Royalty w/o 1/23 in review

This past week started slow which was just what the doctor ordered after a three week rampage of running around to see live sporting events to start the New Year.

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night I went home after work to rest and catch up on things at home like normally people do on a regular basis.

Monday night I did my laundry.

Wednesday night I took it easy since I was worn out.

Thursday night I met my parents along with my niece Taylor and nephew Jeremy for dinner. We had a really nice time together. It was great to see them all again.

Tuesday night after work I went to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Buffalo Sabres who were in a horrible slump.

Since our pals Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell from Buffalo are big Sabre fans, the King and I needed to deliver some royal karma for them. Those poor guys went to Chicago and Winnipeg to see them play and they were awful. They braved the elements to see some lousy Sabre hockey. Regardless they had a blast. Check out their website which is on my blog list for all the details on their latest getaway.

On this night, the Sabres didn't play great but they managed to get the game to a shootout where they were able to beat the Devils in the skills competition, 2-1. A win's a win and I'm glad that we were able to get the Sabres the two points that they so desperately needed.

Friday night after work, the King, his half brother Charlie Casiano and our pal Vincent Ascanio trekked out to Stony Brook, Long Island to see some college basketball as the Seawolves of Stony Brook played their arch rival, the Terriers of Boston University. It should be noted that Charlie got his undergraduate degree from Stony Brook.

I want to personally thank my buddy Eddie Pelle who also graduated from there. He went out of his way to arrange to accomodate all of us. He was going to join us but he wound up taking advantage of an opportunity to make a trip to Hawaii to see the Pro Bowl at the last minute.

Eddie not only got us tickets for the game which was sold out but he also provided us with round trip transportation on LIRR from Penn Station which is a hour and a half ride there and back.

We were all very grateful for his generosity. Too bad he couldn't join us as the Seawolves beat the Terriers, 66-57 in a seesaw battle. The Seawolves started slow but finished strong to win. It was a great experience as the gym was jam packed. There was a sea of red throughout the building since both teams wear red. The crowd was predominantly Stony Brook fans though. The student section was jumping all night long.

It was nice to spend some quality time with Charlie. He's a really good guy. I hope we get to see him more often in the future.

Saturday morning the King and I took a Chinese bus from Chinatown to Philadelphia for the day. We went to see three more basketball games in the City of Brotherly Love.

We arrived in Philadelphia shortly after 12 Noon which gave us plenty of time to get to the first game we were attending at Drexel University, home of the Dragons at 2PM. They were playing the Blue Hens from the University of Delaware. We met our friend Mike Carroll there.

As for the game, it was a great atmosphere. Unfortunately we had to leave early with 6:28 left in the second half with the Dragons winning, 56-38 so we could get to our next game on time. The Dragons went on to win the game easily, 71-55. While we were there we got to say hello to Josh Verlin who writes for Stadium Journey. He's a young man who's taking a class at Temple so he can graduate he said.

He left the game early as well. We all went to Temple to see the Owls play the Hawks of St. Joseph's at 4PM.

We met our friend Andrew Van Cleve who was with his son, Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby. Andrew's wife Nicole is a professor at Temple. She was working while he was at the game.

Andrew helped the King and I out by getting us tickets while we were taking the subway over from Drexel.
As a result, we barely got in on time. As I like to say, teamwork makes the dream work. Needless to say, it was a pleasure to see Andrew and Dylan again.

As for the game we saw, Temple wound up blowing away St. Joseph's, 78-60. I expected to see a more competitive game. Regardless of the outcome, it was still nice to finally see a game there.

After the game, Andrew met up with Nicole for dinner. The King and I went to Wendy's which was right next to the arena so it was very convenient for us to have a quick dinner before we got back on the train to go to the Wells Fargo Center for our third basketball game of the day. We saw the 76ers play the Detroit Pistons.

As for the game we saw, the 76ers won rather easily, 95-74. By doing so, we got to see all three home teams win.

After the game, we caught the 10PM Chinese bus which got us back to lower Manhattan just before midnight.

Sunday the King and I rested up during the day before we headed back out to Newark, NJ to see the Nets host the Toronto Raptors. We were joined by our friends Frank Anichiarico and Vincent Ascanio.
As for the game we saw, it wasn't much of a game. The Nets hung around into the third quarter but then the Raptors started to pull away as they went on to win, 94-73.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty schedule w/o 1/30

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday January 31st Rangers at Devils 7PM

Wednesday February 1st Pistons at Nets 7:30PM

Thursday February 2nd Bulls at Knicks 8PM

Friday February 3rd Timberwolves at Nets 7:30PM

Saturday February 4th Devils at Flyers 1PM

                                  Nets at Knicks 7:30PM

Sunday February 5th Penguins at Devils 1PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 1/23 in review.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty returns to Foxboro for the AFC Championship Game!

Patriots win , 23-20!

Early Sunday morning I went to Avis to rent a car for the day so I could drive the King and I back to Foxboro to see the New England Patriots play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

The winner will be represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

On the way, we stopped off in Providence, Rhode Island where we picked up our pal Andrew Van Cleve aka the Ultimate Sports Fan who left his wife Nicole and their baby Dylan there while he went to the game with us. Nicole got to take Dylan to the Children's Museum so they were entertained too.

We all needed tickets for the game but once we arrived at the Stadium we went right to the box office and they had some tickets available so we were able to buy them there surprisingly.

Everything worked out well for all of us. We all proceeded to go inside and we saw the game and history in the making.

As for the game, it reminded me of a heavyweight fight as the Patriots and Ravens slugged it out on the gridiron.

It was a close game all the way through. The Patriots led, 23-20 with time running out in regulation. The Ravens were forced to try a field goal attempt after wide receiver Lee Evans dropped what appeared to be the go ahead touchdown in the end zone.

So the Ravens trotted their kicker Billy Cundiff onto the field to attempt a 32 yard field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime. Unfortunately, Cundiff hooked the ball wide left with 11 seconds left which enabled the Patriots to survive another scare as they held on to win and they earned a trip back to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last 11 years.

Since we arranged to meet up with Nicole and Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby back in Providence, we didn't need overtime because we all had a long drive home.

Regardless of the outcome, we saw a great game and we were part of history.

Unfortunately, somebody had to lose. I feel for Billy Cundiff. That was a hard way for the Ravens to end their season.

As the Lamar Hunt Trophy which is given to the AFC Champions was presented to the Patriots after the game, quarterback Tom Brady said and I quote "I really sucked today." He's lucky that Cundiff & Evans sucked more as it turned out.

We went back to the car after the game and we drove back to Providence where we met up with Nicole and Dylan for dinner at a Greek restaurant called Andreas by Brown University.

We all enjoyed a great meal together. It was very royal as Nicole made a sound decision. It was nice to see the Ultimate Sports wife as Andrew calls her and the Ultimate Sports Baby, Dylan who's always so playful when we've seen him.

After we ate, we said our goodbyes and we all went on our way home.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Washington Nationals show loyalty & royalty as they introduce Gio Gonzalez!

The Washington Nationals recently traded for Gio Gonzalez. They showed him the long term commitment and stability he deserves by signing him to a five year extension.


For all the details, please see the video below as they introduced him to the media.


Congratulations, Gio! You definitely earned it with your positive attitude and your perseverance. You're truly a class act and those in DC will find that out real fast.

Nats introduce Gio

Nationals welcome Gio to DC

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=20072363
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 schedule w/o 1/23

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday January 24th Sabres at Devils 7PM

Friday January 27th Boston University at Stonybrook 9PM

Saturday January 28th Delaware at Drexel 2PM

St. Joseph's at Temple 4PM

Pistons at 76ers 7PM

Sunday January 29th Raptors at Nets 6PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 1/16 in review as well as my special post about our return visit to Foxboro. Please bear with me.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty and company enjoy AFC Divisional Playoff Games in Foxboro and Baltimore!

Prince is in the house tonight

During the week leading up to the divisional playoff games, I got a call from Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk who lives in Anaheim, California. He told me he wanted to come East for some royal treatment. He prides himself on seeing quality as he likes to say.

Once the matchups were set for the divisional playoffs, he booked a flight to come to NYC. We went back and forth during the week to coordinate his surprise visit.

Our friend Vincent Ascanio decided he wanted to make a royal road trip for the first time with me.
So with that being said, I had already booked a car rental from Avis anticipating going away for that weekend. Now the King and I had some additional company too.

Here's how it turned out. I woke up early Saturday morning and I went to Avis to pick up the car. I wound up getting a Crown Victoria which was perfect for this getaway.

After I got the car, I went near JFK airport to pick up Steve who flew in late Friday night. I went to his hotel and picked him up. I proceeded to go back home to Astoria to get the King. Then we drove to Queensbridge where we met Vincent.

With everybody in the car, we went on our way towards Foxboro. We arranged to have an appetizer if you will. We stopped off at the University of Rhode Island which is located in Kingston, Rhode Island. We went to the Thomas Ryan Center for the very first time to see the Rams of URI play the Dukes of Duquesne University.

What a beautiful arena it was. It was a perfect way to pass time on our way to see the New England Patriots play the Denver Broncos in prime time.

As for the game we saw, the Rams lost to the Dukes, 78-71.

After the game, we drove to Cranston, Rhode Island which was about 25 miles away going towards Foxboro. We went there because I arranged to meet a guy named Rick Forcino who I got in contact with on Craigslist earlier in the week. He had a pair of extra tickets so he was kind enough to sell them to me. It worked out perfectly as the King and I used them. They were located on the upper level halfway up at the 35 yard line.

Steve and Vincent were able to secure tickets through Ticketmaster so it worked out well for all of us.
We arrived in Foxboro shortly after 6PM. We parked the car in the $20 lot which is the cheapest you'll found in the area. We proceeded to walk towards Gillette Stadium.

We stopped off at Papa Gino's to have some pizza on the way before we braved the elements to watch the game.

We all indulged in a hearty meal. We then continued about a mile to get to the Stadium.

We all went in and picked a place to meet after the game.

As for the game we saw, it was over early for all intent and purposes, the Patriots scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game. It took them a mere 1:51 to drive down the field to take the early 7-0 lead. That drive set the tone for the rest of the evening as the Broncos couldn't get out of their own way.

The Patriots' defense stifled them the whole night. Tim Tebow wound up getting hurt in the second quarter but he showed heart and he continued to battle through it but his team proved to be no match for the Pats on this night. The Patriots cruised to an easy 45-10 victory as they will host the AFC Championship Game against the winner of the Ravens and Texans.

It should be noted that the King hinted that we could leave early but he knew that was going on deaf ears as I had no intention of checking out early despite the lopsided score.

As a result, we got to see Tom Brady even punt the ball late in the game.

We met up with Steve and Vincent after the game and we all walked back to the car together.

We pulled out of the parking lot at 12:14AM as we headed towards Baltimore which was 400 miles away where we were going to see the Baltimore Ravens play the Houston Texans at 1PM Sunday afternoon.

We arrived in Aberdeen, Maryland at a Super 8 at 6:14AM where we got some sleep. We checked out at 10:45AM and we continued the drive to Baltimore which was 30 miles away.

Everybody was amazed that I was able to stay awake overnight to drive us all safely to our destination.
I made sure I got enough sleep and rest during the week so I would be up to the task. Thankfully I was.
We parked the car on the street in the neighborhood upon arrival in Baltimore. We then walked over to M&T Bank Stadium which was nearby. We all went to the will call window where we picked up the tickets we ordered during the week from Ticketmaster.

In addition, we met up with our pal, Andrew Van Cleve who took the train down from Philadelphia. It was great to see him again.

After the game, we went out to eat with Andrew and we drove him home on our way back to NYC.
Before the game, I went upstairs to section 500 so I could say hello to my friend, Nib Pirrung who's been a Raven season ticket holder since day one when they moved to Baltimore. It was great to see him again as well.

As for the game we saw, the Ravens fell behind 3-0 as their defense clamped down after the Texans got a nice return on the opening kick off.

The Ravens proceeded to take the lead. The Texans battled back all day but they couldn't get over the hump as the Raven defense came up big when they needed to as the Ravens escaped with a 20-13 victory to advance to the AFC Championship Game in Foxboro.

After the game, we all ate in Baltimore then I dropped Andrew off in Philadelphia at 9PM. We drove back to Brooklyn where Vincent lives. I dropped him off at 11:15PM.

Then I took Steve, the King and I back to Astoria. We arrived there a few minutes before midnight. Steve spent the night with us.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/9 in review

View from the West Balcony

I basically spent my week at Madison Square Garden after work Monday-Thursday.

I took turns watching the Knicks on Monday and Wednesday nights and the Rangers on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Here's how the games I saw went:

Monday night the Knicks hosted the Charlotte Bobcats. The Knicks played them the week before and they lost to them. I didn't go to that one. This time it was payback as the Knicks returned the favor as they beat the Bobcats, 91-87.

I did get to see Kemba Walker play as a pro for the first time. He played college ball at UCONN and he's from the Bronx. He came off the bench and he scored 10 points.

Tuesday night I saw the Rangers play the Phoenix Coyotes. I sat in the newly added West Balcony which is located upstairs behind the goal. It's a great aerial view of the action.

As for the game, it was scoreless after two periods. In the third period, both teams scored a goal which forced overtime. Neither team was able to score in the extra session so the game had to be decided in a shootout. This one took six rounds until the Rangers finally emerged victorious as Derek Stepan lit the lamp to give the Rangers the 2-1 victory in the skills competition.

Wednesday night I saw the Knicks take on the red hot Philadelphia 76ers who had won six in a row. The Knicks came to play as they held off the tired Sixers who played the two nights in a row prior to coming to the Garden. The Knicks won the game, 85-79.

Thursday night I saw the Rangers entertain the Ottawa Senators. Once again I sat up in the West Balcony. This time I wound up meeting a guy named Evans Longacre who was at the game with his co-workers. We spoke to each other during the game which enhanced my game experience on this night. I hope to see Evans down the road again.

As for the game, the Rangers had an off night as they failed to score a goal as they fell to the Senators, 3-0. Jason Spezza of the Senators scored two goals to lead the way. I'm a big fan of his since I remember seeing him play back in 1999 in Junior hockey. He has had himself a nice career with the Senators.

Friday night after work I came home and rested since there were no games of interest in the local area for me to attend.

More importantly, I had to do my wash and get ready for my busy weekend getaway for some playoff football and then some.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that will recap all the festivities of this classic weekend. It was very royal to say the least.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty schedule w/o 1/16

Here's the game plan:

Monday January 16th Predators at Islanders 1PM

Tuesday January 17th Jets at Devils 7PM

Wednesday January 18th Suns at Knicks 7:30PM

Thursday January 19th Bruins at Devils 7PM

Friday January 20th Bucks at Knicks 7:30PM

Saturday January 20th  Villanova at St. John's 1PM (MSG)

                                    Nuggets at Knicks 7:30PM

Sunday January 22nd Ravens at Patriots 3PM AFC Championship Game

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 1/9 in review as well as my special post about my epic weekend with some special royal company when I find some time to do it. Please bear with me.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty witnesses history at MetLife Stadium!

1st Ever Playoff Game at MetLife Stadium

Sunday afternoon the NY Giants who won the NFC East Division got to host a playoff game at MetLife Stadium. It was the first ever playoff game played there as the Giants played the fifth seeded Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card game.

This time the King and I avoided any hassles by buying tickets which were available during the week on Ticketmaster. Our friend Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich was there as well. I arranged to get all the tickets for us.

Our friend Andrew Van Cleve came up from Philadelphia so he could be part of history too. Since he moved to the Northeast at the beginning of December, we've seen each numerous times. It's always a pleasure to see him.

As for the game we saw, the Giants fell behind 2-0 as the Falcons forced Giant quarterback Eli Manning into an intentional grounding in the end zone as he was trying to avoid the sack which gave the Falcons a safety. That's the only points the Falcons got the rest of the afternoon as the Giants defense totally shut them down.

The Giants' offense was slow to get started as they led by a score of  7-2 at halftime. In the second half, the offense got into high gear as they ran the ball well with their running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. In addition, their three wide receivers emerged. Victor Cruz was double covered most of the time so that gave his teammates Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham a chance to shine and they did.
Nicks scored a touchdown that covered 86 yards in the third quarter that for all intent and purposes put the game away. As a result, the crowd went crazy. The building felt like it was shaking literally. What a moment it was to be a Giant fan.

The Giants went on to win the game, 24-2. They go to Green Bay this weekend to play the Packers in the Divisional Round at Lambeau Field. It won't be an easy task but they won there on their way to winning the Super Bowl back in 2007. We'll wait and see what happens this time.

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 starts the New Year with a bang!

After finishing 2011 strong, 2012 got off to a flying start for me.

The King and I took a bus from Chinatown to Philadelphia early Sunday morning to get the New Year started.
We went to Lincoln Financial Field where we met up with Andrew Van Cleve and his son Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby. We rounded up cheap tickets outside the stadium and we went in to see the Eagles close out their season with the Washington Redskins.

When we got inside we met up with our friend Frankie Centola who was with his son, Frank the third. Frankie gave the King and I a nice upgrade to the club level. Andrew couldn't join us because he had the baby in a stroller. He decided to watch the game from the ramps instead. It worked out well for all of us.
As for the game we saw, the Eagles dismantled the Redskins, 34-10.

After the game, the King took the bus back to Chinatown. We then took the subway to the Port Authority Bus Terminal when we got back to NYC just after seven o'clock.

We decided to brave the weather since it was raining to try and get into the Giants game against the Cowboys at 8:20PM.

We got out to MetLife Stadium with no problem. The problem we had was we didn't have tickets for the game. We knew it wasn't going to be easy.

As expected, a number of people were looking too. There were scalpers with tickets but they were too pricey for our liking.

We waited awhile. The game started and the prices were still too high. Shortly thereafter, we were wandering around the stadium and I found a ticket on the floor. The King told me to go ahead and try it. I did and I got in. He continued to look but he couldn't get anything so he decided to go home.

I walked into the stadium with 5:54 left in the first quarter. The game was still scoreless.

Less than a minute later, Victor Cruz turned a short gain for a first down into a 74 yard touchdown pass to give the Giants a 7-0 lead.

They continued to build their lead to 21-0 before the Cowboys came back to get within a touchdown at 21-14. The Giants managed to extend their lead. They eventually won the game, 31-14. As a result, they won the NFC East division.

Stay tuned for my latest visit to the Winter Classic. I will do a special post recapping the whole experience which will include the past ones I've been to.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty schedule w/o 1/9

Here's the game plan:

Monday January 9th Bobcats at Knicks 7:30PM

Tuesday January 10th Coyotes at Rangers 7PM

Wednesday January 11th 76ers at Knicks 7:30PM

Thursday January 12th Senators at Rangers 7PM

Saturday January 14th Duquesne at Rhode Island 2PM

                                   Broncos at Patriots 8PM AFC Divisional Playoff

Sunday January 15th Texans at Ravens 1PM AFC Divisional Playoff

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 1/2 in review as well as my special post about New Year's Day when I find some time to do it. In addition, I'm going to do a special post about the whole Winter Classic experience. Please bear with me.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty 2011 Year in Review

Another year has come and gone. With that being said it's time to relive the good and bad of 2011.
Personally speaking, 2011 was a rough year for me. Some of you may know I was forced to move out of my parent's house. They decided they wanted to move to Lancaster, Pennsylvania on a full time basis. So on August 20th, I moved out and I moved in to live with the King.

My parents broke the news to me in late January. I had to clean up and throw out many personal memories I had saved over the years from the various places I had been to. As a result, I was forced to miss some sporting events along the way.

In the process, I still maintained my rigorous schedule and blog which I'm most proud of. That was my biggest concern. I have been blogging for almost two years now. I've developed a captive audience and fan club. I don't want to let my people down.

With no further ado, here's how things played out in 2011.

First and foremost, my total sporting events total took a dip to 307 compared to 338 in 2010. All things considered, I had a great year with the parameters I was given to work with.

The King on the other hand managed to get to 402 total sporting events in 2011. 233 of them were baseball games hence the name the King.

Here's a recap by month of the highlights:

January before I found out the news, the King and I started the year on New Year's Day at the Winter Classic in Pittsburgh. Since mother nature wasn't cooperating they moved the game from the afternoon to a night game. As a result, the King and I started the year with a surprise as we wound up going to Youngstown State to see a college basketball game. Ironically the team nickname is the Penguins so we got to see a unique Penguin doubleheader instead.

After that, we went to see NFL playoff games in Philadelphia and New England.

On January 18th, after work I secured tickets to see the Jets play the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh.

That same night I had the privilege and honor of being on internet TV in the FDHL Lounge with Rick Morris. It happened to be their fourth anniversary show that night. What a way to hit the airwaves.

After the King and I went to Pittsburgh to see the Jets fall to the Steelers, I was told by my parents that they're going to sell the house and I have to move out.

In February, I celebrated the first anniversary of my blog. Over President's Day weekend, the King and I went to Western Canada to see the Heritage Classic in Calgary. While we were there, we went to Edmonton and Red Deer as well. This trip was planned out in December so I wasn't going to miss it given my current situation.

When we returned we saw the home debuts of newly acquired players Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams for their new teams, the Knicks and Nets respectively.

In March, we took a trip to Norfolk, Virginia where we met up with our friend Bob Kelly who lives in the area. On the way home we stopped off in Washington DC and we saw the Wizards play with our friends Peter & Carmen Agnew who live in Baltimore.

We also started the new baseball season at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day which was on March 31st.

In April, we made some weekend getaways to Philadelphia, Washington and Boston.

On April 23rd, I saw my 4,000th baseball game at Citi Field as the Mets played the Diamondbacks.

In May, the King and I made our annual trip to Chicago to see Wrigley Field. While we were there, we went to Milwaukee too. More importantly, we got to attend a birthday party.

Our friend Andrew Van Cleve and his wife Nicole were having a party for their son, Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Baby who turned one.

We were thrilled to be part of his first birthday celebration.

At the end of May, we went to Baltimore and Lehigh Valley where we met up with Jason Grilli who got us tickets for the game.

The month of June was rather quiet except for a quick trip to Philadelphia. As a result, I was able to start seriously cleaning up for my move.

In addition, I entertained friends who visited from out of town. First, Don Steiger and his daughter Angie came to NYC from St. Louis. It was Angie's first time in the Big Apple. I arranged to get them tickets to see the new Yankee Stadium while they were here. After they left town, the Red Sox came to the Bronx and so did Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk from Anaheim. He got another taste of royal treatment while he was here too.  

July was a historical month as I saw Derek Jeter get his 3,000th major league hit on July 9th. In addition, I saw Ervin Santana of the Angels no hit the Indians in Cleveland on July 27th.

Back in early January, I got in contact with an up and coming sports traveler, Paul Derrick from Houston, Texas. He referred to me as his sports travel idol. We stayed in contact via e-mail for months. He wanted to make a road trip he told me. Before I knew my situation was taking a turn for the worst, I told Paul I was going to make it happen for him. True to my word, I met him for the first time on July 22nd. We traveled together for the next nine days. I rented a car for that stretch and I showed him what we have to offer here in the Northeast.

He didn't want to go back home. He was amazed that everything I told him happened and then some. I had planned some surprises along the way as we wound up meeting some familiar faces as well as some new ones. It was a trip of a lifetime as Paul called it.

We got an added bonus when we saw Ervin Santana's no hitter together. The King and our friend Bryan Gilligan joined us for parts of this Stadium Journey. Speaking of Stadium Journey, Paul is one of their correspondents. We wound up meeting a few others along the way. We met Josh Guilher and Geoff Crawley too. We hooked up with Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell from Buffalo. We got to see Kurt Smith, the author of Ballpark E-Guides. Furthermore, we got to see Rick Morris in his mobile FDH Lounge which culminated their amazing excursion.

In August, we got a visit from Darren O'Donnell who was riding his bike all around the country for the whole baseball season to see every major league park. He got to visit family and friends who helped him out along the way. The King and I met him at Citi Field on August 10th. We were blow away by his method of transportation. He did reach the finish line in St. Louis on September 25th.

On August 20th, my moving day finally came. After months of stress, relief was finally in sight. Let it be known I haven't missed a beat since.

To further prove that, with Hurricane Irene bearing down on NYC the next weekend, the King told me to get him a car rental. We escaped the area. We wound up driving to Cleveland and Baltimore that weekend. By doing so, we avoided the storm and we got to see Rick Morris in the mobile FDH Lounge again. We also saw our friend BessAnne while we were in Cleveland which made for a nice touch to our getaway. In addition, we saw our friend Andrew Van Cleve who happened to be in the Baltimore area that weekend.

In September, I went to the Heartland over Labor Day weekend. I met Tige Hutcheson who also writes for Stadium Journey in Des Moines, Iowa. I also saw my friend Dorothy Straney, her Mom and her boyfriend Joel in Kansas as I finally got to see her Kansas State Wildcats play volleyball and football at home for the first time. I also met up with Chris Coats aka Superfan at the Royal game I saw before I headed back home. I went to Philadelphia on Labor Day upon return to NYC. Later in the month, I went to Baltimore and Philadelphia again.

In October, I spent time shuttling back and forth to Baltimore and Philadelphia. I saw a few NFL football doubleheaders plus postseason baseball and some college football games. In between, I had a lot of nights off too.

In November, I went to Annapolis, Maryland and Washington DC where I met up with a sports traveler named Charles Stephenson. He treated me to a Redskin game against the 49ers. Later in the month, the King and I and our friend Mike Carroll went to Syracuse, Buffalo and Cleveland. We met up with Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell again in Buffalo. We saw Rick Morris again in the mobile FDH Lounge this time I told him my preview for 2012. The King and I went to Foxboro that Monday night too. Thanksgiving night the King and I spent his birthday in Baltimore watching the Ravens.

In December, the first weekend the King took care of some unfinished business as we made a trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg. We revisited the Wild experience and the Vikings. Most importantly, we got to see the new "Jets" in Winnipeg to give us every current NHL venue again. A few weeks later, I had a short interview on CBC Radio in Winnipeg about the return of hockey. I saw Scott Niedermayer of the NJ Devils have his number 27 retired. I saw the Jets play in Philadelphia. I saw the Battle of NY on Christmas Eve. The King and I spent Christmas Day with Andrew Van Cleve and the Ultimate Sports Baby at the Garden as the NBA returned from their lockout. I closed out the year seeing the Pinstripe Bowl and we saw a surprise hockey doubleheader on New Year's Eve as we saw the Islanders play and we hitched a ride to Brooklyn to end the year like we started it with a surprise game.

Not a bad recap for an "off" year if you will.

Stay tuned as things unfold in 2012.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/26 in review

Opening Kickoff at Pinstripe Bowl

Since Christmas Day came out on a Sunday this year, I didn't have to go to work on Monday so the King and I decided to take a train ride on Metro-North up to Bridgeport, Connecticut to see the Sound Tigers, the NY Islanders AHL affiliate, take on the Connecticut Whale, the NY Rangers farm team at Webster Bank Arena. Ironically the parent teams were playing each other at the Garden at the same time. We decided to take the more cost effective way out. In addition, a change of scenery is always a good thing.

As for the game we saw the Sound Tigers beat the Whale, 3-2 after they trailed 2-1 after two periods. The game appeared headed for overtime when the Sound Tigers Tomas Marcinko lit the lamp to avoid the extra session with 4:26 left in regulation time. Since the King and I had some time before our train was leaving we were rooting for bonus hockey. Unfortunately we didn't get that break on this night. That's just the way it is sometimes.

Tuesday I went back to work. After work, I went out to the Prudential Center to see the NJ Nets home opener as they play their last season in New Jersey. Next season they move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. They played the Atlanta Hawks, a team on the rise. On this night, the Hawks rose up early as they blew away the Nets, 106-70. The Hawks had a well balanced attack as they cruised to the easy victory in front of a sellout crowd.

Wednesday night after work, I repeated the drill to Newark. This time the Devils were home against the Buffalo Sabres. I was pulling for the Sabres because of our friends Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell aka USRT who are from Buffalo and they're big fans of the Sabres but to no avail.

The Devils raced out to a 3-0 lead and they held on to win the game, 3-1 as Thomas Vanek of the Sabres scored in the third period to break the shutout bid by Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur.

Thursday night I went home to catch up on some needed rest.

Friday I got out of work early at 2PM which gave me enough time to go up to Yankee Stadium for the second annual Pinstripe Bowl. This time the game featured the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University from nearby New Brunswick, NJ and the Cyclones from Iowa State University which is located in Ames, Iowa 30 miles north of Des Moines.

I had some company as my friend Steve Tepperman aka Princeton Steve was there as well. We enjoyed each other's company during the game.

As for the experience, the crowd was mainly Rutgers' fans who had a short ride to the game. There were a number of Cyclone fans who came in from the cornfields of Iowa to see their team play. In addition, they got to visit New York City too.

As for the game, Iowa State took an early 6-0 lead on two field goals. They were running well but they couldn't get the ball into the end zone. As a result, Rutgers finally got going as they build a comfortable lead. The Cyclones got within a touchdown in the fourth quarter at 20-13 but Rutgers connected on a 86 yard bomb to freshman wide receiver Brandon Coleman for a touchdown that sealed the deal for them as they won the game by a score of 27-13. Redshirt freshman Jawan Jamison sparked the Scarlet Knights' ground game with 134 rushing.

After the game, I met up with the King who wound up going to Brooklyn to see LIU play basketball. By doing so, he saw his 400th sporting event of the calendar year.

Afterwards we met up at Donovan's Pub with our pal Bryan Gilligan who was watching a few high school basketball games. We had a nice dinner together. We got to catch up on our recent whereabouts.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the NY Islanders play the Edmonton Oilers.

It was Ken Morrow #6 Islander Hall of Fame Day as the Islanders enshrined their defenseman who played back in the 1980's in the Islanders' Hall of Fame. Ken Morrow played for the US Olympic Team that won the Gold Medal against Russia in 1980. He joined the Islanders in March that year. He arrived just in time as the Islanders went to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time. They made it five straight years to the Finals as they won their four straight Stanley Cups in the process. Morrow wasn't known to be a prolific goal scorer since he was a defenseman. He did know how to score at the right time though as he had 11 playoff goals including a game winner that eliminated their arch rival, the NY Rangers along the way.

As for the game, the Islanders scored the first goal of the game. The Oilers quickly answered with one of their own to tie the game at one. The Islanders proceeded to score the next three and that's how it ended as the Islanders' won, 4-1.

After the game the King and I hitched a ride to Brooklyn where we closed out the 2011 calendar year the way we started it with a surprise. We saw another game unexpectedly.

This time we saw the Brooklyn Aviators play the Cape Cod Bluefins in a Federal Hockey League (FHL) game. They play at the Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field by Marine Park in Brooklyn.

As for the game we saw, the Aviators scored early and often as they lead, 6-1 after the first period. Things settled down on the scoreboard the rest of the way as the Aviators won the game, 7-3. Andrew Oswiak scored a hat trick as he scored three times in the first period.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about how I started 2012 on New Year's Day.

In addition, I'm going to do my 2011 year in review when I get a chance as well.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Happy New Year!

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty schedule w/o 1/2

Here's the game plan:

Monday January 2nd Rangers at Flyers 3PM Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park

Wednesday January 4th Bruins at Devils 7:30PM

Thursday January 5th Panthers at Rangers 7PM

Friday January 6th Panthers at Devils 7PM

Saturday January 7th Heat at Nets 7:30PM

Sunday January 8th Falcons at Giants 1PM NFC Wild Card

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

Happy & Healthy New Year to all!

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 12/26 in review as well as my 2011 in review when I find some time to do it. Please bear with me.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman