Royalty sees the Giants play the Browns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon!

View from Section 146 at MetLife Stadium

Sunday afternoon I went out to MetLife Stadium where I met up with my pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich. We went to see the Super Bowl XXXVI Champion Giants play the Cleveland Browns.

It was a cool day with a light rain falling. Thankfully Rich and I sit in section 146 in the back of the section which is under the over hang in the corner of the end zone.

As for the game we saw, the Giants won the toss as they elected to receive. The first play from scrimmage, running back Ahmad Bradshaw carried for two yards then he fumbled and he lost the ball. As a result, the Browns got the ball deep in Giants' territory. Two plays later, rookie Trent Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Alabama scored on a 15 yard touchdown run to give the Browns' a 7-0 lead. The Browns held the Giants then they got the ball back and they scored again to take a 14-0 lead. This time rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden hooked up with rookie Josh Gordon from Baylor on a 62 yard touchdown pass.

The Giants fought back as they got on the score board as Eli Manning found Victor Cruz for a 3 yard pass to get the Giants within a touchdown at 14-7.

In the second quarter, the Browns extended their lead to ten, 17-7 as kicker Phil Dawson split the uprights from 32 yards out. The Giants responded with a field goal of their own as Lawrence Tynes hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 17-10. The Giants came back again as they tied the score at 17 thanks to a 4 yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants continued to exploit the young Browns as they scored another touchdown to go ahead 24-17 as Eli Manning and Victor Cruz connected again from 7 yards. Just before the half, the Giants got a 40 yard field goal from Tynes with just four seconds to go as they headed into the locker room with an improbable ten point lead, 27-17.

After the Browns failed to score on the opening kick off in the second half, the Giants went back to work. Victor Cruz caught his third touchdown pass of the day to give the Giants' a commanding 34-17 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter. The Browns managed to get a 41 yard field goal from Phil Dawson to pull within two touchdowns at 34-20 shortly thereafter.

In the fourth quarter, with 5:49 left in the game, rookie David Wilson from Virginia Tech exploded as he ran in a touchdown from 40 yards out to make the score 41-20 Giants. The Browns added another touchdown as Weeden found Josh Gordon for a 20 yard touchdown pass to make it 41-27. That's the way it ended as the Browns stayed winless after five games.

It should be noted after fumbling on the first play from scrimmage, Ahmad Bradshaw rebounded nicely as he wound up rushing for 200 yards on 30 carries.

As a football fan, it was another exciting game to see live.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Prince sees a thriller at MetLife Stadium with more royal company!

Giants and Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium

On Sunday September 16th, I decided to pass up the Yankee game against the Rays in the Bronx. I wasn't alone. My pal, Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich did the same. We arranged to meet up outside MetLife Stadium instead to see the Giants play the other team from the Tampa area, the Buccaneers as they were also in town to play football.

Rich and I didn't have tickets but we were able to round up a few outside. I wound up paying $40 for a ticket and I helped him get one for $50. We both paid a lot less than the face value. With that being said, we did real good.

We wound up sitting in section 146 on the lower level which is in corner of the end zone which gave us some great views of the action. In addition, we had a giant screen behind us which keep us abreast of all the other games that were being played at the same time. I felt like I was at a sports bar. It was amazing to be able to watch a live game and when we went to a commercial break I got to see the other action from around the league.

As for the game we saw, the Giants won the field goal battle in the first quarter as they lead 6-3. In the second quarter, the Buccaneers took the lead as they scored two touchdowns to go up, 17-6. The Giants answered back as Eli Manning found Hakeem Nicks for a touchdown to slice into the lead as they made it 17-13. Just before the half ended, Manning threw an interception and to add insult to injury thanks to shoddy tackling, Eric Wright of the Buccaneers ran it back 60 yards to extend the Buccaneers' lead to 24-13 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Buccaneers tacked three more thanks to a 52 yard field goal by Connor Barth to go up by a score of 27-13. The Giants added a few field goals to cut the deficit to eight points at 27-19 early in the fourth quarter.

With the game coming to a close, it was time for Eli Manning to step up and work his fourth quarter magic. He didn't disappoint the crowd as he hit Victor Cruz on a bomb that covered 80 yards that got the Giants within two with 6:48 left in the fourth quarter. With that being said, they decided to go for the tie. Andre Brown who was having a monster day due to an injury to Ahmad Bradshaw took over the spotlight as he ran in the two point conversion to tie the game at 27. As a result, the crowd at MetLife Stadium erupted.
A few minutes later with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter, Manning hit Martellus Bennett for a 33 yard touchdown pass that gave the Giants the lead, 34-27. The Buccaneers weren't done yet. Josh Freeman awoke from the dead as he connected with wide receiver Mike Williams who made a great over the shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone that we were sitting in. What a view we had of it. That tied the game up at 34 with 1:58 left in regulation.

Rich and I were thinking about a possible overtime. Eli Manning and the Giants had other ideas. They got the ball back and they marched down the field again. This time they found the end zone again after Andre Brown purposely went down at the two yard line so they could kill more time. The next play Andre Brown ran in for the go ahead score to give the Giants a 41-34 lead. That's the way it ended but it appeared from my point of view that the Buccaneers got screwed on an apparent great catch by Mike Williams again. This time he made what looked like an amazing catch at the Giants' 16 yard line. He got hit hard by Antrel Rolle who knocked the ball loose while he was out of bounds. In my eyes, it was a catch and fumble out of bounds. They reviewed and they claimed he didn't have control of the ball and he lost it so it was ruled an incomplete pass. I was furious with the decision being an astute football fan. The next play Josh Freeman threw an interception which preserved the victory for the Giants. The Buccaneers blew the lead so they didn't deserve to win but it seemed like a bad call to me. What a game we saw despite that so called non catch.

With five seconds to go, Rich and I raced out of the Stadium so we could catch the bus back to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. By doing so, I got home in no time for a change.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Are you ready for some football? Royalty is!

With baseball season upon us, it's never too early to plan ahead for the future.

For openers, please see the link below:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d827e809a/article/giants-to-host-rival-cowboys-in-2012-season-opener?module=HP11_headline_stack 

As always, if you need my sports travel expertise please feel free to ask for it.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Official review of MetLife Stadium - Home of the Jets and Giants

Here's my official review of MetLife Stadium,  home of the Jets and Giants. If you happen to be going to see the Giants play the Cowboys Sunday night, I strongly suggest you read what I wrote. It will be beneficial for you to do so.

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/metlife-stadium-s63/

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 meets up with USRT at MetLife Stadium!

Peter Farrell and Andrew Kulyk

The King and I have been to all the current venues in the four major sports in this country. Those being baseball, football, basketball and hockey.

That will become official again in December when we have a return trip to Winnipeg planned to see the new Jets team that has relocated there from Atlanta in the off season.

We found out back in January 2003 that we weren't alone in that department.

We met up with two other guys from Buffalo. They were Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell aka USRT. In other words, the Ultimate Sports Road Trip as they refer to themselves. Since then, we've met up with them a number of times over the years.

These guys were in town over the weekend because last year they weren't able to go the new Stadium in the Meadowlands twice. They did come to see the Jets but technically speaking they needed to return to see the Giants play a "home" game too. By doing so, they got to see the Stadium with its new corporate name. It's now called MetLife Stadium.

Well when the schedule came out in April they decided that this past Sunday would be the perfect time to do so since their hometown Buffalo Bills were making a rare appearance against the Giants.

Thankfully the lockout was resolved and these guys were finally able to take the asterisk off their list.

As for the game we saw, the surprising Bills gave the Giants all they could handle as they tied the game at 24 with 8:57 left in the fourth quarter. The Bills eventually succumbed as Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes booted a 23 yard field goal with 1:32 left to lift the Giants to a 27-24 victory. It appeared the USRT karma was going to work its magic again. In addition, Peter had his lucky scarf that he bought in London last October when they were there. Unfortunately their luck ran out as did the clock on the Bills as they came up short in this one.

As always it was great to see Andrew and Peter again. They just came back from Germany and Finland where they opened the hockey season watching their Buffalo Sabres play. They said and I quote "it was the best trip they've ever taken." I can imagine what a unique experience it must have been. For all the details and highlights, please check out their website which is on my blog list.

The King and I are planning to see them next month when we take a ride up to Buffalo to see the Sabres play.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/3 in review

Hockey's Back!

Now that baseball regular season is over, my schedule has been changed dramatically for the time being.
I had high hopes for the Phillies and Yankees just because it would have meant a chance to see some more baseball games this year.

After going home after work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night it was finally time to see another game up in the Bronx Thursday night after work.

The Yankees managed to force a deciding game in their American League Division Series with the Detroit Tigers.

The winner moved on to play the Texas Rangers in the ALCS and the loser went home for the winter.
Well the Tigers got two solo home runs on back to back pitches in the first inning off Yankee starter Ivan Nova to give the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. Don Kelly and Delmon Young did the honors.

The Tigers tacked on another run to make it 3-0 before the Yankees sliced the lead to 3-2. Unfortunately for the Yankees they were unable to get the big hit they needed to tie the game against the Tiger bullpen as they fell short as Alex Rodriguez strike out swinging to end their season and mine for that matter.

It was my 160th baseball game I attended in 2011. My lowest total since 2002 when I saw a mere 162. It was a tough year for me between the schedule and things at home which restricted me from seeing more. Given the circumstances, I did well all things considered.

After going home from work Friday night, I shifted gears on Saturday.

The King and I and our friends Frank Anichiarico and Bryan Gilligan went to see the Columbia Lions play the Sacred Heart Pioneers in Upper Manhattan at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence Wien Stadium.
The winless Lions stayed that way as the Pioneers beat them in a shootout, 34-25. The Lions' place kicker Luke Eddy missed two point after touchdowns and he had another one blocked.

After the game, the King and I said goodbye to Frank and Bryan then we headed out to Newark, NJ to go to the Prudential Center to see hockey as the New Jersey Devils play the Philadelphia Flyers on Opening Night.

The Devils inability to put the puck in the net reared its ugly head again. The Devils got shut out by the Flyers, 3-0.

It could be a long year for the Devils. I'm hoping it was just an aberration and hopefully they'll get their offense in gear sooner than later. Time will tell. Stay tuned to my blog to see if indeed the Devils can get it going since I plan to see a lot of Devil games in the winter months ahead.

Sunday the King and I and our friend Rich Wolber aka Staten Island took a bus ride from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to MetLife Stadium to see the Giants play the visiting Seattle Seahawks. The Giants came in to the game riding high with a 3-1 record. The Seahawks were the opposite at 1-3.

As for the game we saw, the Giants didn't look like they came to play. They let the Seahawks hang around throughout the game. The Giants had taken a lead at 22-19 in the fourth quarter as second year wide receiver Victor Cruz from UMASS who the King and I saw play in November 2009 made an acrobatic catch deflecting the ball in double coverage and catching it with one hand as he took it into the end zone for the go ahead score.

The Seahawks came back and tied the game at 22. The Giants we took the lead, 25-22. The Seahawks once again came back thanks largely in part to back up quarterback Charlie Whitehurst who we saw play in college at Clemson in 2005. Whitehurst replaced starter Tavaris Jackson who left early in the third quarter with an injury. The Seahawks regained the lead 29-25. The Giants appeared to be on the verge of scoring the winning touchdown but this time Victor Cruz couldn't hold on to the ball as it popped up in the air and was intercepted by Brandon Browner who returned it 94 yards for a touchdown that sealed the deal for the Seahawks as they came away with a 36-25 victory.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do about Gio Gonzalez who had a solid season for the Oakland Athletics.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/19 in review

Yankees Clinch AL East!

After going to work exhausted Monday I still found enough energy to go out to MetLife Stadium to see Monday Night Football as the New York Giants played host to the St. Louis Rams.

After a gut wrenching bus ride from the Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour, I finally arrived. It took only a mere one hour and 34 minutes to get there. Trust me that's no exaggeration. I told the King to take the train out there since he was leaving later than me. Thankfully he got out there about five minutes after I did.

We rounded up some tickets once we finally got there. We went inside and barely made the opening kickoff but luckily we did.

As for the game we saw, the Giants didn't play great but they managed to beat the hapless Rams, 28-16. Their defense played well as they pressured Rams' second year quarterback Sam Bradford all night long.
The Rams were settling for field goals when they had chances to score while the Giants were able to put up touchdowns including one that Domenik Hixon juggled before catching it in the end zone. Unfortunately it was a very costing catch as he tore his ACL in his knee again and he's out for the rest of the season for the second straight year. On the positive side, the Giants came out victorious on the scoreboard.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays. I showed some of my co-workers the royal way there. When we got off the train, I heard somebody call my name. Ironically it was a friend of the family, Danny Michaelson who took his step daughter Deanna to the game. It was a pleasant surprise to see them. I haven't seen them in a very long time. As I like to say, timing is everything. I asked them where their seats were, they told me they were sitting upstairs near third base. I told them come with me, I'll give you an upgrade. True to my word, I did just that. Needless to say, Danny and Deanna were very grateful for the opportunity. They had a blast. They got to see me and the Yankees won, 5-0. I was thrilled that we got to meet up by surprise. We exchanged contact information so we can plan to meet up again in the future.

Wednesday night after work I went back for more baseball in the Bronx. The game was delayed an hour and two minutes at the start by rain. Once it finally got underway, the Yankees took a early 2-0 lead but the Rays fought back to tie the game at two which deprived CC Sabathia of winning his 20th game of the season. The Yankees did score the go ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as they scored two to take a 4-2 lead. That's the way it ended. Since the Boston Red Sox lost, the Yankees with their victory clinched the American League Eastern Division.

Thursday night after work I went back up to the Bronx for the finale of this four game series as the game that was rained out on July 8th was made up on this night. With nothing really to play for except for home field advantage through the ALCS, the Yankees got tossed a beating. The Rays came out with their hitting shoes on as they raced out to a 13-0 lead after five innings. The Yankees fought back but they fall short in this one, 15-8.

Friday night with the Mets and the Yankees both home, mother nature got in the way. As a result, both games were postponed. With that being said, we got to witness a rare major league tripleheader.

Saturday afternoon the Mets played the Philadelphia Phillies in a day night doubleheader with the first game starting at 1:10PM and the second game at 7:10PM. The Yankees were scheduled to play the Boston Red Sox at 4:10PM on Fox.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do about this unique day and weekend in NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

NY Giants acknowledge their greats in their new Ring of Honor!

Ring of Honor Ceremony

During halftime of the Giants/Bears game on Sunday night, the Giants organization paid respect to its storied 86 year history by inducting their inaugural class of Giant greats in their newly created "Ring of Honor".

The ceremony included the introductions of many of the 30 inductees that are still with us today. They saluted greats from all different eras of Giant football. They also acknowledged their owners and former head coaches.

Among those who were honored were:

The Mara family (Wellington, Jack and Tim)
Bob Tisch
George Young
Y.A. Tittle
Dick Lynch
Bill Parcells
Phil Simms
Lawrence Taylor
Harry Carson
George Martin
Tiki Barber
Michael Strahan
Armani Toomer
Jesse Armstead

They're located in the end zones in the North and South ends of the New Meadowlands Stadium.

If and when you get to a Giant game in the future be sure to look for them.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees Giants play "First Game" at New Meadowlands Stadium

Giants vs. Panthers

Royalty was in the House

Today was the "First Game" at the New Meadowlands Stadium between the Giants and the Carolina Panthers.

Ironically these two teams played against each other in "Last" Giant game that was played at

Giants Stadium back on December 27, 2009.

Yours truly had the privilege of seeing that game as well. In matter of fact, that was the third time I saw the Carolina Panthers finish the home schedule at Giants Stadium. The Giants lost all three of those games as follows:

On December 28, 2003 the Panthers beat the Giants, 37-24!

On January 8, 2006 the Panthers shut out the Giants in the Wild Card game, 23-0! 

On December 27, 2009 the Panthers closed Giants Stadium for the Giants by embarrassing them, 41-9!

 Was today going to be different with me in the house? 

The answer is yes. A new building and a different result. The Giants opened their new digs in victorious fashion though it wasn't pretty, 31-18!

This was a very sloppy turnover and penalty filled game. The bottom line the Giants defense rose up as the game wore on. As a result, the Giants overcame Eli Manning's 3 interceptions and they lost their tight end Kevin Boss on the first drive of the game shortly after he caught the first pass of the season on the Giants first play from scrimmage for 11 yards and a first down. He wound up being carted off the field a few plays later and he didn't return to the game.

On the bright side for the Giants, their wide receiver Hakeem Nicks caught 3 touchdown passes of 26, 19 and 5 yards respectatively.  

As for the Carolina Panthers, quarterback Matt Moore threw 3 interceptions of his own. All of them were caught in the end zone for touchbacks. Deon Grant, Terrell Thomas and Kenny Phillips got credit for those INT's.

In addition, in the second half of the game he was running for his life as the Giant defense forced him into a number of sacks and pressures. 

Furthermore, both punters had a rough day in this game too.

Jason Baker of the Panthers couldn't even punt the ball thanks to a botched snap that resulted in the Giants getting the ball back with great field position with 4:30 left in the 3rd quarter when the Panthers were still hanging around only down by one point, 17-16. That drive ended with the Giants scoring another touchdown that put the game out of reach for the Panthers. 

Matt Dodge of the Giants had a punt blocked that wound up going through the end zone resulting in a safety for the Panthers late in the game to cut the lead from 15 to 13. That's the way it remained as the Giants won ugly, 31-18!

As for the game experience, I always prefer to see a sporting event live. In the past, I've taken the bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan to the Meadowlands for $10 round trip.

Today I decided to give the NJ Transit train service a try. By doing so, that way was $10.50 round trip to go from New York Penn Station to Secaucus Junction where you need to transfer to the train to the game which leaves from track H and takes you right to the Met Life gate where I needed to enter today to get to my seat. 

My seat was located in section 225B row 5 seat 23 which was in the end zone as you can see in the picture above. So by taking the train to the game everything worked out well for me.

I saw my co-worker Brian LaMotta who was at the game a few sections away in 224B. It was nice to see a familar face in the crowd.

In addition, I did get to go upstairs before the game to visit a friend, Jess Geller, whose a long time Giant season ticket holder. Jess sits in section 319 row 21. He said he loves going to the game because of the crowd and more importantly he gets to reunited with his family and friends that sit in his section. 

I told him that's the best part of going these days. In this day and age, it's all about the money. Real fans are being priced out. That's where royalty comes in and I try my very best to make sure that I'm not left out in the street. The same goes for those who want to deal with me.

If you have the will, royalty will help you find the way.

If and when you need my assistance, please let me know.

Thank you for reading. 

Yours truly,

Gary Herman  

Royalty w/o 8/16 in review

Monday night, I went to see the first football game played at the New Meadowlands Stadium between the Jets and the Giants. The Jets were the home team.

As for the game, here are the details.

Tuesday night, I was at Yankee Stadium watching the Yankees behind CC Sabathia tame the Tigers, 6-2!

Wednesday night, I was back in the Bronx as the Yankees beat the Tigers again, 9-5!

Thursday with the Yankees playing in the afternoon, I was at work. After work, I came home to recharge the batteries and to prepare for my weekend getaway.

Friday night after work I was back in the Bronx to see the Seattle Mariners and their ace pitcher Felix Hernandez shut down the Yankees for 8 innings. He struck out 11 Yankees in the process. The Mariners cruised to a 6-0 victory.

Saturday morning I went to Avis to pick up my car rental. I wound up getting a Chevy Impala. I went to pick up the King and our friend Frank who went to the Yankee/Mariner game with us. We parked the car in the neighorhood for free.

We then walked over to the Stadium to see the game.

Before the game, I got to see people I had met last year who needed tickets to see Citi Field for the first time. I arranged to get them the tickets for Father's Day. They were Chris Miller from Stoughton, Massachusetts and his two step daughters. It was great to see them again.

The Yankees went on to beat the Mariners, 9-5!


Eduardo Nunez who was just called up by the Yankees the other day got his first major hit and run batted in.

After the game, Frank decided he'll go to Philadelphia with us to see the Phillies play the Nationals.

Since the Yankee game ended shortly after 4 o'clock, we had plenty of time to get down to Philadelphia so I decided to cut the cost of the trip down by avoiding some tolls on the NJ Turnpike as well as the Walt Whitman Bridge. We drove down the NJ Turnpike to Exit 9 and we picked up US 1 which takes you to I-95 that goes right into Philadelphia.

We parked the car on the street near the ballpark for free around 6:30PM, then we walked over to the ballpark.

We entered through the right field gate where we were greeted in royal fashion by Brenda the security guard and Lisa the supervisor. They always roll out the carpet when we come down. It's always a pleasure to see them and to say hello before we head into the park.

We proceeded to walk around towards the first base side to the elevator area where we saw our friend Jim Lowry who runs the left elevator. We exchanged pleasantries and we made our way up to section 319 where we stood to watch the game.

It was the first time we were seeing Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg pitch. He was dominating the Phillies with 6 strikeouts until there was one out in the fifth inning. All of a sudden, he threw a pitch and he winced and he held his wrist. He wound up departing the game with an injury.

The Nationals were leading 5-1 at the time. They went on to beat the Phillies, 8-1!

After the game, Frank decided he wanted to go home so we dropped him off at the bus terminal in Center City Philadelphia.

The King and I continued on our way towards Baltimore. We spent the night in Harve de Grace which is around 35 miles from Baltimore at  a Super 8.

Sunday morning we got up and we went to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards. Before the game, we met up with our friends from Baltimore, Peter & Carmen Agnew.

They joined us for breakfast at the Eichenkranz Restaurant.

After we ate, the King and I made our way to Camden Yards to see the game.  We parked the car for free on the street in the neighborhood. Then we took a short walk over to the ballpark.

During the game, we got a visit from another ballpark chaser. For further details, check back for a special post that I'm going to do.

As for the game we saw, the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4! The Rangers used the long ball not once but twice. In the first inning, Josh Hamilton, the Rangers third batter hit a 3 run home run to give the Rangers an early 3-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Vladimir Guerrero of the Rangers launched another 3 run home run to give the Rangers a 6-1 lead and they hung on for the victory.

After the game, the King and I took a 35 mile ride south to Bowie, Maryland to see a minor baseball game between the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the San Francisco Giants Double A affiliate and the Bowie Baysox, the Baltimore Orioles farm team. We arrived at 5:50PM for a 6:05PM start. I even stopped off at Wendy's to take out a quick meal.

The Flying Squirrels were victorious in this uprising if you will by a score of 4-0!

After the game, I drove us home. I dropped the the King off in Astoria, Queens at 1:30AM and then I took myself home and I arrived safely at 1:53AM.

I got a few hours sleep and then I returned the car rental to Avis and picked up my car and headed to work fresh as a daisy I might add. I drove 537 miles in the 2 days.

Another Royalty exclusive was in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Stay tuned.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

      

Hard Knocks on display at New Meadowlands Stadium Monday Night!

The Jets made an appearance on that show that aired on HBO.

Monday night it became reality at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

In the first half, the starters played for both teams.

Don't be misled by the final score, the Jets outplayed the Giants and they sent Eli Manning to the locker room to get stitched up in the process.

The Jets starters looked great and it was only the first preseason game. Despite throwing an early interception, Mark Sanchez looked like he was ready to go. He wound up completing 13 of 17 passes he threw for 119 yards and a touchdown.

He spread the wealth around to all his weapons. For a team that is suppose to be defensive oriented, the offense looked rather impressive.

Former Steeler Santonio Holmes was a big factor even though he's suspended for the first 4 games. When he gets to play he's going to add depth to this deep squad.

Shonn Greene looked good and the L train didn't show signs of age in the short period of time he played.

As for the defense, the Giants couldn't move the ball against the Jets starters.

Eli Manning got hit hard by Calvin Pace and wound up getting knocked out of the game.

The Jets led, 13-10 at halftime.

In the second half, the Giants took over mainly because of a guy named Victor Cruz who the media referred to as "Victor Who".

When I heard his name I knew it rang a bell. Being an astute football observer, I remember seeing him play. With that being said, I double checked my roster. Yes, indeed I saw him play at UMASS on November 7, 2009 against Northeastern.

Victor left an impression on me that day when he made 5 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown pass. In addition, he ran back a punt for 10 yards and 4 kickoffs for 25 yards.

Now he's trying to land a spot on the Giants roster as a free agent.
In his first NFL game action, he turned a lot of heads. Apparently, the media unlike royalty doesn't do its homework.

He finished the game with a stellar performance. He made a spectacular one hand grab that lead to a touchdown.

Overall, he had 6 receptions for 145 yards and 3 touchdown passes.

He exploited the Jets second team and helped the Giants runaway with the victory, 31-16!

His teammate at UMASS, Vladimir Ducasse, offensive lineman who the Jets drafted with the 62nd pick overall saw his first NFL action as well. Royalty saw him play too.

Please note during halftime, the Jets had a special ceremony honoring 6 Jet legends from the past by inducting them into their newly created ring of honor.

Those people were late coach Weeb Ewbank, Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Winston Hill, Joe Klecko and Curtis Martin.

The only thing missing on this night was Darrelle Revis.

Once the Jets come to their senses, they'll realize that in order to achieve their ultimate goal, they need to have access to Revis Island.

For everybody who was forced to fork over a fee for a PSL that's the least they can do for them.

Stay tuned throughout the football season for plenty of insight from royalty home and away.

If you want to go, just let me know so I can arrange to make it happen.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

New Meadowlands Stadium in Review

Opening Kickoff at New Meadowlands Stadium 

The Jets and the Giants have a new home.

Being a Jet fan, it's about time. I only wish they were back in Queens where they really belong.

As for the Giants, they had arguably the best football stadium in the NFL in Giants Stadium.

Instead of the Giants staying in Giants Stadium and the Jets moving to a new stadium on their own, they decided to join forces and build one stadium for both teams.

Every time I passed by the new stadium which is now called the New Meadowlands Stadium, I would cringe.

I thought things would never be the same going to see a football game in the Meadowlands now that Giants Stadium is completely gone.

I honestly must say I was proven wrong to a point.

I went to see the first football game in the new stadium last night.

In the end, I was pleasantly surprised.

I took the bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan for $10 round trip.

I could have taken the train from Penn Station and changed in Secaucus Junction for the train that drops you off right at the stadium. That would have cost $10.50 round trip.

Since I didn't have a parking pass, I didn't think driving and dealing with the traffic was going to be the right option for me.

In the end, I'm happy I took the bus. The next time I'll probably try the train.

As for the stadium experience, once I got off the bus I had to walk towards the new stadium.

In the process, I had to walk on the newly created parking area where Giants Stadium once stood.

It was depressing to say the least.

A perfectly usable Stadium was knocked down for no good logical reason.

It was time to officially move on. So I proceeded to walk into the West Gate of the new stadium.

Upon entry, I instantly noticed a dramatic change. You are now allowed to bring a bag into the stadium. It can't be more than a certain size but that's a major improvement over years passed in Giants Stadium.

I got my ticket scanned and I continued into the stadium.

I was amazed by all the open space there was for people to hang out.

I finally got to the concourse area. It was rather plain and bland. I did notice a gigantic team store nearby.
I went inside and it was massive. People were shopping like it was Christmas looking to buy up their new Jets apparel and other souvenirs from the inaugural season at the new stadium.

I decided to walk around the concourse and see the different food they had to offer.

They had a variety of local specialties that consisted of a New York Delicatessen, a New York style Pizza stand, Barbeque, Hot Dogs and Cheesesteaks.

As a whole, it wasn't an impressive food selection compared to many of the new venues that have opened in the last decade.

I peaked in at the different vantage points on the lower level to get a feel for the game action.

I wasn't impressed with most of the views. When I thought of the price structure, I said to myself you've got to be kidding plus a PSL i.e. Personal Seat License fee too.

I continued up to the next level after climbing the steps to get there. I looked in and once again I didn't see what was so special. The seats were pushed back and far from the game action.

Finally, I found an escalator that took me to the top level.

I wasn't expecting things to get better but thankfully I was actually proven wrong.

Unlike the lower level, where the concourse is very spread out, the upper level was narrower.

Once I finally arrived at my seat in section 312 row 13 seat 21 right on the 30 yard line which was very similar to my Giants Stadium view in section 310, I realized I was in heaven for a mere $105 a game and thankfully no PSL.

Yes, it was a lot higher up than Giants Stadium but being that I've been to all the other NFL venues so I knew what to expect before I got to the stadium.

With that being said, I'm very happy to call the New Meadowlands Stadium my new fall/winter home.

As for the architecture, I'm always a big critic. I remember years ago when buildings were made to last a lifetime. Nowadays everything looks so cheaply made especially when you look up close.

As for the seats, they were different shades of grey and they were made of thick hard plastic just like Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

It was quite the contrary from the "Palace in Dallas" where the seat I sat in with a $129 face value in the corner of the end zone was razor thin plastic.

As for the total experience, I was somewhat impressed overall. It's a very big and bland building with no real identity. They have the ability to change the lighting so it can look like a home for both teams. My main concern is to watch the game from a good vantage point. Luckily for me, I got that. So I'm a satisfied customer but I know they screwed a lot of people when they decided to build this new cash cow.

Welcome to the greedy 21st century.

As for the game itself, check back for my special post regarding that.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

9/11 Remembrance Weekend in NYC

This September 11th will be the nine year anniversary of that tragic day.

You can pay respects to those who innocently lost their lives that day, if you live in NYC or plan to visit that weekend.

You can take a ride over to Ground Zero.

In addition, you can also take in some sporting events as well.

Here are some options for you:

9/10 Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

9/11 Phillies at Mets 4:10PM

9/12 Panthers at Giants 1PM First official game at New Meadowlands Stadium which is in the picture above.

Phillies at Mets 1:10PM

9/13 Ravens at Jets 7PM First regular season Jet game in prime time on Monday Night Football.

Pirates at Mets 7:10PM that night as well at Citi Field.

If you want to come to NYC that weekend, please feel free to consult me for advice on getting around.