Royalty w/o 12/13 in review

Monday after work I went home to recharge the batteries for the busy week ahead.

Tuesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to the Prudential Center to see the Nets play the Philadelphia 76ers.

My Cousin Andy met me there and he joined the King and I. He always loves our company. It was a great time having him with us.

As for the game, it was rather boring. Both teams had trouble scoring points. The 76ers wound up coming out ahead in the end, 82-77.

The Sixers were led by Jrue Holiday who scored 19 points. Spencer Hawes added 18. On a side note, the King and I saw him play in college with the Washington Huskies back in January 2007 when we saw a game at Cal-Berkeley which was part of our "Bay Area Blast" excursion.

For the Nets, Brook Lopez had 16 points. Other bright spots were Kris Humphries and rookie Derek Favors who both grabbed 13 rebounds.

Wednesday night after work it was off to Madison Square Garden for the showdown between the Knicks and the visiting Boston Celtics.

This game lived up to the hype. Unlike the game in Newark, this was an action packed down to the wire thriller.

The Knicks played very well throughout the game and they led for the majority of the game but with four tenths of a second to go, Paul Pierce of the Celtics delivered a potential game winning dagger as the Knicks fell behind by 2.

The Knicks called a timeout to set up a possible miracle finish. In fact, they did execute it to perfection as Amar'e Stoudemire hit a trey to put them ahead as time expired.

The officials went to replay to see if indeed the shot beat the buzzer. After further review, the basket was ruled that it came a split second late and the Knicks fell short, 118-116.

Paul Pierce finished with 32 points and he had 10 rebounds. Ray Allen poured in 26. Kevin Garnett aka KG added 20 points and 13 boards for the big three. Rajon Rondo dished out 14 assists.

For the Knicks, Amar'e Stoudemire scored 39 points as he set a team record with his ninth consecutive 30+ game. He also had 10 rebounds. Raymond Felton had 26 points and 14 assists. While Wilson Chandler contributed 18 points and 12 boards in the heartbreaking loss.

Regardless of the outcome, it was a tremendous game to watch.

Thursday night after work I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders take on the Anaheim Ducks.

The Islanders were in search of a rare victory. They got off to a fast start as they scored 3 unanswered goals to take a 3-0 lead midway through the contest. The Ducks chipped away as they got within one goal in the third period. The Islanders fought hard and were able to hold them off as they skated off with a 3-2 win.

Friday night after a holiday party at work I went back to the Garden to see the Miami Heat make their first visit since they added LeFraud James to South Beach as he stated in his ridiculous announcement back in July.

Needless to say, the hostile Garden crowd booed him every time he touched the ball.

My biggest problem with him was that he was from Akron, Ohio which is a mere 39 miles from Cleveland where he grew up. He should have stayed home and been a real "hometown" hero by winning the NBA championship some day for them.

Instead he ran away from home. Yes that's his choice. He was free to do when he thought was best.

He just didn't show any class in what he did.

As for the game he played he was a monster as he tuned out the boos and silenced the crowd with a triple double to lead his new team the Miami Heat past the Knicks, 113-91.

He scored 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

He did put on quite a show. As an astute basketball observer I did appreciate his performance.

As for his supporting cast, Dwayne Wade  aka "DWade" had 26 points and Chris Bosh who also turned down the Knicks had 26 points as well. It should be noted that every time he went to the free throw line the crowd yelled out loud and clear "OVERRATED". I beg to differ, I think Bosh is a nice player. I won't say great but very good. If he wore a Knick uniform he would be graced with open arms and he would get the love he deserves.

As for the Knicks, Danilo Gallanari led the way with 25 points. Amar'e Stoudemire had his record breaking of scoring 30 or more points snapped though. He finished with 24 and he pulled down 14 rebounds. Wilson Chandler added 17 points and he snatched 10 boards in the losing effort.

The Knicks fell short to the best in the Eastern Conference this week but you can tell the team is heading in the right direction once and for all. It's only a matter of time before they get back to being a contender.

Stay tuned as I recap my weekend getaway to the Sunshine State.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Happy Holidays to all!

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/25 in review

After catching up on rest Monday and Tuesday night after work, I was ready for basketball to start.

Wednesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play their first game at their new temporary home, the Prudential Center. It was the 56th NBA arena that I've seen a game in.

As for the game, the Detroit Pistons were playing the Nets on Opening Night.

This was a closely contested game throughout. In the end, Anthony Morrow hit the winning shot as the Nets came from behind to get into the win column first with a 101-98 win.

Last season the Nets didn't win their first game for a few months.

Brook Lopez led all scorers with 25 points and Devin Harris added 22. For the Pistons, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva each had 14 points in the loss.

After another night off Thursday, I returned to the Prudential Center Friday night after work.

The Sacramento Kings were in town to play the Nets. This game was similar to Wednesday night.

The Net hung tough and came back to win again. This time they won 106-100.

Brook Lopez had 29 points and Devin Harris poured in 21 to lead the way. For the Kings, Francisco Garcia and Tyreke Evans added 18 points each in the losing effort.

Stop the season, the Nets are 2-0!

Saturday I drove up to New Haven, Connecticut to see the Columbia Lions play the Yale Bulldogs at the Yale Bowl with the King.

It was a perfect opportunity for us to see the Yale Bowl for the first time.

We've previously seen games in the Ivy League at Princeton and Penn.

Speaking of Princeton, when we arrived in the seating area we heard a few people get our attention. We weren't alone.

We saw a few members of our crew in the house, they were Steve Tepperman aka "Princeton Steve" and Pat Gorman.

They were sitting near midfield so we went up and joined them.

As for the game, Yale raced out to a 31-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, Columbia came roaring back to cut the lead to 3, 31-28. Unfortunately for them, that's the way it remained as the Bulldogs hung on for the narrow victory.

Saturday night we drove back to NYC to see the new look New York Knicks play the Portland Trailblazers in their home opener at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks with a revamped roster which included newcomers Amaure Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov and Landry Fields still weren't able to hold an eight point lead with 5 minutes to go.

They wound up losing the opener 100-95 in front of a sellout crowd.

The fan base seemed to be back at least on this night.

Brandon Roy lead the way for the Trailblazers with 29 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points and Andre Miller chipped with 19 to blaze the trail to victory.

For the Knicks, Wilson Chandler scored 22 points off the bench. Amaure Stoudemire had 18 points in his home debut.

Sunday I went to the New Meadowlands Stadium looking a treat on Halloween. I would had been better off staying home. I could have knocked on some doors and looked for candy instead.

The Jets thought it was Easter as they laid an egg. After having an off week, the Jets should have came out ready to play but they didn't.

The weather conditions were brutal. The wind was gusting and whipping up throughout the game. The Jets game plan left a lot to be desired in this one. They should have been running the ball more especially against the Packers defense who's not good against stopping the run.

The Jets wound up throwing the ball a lot more than expected. Mark Sanchez didn't have a good game. The Jet defense played well but the offense got shut out by the Packers who won the game, 9-0!

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Triponi's Pizza & Grill




Triponi's Pizza & Grill



When I go to see the NJ Devils and now the NJ Nets play at the Prudential Center in Newark, I always stop off here to get my dinner before the game.

It's conveniently located right in Newark Penn Station where the train station is.

They're on the lower level once you get off the train.

I usually get the pizza when I go there. They offer a great deal. You can get two regular slices and a drink for $6.00.

If you prefer a topping on your slices it's $7.50.

That's a bargain when you consider what it costs to eat at the arena.

In addition, they serve burgers and other hot dishes if you prefer something different.

You can ask for Syed and tell him Royalty sent you. He'll make sure you get treated right.

I do have season tickets for the Devils and the Nets so if you need tickets and/or assistance going to and from the Prudential Center, all you have to do is ask.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Prudential Center

This building was named after the Prudential Insurance Company which is based in Newark, NJ.

They are known as the "Rock".

Hence most people affectionately refer to the building the same way.

As for the arena, it's the current home of the 3 time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils.

Starting in late October and/or early November later this year it will serve as the temporary home of the NJ soon to be Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets are suppose to play two seasons at the "Rock" before moving to Brooklyn, NY to call the Barclays Center their new permanent home in October 2012.

They just broke ground on March 11th for that new building.

It should be noted that basketball has been played at the "Rock" by the Seton Hall Pirates.

As for the building itself, it holds 17,625 for hockey and it should sit more than 18,000 for basketball.

It has two levels which is separated by a significant number of luxury boxes which is a must these days for professional sports teams to survive.

The concourses are very spacious on both levels.

They have a restaurant/bar built into the lower bowl for its upscale clientele which is part of the fancy Club seats they offer.

It's a nice place to view a game and a way to spend some quality time with good friends, acquaintances and clients.

It's easily accessible by public transportation.

It's located in downtown Newark within a short walk of Newark-Penn Station.

NJ Transit trains stop there from all different parts of New Jersey.

In addition, people who live and/or work in New York City can take the Path train there as well.

Driving is always an option of course.

Furthermore, you walk through the Gateway Center en route to the arena where you'll find a number of places to eat along the way.

Moreover, there's a district in the vicinity called Ironbound where fans go to hang out before and after the game.

I have full season tickets to both the Devils and the Nets.

If you're interested, let me know and hopefully we can work somthing out in the future.