.

In matter of fact, we all spent the weekend together at Citi Field as they came back for more too. The Mets got their first home win as they beat the Nationals, 8-4 on Saturday night.

Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of the series, it took a few extra innings to decide the winner. Thanks to Mets reliever Blaine Boyer who pitched a 1,2,3 10th inning but he couldn't duplicate that in the 11th inning as the Nationals broke through as Ivan Rodriguez delivered a clutch single to snap the 3-3 tie. Laynce Nix put the game out of reach as he hit a three run blast. The Nationals won the game and the series, 7-3.

There's plenty of baseball left to be played so if you want to come out to a ballgame let me know so I can make your experience more enjoyable home or away.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with one of the ESPN.com Page 2 Editors at Yankee Stadium!

Sunday the King and I were back in the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Tigers in the afternoon and then we went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play too. By doing so it wrapped up seeing 8 games in  a 4 day stretch if you weren't counting or keeping track.

During the week, I received an e-mail from Thomas Neumann, who happens to be one of the editors for ESPN.com Page 2. He asked me if I was willing to answer some questions for him. He said he was planning to do a story on "superfans". The King and I fit that category perfectly. I e-mailed him my answers.

Ironically Saturday night I received an e-mail from him saying he was going to be at the Yankee game Sunday and he wanted to see if the King and I were going to be there too. I wrote him back and I told him we were. With that being said, we arranged to meet up.

Thomas proceeded to ask the King some questions. The King complied with some input. He said he's working on the story and once it's published he said he'll let us know.

Ironically he got in touch with the Buffalo Boys as well. He mentioned to me that they had our Net tickets for the Heat game. I told him yes they do. He said he was going to that game too.

I told him that Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell from Buffalo are good guys. We meet up with them every so often. Whenever we need Sabre tickets they always arrange to accomodate us. This time it was our turn to take care of them.

We're looking forward to the story that's going to be written. It will be interesting to see if we know any of the other people who get mentioned.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees suffered their first loss of the young season as they fell, 10-7. Thomas being a Tiger fan was a very happy man.

After the game, we parted ways. I look forward to being in touch with him.

After the game, the King and I made our way downtown on the D train as we headed to the Garden to see the Knicks play the Cavaliers.

The question was will the Knicks beat them for the first time this season. They came into the game 0-3.

The answer was yes. The Knicks got off to a big lead but the Cavaliers got back into it in the third quarter to put a scare into the crowd but the Knicks managed to pull away in the fourth quarter to win, 123-107.

With the victory, the Knicks clinched their first playoff berth in 7 years.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Nightmare when you go to the Prudential Center

When I attend a live sporting event these days, it's usually a fun experience.

Since I live the New York Metropolitan area, I have many places to choose from to see a live sporting event.

Some of these places are better than others. In my personal opinion, I love going to Madison Square Garden and New Yankee Stadium as opposed to going to Citi Field and the Prudential Center.

When I go to MSG and New Yankee Stadium, I feel welcome the moment I step foot on the property. In particular at New Yankee Stadium where they have people outside with signs up saying "How may I help you?". That's instant customer service for those who need it.

Those venues are notorious for attracting tourists from other parts of the world and our country. As for us New Yorkers, we usually know where we're going but it's nice to know someone is there if and when we need their assistance.

On the other hand, Citi Field isn't quite as fan friendly. It's not terrible but I don't care for it their phony way of treating people.

Furthermore, the Prudential Center which is located in Newark, NJ is known as the "arm pit of America" according to a co-worker of mine.

Newark in my opinion is a war zone area. Over the years, it has been classified as one of the high crime cities in the country.

With that being said, it made all the sense in the world to build a brand new arena there.

When you go there they tend to go overboard with their policies of operation.

From the moment you step foot on the property until you leave, you feel unwanted and bothered by the brain dead robots they hired there to enhance your experience.

It starts with the security force upon entry into the building. Since 9/11, we all know that things have changed forever especially here in the NYC area but they don't have to use and abuse their paying patrons to the extent that they do in Newark. They should know when to draw the line.

I believe the perception of the surrounding area has a lot to do with it.

Unfortunately they employ people who have no common sense so it just makes the situation worse.

As for security there, I try my best to deal with it. Most nights are okay but occasionally I've been harassed too.

For example, they'll ask me what's in this pocket and what's in that pocket. It's annoying and frustrating to deal with when all I want to do is come in from the cold and go up to my seat and relax and watch the game I came to see. They wand you then they bother you further. I think that's taking it a bit too far.

Their response when you have something to say is we're doing it for your safety. If something is going to happen, it's going to happen anyway. They're just making look like they care about our safety.

Many people believe that, I don't necessarily. In that case, to each is own.

Once I get by security, the next obstacle is to go to my seat.

Well the night the Nets played the Rockets I went up to the upper deck to get ready to watch the game. I was running late since they were announcing the starting lineups so I hastily went up find a seat to sit in so I could score the game.

Upon trying to do so, I had to run into the only usher in the upper deck where I was planning to sit. Mind you, the seating area was deserted. You should have been able to sit where ever you wanted to. That's being logical in my way of thinking. If I had gone up a different section nothing would have happened.

That's great guest services as they call it there. I went to school and they always teach you to treat people right so they'll want to come back again and again. Here they do whenever it takes to chase you away.

I was already in a bad mood since I had to rush to get ready for the game to start. With that being said, I lost my composure and cool so I exploded instead. I stupidly refused to show this dumb lady my ticket upon request. She decided to come upstairs and ask again and I still said no since I wanted to watch the game that I came to see.

Shortly thereafter, she got a supervisor after me and I wound up being thrown out of the building.

Since I have season tickets for the Nets and the Devils, I need to write a letter now to ask for reinstatement.
Once I do so, I expect to be allowed back into the Prudential Center.

I've been told by friends not to do that but the bottom line it was my fault for acting the way I did. I had already renewed my tickets for next season and I don't like to burn bridges so I plan to take my medicine and return in the future.

As for everybody else, you make the call to go there or not.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman