Royalty is going to get a Rocky Mountain High at the end of February!

Here's the game plan:

The King & I are flying to Denver, Colorado on Delta Airlines. We leave New York LaGuardia Airport on Friday, February 26th at 8:10AM Eastern Time, we arrive in the Mile High City at 11:03AM Mountain Time.

Upon arrival, I'm renting a car from Payless Car Rental for the weekend.

We'll be meeting up with a special lady named Meg Minard who lives in the Denver area. We met her in August when we went to Seattle for the Ballpark Chaser Meet Up. I told her we were planning to come to visit her in late February. True to my word, we are. We're looking forward to seeing her again. 

We fly back home on the red eye early Tuesday morning, March 1st. Our flight departs Denver at 12:20AM Mountain Time. After a brief layover in Atlanta, we're scheduled to land at 8:14AM Eastern Time at LaGuardia Airport if all goes well.    

Friday February 26th Alaska Aces at Colorado Eagles 7:05PM Mountain Time
                              
Saturday February 27th Red Wings at Avalanche at Coors Field 6PM Mountain Time Stadium Series
                     
Sunday February 28th Arizona State Sun Devils at Colorado Buffaloes 2:30PM Mountain Time

Monday February 29th Grizzlies at Nuggets 7PM Mountain Time

If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join us.

It's going to be a blast so why not come for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 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 w/o 1/16 in review

Nuggets win in double overtime, 119-114

Upon returning from Baltimore at midnight Sunday night, I had to get up earlier than the King and Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk who stayed over with us because I had to return the car I rented to Avis by 10AM Monday morning.

Thankfully I didn't have to go to work so to speak because it was Martin Luther King Day.

I did so successfully as I safely drove 897 miles over the weekend. I might add the King was amazed how I was able to handle all the driving by myself despite getting so little sleep. He raved to people we know how I was a machine behind the wheel. I appreciate the kind words. I plan ahead so I'm ready to handle the task at hand. With plenty of years experience, I was able to follow through on my game plan which was executed perfectly.

After I returned the car, I went to the Omega diner near where I used to live to have breakfast before I took public transportation out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Nashville Predators that afternoon.

As for the Steve and the King, I arranged for them to meet our friend Larry Peim who picked them up in Astoria and he drove them out there. Our friend Frank Anichiarico also went with them.

Everything worked out beautifully for all of us.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders looked like they were sleeping walking on the ice. They fell behind 3-0 in the first period. That proved to be the game in a nutshell. They scored a goal late to break the shutout as they lost, 3-1.

After the game, Larry was kind enough to not only drive us home but he took Steve to the airport too. Since Steve's flight wasn't leaving until 9:35PM. We decided to go to the Apollo diner which is located in East Meadow, a few miles from the Nassau Coliseum to have dinner since we were all hungry. Needless to say, the food was tremendous as was the company. A royal gathering indeed. Steve got plenty of royal treatment during his brief visit to the Northeast.

Tuesday after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark to see the Devils play the new Winnipeg Jets. The one and only time I saw these two teams play was back in early December in Winnipeg. That night the Jets beat the Devils, 4-2. On this night, the Devils returned the favor as they whipped the Jets, 5-1.

Wednesday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks host the Phoenix Suns. It turned out to be a lower scoring game then I had anticipated. The Suns were lead by their great point guard Steve Nash who guided them to a 91-88 victory.

Thursday night after work I went back to Newark to see the Devils play the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins for the second time in 15 days.

This time I arranged to have my Cousin Andy join the King and I for the festivities. My Cousin wasn't feeling well but he still managed to enjoy himself. He always loves to see us and we made sure he wasn't disappointed. In addition, my pal Vincent Ascanio was there as well.

As for the game we saw, the Devils looked good for the first two periods as they had a 1-0 lead. In the third period, the Bruins came to play. They crashed the net and they scored two goals in less than a minute to take the lead early on in the period. They continued to apply the pressure as they added a few more goals to beat the Devils again, 4-1.

Friday night after work I went back to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Milwaukee Bucks. It turned out to be another nightmare for the Knicks as Brandon Jennings of the Bucks lead the way as the Bucks got passed the Knicks, 100-86.

Saturday afternoon I was going to stay home and catch up on things but my buddy Vincent Ascanio told me he had an extra ticket for the St. John's/Villanova game at the Garden so I decided to take him up on it. He actually gave me the ticket which was very nice of him. Royal treatment indeed.
The King went out to Newark to see the Devils play the Philadelphia Flyers. I gave my ticket to our friend Frankie Centola from Philadelphia who needed it for someone he knew. For all the times he's helped us out, it was nice to return the favor.

As for the game I saw with Vincent, St. John's blew a 10 point lead with just under six minutes to go in regulation. The game wound up going into overtime. The Wildcats of Villanova pulled away as they topped the Red Storm of St. John's, 79-76.

After the game, I went shopping and then I ate dinner at home before I went back to the Garden for the night cap of my basketball doubleheader.

The Knicks were playing again. This time against the Denver Nuggets who they made the big trade with last February to get Carmelo Anthony.

Former Knicks Danilo Gallanari, Al Harrington and Timofey Mozgov all shined in their return to the Garden as the Nuggets outlasted the Knicks, 119-114 in double overtime. What a game it was.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do regarding my return to Foxboro and the AFC Championship Game.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/31 in review

Monday night after work I went to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Denver Nuggets.

For some reason, when I see the Nuggets play in person they usually don't play well. This was yet another example. They fell to the Nets, 115-99.

The lone bright spot for the Nuggets was Carmelo Anthony who was showcasing his talent.

Melo as he's known was rumored to be possibly coming to New Jersey in a trade until a few weeks ago when the Nets decided to stop pursuing him.

He scorched them for 37 points and he pulled down 9 rebounds in his cameo appearance.

Needless to say, he heard the boos from the announced crowd of 14,039 which didn't seem nearly that big. Despite the Nets trying their best to discount their more expensive tickets in hope of attracting more people.

The NBA in particular has a propensity to fudge their attendance figures.

As for Melo, the latest rumors have him coming to the Knicks instead. If that happens, I'll see him play regularly at the Garden where the atmosphere is second to none when the team plays well.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Prudential Center to see the Devils host the Ottawa Senators.

It was a nice peaceful evening at the "Rock" as the Devils came away with a 2-1 win.

Wednesday night I was at the Garden as the Knicks played host to the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

The Knicks hung around for the first half. In the second half, the Mavericks went on to pull away and they cruised to a 113-97 victory.

The result was much to the delight of my former co-worker, Justin Huff, who I arranged to get tickets for. I know Justin was a big Jason Kidd fan so I made sure I accommodated his need to see him play live. He was grateful for the opportunity to do so.

That's just another example of how Royalty satisfies others needs and wants.

After having a night off on Thursday, I wound up back in Newark on Friday night as the Devils entertained the Florida Panthers.

Unlike Tuesday's game against the Senators, this game featured more scoring and some unusual breaks.

The Devils got an early goal as the puck took an odd bounce off the side board and they took advantage as Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun was out of position. They  lead 3-2 in the third period when the Panthers got the equalizer with just over 7 minutes left in regulation as Mike Santorelli lit the lamp with a shorthanded goal. The score remained tied at the end of regulation time.

Rostislav Olesz of the Panthers got the game winning goal exactly two minutes into overtime to give the Panthers the extra point as they left Newark with a 4-3 come from behind win.

Saturday I wound up getting an unexpected night off due to the fact I needed to dig my car out of the snow and ice. By the time I finally got it out I was exhausted and sore. I decided to use my brain for a change and I passed up on the Islanders/Senators game at the Nassau Coliseum.

Sunday the King and I had given our Knick tickets to our friend Frankie Centola from Philadelphia who wanted to see his 76ers play at the Garden.

We were going to go to Newark to see the Nets and Pacers instead.

At the last minute, Frankie called us and he said he couldn't make it so he mailed the tickets back to us and we wound up going there.

After the Knicks lost a heartbreaker in Philadelphia on Friday night, they came home and returned the favor in front of a sellout crowd as they went on to beat the 76ers convincingly, 117-103!

Amar'e Stoudemire tied his season high as he poured in 41 points while rookie of the year candidate Landry Fields added a career high 25 points to go along with 10 boards.

As a result, it turned out to be another exciting afternoon at the mecca of basketball.

After the game, the King and I went to our good friend Frank Anichiarico's place to watch the Super Bowl. Frank's lovely wife, Tina did the cooking and provided the hospitality as we watched the Green Bay Packers do what our Jets couldn't do. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Big D, 31-25!

With that being said, another eventful week was in the books.

Just so you know I expanded my followings on Twitter so please feel free to follow @royaltytoursusa. 

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Knicks get help & beat Nuggets, 109-104!

The Denver Nuggets were visiting the Garden for their first and only time this season.

The Nuggets got off to a quick start by scoring the first twelve points of the game.

That lead disappeared fast. They did lead by one, 27-26 after the first quarter.

The Knicks did take a few small leads in the second quarter.

The Nuggets ran off some unanswered points just before the half to go the locker room with a 53-49 advantage.

In the third quarter, both teams were trading baskets until late in the quarter when the Knicks went on a run to open their lead up to 9, 83-74 after 3 quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets managed to get close again.

But with 3:30 left in the game things changed, David Lee was called for sixth and final foul on an apparent charge.

All of a sudden, the three blind officials huddled up and decided to reverse the call to a block on the Nuggets.

David Lee who was headed to the bench wound up shooting 2 free throws instead.

That marked the beginning of the end for the Nuggets.

Despite that horrible call, the Nuggets still had a chance to win the game.

Superstar Carmelo Anthony who lead all scorers in the game with 36 points missed a few chances down the stretch to be the ultimate hero.

Teammate Chauncey Billups added 25 in the loss for the Nuggets.

For the Knicks, Danilo Gallanari had a team high 28 and Al Harrington contributed 23 in the Knick victory.