Royalty is heading to out to the Midwest to see baseball over Fourth of July weekend!

Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car from Avis for the first week of July.

We'll be driving out to Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Reading, Pennsylvania & Washington DC to see some major league & minor league baseball over the weekend before returning to NYC late Monday night.

Thursday July 2nd Cubs at Mets 1:10PM

                               Rangers at Orioles 7:05PM

Friday July 3rd Marlins at Cubs 1:20PM Central Time

                          Orioles at White Sox 7:10PM Central Time

Saturday July 4th Orioles at White Sox 1:10PM Central Time

                             Marlins at Cubs 6:15PM Central Time

Sunday, July 5th Brewers at Reds 1:10PM

Monday, July 6th Trenton Thunder at Reading Fightin Phils 9:35AM

                             Reds at Nationals 7:05PM
                
If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join the King & I.

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 goes North of the Border over Martin Luther King weekend!‏

Friday night after work the King & I passed up the opportunity to go to the Transformed Garden to see the Knicks play the Los Angeles Clippers. By doing so, we were able to head towards Canada for the weekend.

After work I took public transportation out to Long Island. I went to Avis where I rented a Toyota Camry for the long weekend. I got there just before 7PM. I drove back home to Astoria where I met up with the King. I picked up my bags that were packed  & we were ready to go.  I made a reservation for us at Super 8 in East Syracuse which was midway to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We arrived there around 1AM. We got a good night sleep then we continued the journey in the morning. We had to weather some snow that fell over night. Thankfully it was only a few inches so it didn't slow us down too much. We finally pulled into the parking lot at the newly renamed Candian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators at 1:36PM. We had just enough time to make the opening face off that occurred shortly after 2PM as the Senators welcomed the New York Rangers to Canada.

As for the game we saw, the Senators scored first early in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. The Rangers tied the game at one midway through the period. The Rangers went ahead for good in the second period as they found the net twice. The second one came with just 12 seconds to go which devastated the Senators. The Rangers added another goal late in the third period as they cruised to a 4-1 victory. 

After the game, I drove us 130 miles to Belleville, Ontario where we went to see a hockey game on the junior level. We saw the Belleville Bulls take on the Ottawa 67's in an OHL game at Yardmen Arena. Due to time constraints, we wound up getting there midway through the first period. I did the best I could to get us there as soon as possible but we were forced to drive on a rural road which made it difficult. Once we got settled in, we enjoyed the rest of the game. The 67's went on to defeat the Bulls, 2-1.

After the game, I drove another 100 miles to Whitby, Ontario which is 35 miles from Toronto. I booked a room at Motel 6 there. Upon arrival, we wound up going to have dinner before we checked in at a restaurant called Kelsey's which is similar to Applebee's here in the States. It was conveniently located within walking distance. Since we were hungry, it worked out perfectly for us. The food was excellent. After we finished eating, we checked in at Motel 6 & we got a good night sleep. 

Before we continued on to Toronto where we went to see the Raptors play the Lakers at the Air Canada Centre that afternoon, we went to the Sunset Grill for breakfast. It was right next to Kelsey's where we had dinner. Quite amazingly, I had no idea these restaurants were even there. It was pure luck. 

We got to Toronto at 12:15PM which gave us time to make the opening tip. We wound up parking at a meter because the place we used to park at jacked up their price. Let it be known even on Sunday they charge to park on the street there. 

As for the game we saw, the Lakers outlasted the Raptors, 112-106. After the game, we drove back through Buffalo which made it possible to meet up with our pals, Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell for dinner before we returned home. We wound up eating at Duff's Wings, a local favorite of theirs. I wound up having a roast beef on weck sandwich which was really good along with their famous wings which were outstanding. As always, it was great to see these guys again. I want to personally thank them for making time to join us.

Stay tuned for some more special posts that will finish recapping our adventurous month of January.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

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 6/24 in review

Monday after work I went down to Lower Manhattan and I took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Staten Island Yankees play the Aberdeen Ironbirds at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. Before I got to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway in the Ferry Terminal to have a pre game meal. When I got there I was greeted by my pal Eddie Pelle who was waiting for his buddy Fredy Sanchez to come off the boat. He did with his girlfriend Kate who he introduced to me while I was finishing up my dinner.

Once I was done, we all walked over to the ballpark. It was their first time there they said. It was nice to spend the special occasion with them. They're good people.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees wound up winning, 3-2 in 13 innings. I missed the last inning because I wanted to make the 11PM boat so I could get home at a reasonable time. I wound up getting home at 12:15AM. Of course the game ended right after the boat pulled out Eddie said. He wound up staying to the end. I hated to leave but I need to get sleep in order to function properly at work.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open up a three game series with the Texas Rangers. Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I stopped off at Burger King for dinner.
When I got to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was greeted by the King. For whatever reason, we didn't have anybody else around that we knew.

As for the game we saw, it was a battle of Japanese pitchers as Yu Darvish of the Rangers started against the Yankees' Hiroki Kuroda. It should be noted this was the first time I saw Yu Darvish pitch live. Since he arrived here in the United States, he's pitched well. On this night, he wasn't anything special in my eyes. He wound up giving up three runs. He didn't get a decision and he threw a lot of pitches. Hiroki Kuroda pitched slightly better but he didn't get a decision either. Ironically the game was decided by fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki who hit a game winning home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 win. I was relieved when he did. I didn't want to see another extra inning game.

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the series. This time I went to the Court Deli Restaurant and I picked up a corned beef sandwich for myself.

When I went inside the Stadium. I headed towards the Bleachers because I arranged to meet up with some fellow roadtrippers out there. I'm referring to Reachelle Spieker and her friend/travel partner Patrick Smith who were in the midst of seeing all 30 major league ballparks over a three month period from May to August. They call it their Stitched In Our Soul Tour aka SIOS. It was a pleasure to meet and greet them. Reachelle is originally from Dallas, Texas. With that being said, she's a huge Ranger fan. She now lives in Southern California. She came dressed for the occasion. She broke out her cowboy boots to show her Texas pride. As for Patrick, he's going to school at Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. He's also a big Ranger fan.

Patrick Smith, me & Reachelle Spieker

As for the game we saw, it turned out to be a great night for them as the Rangers beat the Yankees, 8-5.
Thursday night after work I went back to Staten Island to see the Baby Bombers play again. This time they hosted the Hudson Valley Renegades. Before the game I stopped off at Subway again in the Ferry Terminal and I had a sandwich. When I got to the ballpark I was joined by the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico, Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio and Michael Abrams.

As for the game we saw, the Renegades and the Yankees played a slugfest until mother nature interfered in the 6th inning. With the Renegades up, 10-8 at the time the game was official. Once they put the tarp on the field, we all decided to leave knowing they probably weren't going to resume. This time we made a wise decision. The game was called off. As a result, the Renegades got the rain shortened victory.

Friday night after work I dashed out of the office so I could get to Citi Field as soon as possible. The Mets were playing the Washington Nationals in the first of three games over the weekend. I was determined to see my boy Gio Gonzalez after batting practice. Stay tuned for a special post that will go into further detail about that.

On my way upstairs I got to see Reachelle Spieker and Patrick Smith again as their SIOS Tour continued. This time they were at Citi Field. They said they were much more impressed with the ballpark than they were with Yankee Stadium.

When I finally got to the Royal Court in section 516, I was joined by Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, David Sack, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico & Pat Gorman.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey started and he pitched great for the first seven innings. He struck out eleven Nationals. He left winning the game, 4-0. Manager Terry Collins decided to overmanage with his bullpen and it came back to bite him. They blew the game for the Mets and Matt Harvey who wound up getting a no decision for his stellar performance. The Mets lost, 6-4.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub to forget about the nightmare ending we saw.

Stay tuned for a few special posts about the rest of the weekend and one on Gio Gonzalez. Please bear with me as I try my best to catch up.

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 w/o 3/19 in review

Rangers win 2-1 in OT!

After seeing a new record of four sporting events in one day and nine in three days, I had a sub par week with only six total. I can only play the cards I'm dealt. That goes for everybody in life. We only have so much time to enjoy the ride. Some days and weeks are better than others.

Here's how this week went for me:

Monday night after going back to work during the day, I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Nets host the Cleveland Cavaliers. I was pulling for the Cavs because of the great people I know from that part of the country. On that night, the Cavs didn't let me or them down. Since LeFraud abandoned his hometown area, the Cavaliers have been in rebuilding mode.

With that being said, the Cavaliers have since drafted well adding a few pieces of the puzzle to ultimately get them where they want to go. Of course, that is to get back to the NBA Finals and hopefully they'll win before LeFraud has a chance to do so again.

As for the game I saw with the King and our pal Vincent Ascanio, the Cavaliers trailed most of the game but they hung tough as they found a way to beat the Nets, 105-100.

They were led by their crowned jewels, the number one overall pick in the most recent NBA draft, guard Kyrie Irving from Duke and forward Tristan Thompson from Texas, the fourth pick in the same draft. Irving turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter as he helped lead the comeback by pouring in majority of his 26 points and he handed out 7 assists. Tristan Thompson added 27 points and he grabbed 12 rebounds as the Cavaliers won the game.

Based on those performances, the future has potential for the team from Northern Ohio. Time will tell if they can finish putting together the rest of the pieces of the puzzle. For starters, they're heading in the right direction.

Tuesday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Toronto Raptors. It was my 600th lifetime Knick game that I've seen in person at MSG.

As for the game, Linsanity returned to form at the mecca as he scored 18 points and he dished out 10 assists while his teammate Amar'e Stoudemire finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Knicks blew away the Raptors, 106-87.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the Garden, this time to see the Rangers play the Detroit Red Wings. It was a match up of two of the best teams in the league.

As for the game I saw, the Rangers fell behind 1-0 as the Red Wings took the early lead. The Rangers hung around as they eventually tied the game at 1. The game wound up going to overtime. The Rangers' Ryan Callahan lit the lamp just past the midpoint of the extra session to give the Rangers' the 2-1 victory.
Thursday night after work, I went home to do my laundry. In addition, I was able to rest up and recharge the batteries for a short time as well.

Friday night after work, I went to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I was rooting for the Maple Leafs' because our pal Sean McDonald is a big fan of theirs.

As for the game I saw, the Maple Leafs held a 3-1 lead but the Devils managed to tie the game and they forced overtime. After a scoreless extra session, the winner was decided in a shootout. The Maple Leafs wound up scoring three goals on three attempts to beat the Devils, 4-3. Unfortunately for them and our friend Sean it was too little too late as the Maple Leafs won't be making playoffs again this season.

Saturday I was out and about during the day taking care of some things I needed to do. At night I went with the King to see the Knicks as they played the Detroit Pistons at the Garden.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks cruised to an easy 101-79 win as Tyson Chandler was a force in the middle as he scored 15 points and he pulled down 17 rebounds.

The win was a nice way to bounce back for the Knicks after they got beat up the night before in Toronto who returned the favor from Tuesday night at the MSG.

Sunday afternoon the King and I took a Metro-North train round trip to Bridgeport, Connecticut where we went whale watching if you will. We saw the Sound Tigers, the NY Islanders' AHL affiliate play the Rangers' farm team, the Whale at Webster Bank Arena.

More importantly, I finally got to meet up with another sports fan and big fan of my blog, Greg Venuto. I got in contact with Greg a few years ago thanks to Danielle Granquist who lives in Denver. She's a big hockey fan. Through her website, hockee puck, which is on my blog list, Greg got in contact with her because he's a huge hockey fan himself. As a result, he got in touch with me via e-mail thanks to her.

After trying and failing to meet up at various sporting events, we finally made the right connection. Since Greg lives in nearby Norwalk, Connecticut he decided to join me for the Sound Tiger game.

We spoke and told each other different sports related stories which made for a fun filled afternoon and experience.

In addition, we got to witness an entertaining hockey game too. The Sound Tigers and Whale scored early & often as it was 3-2 Sound Tigers after the first period. Despite a scoreless second period, the Whale wound up tying the game at three in the third period. The Sound Tigers emerged victorious as they scored the game winner with just two seconds left in overtime to win, 4-3.

It was a great way to end an enjoyable day. I want to personally thank Greg for being able to breakaway from his wife and two kids so he could hook up with me.

I look forward to seeing Greg again in the near future. He does like baseball and the Yankees so hopefully it will be sooner than later.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/20 in review

Mike Emrick Night

Thanks to having my priorities in order this past week, I fell just short of another royal week of Stadium Travel.

If you don't have your health, you can't live and enjoy life properly.

With that being said, here's how my week turned out:

Monday thanks to it being President's Day I had the day off from work. As a result, I got to go to the Nassau Coliseum with the King and our friend Frank Anichiarico to see the Islanders play the Ottawa Senators in a matinee affair. There were plenty of young kids in attendance including Grace Rossi who was there with her Daddy, Joe Rossi. It was great to see them again. We also had our friend Dennis Barbera there. After the game, he drove us back to Citi Field in Queens. It was very nice of him to do so. That way we didn't have to deal with public transportation in Nassau County which is a pain in the butt.

As for the game we saw, I think the Islanders forgot to get the memo that the game was starting early. They fell behind 1:08 into the game as defenseman Erik Karlsson of the Senators lit the lamp for the first of his two goals in the game to make it 1-0. 27 seconds his teammate Jason Spezza scored to make it 2-0. You knew it's wasn't going to be the Islanders' day. As the game wore on, it definitely wasn't. They trailed 3-0 after the first period. They went on to lose the game, 6-0.

After Dennis dropped us off by Citi Field, the King and I went home and we ate dinner before we went back out to Madison Square Garden for game two of our doubleheader. The Knicks were hosting their cross town rivals, the New Jersey Nets.

This game included the return of Carmelo Anthony who missed the last two weeks with a groin injury. It also was the first time since "Linsanity" took over as the starting point guard that Melo was playing with him.
Anthony only managed to score 11 points in his return. Jeremy Lin finished with 21 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds but he couldn't contain Deron Williams aka D-Will this time around. D-Will after getting burned a few weeks earlier at the Garden by Lin, made sure he got his revenge this time. He scored a game high 38 points to pace the Nets past the Knicks, 100-92.

Tuesday night after work I had a night off since there were no games to attend in the area. After running around all weekend long, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the Garden for more "Linsanity". The Knicks were playing the Atlanta Hawks. I got to say hello to their longtime radio announcer, Steve Holman.

As for the game I saw, the Knicks redeemed themselves after suffering a brutal loss to the Nets. The Knicks came to play on this night as they blew away the Hawks, 99-82 and it wasn't that close.

Thursday night after work I came home and I did my laundry.

Friday after work I met up with the King in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center where we saw the Devils play the Vancouver Canucks on Mike Emrick Night.

Mike Emrick aka "Doc" as he's called was the long time TV play by play announcer of the Devils. He called their games for 21 years. He's one of the best voices when it comes to watching the game of hockey. He's a class act who loves the game and his job if you will. He knows how to relate well to his audience. He's a paid professional but he's truly a real hockey fan deep down in his heart. The sport of hockey is blessed to have him. He still calls games on the NBC Sports Network for the National Hockey League.

After the Devils honored him in a pre game ceremony, it was time to play hockey as Mike said when he finished his thank you speech.

As for the game we saw, the Devils lost to the Canucks, 2-1. The Canucks came from Detroit the night before where they snapped the Red Wings' record breaking 23 game home winning streak as they beat them in a shootout.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Red Storm of St. John's play the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

We were joined by our friends Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich, Pat Gorman and Ralph and Vincent Ascanio. Since they were there with us it helped enhance the royal experience. We all enjoyed each other's company.

As for the game we saw, the Red Storm of St. John's knocked off the Fighting Irish who came in ranked in the Top 25 by a score of 61-58. The Irish had chances to win the game but they missed too many wide open shots.

After the game, the King and I came home to eat before we went back to the Garden to see the Rangers play the Buffalo Sabres that night.

I needed to get a head start in my preparation for a colonoscopy that I was getting done on Monday morning. So I ate lightly.

After we got done, the King and I went back to the Garden.

As for the game we saw, the Sabres took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but the game was tied after regulation at two. Sabres' goaltender Ryan Miller played well but with 2:01 left in overtime the Rangers' Ryan Callahan made a beautiful move as he faked out the Sabres' defense as he split them which allowed him to put the biscuit in the basket to win the game for the Rangers, 3-2. The goal was the 100th goal of Callahan's young career.

It was a tough loss for the visiting Sabres and their fans who were there. I was up in the West Balcony where there were plenty of people dressed in their Sabre gear.

Sunday I was forced to miss the Devil game against the Tampa Bay Lightning so I could stay home all day and night so I could finish getting ready for my colonoscopy. It was a difficult day for me to say the least since I could only have liquids.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Official review of Transformed Madison Square Garden Phase One - Home of the Knicks, Rangers and St. John's

Here's my official review of Madison Square Garden,  home of the Knicks, Rangers and St.John's. If you're lucky enough to go there in the near future, I strongly suggest you take a look at what I wrote so you know what to expect before you get there.

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/madison-square-garden-s95

I officially joined forces with my buddy Paul Swaney as a Special Correspondent by doing reviews for him when time allows me to do so. I also plan to contribute to great team of writers who cover different sports venues in the United States and other parts of the World.

His website, Stadium Journey is on my blog list. Here's the link: www.stadiumjourney.com/

Please feel free to check out his amazing site which will educate you greatly if and when you decide to take a road trip to see a new venue or if you're just curious how life is in other parts of the country and/or the world.

When it comes to sports travel knowledge, I have plenty but I don't have the time to go in depth like his site does. Regardless you can always feel free to e-mail me and pick my brain.

I'm a team player so whenever I can help somebody else, I indirectly help myself too. I think if you follow my blog, you should do the same.

Life is short. Play hard. I do, I believe you should too.

I hope you enjoy my evaluation.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/30 in review

Quick Change

Monday after work I had a night off from attending a game so I used my free time wisely and I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Devils host their Hudson River rivals, the NY Rangers with the King.

As for the game we saw, it turned out to be a good action packed match. Both teams battled and fought hard all night exchanging goals. The Devils wound up getting a lucky bounce off the boards as the puck caromed to David Clarkson in front of the net who buried the equalizer with just 48 seconds left in regulation time to tie the game at three. After a scoreless overtime session, the game was decided in a shootout. The Devils came away with the extra point as they won the skills competition. As a result, they were 4-3 winners.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the "Rock". This time to see basketball. The NJ Nets took on the Detroit Pistons.

As for the game I saw, the Nets and Pistons played in a closely contested game. The Nets managed to pull out the victory by a score of 99-96.

I was joined by the King and our friend Vinny Ascanio. As usual, we all enjoyed each other's company.
Thursday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks entertain the Chicago Bulls.
The Knicks were able to hang around with the Bulls most of the game but in the end, the Bulls came away with a 105-102 win. They were lead by their young superstar point guard Derrick Rose. Rose had a MVP like performance as he sliced and diced his way through the Knicks defense throughout the game as he scored 32 points including 15 in the critical fourth quarter. He also dished out 13 assists to carry his team to the narrow victory in front of an electric atmosphere at the World's Most Famous Arena.

In addition, during the halftime intermission, the crowd was treated to an act called "Quick Change." These people have been doing this routine for many years. Every time I see it, I still don't believe it. They change what their wearing numerous times right before your eyes. It's truly amazing.

Friday night after work I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Minnesota Timberwolves who have Ricky Rubio, the point guard from Spain. The Timberwolves drafted him a few years ago but he had to fulfill his obligations in Spain before he was allowed to come to the United States. With his arrival in the Twin Cities, the Timberwolves have improved drastically thus far.

This was the first time I got to see him play live in person. Needless to say, he didn't disappoint. In matter of fact, he put on quite a show. He scored 10 points, handed out 10 assists and he stole the ball 6 times. In the process, he made his teammates better. In particular, Nikola Pekovic, who finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Love who added 20 points and 10 boards as the Timberwolves came out on top, 108-105. For the Nets, Anthony Morrow had a career high 42 points in the losing effort.

Saturday morning the King and I took a bus from Chinatown here in NYC to Philadelphia to see the Flyers take on the NJ Devils in a matinee affair at the Wells Fargo Center . We were joined by our pal Andrew Van Cleve and his son, Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby.

We saw a wild game. The Devils raced out to a 6-0 lead after two periods. The Flyers finally woke up but it was too little too late as they managed to get within a few goals at 6-4 late in the game but they couldn't come all the way back as they lost by that score. At least they made it interesting for us and those who stayed and didn't leave early.

After the game, the King and I took a Chinese bus back home so we could go to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play their cross town rivals, the NJ Nets.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks in need of a victory in the worst way after losing to the Bulls then they went to Boston and lost there as well. So despite playing for the third night in a row thanks to the lockout, they needed to find a way to win. On this night they sure did. The Nets fresh off a tough loss to the Timberwolves were beat up by the Knicks by a score of 99-92.

The Knicks found a way to win by calling on a recent undrafted free agent pickup. I'm talking about a guy named Jeremy Lin who graduated from Harvard and was let go by the Houston Rockets. Lin played one game in the Developmental League before the Knicks had him join the team. Based on his heroic performance, he instantly became a fan favorite. Lin brought the energy the Knicks' so desperately needed. He scored 25 points and added 7 assists to go along with 5 rebounds in his Knick debut. What a way to make a splash.

Super Bowl Sunday the King and I didn't spend it in Indianapolis as many thought we might have.
Instead we went out to the Prudential Center to see the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins play some hockey. It was my 100th Devil game there. The Devils fresh off their 6-4 win over the Flyers, came out strong again as they whipped up the Penguins, 5-2.

After the game, the King and I went back to Queens to our friend Frank and Tina's place to watch the Super Bowl on TV. It's become a tradition the last so many years for us to do so.

I would like to thank Frank and Tina for their fine hospitality as usual.

As for the Super Bowl, we weren't happy with the outcome but since we have no control, there's not much we can do about it. It was a good competitive game at least as the Giants beat the Patriots again, this time 21-17.

It capped off a great football season for me. With that being said, please stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do regarding my record breaking season of attending live football games.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/2 in review

Rangers Win, 3-2 in OT!

After starting the week at the Winter Classic on Monday, I got a much needed night off on Tuesday after work. Not really I came home and I did my wash in the freezing cold.

Wednesday after work, I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.

As for the game, it was an impressive performance by the Bruins as they overpowered the Devils, 6-1.
Thursday night after work, I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Florida Panthers. It was their first game after the Winter Classic.

The Rangers and the Panthers battled it out on the ice as they took turns scoring goals. After regulation time, the game was tied at two. In overtime, Marian Gaborik lit the lamp with 1:31 left to give the Rangers a 3-2 sudden death victory.

Friday night after work I went back to Newark, NJ to see the Devils host the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center. Patrik Elias of the Devils played in his 1,000th NHL game on this night.

As for the game, the Devils beat the Panthers by a score of 5-2. The score is deceiving because the Devils scored two empty net goals in the last minute. One of them was while they were shorthanded. It was a good competitive game until that point.

Saturday night after resting up during the day and catching up on my necessities, the King and I went out to Newark, NJ again. This time to see the Nets play basketball against the Miami Heat. We had some company as our friends Ralph and Vincent Ascanio were there too. It was nice to see them again. We got to catch up and enjoy each other's company.

As for the game we saw, LeBron James aka LeFraud as I call him, was exciting to watch as he scored 22 points in the first quarter alone. He helped the Heat raced out to a early 10-0 lead. The Nets cut the lead to 2 at 12-10 then the Heat pulled away for good as they cruised to a 101-90 win. LeFraud finished with a game high 32 points. It should be noted that Dwayne Wade didn't play due to an injury.

Stay tuned as I'm going to do a special post about the first ever playoff game at MetLife Stadium that I saw that Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

The Winter Classic Experience

Me in the Crowd at Winter Classic

On January 1, 2008 the NHL decided to stage a unique event that being the Winter Classic in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium which is the home of the Buffalo Bills.

Thanks to my pals Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell who are Sabre season ticket holders, they were able to secure tickets for my friend the King and I to see this unique event.

The experience that day was priceless. Despite not feeling our best, we still braved the elements on this day to see hockey history in the making. With snow falling during the game, the ice needed to be repaired numerous times but that didn't stop the game from being a big hit. A record crowd of 71,000 were on hand to witness it.

The game wound up being decided in a shootout as the Penguins beat the Sabres, 2-1 as Sidney Crosby scored the game winner.

On January 1, 2009 the NHL decided to do another Winter Classic. This time they chose Wrigley Field in Chicago as the site of the event. The Chicago Blackhawks took on their original six rival, the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately I didn't get to witness this one in person. I did watch it on TV with deep regret.
Since the game was at a smaller venue, the ticket prices were rather pricey. That coupled with the fact I live in NYC, it's a long drive to Chicago and mother nature can always play her tricks. In addition, my friend the King who happens to be a Red Wing fan thought he was going to have to work so we decided it was better not to go.

Ironically we met up with Andrew Van Cleve a few years ago when we visited Chicago. He was at that Winter Classic. I wish we knew each other then.

As for the game that day, the Red Wings beat the hometown Blackhawks, 6-4 in the highest scoring Winter Classic game.

On January 1, 2010, the tradition continued. This time the Winter Classic was played at Fenway Park in Boston as the Philadelphia Flyers invaded Beantown to play the Bruins.

Once again the King and I decided to go. We wound up buying tickets at the last minute on Craiglist because we were concerned about the weather.

Thankfully mother nature cooperated. It turned out to be a beautiful winter day. The temperature was a comfortable 36 degrees which made for a wonderful setting. We had the privilege of sitting towards the back of the grandstand near first base which was the corner of the rink. We had the Green Monster staring us right in the face.

As for the game, the Flyers lead 1-0 into the third period. Late in the period, the Bruins evened the score at one. This one was decided in overtime as the Bruins found the net in the extra session as they sent the natives home happy, 2-1. It should be noted their were a number of Flyer fans in attendance as well who had a long ride home after the loss.

As for the King and I, since we didn't have a real rooting interest so we got to enjoy the outcome regardless of who won.

On January 1, 2011, the Winter Classic returned to a bigger venue. This one was played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh which is the home of the Steelers. The Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals.

This game was originally scheduled to start at 1PM like the others. Unfortunately mother nature was up to her tricks again. This time the temperature was in the 40's and rain was expected. With that being said, they decided that with the rain suppose to clear out by the evening, they changed the starting time to 8PM. By doing so, this turned out to be the first Winter Classic in prime time.

As for the King and I, we got to go again. This time our friend Peter Agnew who has season tickets for the Capitals said he didn't want to go. He asked us if we wanted to buy the tickets he was offered. We instantly told him yes.

We wound up sitting in the upper level with other Capital fans. They did a nice job distributing the tickets for this game. It seemed like every other section was divided by each team's fans. By doing that it made for a fair view for everybody who was able to be part of this unique experience. They drew a crowd of 68,000.
As for the game, the hometown Penguins came up short as the Capitals won, 3-1.

This year New Year's Day came out on a Sunday. With that being said, the NHL decided to move their Winter Classic game to Monday, January 2nd instead.

This time they went back to the baseball park setting as they chose to have the Philadelphia Flyers host the game at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies. The Flyers played the New York Rangers in the latest installment of the Classic. The game was scheduled to start at 1PM but since the weather conditions weren't ideal they decided to move the starting time to 3PM.

The King and I once again got to take part in the festivities. We were also joined by our friend Andrew Van Cleve who recently moved to Philadelphia.

The King and I got tickets with the help of season ticket holders that we know. Andrew found a person on Craigslist who sold him a ticket for face value.

Surprisingly it seemed like their were a lot more Flyer fans than Ranger fans at the game. We happened to be sitting around a lot of Flyer fans. There were a lot of people dressed up in their Flyer colors throughout the ballpark.

Don't get me wrong, there were a good number of Ranger fans in the building but with the ticket prices being really pricey I think that prevented some people from going to the game.

The experience is different than seeing a hockey game indoors. The outdoor game makes for a once in a lifetime scenario for those who have some spare money to burn. If you like the game of hockey, I strongly suggest that you go to a Winter Classic so you can see the experience for yourself.

As for the game, the Flyers took a 2-0 lead in the second period after there was no scoring for the first half of the game. The Rangers cut the lead in half at 2-1 after two periods. During the intermission, I ran into a guy I knew from New York who happens to be a big time Ranger fan. He said and I quote "this game isn't over yet." He turned out to be right. The Rangers proceeded to tie the game at two and then they got the eventual game winning goal as the Rangers hung on for the 3-2 victory.

In retrospect, I may regret not going to Wrigley Field in 2009 but I've been to the last three in a row. I hope to be able to keep going to see this unique event year after year. Time will tell.

If you plan to go, please take into account that many of the seats are bad. That's the nature of setting up a rink in a baseball and/or football stadium.

In a baseball stadium, the rink usually runs from across the outfield behind second base.

In a football stadium, the rink is laid across the gridiron between the 20 yard lines.

The bottom line is this experiment is working as the NHL now has a day it can call its own.

In the future, if you like hockey New Year's Day is the day you can see the sport outdoors. Hopefully they'll chose different locations and teams so it's more fair to the rest of the country.

I hope I've given you a reason to see for yourself what the Winter Classic experience is all about.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/12 in review

Ceremony for Scott Niedermayer #27

This week was rather slow compared to the week before but occasionally it's nice to have a few nights off so I can catch up on things and recharge the batteries.

With that being said, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday were my nights off after work.

Tuesday night I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Dallas Stars. It was a scoreless game until defenseman Trevor Daley broke through with 5:01 left in the third period to give the Stars' the 1-0 victory. Rookie goaltender Richard Bachman stopped 34 shots as he earned his first NHL shutout in his second career start.

Friday night I went out to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ where the Devils were hosting the Dallas Stars who were in the midst of a massive coast to coast road trip.

More importantly, the Devils honored former defenseman Scott Niedermayer by raising his number 27 to the rafters. His number was the third to be retired by the Devils. The others were Scott Stevens number 4 and Ken Daneyko number 3. All three of them were part of their three Stanley Cup winning teams in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

In addition, Scott Niedermayer won a fourth Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy which is given to the playoff MVP.

Mike "Doc" Emrick, a hockey broadcasting legend was the Master of Ceremonies which made the night even more memorable. Doc is a true professional in every sense of the word.

As a hockey fan, I was thrilled to be part of this special occasion.

As for the game that followed, the Devils capped off the night with a 6-3 win to send the sellout crowd home very happy.

Saturday morning I woke up early so I could go to Avis to pick up a car for the weekend.

The King and I took a ride to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where my parents live. We went to Hershey which is nearby to see a minor league hockey game while we were there.

The Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals affiliate were hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the NY Islanders farm team on this night at the Giant Center. We were joined by our friend Michael Abrams who was spending the weekend in the area with his lady friend Angelina. It was nice to see them again. Michael happens to be a Bear fan for over 30 years even though ironically he's an Islander fan.

As for the game, the Bears didn't let Michael down as they cruised to a 5-0 decision. Long time minor league goaltender Dany Sabourin got credit for the shutout.

After the game, the King and I spent the night at my parents' condo. Late in the morning, we said goodbye to them and we headed to Philadelphia to see the Jets play the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Stay tuned for the special post regarding the pre game festivities as we caught up with some very special people while we were there.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty spends some quality time in the Keystone State over the weekend!

Saturday morning I rented a car from Avis for the weekend. First stop was to pick up the King on my way to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Rangers in the afternoon.

As for the game, the Yankees rebounded to even the series at one game a piece as they beat the Texas Rangers, 5-2.

Luckily I didn't stick with the original plan I had made. I was looking to go to Washington D.C. but as it turned out the Nationals game got rained out.

Our luck ran out as the game we were planning to attend in Philadelphia was also washed out thanks to mother nature.

Thankfully that game was called very early so we had plenty of time to seek out an alternative. We did our research and found out that there was an AHL hockey playoff game in Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pennsylvania at 7:05PM. The baby Penguins were taking on the Norfolk Admirals who we saw play in Norfolk last month.

I drove us there instead. We dodged the lousy weather and we arrived in the parking lot around 6:45PM. After I parked the car, the King went ahead towards the box office to buy us tickets. When he opened the door to go in, someone gave him two free tickets. They said they didn't want them to go to waste. That made our night complete. We made the best of the situation. That's the way royalty rolls on the fly.

As for the game we saw, the visiting Norfolk Admirals came into the game ahead one game to none in the best of seven series. When the game was over they left the building heading back home with a two game lead. They scored the first goal of the game very late in the second period. They added an empty net goal with 5.3 seconds left to seal the deal. The home crowd left the building in disbelief.

After the game we drove back to Astoria, New York to the King's place to get some sleep.

We got up Sunday morning and we picked up our friends Bryan Gilligan and Rich Wolber who joined us for another visit to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to see the Phillies take on the Marlins at 1:35PM.

We saw our friend Frankie Centola who had his brother Nicky and his son Frank Jr. With him. It was great to catch up with them while we were there.

They plan to come to Citi Field over Memorial Day weekend to see their Phillies play the Mets.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies scored early and late to squeeze past the pesky Marlins, 3-2. The Marlins fought back to tie the game but Carlos Ruiz delivered the game winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to the delight of the. Philly faithful.

After the game, we drove back to Yankee Stadium for Sunday night baseball. When we got to our season seats in section 420B row 7, we were greeted by our fan club from Citi Field, Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal who were also in the house. As usual, they were so happy to see the King and I. It was a pleasant surprise to see them there.

As for the game, the Yankees beat the Rangers in a seesaw battle as Eric Chavez of the Yankees delivered the game winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, 6-5. Thankfully the game didn't go into extra innings.

After the game, the King and I drove towards Boston, Massachusetts so we could be at Fenway Park Monday morning.

Stay tuned for all the details from that memorable day as I'll be doing a special post.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 3/28 in review

After work Monday I went to Madison Square Garden as the Magic came back to play the Knicks for the second time in 5 days. This game wasn't originally scheduled but back on November 2, 2010 the game was postponed due to an asbestos scare. As a result, it was rescheduled for this night instead.

The Knicks came home in a downward spiral. The last time they played each other the Magic beat the Knicks, 111-99. This time the Knicks played better but they blew a 6 point lead late in the last minute of regulation. The game wound up going into overtime. The Knicks managed to overcome the letdown and they went on to beat the Magic going away, 113-106.

Tuesday night I went out to Newark, NJ with the intention of seeing the Nets play the Houston Rockets at the Prudential Center.

As it turned out, my plan of action didn't turn out as expected.

Stay tuned for a special post that will describe what happened on this particular night. If you've been there you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, this will give you reason to reconsider if it's worth the hassle or not to go there.

Wednesday I decided to take the night off so I could recharge the batteries and brace for the beginning of the new baseball season.

After working a half a day I went up to Yankee Stadium to start the baseball season. Please feel free to see the live post I did from my season seat in Section 420B row 7 seat 3.

As for the game, the Yankees opened the new season with a victory. They beat the Tigers, 6-3. Mark Teixeira hit a three run home run to open the scoring for the Yankees after the Tigers took a 1-0 lead. The Tigers came back to tie the game at 3. Former Tiger Curtis Granderson came back to haunt his former team when he hit a home run in the 7th inning. The "Grandy Man" delivered off former Yankee pitcher Phil Coke. With that being said, Curtis had a "Coke" and a smile.

The Yankees added a few insurance runs before Mariano Rivera closed it out in the ninth inning 1,2,3. It should be noted Granderson made a nice running catch to get the second out.

After the game, the King and I went to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play their crosstown rivals, the Rangers.

It was a playoff like atmosphere as these two teams battled it out.

The Rangers scored the first goal of the game but the Islanders went on to score the next six before the Rangers squeezed one more by former Ranger Al Montoya who thought he had it.The Islanders won, 6-2. As a result, many Ranger fans who were in attendance stormed out of the building.

As for the weekend which started early for me on Friday, stay tuned as I'll be writing a special post that recaps the adventurous getaway we had.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/21 in review‏

Upon returning from Western Canada Monday night, I was able to catch up on rest.

Tuesday I went back to work and home for more rest and clean up since there were no games to attend in the local area.

Wednesday night after work I went to Legends Night at Madison Square Garden.

In addition, the Knicks finally made a splash as they acquired Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups from the Denver Nuggets late Tuesday night.

As a result, the Garden was an electric atmosphere for the first time in a long time for the Knicks.

It reminded me of the 90's when the Garden rocked on a nightly basis.

The Melo effect has taken the City by storm. It looked like Halloween as many people changed their wardrobe overnight as they dressed up in t-shirts and jerseys with the number seven on them in support of him.

This night set the tone for many years to come at the World's Most Famous Arena as it continues to undergo its transformation into World's Most State of the Art Arena.

The Garden is known as the mecca of basketball. Now the City's game is back and so are the fans. On this night, it was packed with people wearing orange and blue.

During halftime, the Knicks honored their Legends of years past.

They did it by decade. In the 60's, they recognized Dick Barnett who was known for his fall back jumper.

In the 70's, they acknowledged the "Pearl" Earl Monroe who they acquired from the Baltimore Bullets and he arrived in time to be part of the 1973 World Championship team.

In the 80's, a local product from Queens and St. John's, playmaker Mark Jackson was honored.

In the 90's, fan favorite John Starks was introduced to the crowd to a rousing ovation. He was best known for his slam dunk over Michael Jordan in the playoffs back in the day.

In the 2000's, sharp shooter Allan Houston whose runner in the lane enabled the Knicks to beat the Heat as they went to the Finals back in 1999.

Now the Melo effect has ignited the city for many years to come.

As for his debut, he led the Knicks to victory as they beat the Bucks, 114-108!

Melo had 27 points and he grabbed 10 rebounds to help his team get the win.

Newcomer Chauncey Billups played well too.

For one night, it looked like a good move. Time will tell for sure.

The Knicks did have to part with a lot of good young talent to make this deal finally happen.

Business wise it was a no brainer. The question is will they eventually win another championship. As for an answer, we'll have to wait and see.

Thursday and Friday I went home again after work due to the lack of events in the area.

Over the weekend, I got to see a double dip on Saturday as I took a short drive to Hofstra University where the King and I saw the Pride take on the Blue Hens of Delaware on Senior Day.

As part of the festivities, the Pride retired uniform number 22 for Senior guard Charles Jenkins who's from Queens.

In his last regular game Jenkins finished scoring 21 points to lead the Pride to an easy 79-60 victory.

With less than a minute to go, Jenkins checked out for the final time and he received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The King and I were joined by our new found friend Eddie who loves attending college basketball games. In matter of fact, he went all the way to Alaska to see a game on a wild trip he made in late January as he flew out to Detroit then to Edmonton then to the Bay Area in California before he decided to brave the freezing cold weather as he went up to the last frontier. On his way back he stopped off in Minneapolis and he drove to Green Bay to see a college basketball game before he finally came back to NYC.

We were able to relate well with him since we just came back from Western Canada. We enjoyed each other's company throughout the game.

We were impressed with his excursion. He still thinks what we've done over the years is amazing.

We asked him if he wanted to join us for the Islanders/ Washington Capitals game we were attending across the street. He said he couldn't since he had other plans that he was committed to already. He did appreciate the offer though.

The King and I went to grab some dinner between games.

Afterwards we went to the Nassau Coliseum to see the second game of our convenient doubleheader.

This was my 1,500th NHL game I've seen in person. Ironically my first one was also at the Coliseum back on January 17, 1980 when the Islanders hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As for this one, we saw a good one as the Islanders before a rare sellout crowd took an early 2-0 lead during the first half of the game. As the game wore on, the Islanders got worn out. They wound up giving up a goal to get the Capitals back into it at 2-1 as they headed into the third period.

In the third period, the Capitals capitalized as they eventually got the equalizer and the game winner as they went on to win, 3-2!

It should be noted that there were a number of Capital fans who made the trip up from down South to see their team play.

Needless to say, they had a happy ride home.

Sunday the King and I went to the Garden to see the Rangers play the Tampa Bay Lightning in an afternoon game. It  was kid's day.

Unfortunately for the kids, the Rangers fell short in this one, 2-1.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/27 in review‏

I survived an unexpected adventure getting home from Chicago due to the blizzard in the Northeast.

As a result, I wound up missing the Nets game against the Magic on Monday night.

Tuesday night was a scheduled night off. As things turned out I was thankful it was. I had a lot of catching up to do at home.

Wednesday it was back to business as usual. I went back to work and afterwards I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Devils host their cross town rival, the Rangers.

The Devils have had a horrible season thus far. On this night the Rangers added to their misery as they beat the Devils, 3-1!

Thursday I worked a half a day so I could attend my first ever college bowl game, the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium at 3:30PM.

In addition, I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend first.

I want to personally thank a guy named Eddie who got in contact with me through my blog a few weeks ago. It turned out that Eddie lives nearby. What a small world it is.

We had been e-mailing each other back and forth. Quite amazingly, he got stuck out in Southern Colorado with a few friends during the blizzard. They wound up driving 30 hours to get back to New York.

Eddie found out at the last minute he was off from work and he planned to go to the Pinstripe Bowl as well.

I told him my plan of action.

He said since he was going to be out in the City that he would pick me up after work at my office and drive me back to Avis on Long Island so I could pick up the car rental instead of me taking public transportation to get there.

I couldn't thank him enough for being so thoughtful and caring.

I plan to hook up with him often in the future. We have similar interests and we can help each other out.

Stay tuned as I go into further detail regarding the Pinstripe Bowl.

It was a very memorable day for Royalty.

In addition, I'll be writing some special posts regarding the ending of 2010 and the opening of 2011 on the road.

It was a weekend for the ages.

Furthermore, I plan to do a 2010 year in review when I get a chance.

Thanks to you 2010 was incredible. I expect 2011 to be even better for all of us.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Please always remember I'm here for you if and when you need my assistance.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Blues hang on to beat the Rangers, 4-3!

The Blues scored the first goal of the goal of the game just 1:10 into it when Brad Boyes did the honors.

Ryan Callahan of the Rangers tied it up on the power play 5:52 into the period.

With 2:52 left, Marian Gaborik scored his team high 37th goal to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

I might add the Blues had two breakaway chances to score but they weren't able to do so. The second one however did hit the post.

In the second period, the Blues were outplayed but they still managed to score 2 unanswered goals that gave them a 3-2 lead.

Mike Weaver notched his first goal of the season which tied the game at 2.

In the third period, the Rangers had a golden chance to tie the game when the Blues got called for 2 different delay of game penalties in the first minute.

They failed to do so.

Later in the period, they did tie the game at 3 when defenseman Wade Redden put one past Ty Conklin, the Blues netminder with 12:49 left in the game.

The game remained tied briefly. Just one minute and 13 seconds later, the Blues regained the lead when Paul Kariya redirected a shot in front of the net which proved to be the difference in the game. It was his 400th career NHL goal and it was a memorable one.

The Rangers mounted pressure in hopes of tying the game but it wasn't meant to be tonight.

Despite outshooting the Blues 29-16, they came up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

Tonight it looks like a change of plans due to mother nature

I was planning to head out to the Meadowlands tonight but with mother nature dumping snow on the area, I think I will use some common sense.

So instead of seeing the lowly Nets play the Bucks, I hope to go to the Garden to see the Rangers take on the Nashville Predators.

They should play since the Predators are in town. They lost to the Islanders last night in a shootout in Uniondale.

Check back to see where I wound up and how things turned out.