Royalty returns home after going Down Under!‏

After the King & I woke up early Saturday morning on March 29th, we realized our amazing journey was almost over. After arriving in Sydney a week earlier after a long exhausting flight, we had a blast as you already know if you've followed along. With that being said, it was time to head back home. After all, all good things have to end eventually. With that in mind, we had to fly all the way home from Melbourne via Sydney & Los Angeles before we finally arrived back at JFK airport in NYC.

Here's the way it turned out for us. We checked out of the Easystay Motel in St. Kilda. We then walked up the block & we crossed the street & shortly thereafter our Airport Bus showed up to take us back to the airport. We wound up getting there around 7:10AM. We had just enough time to catch our flight on Virgin Australia Airlines that was scheduled to depart at 8AM local time. We arrived back in Sydney at 9:25AM. After having some time to walk around the terminal we caught our connecting flight on Delta Airlines to Los Angeles that left ‎at 11:20AM local time. We finally landed in Los Angeles early at 6:45AM Pacific Time Saturday morning. If your wondering how that's possible you have to take into account that Melbourne & Sydney, Australia are 14 hours ahead of us here on the East Coast in the States. In addition, we flew across the international dateline. By doing so, we gained the day we lost when we flew out there. Since we got in a little early we had to wait on the plane because we needed to go through Customs first. Unfortunately they didn't open until 7AM which turned out to be a disaster. 

Here I am at Melbourne Airport

Final Call for our flight from Sydney Australia

When the King ‎& I finally got through Customs we were told we needed to get checked in for our flight from Los Angeles to JFK in order to get through security to board the plane. That wound up giving me a reason to explode. I knew we were back in the States. When we went through Customs to depart Melbourne, the process was so organised. When we attempted to do the same in LA, it was a nightmare. As the clock ticked, I knew we had no chance of making our connecting flight that was suppose to depart at 8:30AM Pacific Time. As we went through a run around trying to find someone from Delta Airlines to help us, our original flight got delayed 20 minutes. That didn't make a difference. We still missed our flight. The King tried to calm me down. I was really upset because I had no idea when the next flight was leaving nor did I know that we would get on it. Finally a lady from Delta Airlines came to our aid. She took us to a representative who was able to rebook us on the next flight to JFK which wound up leaving at 1:30PM. In retrospect, things actually worked out for the best. If I knew what was going happen ahead of time I wouldn't have gotten so bend out of shape.  As a result, I got to relax by the gate area of our new flight until it was time to board. In the meantime, I was able to finally turn my phone back on. I sat down & I started charging it up. While doing so, I got to catch up on my e-mails, text messages & my social media activity. Thanks to modern technology, I was able to get in contact with a number of special people in my life. What seemed like a nightmare turned out to be a dream come true. In addition, when I heard the weather forecast for NYC was rain all day & night, I was more than happy to stay in LA longer. 

Here I am charging my phone at LAX Airport

We finally got back to JFK around 10PM Eastern Time safe & sound. With that being said, our journey was a success‎. We then picked up our baggage which was checked onto the flight we were supposed to be on. With that being said, our luggage arrived ahead of us. We then proceeded to take the Air Train to the subway in Jamaica as we made our way home. We dodged the rain drops as we walked from the subway station to our home. We walked into the house just before midnight. Home sweet home.

Here I am Outside the Barclays Center

After unpacking our bags, we went to sleep. That Sunday I did my laundry before the King & I shook off the effects of the jet lag as we took the subway to Brooklyn. We went to the Barclays Center to see the Nets play the Minnesota Timberwolves that night. The Nets beat the Wolves, 114-99. It was a game for three quarters then the Nets pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Nets were able to keep Kevin Love, the star forward for the Wolves, in check throughout the game. He finished with just 14 points & 9 rebounds. 

Stay tuned as I will do some special posts that we recap the Opening week of the baseball season here in the States.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/3 in review

Monday February 3rd after work I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils host the Colorado Avalanche at the Prudential Center. I got to meet up with my pals, the King & Frank Anichiarico aka Duck who were also in attendance that night.

As for the game we saw, the Devils scored a goal late in the first period to a take a 1-0 lead. It appeared they were going to make that goal stand up for the victory. That was wishful thinking for the home crowd. The Avalanche wound up getting the equalizer with just 1:47 left in regulation time to knot the score at one. The game went into overtime & the Avalanche scored just 28 seconds in to beat the Devils, 2-1 in sudden death. It wasn't a total loss thanks to modern NHL rules. The Devils by getting to overtime still got credited with a point in the standings even though they blew the game late then lost it in the extra session. As the King likes to say & I quote "they reward teams for losing." In addition, he likes to say "when is a loss not a loss." This game is a classic example of that.

Tuesday night after work I came home. I wound up making myself dinner & I took it easy for a change.

Wednesday night after work I went to the Transformed MSG to see the Knicks welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the Big Apple. I sat up in the West Balcony where I usually do for games there these days. On this night, I wound up being by a group of people who were from Portland, Oregon. They were all decked out in their Trail Blazer gear. 

As for the game I saw, the Knicks did their best to hang with the surprising Trail Blazers most of the night. In the end, the Trail Blazers escaped the area with a 94-90 victory much to the delight of their fans who came all the way across the country to see them play on the road.

Thursday night after work I went to the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn where I met up with the King. That night the Nets took on the shorthanded San Antonio Spurs who played without their star players, Tony Parker & Manu Ginobili who were hurt as well as Tim Duncan who was given the night off. When I heard that, I was furious. People spend good money to see these guys play. Injuries are part of the game. As for Tim Duncan needing a night off, I thought that was a bunch of nonsense. 

As for the game we saw, the Spurs got off to a fast start despite being without their key players. As the game went on, the Nets came back. Once they took the lead they didn't look back as they cruised to a 103-89 win.

Friday night after work I returned to Newark, NJ to see the Devils battle the Edmonton Oilers with the King who I met at the Rock.

As for the game we saw, it was similar to the Avalanche game except both teams scored 29 seconds apart midway through the first period. It stayed that way as the game wound up going into overtime again. This time however the Devils came away with the two points as defenseman Jon Merrill lit the lamp midway through the extra session to give the Devils & their faithful something to cheer about on their way home, a 2-1 decision over the Oilers.

Saturday the King & I took the Long Island Railroad out to Lindenhurst where we met up with our pal Eddie Pelle who drove us to Stony Brook to see a college basketball game between his alma mater, the Seawolves & the New Hampshire Wildcats at the Pritchard Gymnasium.

Stony Brook Seawolves basketball at Prichard Gymnasium

As for the game we saw, it was a close contested from start to finish. Unfortunately for Eddie, the Seawolves came out on the short end of the scoreboard as they lost to the Wildcats, 73-69.

As a positive note, it was Wolfie their mascot's birthday. As a result, everybody in attendance were treated to cupcakes to celebrate the special occasion during the halftime intermission. 

After the game, Eddie drove us to Smokin' Al's which is a barbecue joint that he's gone to a number of times in the past before Islander games in Massapequa Park for dinner. Ironically we were on our way to the Nassau Coliseum that night too. Luckily we had enough time to do so. Eddie wet my appetite a few weeks beforehand. He painted a picture that couldn't be beat.

Full rack of Monster Bones at Smokin' Al's

As for the meal we had, I was so stuffed when I got done I felt sick to my stomach. Eddie wound up taking a doggie bag home. My stomach devoured the food & then some. I had burnt ends to start along with a full rack of monster bones which were massive sized ribs. They were so good I didn't want them to go to waste. 

After we ate, Eddie drove us to the Nassau Coliseum where we saw the Islanders play the Colorado Avalanche. It was the last game before the NHL shut down due to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

As for the game we saw, the Avalanche raced out to a 3-0 lead midway through the game. The Islanders broke the shutout midway through the third period but they fell short by a score of 4-2. 

I want to thank Eddie again for taking such good care of the King & I.

Sunday night the King & I went to the Barclays Center to see the Nets play the New Orleans Pelicans. More importantly, I got to see my pal Mark Chesna who flew up from Atlanta to see the game. Mark needed to see the Barclays Center for the first time. I was able to get him a ticket a few months ago. He was joined by an old friend of his, Lars Wigren who lives within walking distance of the arena. 

As for the game we saw, the Nets went up early which set the tone for the rest of the night. They wound up beating the Pelicans, 93-81. 

As for me the real highlight was getting to see Mark again. In addition, I got to meet & greet his friend Lars.

Stay tuned for a few more posts that will recap the rest of my adventurous month of  February.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/27 in review

In between the two Stadium Series games I saw at Yankee Stadium at the end of January, I saw the Nets play the Toronto Raptors at the Barclays Center. Our pal Vincent Ascanio came up with a much more appropriate name for it. He calls it the Darklays Center. The reason being if & when you go there that you feel like you're in dungeon. It's so dark throughout the building. There's no lighting at all around the ceiling that covers the upper level. They barely have lights in the first few rows of the upper level too. They shine the lights they have on the basketball court itself to make those who happen to be there feel like they're at a theater. They call it  theater lighting. People like the King & I who like to keep score of the game come prepared with our little flashlights so we can see what we're trying to write down as the game is being played.

On that note, Monday January 27th I wound up seeing the game with my buddy Sean MacDonald who likes seeing the Canadian teams play since he's originally from Ottawa himself. 

As for the game we saw, it was a real seesaw battle from start to finish. The Raptors wound up out lasting the Nets, 104-103 which put a smile on Sean's face. 

Tuesday night after work I went to the Transformed Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Boston Celtics with the King who attended this game as well. 

As for the game we saw, it wasn't much of a game as the Knicks raced out to a big lead & they never looked back as they beat the Celtics, 114-88.

Thursday night I returned to the Garden. This time the Knicks took on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just like Tuesday night, the Knicks proved to be much for the opposition as they whipped up on the Cavaliers, 117-86.

Friday night after work I met up with the King at the Darklays Center if you will. This time the Nets hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unlike Monday night, this game reminded me of the two I saw at the Garden. The only difference was the home team in this case, the Nets got their butts kicked. The Thunder tossed them a beating, 120-95 to end the month of January.

Saturday marked the start of February. It started different then I initially thought it would thanks to my pal Eddie Pelle who asked me if I wanted to go somewhere for the day. I told him I would love to. Eddie was off from work & he wanted to getaway. His only concern was the weather. He told me we had a few college basketball games either to our North or to our South. As the week went on, he said that the weather was supposed to be better to our North. With that being said, He went ahead & he rented a car. He picked me up bright & early & away we went. We decided to go to Upstate New York for the day.

 

Lacrosse at Andy Kerr Stadium

We drove to Hamilton, NY which is the home of Colgate University. Since we got there extra early, we were able to check out a Lacrosse scrimmage that was taking place at Andy Kerr Stadium between the Albany Great Danes & the Colgate Raiders. That was located within a short walk of the Reid Athletic Center where Cotterell Court, the home of the Colgate Raiders basketball team is located. They were hosting the Bucknell Bison that afternoon in a Patriot League match up.

 

Cotterell Court

As for the game we saw, the Bucknell Bison raced past the Raiders after a slow start as they defeated them, 79-68.

After the game, Eddie drove us to the University of Albany for another college basketball game. As we were driving there, we ran into some bad weather luckily we had enough time to get there. Eddie weathered the storm & he got us there safely. Upon arrival, I got to meet up with a few guys I've met from going to baseball games. I'm referring to Bob Deal & David Schaffer who happen to be Albany graduates. In matter of fact, it was a reunion of their alumni that particular night. As a result, Bob managed to get me into the special pre game party they had for them. It was called the Ferocious Feast. It was the 17th year they've been doing it. I wound up having some food & soda while I joined them briefly. Since I was hungry it worked out well for me. When we got done, we went into the SEFCU Arena which is the home of the Albany Great Danes. They were playing the Vermont Catamounts in their annual Big Purple Growl game. 

SEFCU Arena

As for the game we saw, Great Danes weren't anything but great. They scored a paltry twelve points in the first half. The Catamounts scored 21 in a low scoring half. In the second half, it was higher scoring but the Catamounts went on to beat the Great Danes, 55-45.

After the game, Eddie drove me home. I got back around 1:15AM. I want to personally thank Eddie for taking me. I had a great time.

That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. Even though the game was being played at MetLife Stadium in nearby in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the King & I decided to pass up the opportunity to. First & foremost, it would have cost us a fortune just to get a ticket. When you figure in the hassle & hell we would have had to go through to get to & from there, we knew it wasn't necessary for us to go. We saw Super Bowl 35 in Tampa, Florida back in January 2001. Since we both like the Jets, we always say if they ever get to another Super Bowl we'll go again then.

However our buddy Eddie Pelle did have a ticket for the big game as did some other people we know. I'm talking about Sean MacDonald who saw every NFL stadium this season so it was fitting that he got to go so did Andrew Van Cleve & Larry Peim.

As for the King & I we went to our friend Frank Anichiarico's place to watch it on his HDTV. 

As for the game, as you know the Seahawks destroyed the Broncos, 43-8. It was a nice way to cap off a week of games we saw that were mainly blowouts.

Stay tuned for some posts that we'll go into detail about the rest of my adventurous month of February.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/6 in review

Monday night January 6th after work I went to the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn where I saw the Nets host the Atlanta Hawks with the King. Before the game started I stopped by the press area where the radio announcers sit. I got to say a quick hello to my pal Steve Holman, the legendary broadcaster for the Hawks who has done over 2,000 consecutive Hawk games. It was nice to see him again. As for the game we saw, the Nets beat the Hawks, 91-86.

Tuesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark as the Devils played their division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers. I met up with my Cousin Andy who joined the King & I for a rare night out. The Flyers got the game winner in overtime thanks to Brayden Schenn as they defeated the Devils, 3-2. 

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Barclays Center as the Nets entertained the Golden State Warriors. I met up with the King & our pal Sean MacDonald who decided to join us. He wanted to see Stephen Curry play. Last time he saw him in the area was last February when he came to New York on a business trip. That night Curry scorched the Knicks at the Garden as he scored a game high 54 points. This time he lead the way again with 34 points. Unfortunately for the Warriors, it wasn't enough as the Nets outlasted them, 102-98.

Thursday night after work, I returned to the Prudential Center in Newark as the Devils took on the Dallas Stars. This time I was accompanied by the King & fellow roadtripper Paul Derrick who returned to the area for the second time in a month. Paul flew into LaGuardia airport earlier in the day from Houston, Texas for the weekend. Since he missed the Devils the last time he visited, he wanted to return to cross the Rock off his to do list. As for the game we saw, the Devils blanked the Stars, 1-0 as goaltender Corey Schneider recorded the shutout.

After work Friday I came home & I relaxed as I wanted to rest up for the busy weekend I had planned. Paul Derrick wound up going to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Stars. He saw the Knicks play in December. 

Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail regarding our getaway to New England for another three sport weekend. 

Thank you for reading & following along. 

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/28 in review

After work on Monday I came home to rest up from the exhausting weekend I wound up taking to the Buckeye State. 

Tuesday night after work I met up with my Cousin Andy at Newark Penn Station. We walked through the Gateway Center & we stopped off at Subway to have dinner together. After we ate, we continued walking over to the Prudential Center where we saw the Devils play the Tampa Bay Lightning. We were joined by the King when we got up to our seats in section 226 row 6.  My Cousin was so happy to see us. Unlike us, he doesn't get to go out that often so it's a real treat for him when he meets up with us. We always have a great time together.

As for the game we saw, the Devils beat the Lightning, 2-1. As a result, my Cousin was thrilled. He couldn't thank me enough for getting him the ticket for the game.

Wednesday night after work I went to the completely Transformed Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks open their new season against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

First & foremost, I want to mention all the additions in the final phase of the three year transformation process. Upon entry to the building, you'll notic the newly designed lobby & box office area which is more spacious than it was in the past. They've also added a team store so you can pick up souvenirs before and/or after the game. When you go inside I strongly suggest that you take a ride up to the tenth floor. That way you can check out the new Chase bridges that they've added which are connected to the West Balcony on the 8th avenue end of the building. The seating on the bridges is like the West Balcony. In other words, they have a few rows of seats that are protected by very thick glass as well as a row of bar stool seats behind them that have a ledge for you to put food and/or paperwork like I do when I sit at one of them. As long as you're not afraid of heights, you'll love the aerial view these seats have to offer. The Bridges are made so you feel like you're right on top of the action. They overlook the court for basketball & the ice for hockey. These seats are pricey & they're not sold on a season ticket basis. I recommend that if you have some money to burn that you try to get a seat up there. By doing so, you'll appreciate what they did to transform the building. The other change they made that stands out was they added a new massive HD scoreboard which hangs over the court and/or the ice. If you happen to be sitting on the side on the 200 level in the higher rows, the scoreboard is partially blocked. But they wisely added big screens on the side of the Bridges so you can see whatever you miss. Overall, I think they did a nice job in transforming the building. This may be a short lived process though since I've heard that in ten years they may be forced out of Penn Station which is built below the Garden. If you want to see the building as it is now, you should get there sooner than later.

As for the game I saw that night, the Knicks got off to a fast start. They lead by 25 points at halftime, 56-31. The Bucks fought back in the second half but the Knicks were able to hold them off as they went on to win their first game of the season, 90-83. Carmelo Anthony lead the way as he scored a game high 19 points & he grabbed 10 rebounds. Raymond Felton added 18 points.

Thursday night after work I spent my Halloween night doing my laundry after I made myself dinner.

Friday night after work I met up with the King at the Barclays Center where we saw the new look Brooklyn Nets open their home slate with a nationally televised game against the defending two time World Champion Miami Heat.

As for the game we saw, the Nets wound up beating the Heat in a drawn out game that took nearly three hours to play. The Nets won, 101-100. The Nets got 19 points from former Celtic Paul Pierce while Kevin Garnett aka KG who was also acquired in the same deal had just 6 points. Joe Johnson helped the Nets' cause by scoring 19 points as well. As for the Heat, LeBron James lead the way with 26 points but he didn't do anything exciting on this night as his team came up short.

Saturday afternoon the King & I took a ride via subway, Ferry & bus to see a college football game on Staten Island as the Wagner Seahawks were hosting the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut at Hameline Field. We were joined by our pal Eddie Pelle who met us there.

As for the game we saw, the Blue Devils beat the Seahawks, 52-17. The game actually was 24-17 with 13:09 to go but the Seahawks fell apart as they gave up four unanswered touchdowns as running back Rob Hollomon lead the charge for the Blue Devils. He finished the game with 147 yards rushing & he scored four touchdowns.

After the game, the King & I went out to the Prudential Center to see the Devils take on the Flyers. Eddie couldn't join us since he needed to take care of things at home. It was nice to see him again. 

As for the game we saw, the Flyers scored the only goal of the game in the first period. They held on to beat the Devils, 1-0.

Sunday the King & I went into Midtown Manhattan where we met up with our pal Larry Peim who drove us out to MetLife Stadium where we saw the Jets host the New Orleans Saints.

As for the game we saw, the Jets surprised the Saints as they beat them, 26-20. They were lead by former Saint Chris Ivory who ran for a game high 139 yards on the ground.

After the game, Larry drove us back to into Midtown. I went to see the Knicks play the Timberwolves at the Transformed Garden while the King decided to go home. 

As for the game I saw, the Timberwolves  played well & they beat the Knicks, 109-100. They got a monster performance out of Kevin Love who scored 34 points & he pulled down 15 rebounds. Kevin Martin added 30 points to help lead the charge for the Wolves. As for the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony poured in 22 points & he grabbed 17 boards while Metta World Peace finished with 17 points in the losing effort.

Stay tuned as I continue to attempt to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/8 in review

Monday night after work I came home I ate dinner and relaxed for a change. Thanks to the baseball schedule makers, the Mets and Yankees were both on the road this week after they both opened the season together at home during opening week. As a result, I got an early break from baseball. The King on the other hand, rented a Toyota Corolla from Avis for 15 days so he could drive around the Northeast to see as many baseball games as possible.

Tuesday night after work I went to the Barclays Center for the last time this season since I didn't get the playoff tickets because the King & I prefer to go to see baseball instead. In addition, the prices for the playoff tickets were too pricey for our liking so we passed up the opportunity to get them.

I wound up going to McDonald's at the Atlantic Center Mall for dinner before the game. I ran into my pals Harry Schwartz and Dennis Barbera who were eating there too. Once we got done, we all walked across the street and we went into the arena to see the Nets host the Philadelphia 76ers. When I got to my seat in section 230 row 13 I met up with my friend Frank Anichiarico who was using the King's ticket. Frank is a 76er observer if you will.

As for the game we saw, the Nets made fast work of the 76ers as they built a big lead early and they never looked back as they defeated the 76ers, 104-83 much to Frank's chagrin.

Reggie Evans scored 17 points and he grabbed 24 rebounds while his teammate Brook Lopez added a game high 29 points and he pulled down 11 rebounds as the Nets cruised past the 76ers who had a disappointing season.

Wednesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils take on the Boston Bruins at the Prudential Center for the last time this season. I was joined by Vincent Ascanio and Frank Anichiarico who were also there. I decided to get an Angus burger that came with Nathan's fries for dinner at the arena per Vincent's recommendation. It tasted really good.

As for the game we saw, the Bruins raced out to an early 4-0 lead 3:06 into the second period. I was thinking of my pal Eric Hasseltine who happens to be a big Bruin fan. I updated him throughout the game. It appeared that it was going to be an easy win for his Bruins. It turned out not to be the case as the Devils finally awoke as they scored three unanswered goals to get within a goal 4-3 with 14:02 left in the third period. The Bruins responded right back as they added an insurance goal with 12:27 to go up 5-3. It turned out to be a huge goal because the Devils fought back and finally cut the lead to 5-4 with 37 seconds to go. Fortunately for Eric and the number of Bruin fans that were part of the sellout crowd of 17,625, the Bruins were able to hang on as they escaped the swamp land with a win. As a result, it hurt the Devils slim playoff hopes.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made myself dinner. Once I got done I went out and I did my laundry around the block.

Stay tuned as I'm going to do some special posts that we'll recap the memorable weekend I had. Please bear with me as I try to continue to find time to catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/11 in review

Monday night after work I came home and I got to make dinner. When I was done I was able to relax for a change.

Tuesday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn. I went to the Atlantic Center Mall where I went to McDonald's to have dinner before I went across the street to the Barclays Center to see the Nets host the New Orleans Hornets.

When I got up to my seat in section 230 row 13, I met up with the King who was already there.

As for the game we saw, the Nets got off to a fast start as they led the Hornets, 28-19. After playing an evenly matched second quarter the Nets still lead, 57-48 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Hornets made a comeback as they got within two after three quarters, they trailed 80-78. In the fourth quarter, the Nets came out strong as they pulled away from the Hornets who ran out of gas as the Nets went to win, 108-98.
Wednesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The Devils were taking their division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

I wound up getting a pulled pork sandwich for dinner at the Rock. I ate it at my seat in section 226 row 6 where I was joined by the King.

As for the game we saw, the Devils scored first just 2:02 into the game as Patrik Elias lit the lamp to make it 1-0. The Flyers got even when Jakub Voracek found the net 9:45 into the period on the power play to make it a 1-1 hockey game. 36 seconds later, Adam Henrique of the Devils made it 2-1. With 2:42 to go in the period, the Devils got a shorthanded goal from Ilya Kovalchuk which gave the Devils' a two goal advantage after the first period. In the second period, the Devils extended their lead to 4-1 as Andrei Loktionov scored 6:31 into the period. In the third period, the Devils continued to pile it on as Adam Henrique got his second goal of the goal on the power play 1:16 into the period to make it 5-1. The Flyers added a late goal with 3:52 left in the game as Scott Hartnell tallied to close out the scoring as the Devils beat the Flyers, 5-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,625 which was comprised of both Flyer and Devil fans.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner. After I ate, I went out and I did my laundry.
Friday night after work didn't go as originally planned. Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about the unexpected surprise I got.

Saturday afternoon was another last minute decision. Stay tuned for another special post that will detail how that went.

Saturday night the King & I went back to the Prudential Center to see the Devils play the Montreal Canadiens. We were joined by our pal Vincent Ascanio. It should be noted that there were a good number of Canadien fans in attendance which is usually the case when they come to the area.

In addition, they were a group of people who were fans of the old Quebec Nordiques who moved to Denver back in 1994 and became the Colorado Avalanche. Those people hope that NHL hockey returns to Quebec City some day. For that matter, so do we.

As for the game we saw, he Canadiens got on the scoreboard first when Colby Armstrong scored to make it 1-0 with 11:52 to go in the first period. In the second period, the Devils got the equalizer as defenseman Peter Harrold got his first goal of the season 3:54 into the period. In the third period, the Canadiens broke the tie as Tomas Plekanec buried the biscuit with 13:11 to go to give the Habs as they're called a 2-1 lead. The Devils applied plenty of pressure the rest of the game but they failed to force overtime as they fell short.

Sunday the King and I spent St. Patrick's Day home catching up on the things around the house. At night we went out to the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets battle the Atlanta Hawks.

As for the game we saw, the Nets lead the Hawks, 24-21 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Hawks out scored the Nets by five to take a 51-49 lead as they headed into the locker room. In the third quarter, the Nets surged ahead again as they took a 73-71 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks stepped it up as they blew past the Nets as they emerged victorious,105-93.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/4 in review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/25 in review

Gio Gonzalez in his first Spring start

Monday night after work I decided to come home to relax and catch up on things in the house after I made myself dinner. I really wanted to join the King and our pal Sean MacDonald who was visiting on business from Singapore. They wound up going to see Seton Hall Pirates basketball at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ but it didn't start until 9PM. I thought it was better for me to just stay home.

By doing so, I got to see a special treat on television. During the day, I saw on Twitter that the Mets were playing the Washington Nationals at 6:10PM. More importantly, my boy Gio Gonzalez was making his first start of the spring. With the accusations of performance enhancing drugs behind him, he set his sights on getting ready to build on the great season he had last year when he went 21-8. In addition, he was tuning up for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He'll be pitching for the United States.

When I knew he was starting the game, I made sure I got home in time to see him. He wound up pitching two innings. He got off to a rough start because his shortstop made an error on the first batter he faced. He proceeded to walk the next batter. Luckily he worked out of the jam and he got the Mets out without allowing a run to score. In the second inning, he got the Mets in order. He looked like the Gio I know and love. He finished his brief outing walking one and striking out three. The Nationals scored a few runs for him so he got credited with the win as they held on to win the game, 6-4.

It was great to see him even if it was just on television. I can't wait to see him again in person at Citi Field when the Nationals come to town in April.

Tuesday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for a pre game meal in Penn Station before I headed upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Winnipeg Jets. I want to personally thank my pal Alan Gimpel who had an extra ticket and he was kind enough to sell it to me. As a result, I got to see a hockey game at the Garden. Ranger tickets are hard to come by. I wound up sitting upstairs in section 211 row 17 which is right at center ice so I had a great view of the action.

As for the game we saw, the Rangers and Jets played a scoreless first period. In the second period, the Jets broke through as they got a goal from Olli Jokinen with 14:05 left in the period to take a 1-0 lead. A minute and seven seconds later the Jets scored again. This time Evander Kane got the goal to make it 2-0 Jets. The Rangers got on the board with 10:32 to go when Ryan Callahan buried one to slice the Jets' lead in half at 2-1. With 5:12 left in the period, Olli Jokinen lit the lamp again to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. In the third period, with 10:43 to go, the Rangers got within a goal at 3-2 when Taylor Pyatt scored. 20 seconds later, Evander Kane of the Jets answered right back to make it 4-2 with his second goal of the game. The Rangers got back within a goal 53 seconds later when Anton Stralman found the net to get the Rangers within a goal again at 4-3. Despite their hard work the last ten minutes of the game, the Rangers fell short as the Jets held them off, 4-3.

Wednesday after work I went back to the Garden this time to see the Knicks play the Golden State Warriors. Before I went there, I stopped off at Popeye's for dinner.

When I was done I arranged to meet my pal Sean MacDonald outside the Garden so I could give him the ticket I was able to get for him. Since the game was on ESPN, it started at 8PM which gave him more time to get there since he was working. Since I missed seeing him on Monday night, I'm glad he was able to join me again.

We went inside and he got to see the new additions to the Garden since his last visit back in 2008. He was impressed with the new main concourse on the 100 level he said. For his whole take on the transformation please see his blog where he keeps track of his various sports travels. Since he lives abroad, he's done plenty of international traveling. He takes nice pictures and he gives excellent detail on his excursions. Take a look you may learn some things.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks got off to a fast start. They led the Warriors who were playing without former Knick, David Lee who got suspended for a fight that broke out in Indiana the night before. As a result, the Knicks led, 27-18 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Warriors closed the gap to three as the Knicks led, 58-55 at halftime. In the third quarter, both teams scored 26 points so the Knicks continued to lead by three, 84-81. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks held off the Warriors who took a late lead but they collapsed down the stretch as they fell to the Knicks, 109-105.

It was an historic night as the Warriors' Stephen Curry scorched the Knicks for a career high 54 points. He shot 11 for 13 from the behind the three point line to keep the Warriors in the game.

As for the Knicks, they got 35 points from Carmelo Anthony and 16 points from Tyson Chandler who also grabbed a career high 28 rebounds to carry the Knicks to the win.

Friday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Dallas Mavericks at the Barclays Center.

Before the game, I stopped off at McDonald's for dinner.

After I ate, I went inside the arena and I met up with the King by our seats in section 230 row 13.

As for the game we saw, the Mavericks led the Nets, 22-21 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets out scored the Mavericks by two to take a one point lead, 49-48 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Mavericks pulled away as they took a 77-63 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Nets tried to make a comeback but they came up short as the Mavericks won, 98-90.

Dirk Nowitzki and former Net Vince Carter each scored 20 points to lead the Mavericks. Deron Williams added a game high 24 points in the losing effort for the Nets.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do about our weekend getaway.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty catches up with Eric Hasseltine & Elliot Perry of the Memphis Grizzlies at the Barclays Center!

Eric Hasseltine, me & Elliot Perry 

Royalty always shows loyalty to special people. Back on December 4, 2006 I met up with Eric Hasseltine who is the radio announcer of the Memphis Grizzlies. He's done every Grizzlie game since they moved to the Bluff City in 2001. I've met up with him on a number of occasions since then. He's always treated me like royalty when he sees me. He's given me media guides and pocket schedules which I like to collect. They're educational & I get to follow up on the Grizzlies who have had their share of bad teams over the years. Nowadays they have arguably their best team in franchise history.

Since the Grizzlies play in such a small market they barely get noticed in the media which is a shame.
They recently made a trade that forced them to get rid of one of their best players in Rudy Gay. They needed to do so because they need to be fiscally responsible going forward to sustain long term success. In the NBA, there's a salary cap and you can't be successful spending freely especially in a small market like Memphis.

As a result, the Grizzlies made a trade to put them in position to succeed for many years to come. Since the move, they've played together as a team which is what they need to do to compete on a daily & nightly basis. With that being said, the team is reaping the rewards and it shows. They're in the midst of an eight game winning streak right now. They use their grit grind style which is their formula for success. It may not be the most entertaining style of basketball but all that matters is the bottom line. As long as they win, people will take a liking to it.

With that being said, Eric who has his own sports talk show in Memphis on 929 ESPN radio weekdays M-F 2-4PM central time has told his listening audience he has become a fan of their style. He said you usually prefers to see a high powered offense but he loves the way this team plays defense. He sees every minute of every game so he knows that their style can be successful when they play as a team. As long as they keep doing what they've been doing, the Grizzlies can be a force in the playoffs. Hard work pays off.

Speaking of hard work, Elliot Perry aka Socks who played in the NBA from 1991-2002 with a number of different teams including the Suns, Bucks and Nets made a living on his sharp shooting and his heart and hustle. He started in the old CBA back in the day which as he said was true grit and grind.

I had the privilege of meeting him a few years ago when he was doing a game on the radio with Eric at Madison Square Garden when the Grizzlies came to play the Knicks.

He's such a good guy & a true class act. He took a picture of Eric & I after we talked for a little while.
I got to see these guys together again on New Year's Eve when I went to Indianapolis to see the Grizzlies play the Pacers. He told me that he will be in Brooklyn with Eric to call the Grizzlies game against the Nets.
With that being said, Sunday night we all reunited at the Barclays Center. It was great to see these guys again. As usual, they made time to talk to me and we were able to catch up. In addition, I got to take a picture with both of them.

I told Eric that I've become a regular listener to his show which is appropriately titled the Eric Hasseltine Show online. He's a great host and I love hearing his opinions and takes on sports. He usually talks about basketball but he sprinkles in other sports from time to time.

When I heard his show on Monday he caught me off guard when he mentioned my name on the air. Like Eric, I prefer high scoring basketball games. I told him it was painful to watch but he made some great points on the show which has me believing in their style too. Like I say, teamwork makes the dream work. The Grizzlies have been following that mind set lately. Hope that trend continues so they can go deep in the playoffs. We'll have to wait and see as it unfolds the rest of the way.

I plan to see them again at the end of March when the Grizzlies make their only visit to the Garden.

In the meantime, I strongly suggest that you tune in and listen to him. I promise you won't be wasting your time.

In addition, you can follow and tweet him on Twitter. His handle is @EricHasseltine. The same goes for Elliot. His handle is @ElliotPerry34.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees a local basketball doubleheader in NYC!

Prince at MSG for St. John's basketball

Sunday morning I got up and I returned the Toyota Camry I rented from Avis for the day. I drove 262 miles safely.

After I returned the car, I took public transportation to midtown Manhattan. I went to Madison Square Garden to see the St. John's Red Storm play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Noon.

I met up with the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico, Rich Wolber and Vinny Ascanio in the lobby.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm trailed the Panthers, 30-27 at halftime. Early in the second half, the Johnnies took a brief one point lead but that didn't last long. The Panthers got their act together as they went on to beat the Red Storm, 63-47 before an announced of 9,129 which consisted of a number of Panther fans who made the trip to NYC.

After the game, the King and I went home to relax for a little while since we had some time to kill before our second game of the day.

I was waiting to hear from fellow roadtripper, Sean MacDonald who was flying in to JFK from Dallas where he spent a few weeks seeing different sporting events and venues.

Sean is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He spent 15 years in Japan. He recently moved to Singapore where now calls home.

Sean flew in to NYC because he was working here for the rest of the week. I was hoping to meet him for dinner at Junior's Restaurant before we went to the Barclays Center to see the Nets play the Memphis Grizzlies.

Unfortunately Sean got in later than expected which changed our dinner plans. I wound up going to 2 Bros Pizza which is located across the street from Junior's instead. It worked out as Sean told me he would meet me outside the Barclays Center at 5:30PM or so. I had his ticket that I arranged to get for him. In addition, he wanted to take pictures and he wanted to check out the arena for himself. The King came later and we met up with him inside the building.

Prince at Barclays Center

As for the game we saw, the Grizzlies raced out to a 14-4 lead just five minutes into the game. They went into a dry spell and they let the Nets back into the game. As a result, they trailed by three, 19-16 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Grizzlies started to surge again as they out scored the Nets by eight to take a five point lead at halftime, 43-38. In the third quarter, both teams were absolutely awful. They both combined for 25 points. The Grizzlies still lead, 55-51 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies went into another mental lapse as they let the Nets regain the lead by five, 72-67 then the Grizzlies got down to business as they used their grit and grind style to wear out the Nets down the stretch. As a result, they scored the last nine points of the game as they extended their winning streak to seven as they left Brooklyn with a hard fought 76-72 victory.

Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about a few special people I know who work for the Grizzlies.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/18 in review

My niece Taylor, my nephew Jeremy & I

Monday I was off from work because it was President's Day. After getting back late from Lewiston, Maine, I still managed to get a good night sleep. I woke up and made breakfast then I drove the King & I out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Philadelphia Flyers in a matinee affair.

We arranged to meet up with our pal Larry Peim out there. When we got inside the building, we were joined by our friends Michael Abrams and Rob Pierlewski who were there too.

As for the game we saw, the Flyers struck early and often as they handed the Islanders their worst shutout loss in their history at the Coliseum. The Flyers cruised to a 7-0 win as Claude Giroux and Daniel Briere both scored twice as they embarrassed the Islanders in front of a crowd of 16,170 that was just short of a sellout.

After the game, Larry took the King back home while I decided to go visit my sister Abbey and my brother-in-law Scott as well as my adorable niece Taylor and my handsome nephew Jeremy who live in nearby East Meadow. They were all so happy to see me and vice versa.

We all wound up going out to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. We all enjoyed each other's company. When we were done eating, we said our goodbyes and I drove myself back home.

Tuesday morning I got up extra early because I had to go to Avis to return the Toyota Corolla I rented for the weekend. I wound up driving 818 miles safely.

After I dropped off the car, I went to work. After work, I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Milwaukee Bucks at the Barclays Center.

Before I went into the arena, I went across the street to McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall for a pre game meal.

When I was done I walked back over and I went inside. I met up with the King and our pals Larry Peim and Michael Abrams who were also present & accounted for. They wound up getting tickets in our section 230 on Stub Hub.

As for the game we saw, the Nets lead the Bucks, 31-24 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets added to their lead as they led the Bucks, 61-51 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bucks came roaring back as they scored the Nets by 11 to take a one point lead, 81-80 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Nets tied the game at 105 after regulation time. With that being said, the game went into overtime. The Nets emerged victorious as Joe Johnson hit the game winning shot as time expired in the extra session as the Nets escaped with a 113-111 win to send the announced crowd of 17,334 home happy.

Legends Night at St. John's University

Wednesday night after work I went out to Queens with my co-worker and St. John's alumni Jayson Castillo to see the St. John's Red Storm play the South Florida Bulls at Carnesecca Arena on Legends night. In addition, they gave away Lou Carnesecca bobblehead dolls to the first 4,000 fans who entered the building.
Jayson and I had a blast. I want to personally thank him for getting me a ticket for this historic occasion.
They had a ceremony at halftime that Jayson was part of. He was amongst the many alumni that they honored on this special night. They brought back a number of former players such as Malik Boothe, Wille Glass and Greg "Boo" Harvey to name a few. They all lined up around the sidelines of the court.
The ceremony reached its pinnacle when legendary coach Lou Carnesecca stood at center court and he did a moving speech as he thanked all of the alumni for making St. John's basketball what it is today. It was a thrill to be a part of it.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm raced out to an early 14-2 lead and they didn't look back. They led, 33-17 at halftime. In the second half, the Bulls made a comeback attempt but the Red Storm held them off as they beat them, 69-54 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,602.

Jayson introduced me to a friend of his, Michael Varga who also graduated from St. John's too. Michael is an up and coming sports traveler. He also loves doing sports trivia. We got to chat for a little while as they the game was winding down. We exchanged contact information so we can help each other out in the future. That was the icing on the cake on this festive night out.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner. After dinner I went out and I did my laundry.

Friday after work I went back to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Houston Rockets at the Barclays Center as Linsanity returned to NYC.

I went to McDonald's again to have my pre game meal. Upon entry to the arena, I went up to my seat with the King in section 230 to watch the game.

As for the game we saw, the Rockets lead 34-31 after the first quarter. The Rockets extended their lead to 8, 61-53 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Rockets added another point to their lead as they went by 9, 84-75. In the fourth quarter, the Rockets maintained their lead as they went on to knock off the Nets, 106-96.

As for Linsanity, he was rather ordinary on this night as he finished the game with 9 points and he dished out 6 assists. His teammates Carlos Delfino and James Harden scored 22 points each to carry the Rockets to the road win. As for the Nets, Brook Lopez scored a game high 27 points in the losing effort.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will recap the hockey and basketball doubleheaders we saw over the weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/11 in review

Tim Capstraw & Chris Carrino

Monday night after work I came home and I ate dinner then I went out and I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Carolina Hurricanes at the Prudential Center. I wound up having a pulled pork sandwich at the arena for dinner. I decided to take it up to my seat in section 226 row 6 where I met up with the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico, Vincent Ascanio and Dennis Barbera who were at the game too. We were one big happy family amongst the sellout crowd.

As for the game we saw, the Devils broke through first with 4:01 left in the first period when Ilya Kovalchuk scored on the power play to make it 1-0 Devils. In the second period, the Hurricanes got even as Jussi Jokinen beat Devils' goaltender Johan Hedberg 1:36 into the period to make it a 1-1 also on the power play. Later in the period with 1:31 to go, the Hurricanes took the lead, 2-1 as Patrick Dwyer lit the lamp. In the third period, the Devils got the equalizer as Ryan Carter beat Hurricanes' netminder Cam Ward just 1:34 into the period on a giveaway in front of the net to tie the game at two. The Hurricanes broke the tie again 7:25 into the period when Jiri Tlusty scored to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead. He also added an empty net goal with 26 seconds left to seal the deal as the Hurricanes beat the Devils, 4-2.

Wednesday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Denver Nuggets. By doing so, I've now seen every NBA basketball team play at once this season.

Before I went into the Barclays Center I stopped off at McDonald's in the Atlantic Center Mall across the street to have my pre game meal.

When I was done I went into the arena. Before I went to my seat in section 230, I stopped off by the radio broadcasting booth which is located by section 110 and I said hello to the Nets radio team of Tim Capstraw and Chris Carrino. After talking to them briefly before they did the Nets' inside look, I went upstairs and I met up with the King and our pal Harry Schwartz who was in attendance. It was nice to catch up with him again.

As for the game we saw, the Nuggets led the Nets, 26-23 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets scored a season high 39 points to take a 62-57 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Nets continued to pull away from the Nuggets as they opened up a 14 point lead, 95-81. In the fourth quarter, the Nets got out scored 27-24 by the Nuggets who failed to come all the way back as the Nets went on to beat them, 119-108.

The Nets played without Deron Williams who was inactive due to an injured ankle. In his place, C.J. Watson scored a season high 25 points and he dished out 6 assists.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner and I relaxed for a change.

Friday night after work I went back out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play their division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

As for dinner, I got a spinach stromboli and a slice of pizza at the arena. I met up with the King and my friend Lloyd Ramsland who was joined by a long time buddy of his who lives out in Denver, Colorado, Dick Harding. I arranged to get them tickets for the game so they could join us. It was great to see both of them again. We see Lloyd from time to time. As for Dick, we've met him a number of times over the years either here or when we've gone to the Rocky Mountain state thanks to Lloyd.

As for the game we saw, the Devils scored first just 40 seconds into the game as Travis Zajac made it 1-0 Devils. The Flyers got even and then some midway through the period as they score three unanswered goals in a 2 minute 36 second stretch to take a 3-1 lead. In the second period, Alexei Ponikarovsky who the Devils had reacquired got the Devils back within a goal just 26 seconds into the second period. Later in the period with 4:20 left, the Devils tied the game at three as Patrik Elias scored. In the third period, the Devils took the lead, 4-3 as David Clarkson found the net with 9:17 remaining in the game. The Devils' Steve Bernier added an empty net goal to give the Devils a 5-3 victory.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do regarding our educational and adventurous weekend in New England.

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 w/o 2/4 in review

Prince at Barclays Center 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman