Royalty sees the Jets play the Dolphins in London!‏

NFL in London

Back on Sunday October 4th, I finally got to see a NFL game in London as the Jets played the Miami Dolphins who were the designated "home" team. In November 2014, when I found out this was going to happen, I was determined to be there & true to my word I was. 

That Sunday after getting a good night sleep, I got to enjoy a great breakfast at the Grantly Hotel where I was staying. When I got done, I was refreshed & ready to tackle the adventure of getting to Wembley Stadium on my own. My pal Sean MacDonald wound up going to a football match if you will. As people here in the States say, he saw soccer. He also went to see a Rugby World Cup match between Italy & Ireland as well that day. He decided to pass on the NFL game because he went to one last year when he was here. He saw the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Dallas Cowboys. Like myself, he prefers to see a variety of different sporting events.

Cam Harper & I on the Underground

As for me that day, I walked out of the hotel & I proceeded to head over to the Shepherd's Bush Underground station. I took a train on the Central line to Oxford Circus then I wound up taking the Metropolitan line one stop to Baker Street where I picked up the Bakerloo line that did eventually take me to Wembley Park which is the tube stop that's within walking distance of Wembley Stadium in the West suburbs. While I was waiting for the train at Baker Street I noticed a young man wearing a Jets jersey. His name was Cam Harper. He assured me I was indeed going the right way. Once we got on the train, he let me look at his phone so I could see what the baseball scores were that I missed since I had a lot of trouble using my phone due to the lack of WiFi while I was there. When I looked I almost got sick to my stomach when I saw the Mets got no hit again. This time by Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals in the second game of the doubleheader they played on Saturday night. It was his second one of the season. Ironically I wound up missing both of them. I did notice it was a cold nasty windy day & night at Citi Field. In that regard, I was glad that I wasn't there. They wound playing a day night doubleheader since the Friday night game when I left for London got rained out. The weather that weekend was awful in NYC. After I gathered myself from an emotional out burst of disbelief, Cam & I spoke to each other the rest of the ride. He told me he adopted the Jets as his NFL team. We wound up exchanging contact information. He told me he plans to visit the States for the first time hopefully next year at some point with his friends. He said he's still going to school. I wished him the best of luck. He said he hopes to work to save up enough money to make the journey. I told him to let me know if & when that happens. When we got off the train we said our goodbyes. He told me he was meeting his girlfriend who was joining him for the game.

People leaving the Tube

Wembley Stadium

I proceeded to walk out of the station. When I did I could see Wembley Stadium in the distance ahead. I purposely arrived early so I could take in the pre game experience which consisted of interactive areas as well as different food stands that were set up along the way. ‎It made for a festive atmosphere as I saw many different people wearing different NFL jerseys as I made my way towards the Stadium. The most popular jerseys I remember seeing were the Patriots, Colts & Packers among those of course wearing the Jets & Dolphins. As I walked around the outside of the Stadium, I saw a guy from London who was wearing a Jet jersey & a Met hat. I stopped & I started a conversation with him. We both were hoping for the best for our teams. I was upset about the way the Mets finished the last week of the season. I'm an old school thinker. I believe you always want to put yourself or your team in the best position to succeed. By resting players & not wanting to risk getting players hurt, I thought the Mets were foolish in their approach. In retrospect, it turned out not to be a big deal. In that regard, I'm glad I was wrong.

The Great British Hog Roast

The Waffle House

When I finished walking to the other side of the Stadium, I decided to go inside. ‎That was the side where my seat was located. Unlike most venues here in the States, you have to enter the gate that's written on your ticket. As a result, your movement is restricted once you get in the Stadium. Since my seat was located on the upper level, I wasn't able to go downstairs to the lower level even to see what the seats or concourses looked like. It is what it is. They do hold other football matches there if you will. With that being said, it made more sense why they do what they do. People in Europe are notorious for behaving unruly so it forces them to limit people from straying too far during a match. If not, all hell may break loose.

Ira & Linda Lieberfarb & I 

When I finally made it to the upper level I proceeded to go to my seat to see how the view was. When I got there, I saw my pal Ira Lieberfarb who was there with his lovely wife, Linda. It should be noted that Ira has seen all the Jets home & away games every year since 2006. That even includes all the preseason games as well going to see them practice at their training camp facility during the summer. Ira bleeds green through & through. In addition, he's known for calling the local sports radio talk shows here in NYC. He prefers to lay low but when he does call in to a show, he goes by the name Ira from Staten Island. I always try my best to see him when I'm at a game home or away. We've met up many times over the years. He always sits quietly in his seat as he roots for his team. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself. For the most part, he's met many good people who have sat around him. In that regard, he's been very fortunate. Like me, it was their first time in Europe. It was great to see them there. As for getting tickets for the game, since we're Jet season ticket holders, we were able to secure them on a pre sale that they gave us access to back in May. They bought a pair of tickets & I bought a single one for myself. They didn't tell us the exact seat location at that time. They just told us they were in the upper sideline behind the Jets bench. Ironically I wound up sitting right on the 50 yard line in row 16 if you will. It was really the second row that was right above the press box. It was a perfect seat for my liking. Ira & Linda were just over my shoulder in the row behind me & a few seats to my right. The best part was that we were surrounded by a good number of Jet fans who either made the journey across the Pond or people who like the gentleman who sat next to me with his son who told me he was from England but he just moved back there from Brooklyn, NY in June where he lived for seven years. It wound up being an amazing experience.‎ However since it was a so called Dolphin "home" game they treated it as such by playing the Dolphin theme song & they did other in house type promotions that were related to them. As a result, Dolphin fans outnumbered us Jet fans.

Opening Kickoff

Jets lead, 20-7 at halftime

Jets win, 27-14

As for the game we saw, the Jets got the ball first & in three plays they found the end zone when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick connected on a bomb to wide receiver Brandon Marshall for 58 yards on the first play from scrimmage which set the Jets up to take an early 7-0 lead. It seemed too easy. The Jets continued to dominate as they lead, 20-7 at halftime. Thanks to a few pass interference calls against the Jets on a drive in the second quarter, the Dolphins were able to break the shutout. In the second half, the Jets did their best to blow the game but thankfully they didn't. Running back Chris Ivory finished the game with 166 yards on the ground as they wound up winning, 27-14. With the victory, Ira & I got to see the Jets win a game in three different countries. We both saw them win in Toronto back in December 2009 at the Rogers Centre.

People heading back to the Underground

Eddie's Fish Bar & Best Turkish Kebab

Haddock & Chips

After the game, I wound up taking the Underground back to Central London. I decided to go to King's Cross/St. Pancras‎ which is their main train station for commuting before I returned to my hotel to call it a day. I did so because I wanted to get familiar with that station since I told Sean I would meet him there Monday night. By doing so, I was finally able to get access to WiFi. With that being said, I spent a few hours getting in contact with people who are near & dear to my heart. After doing so, I went to eat dinner since I was starving. I found a restaurant a few blocks away called Eddie's Fish Bar & Best Turkish Kebab. Since I was in the mood for fish & chips, it worked out perfectly for me. I had a nice size piece of haddock. It actually tasted really good & I enjoyed it.  When I finished I proceeded to go back to my hotel. I found my way back there without too much difficulty.

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap how I spent that Monday before I eventually met up with Sean again.

Thank you for reading & following along.

‎Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the latest Battle of New York on Christmas Eve!

Jets and Giants in Battle of NY

The one and only time I saw the Jets play the Giants in a regular season game was way back on November 1, 1981. On that day, the Jets tossed the Giants a beating as they sacked Phil Simms nine times as they won the game, 26-7.

This time things were different in more ways than one.

First and foremost, this time the game was played in a different stadium that being MetLife Stadium which is shared by both teams. This game was a designated "home" game for the Jets.

In 1981, the Giants were the home team. The game was played at old Giants Stadium that day. The Jets were still playing their home games at Shea Stadium then.

This time the result was different as well. The Jets with their coach Rex Ryan opening his big mouth early in the week got beat on the field as the Giants showed Rex who owns this town and it's not his Jets. The Giants whipped the Jets, 29-14 as they made life miserable for Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez who wound up throwing 59 passes in the defeat. Thanks to the Giant defense that was led by Jason Pierre Paul and Justin Tuck who made Sanchez feel very uncomfortable most of the afternoon.

The win set the Giants up to possibly win their division if they beat the Dallas Cowboys in their season finale Sunday night in prime time.

The Jets on the other hand, have to beat the Miami Dolphins and they'll need three other teams to lose just to get in the playoffs as a wild card team.

On the bright side, the King and I did get a special visit from Steve Cirvello who's from the FDH Lounge. Steve is Rick Morris' business partner. It was great to see him again.

It was frustrating to watch the Jets lose a game they really needed to win but being able to see Steve softened the blow.

In reality, both teams don't deserve to make the playoffs but the bottom line is the Giants have the bragging rights in the area for the time being.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/17 in review

Legendary Franklin Field

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/6 in review

Upon returning from Cincinnati Monday at Noon at LaGuardia Airport I went home quickly to drop off my bags. After doing so, I proceeded to go to Avis to rent a car for the day.

I drove to pick up our buddy Al Linderman aka "Big Game Al" who took the King's place since he had to get back to work so he reluctantly couldn't make the trip. Al and I went to Foxboro, Massachusetts to see the AFC East showdown between the Jets and the New England Patriots.

On the way up we were listening to sports radio. Mike Francesa, a local host on WFAN in New York said and I quoted "if you plan to stay for the whole game it's going to take you 3 or 4 hours to get out of the area since there's only one road in and one road out."

Royalty laughed at the commentary. Rightfully so, we stayed to the bitter end and we got out rather fast even with plenty of traffic. I drove 3 miles to the highway in 10 minutes. Once I got on the highway it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. I dropped Al off and I took myself home. I got home at 4:10AM.

In addition, Royalty knows where to park cheap. I paid $20 to park as opposed to the other lots that we passed that were charging $30, $35, $40 & $50 to park. We had to walk a mile and a quarter but it was well worth it. If you parked in one of those other lots you still had to walk a mile or more.

As for the game, it didn't live up to the hype for the Jets who failed to show up. They fell behind early and they never had a chance. They went on to lose, 45-3!

After getting an hour and a half sleep I went to work Tuesday. After work, I went to see St. John's play St. Bonaventure in college basketball on my way home at the Carnesecca Arena formerly known as Alumni Hall in Jamaica, Queens.

I managed to stay awake even though it was a struggle in the second half.

I saw a good game and a great ending. The Red Storm as they're called these days got off to an early 13-2 lead but that disappeared as the Bonnies from St. Bonaventure stormed back to keep it close the rest of the way. In the end, the Bonnies won 67-66 as Andrew Nicholson who had 19 points and 13 rebounds scored the winning basket with just 5.2 seconds to go. His teammate Michael Davenport added 22 points.

Dwight Hardy of the Red Storm led all scorers with 24 points in the losing effort.

Wednesday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks take on the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks won in dramatic fashion as Raymond Felton hit a three pointer that bounced off the rim a number of times before dropping in with 2.7 seconds left to give the Knicks a 113-110 decision over the visiting Raptors. The Knicks were paced by Amar'e Stoudemire who poured in 34 points. Raymond Felton finished with 28. The Raptors got a career high 41 points from Andrea Bargnani in the defeat.

Thursday & Friday night I went home to catch up on sleep and I prepared for the busy weekend ahead.

Saturday I went to Manhattan College to see the Japsers take on the Bearcats from Binghamton. Both teams came in with horrible records. Despite that, the game turned out to be a good one including another stunning ending. The visiting Bearcats came away with the victory as guard Jimmy Gray scored his only basket of the game with just 5.6 seconds to go to give the Bearcats a 70-69 win. Mahamoud Jabbi led the Bearcats with 20 points. George Beamon paced the Jaspers with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. 

After the college basketball game, the King and I went to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Detroit Red Wings, the King's favorite team play the NJ Devils.

The Red Wings got a few goals early and never looked back as they beat the Devils, 4-1!

Pavel Datsyuk led the way with a goal and two assists.

It should be noted this game was the King's 400th sporting event he has attended this calendar year.

Sunday we had another double dip as we saw the Knicks play the Nuggets at the Garden at Noon.

The Knicks continued their winning ways as they notched their eighth straight win for the first time in 16 years. In addition, they've now won 13 out of their last 14 games.

Amar'e Stoudemire was a monster again especially in the second half as he scored 30 points again for the eighth straight game. Wilson Chandler added 27 while Raymond Felton had 19 points to go along with 17 assists.

As for the Nuggets, they were led by Carmelo Anthony who had 31 points and 13 rebounds and Nene who scored 26 points in the loss.

After the Knick game, we went to the New Meadowlands Stadium to see the Jets try to rebound after Monday night's nightmare against division rival the Miami Dolphins.

Before mother nature made things ugly the Jets got a head start. They had some costly turnovers that gave the Dolphins an early 10-0 lead which the Jets couldn't recover from.

As the game wore on the weather got worse. As a result, Santonio Holmes missed a sure touchdown pass in the end zone as the Jets had to settle for a field goal to get on the board late in the second quarter.

The Jet defense played well as they shutdown the Dolphins the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the Jet offense couldn't get going all day as they failed to get in the end zone for the second straight game.

They went on to lose again, 10-6!

Their season has taken a turn for the worst. The way they're playing they may miss the playoffs. We'll have to wait and see if they can get it together again.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

10 Year Anniversary of the Monday Night Miracle on 10/23/00



Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Monday Night Miracle



During halftime of the Jets/Minnesota Viking game, they celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the Monday Night Miracle when Jumbo Elliott caught a touchdown pass that sent the game into overtime that the Jets won on a John Hall field goal, 40-37 to beat their arch rival Miami Dolphins!

The Jets trailed 30-7 early in the fourth quarter that night. I remember I was there for the whole game. Unlike most fans who checked out early thinking the game was over.

That was an amazing week in Royalty history as I went to all five Subway Series games at Yankee and Shea Stadium.

The Monday Night Miracle was played between games 2 & 3 of the World Series.

Unfortunately the Mets lost to the Yankees in 5 games but I still was able to say I was there to see history.

That was a great week to be in the New York City area.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman