Royalty w/o 1/13 in review

Back on Monday January 13th after work I met up with the King & we went to the Transformed Madison Square Garden where we saw the Knicks take on the Phoenix Suns who have been a pleasant surprise so far this season. The Knicks who lead the Suns by seven after three quarters were forced to play an extra session as the Suns tied the game after regulation time. The Knicks were  lead by Carmelo Anthony who scored four of his game high 29 points in overtime to lead the Knicks to a 98-96 victory over the Suns. 

Tuesday night after work I returned to the Garden thanks to my pal Alan Gimpel who sold me a ticket for the Ranger game as they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. As for the game we saw, the Rangers scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the first period but early in the second period the Lightning struck not once but twice in a nine second span which stood up as the Lightning prevailed on this night, 2-1.

Wednesday night after work I came home. I ate dinner then I went out & I did my laundry.

Thursday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Long Island University Blackbirds play the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights at the Steinberg Wellness Center. I was joined by my pals Larry Peim, Phil Butleman & David Sack who were also there. As for the game we saw, the Blackbirds proved to be no match for the Knights who beat them soundly, 89-67.

Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about the adventurous weekend getaway the King & I took over Martin Luther King weekend. 

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/28 in review

After work Monday I went to Newark to see the home debut of Deron Williams aka "D-Will" in a Net uniform.

The Nets were playing the Phoenix Suns. Thanks to the addition of "D-Will" the attendance was higher than usual.

They gave out t-shirts with his name and number on them as you walked into the building. As a result, many fans put them on and there were plenty of number eights in the house.

As for the game, the Nets hung tough as they wound up forcing overtime before they eventually came up short, 104-103!

In the battle of two of the best point guards in the NBA, "D-Will" finished with 13 points and 18 assists while his counterpart Steve Nash had 10 points and 15 dishes.

The Net basketball experience has been enhanced now and hopefully for many years to come.

Tuesday night I went home after work.

Wednesday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the new look Knicks take on the New Orleans Hornets.

This game started off exciting but it fizzled fast as the Hornets disappeared. The Knicks raced off to an easy 107-88 victory.

It was Carmelo Anthony's second home game as a Knick. Unlike the first one the crowd wasn't as electric but the Melo effect has made a difference. There were plenty of t-shirts and jerseys with his name and number on them. In addition, they occasionally chanted his name.

Thursday night after work I went to Downtown Brooklyn to see the Long Island University (LIU) Blackbirds play the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash in the first round of the Northeast Conference tournament.

The Blackbirds wound up cruising to a 90-75 victory. It was their first step in trying to secure a bid in the NCAA tournament.

We had some company at the gym as our friends Eddie, Phil, Larry, Frank and Mike were on hand for the festivities.

Friday night after work I went back to Madison Square Garden as the Knicks hosted the lowly Cavaliers.

Despite their horrible record the Cavaliers have beaten the Knicks a few times this season already.

Most recently the Friday before in Cleveland.

For the second straight Friday night the Knicks were victimized by the Cavaliers again.

This time the Knicks led the game until the last minute when the pesky Cavaliers took their first lead and they held off the Knicks as they beat them again, 119-115.

Saturday I went to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the St. Louis Blues in an afternoon game.

It was a great day for people with families to take their kids to a game.

Our friend Joe Rossi did just that as he brought his three and a half old daughter Grace to the game.

Grace had a great time while she was there. Daddy bought her a Sparky doll. Sparky is the Islanders mascot. I got to sit next to them for a period so I know they had a blast.

The King and I had a good time also as we met up with some other familiar faces at the game as well.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders build a 3-0 lead and they wound up cruising to an easy 5-2 win.

Sunday we went back to the Coliseum, this time the Devils were visiting the Islanders.

Unlike Saturday the crowd was close to a sellout, there were plenty of Devil fans who came across the river to see their Devils play on the road.

Speaking of the Devils, they've been the hottest team in hockey the last few months.

They have managed to get themselves back into the playoff picture.

They've been using the mentality one game at a time. So far it's working wonders as they just keep winning games.

Sunday they continued their winning ways as they won the game 3-2 in a shootout.

With each win they're inching closer to a playoff spot.

It's going to be interesting down the stretch to see if they can actually pull it off.

We'll wait and see.

That puts a wrap on another week in the life of royalty.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/17 in review

Monday was Martin Luther King Day and thankfully I was off from work.

I went to Madison Square Garden for the traditional MLK Day game as the Knicks played host to the Phoenix Suns.

The Knicks had beaten the Suns on their recent West Coast road trip so the Suns were looking to return the favor.

On this afternoon, they did just that as they beat the Knicks, 129-121 in an entertaining affair.

Despite getting a season high 41 points from former Sun Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks still came up short. Wilson Chandler added 23 points in the defeat.

As for the Suns, newly acquired Vince Carter led the way with 29 points while teammate Grant Hill had 25 points. Former Knick Channing Frye finished with 18 points for the victorious Suns.

Tuesday night after work turned out to be a historical night for myself and Royalty in general as I was interviewed on Internet TV.

I had the privilege and honor of sharing some time with Rick Morris in the FDH Lounge on the night of the 4th anniversary of his great show.

I was given an opportunity to scratch the surface by giving Rick and his audience a brief overview of how Royalty rolls.

I look forward to talking to Rick in the near future to keep him abreast of our whereabouts. The King was unable to join me because he was getting his nightly sporting event fix so he can continue to live up to his name.

I do hope that the next time he can make himself available so he can elaborate on the amazing partnership we've had for the last 25 years.

I plan to get my interview linked up so please stay tuned for that.

If you couldn't listen live you will be able to listen at your convenience once it's up and running.

If you want to become a regular listener to the FDH Lounge please feel free to tune in on Tuesday nights from 7-10PM.

Rick is a super guy and I know you won't be wasting your time.

Wednesday night after work I went out to Newark to see the Nets play the Utah Jazz.

A co-worker of mine, Bart DiNardo told me a few weeks prior that he was going to the game too. He said his mother works out at the gym with C.J. Miles of the Utah Jazz. He said that C.J. hooked his mother up with courtside seats for the game.

Bart is a good kid and proud follower of my whereabouts. He approached me and he asked me how do I get to the game. I responded and told him to come with me. True to my word, he did just that. I got him out there with no problem. He had to meet his parents at the arena.

When I saw him the next day at work he told me what an amazing time he had. He got to go into the Jazz locker room after the game. What a thrill it was for him.

I'm happy I was able to make sure he got to the arena without a hassle.

As for the game, the Nets surprised the Jazz, 103-95!

The Nets were led by Brooks Lopez who had 20 points. Sasha Vujacic poured in 15 of his own.

As for the Jazz, Al Jefferson led all scorers with 21 points while Deron Williams had 20. C.J. Miles finished with 13 in the loss.

Thursday night I was back in Newark this time for the Devils as they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins were missing their two superstars, Sidney Crosby and Evengi Malkin.

As a result, they got shut out by the Devils, 2-0!

Martin Brodeur notched his 114th career shutout which extended his own record for most shutouts by a goaltender.

On my way home, I was contacted by a guy named Dave Swanson who recently started a business selling posters. They have a map of the country which allows you to mark off the different NFL stadiums that you have visited. I think it's a cool idea.

As a result, I added his website to my expanding blog list for your viewing pleasure. Please feel free to check it out. If you're a football fan, you'll appreciate it. If not, it will give you motivation to become one.

Friday night after work I went to Newark to see the Nets play the Detroit Pistons.

I arranged to have my Cousin Andy join us. It was great to see him again. As usual, he enjoyed seeing the King and I.

As for the game, the Nets wound up winning again. This time they won, 89-74!

Brook Lopez led the way for the Nets with 15 points. Devin Harris scored a dozen.

For the Pistons, Tayshaun Prince finished with 16 points and Rodney Stuckey poured in 14.

Saturday night I wrapped up going to Newark for a fourth straight night when I saw the Dallas Mavericks visit the Nets.

This was a seesaw battle most of the night. The Nets had a lead in the fourth quarter but with 6 seconds to go, the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki was able to rattle a shot in as it bounced around the rim and it finally fell in to give the Mavericks the win, 87-86!

The Nets had a final shot but they missed the basket badly as they came up short.

Stay tuned as I'll be doing a special post detailing the trip to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman