Royalty Tours USA

Monday, May 30, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 5/30

Here's the game plan:

Monday May 30th Pirates at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday May 31st Pirates at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday June 1st Pirates at Mets 7:10PM

Friday June 3rd Braves at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday June 4th Braves at Mets 7:10PM

I'm going to be the Season Ticket Holder of the Game. I'll  be saying "Play Ball" on Citi Vision just before the game starts. If you plan to attend let me know.

Sunday June 5th Braves at Mets 8:05PM

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 5/23 in review.

In addition, I'm going to do a special post when time allows that you might find interesting.

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 be always be in touch. Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Royalty w/o 5/16 in review

After work tired and all Monday night I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Florida Marlins.
The game was delayed at the start by an hour and twenty minutes due to rain. They finally started at 8:30PM.

As a result, I decided I need to get home at a reasonable time so I left the game after 6 and a half innings which is a rarity. The game was tied at one when I left thanks to Mike Stanton of the Marlins who hit a blast into the batter's eye by the Apple in straight away centerfield in the top of the seventh inning. What a shot it was.

The score stayed the same until the eleventh inning when the Marlins took the lead when an unlikely source delivered which turned out to be the game winning hit as they won, 2-1. Relief pitcher Burke Badenhop took his at bat and came through in a big way with two men on and two out.

I wish I was there to see it but I was so tired I needed to catch up on sleep from our busy weekend in Chicago and Milwaukee.

Tuesday night I was planning to go back to Citi Field but just before I left work I found out the game was postponed. It was odd because it rained throughout the day but it had stopped when I left work and it wound up not raining again the rest of the night.

They could have played as it turned out. I looked at it as a blessing since I was still tired. So I was able to go home and catch up on some much needed rest.

Wednesday night I wound up back at Citi Field despite the fact the weather forecast wasn't that good. The Mets were hosting the Washington Nationals on this night. Ironically they did get the game in somehow even though it rained most of the night. It didn't rain very hard until around the seventh inning. I thought for sure the tarp was going on the field. It didn't, the grounds crew did put lots of drying agent on the infield so they could try and finish the game without a delay and luckily they did.

The Mets beat the Nationals, 3-0. It should be noted that the King and I had some company as our friends Manny Morales and Martin Caamano were there with us braving the elements. We did get to enjoy each other's company so it worked well that we all showed up.

In addition, we were treated as some of the Hooligan's were present singing and adding comic relief as the game and night wore on.

Thursday night I went home after work to relax and to get ready for the Subway Series in the Bronx over the weekend.

Friday night after work I went up to Yankee Stadium for game one of this year's Subway Series between the Mets and the Yankees.

The Mets fell behind in this one early as Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. The Mets tied the game as Justin Turner hit a double. Later in the sixth inning, Daniel Murphy hit a solo home run that was the difference as the Mets took game one, 2-1.

There were a number of Met fans sitting around us so it felt more like we were at Citi Field even though we were in the Bronx. Those people went home happy.

Saturday night I was back in the Bronx for game two. This time the Yankees beat the Mets, 7-3.

The Yankees used the long ball as their home runs accounted for all their runs.

Once again there were a lot of Met fans in the building. It was somewhat surprising compared to year's passed when Yankee fans didn't part with their tickets as easily. I guess they need the extra money in case they make another playoff run in October.

Sunday the King and I returned to the Bronx for the rubber match.

The Mets went ahead 3-1 in the second inning after the Yankees took a 1-0 lead thanks to Curtis Granderson who hit a home run in the first inning against Mets starter Mike Pelfrey.

The score remained that way until the bottom of the seventh inning when Mike Pelfrey unraveled. He loaded the bases with Yankees thanks to a hit, a walk and he hit Francisco Cervelli near his head. He proceeded to give up a two run single up the middle to Derek Jeter that tied the game. Pelfrey was done probably a few batters too late. The Met bullpen came on and added fuel to the fire as the Yankees continued their hit parade which helped them score 8 runs to take a 9-3 lead. That's how it ended as the Yankees took two out of three to win the first installment of the 2011 Subway Series.

For us Met fans, it was the same old story. The Yankees weren't playing well coming into the weekend but the Mets always find a way to lose to them.

We'll have to wait until July 1-3 to see the rematch at Citi Field.

I can only plan and arrange the games I and others attend, I don't control the outcomes.

The goal is whenever you decide to take in a ballgame, that you see a good one.

When you're ready to go, please let me know so I can arrange to get you there and back without a hassle.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 5/23

Here's the game plan:

Monday May 23rd Blue Jays at Yankees 7:05PM

Tuesday May 24th Blue Jays at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday May 26th Royals at Orioles 12:35PM

                               Rochester Red Wings at Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 7:05PM

Friday May 27th Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday May 28th Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

Sunday May 29th Phillies at Mets 1:10PM

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 5/16 in review.

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

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

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should be always be in touch. Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Royalty returns to Miller Park unexpectedly thanks to mother nature!

View from Section 422
After suffering through the brutal weather Saturday night, the King and I knew the weather forecast was not going to be any better in Chicago on Sunday.

With that being said, we knew that the Brewers were also home and they were guaranteed to play their game because Miller Park has a retractable roof.

We also knew that we had enough time to get back to O'Hare airport to catch our flight home that was scheduled to depart at 8:15PM Central time.

After we got a good night sleep, we decided to take the smart way out this time. It turned out to be a great decision because Andrew Van Cleve contacted me and he said the Cub game was postponed due to rain.

As much as we wanted to go back to Wrigley Field one more time, it just wasn't meant to be.

I really wanted to see Andrew again and fellow roadtripper Bob DeVries and his fiancĂ© Charlie Cahill were also planning to join us.

In addition, the Giants were planning to start the "Freak" Tim Lincecum.

Instead we drove towards Milwaukee. On the way, we stopped off for breakfast at The Point Pancake House in Gurnee, Illinois which is located right near Six Flags Great America and a nice shopping mall area called Gurnee Mills. It's also only 35 miles from Wrigley Field and 50 miles from Miller Park.

What a way to start our day. I had a breakfast that consisted of the following: Two center cut thick pork chops with apple sauce, two eggs, two pancakes and a bowl of fruit all for a mere $8.95. What a meal it was.

After breakfast, we proceeded to drive to Miller Park to see the Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates again at 1:10PM. We barely got there on time.

We wound up sitting upstairs in section 422 right behind home plate.

We got ourselves situated and we started keeping score of the game like we always do when we attend a game.

All of a sudden, a gentleman in the row behind us starting talking to the King. He noticed his notebook that he uses to keep score of all the baseball games he attends for the season.

This guy was very impressed he said. As the game went on, we spoke back and forth.

I joined in the conversation and we wound up exchanging contact information. His name was Pablo Amaya. He said he's from Milwaukee. He was with his girlfriend Allison as well as some other friends. They said they got into the parking lot at 10AM.

They had a great time together. I want to thank them all for keeping us company as they helped us make the most of our altered game plan.

I plan to take in touch with Pablo who said he has an orchestra that plays classical music. He said they've played in NYC in the past. He said he's looking to coming back again next year. I told him to let me know so we can get together.

I told him that I hope to get back to Green Bay some day to see another Packer game. I also said I want to go to see the Wisconsin Badgers play too. Pablo is a big Packer fan and surprisingly he hasn't seen them play at Lambeau Field yet. He did say he saw them when they played at County Stadium back in the day.

I look forward to returning to Milwaukee in the future. If and when we do I'll make sure I contact Pablo so he can join us.

After the game we drove back to Chicago O'Hare airport to catch our flight. We got there with plenty of time to spare. Upon arrival, we found out our flight was delayed due to the horrible weather throughout the day in the area.

We eventually took off at 9:45PM and we land around 12:45AM at New York LaGuardia airport. I proceeded to take the King home fast then I took him to the subway so he could get to work for 2AM. He barely made it. Ironically around that time is when I finally got home.

I got a few hours of sleep and I went off to work.

Another memorable weekend lived up to the hype.

In the future, if and when you're ready to go somewhere please let me know so I can make it happen for you.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Friday, May 20, 2011

Royalty sees a rare Saturday night game at Wrigley Field!

Our View from Aisle 222 
Thanks to Fox, the Chicago Cubs got to play their first Saturday night home game in almost 13 years and the King and I arranged to be there. It wound up working out perfectly since we got to go the Ultimate Sports Baby's first birthday party in the afternoon.

The last time the Cubs played a scheduled Saturday night game at Wrigley Field was back on June 20, 1998. They wound up playing a day-night doubleheader against the Cardinals on August 31, 2002.

This time mother nature did her very best to ruin the chance for us to see a rare Saturday night game at Wrigley Field. The weather forecast was brutal. The temperature dropped into the low 40's at game time and the wind was howling throught the light rain that falling. The first pitch was delivered at 6:13PM. The game was stopped at 8:24PM with a 2-0 count on the Giants' Aaron Rowand in the top of the 7th inning when the umpires wisely decided that was enough. Shortly thereafter, the game was officially called off.

The Cubs lost to the Giants, 3-0 in a rain shortened game. They made a few errors thanks to the lousy field conditions that cost them a few runs. It should be noted the Cubs had their chances to score but they failed to capitalize on them.

The King and I as well as Andrew Van Cleve and his father stuck it out and we braved the elements. Once the tarp finally went on the field we all decided to call it a night at the ballpark.

Andrew and his father went back to his house and the King and I headed out to Elgin, Illinois to go to the Grand Victoria Casino before we went back to our hotel to call it a night.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about the way we altered our game plan for Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub

D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub
Thanks once again to Andrew Van Cleve and his family for inviting the King and I to the Ultimate Sports Baby's birthday party.

As a result, we got to enjoy a tremendous meal at a family style restaurant called D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub.

This place is located at 1351 W Addison which is walking distance from Wrigley Field. More importantly, they're an official sponsor of the Chicago Cubs.

As for the food they serve, they have an extensive menu to choose from. It consists of their famous thin crust pizza which is rather unique since Chicago is known for its deep dish style pizza which they have as well. In addition, they have many different toppings so you can pick and choose how you want to eat your pizza.

Furthermore, they also have many other options if pizza isn't for you. They have chicken, ribs, burgers, subs, steak, shrimp, salads, grinders, sandwiches and wraps so you should be able to satisfy your hunger without too much difficulty. If that's not enough, they also have a number of different desserts aka sweet endings if you will so save some room for them.

Moreover, they do catering as well as private parties or if you're stuck in the office and/or in the house they deliver too.

We got to taste the thin crust pizza which was very crispy and tasty as their reputation claims. At the party, it was all you could eat pizza. It was so good, I didn't keep track of how much I ate but I know I had plenty it was that good. My only regret was I wish I had room for some more.

The next time we go to Chicago, I hope we find time to go back here for another great meal.

If and when you're ready to go to Chicago, let me know so I can arrange to make sure you get to go here.

This is an added incentive to go to Wrigley Field. Depending on what the game time is, you can go here before or after to enjoy yourself.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Royalty celebrates the Ultimate Sports Baby's First Birthday in Chicago!

Ultimate Sports Baby & Dad joined by the King and the Prince
Last May just before the King and I made our annual Wrigley Field visit, I was contacted by a guy named Andrew Van Cleve, the Ultimate Sports fan who has and will circle the globe to see any sporting event.

Andrew found me thanks to our friend Sean MacDonald . One day he came across Sean's website and blog when he was surfing the internet. As a result, he got wind of my blog too. He decided to take a chance and he sent me an e-mail in hopes that I would reach out to him.

I did and we've been in touch ever since. Just before we came to Chicago on May 14, 2010, Andrew informed me that his wife Nicole aka the Ultimate Sports wife gave birth to their first child, a boy on Mother's Day, May 9th.

When the major league baseball schedule came out back in the middle of September, I decided to plan to be back in Chicago in the middle of May. I didn't take into account that their son Dylan was going to be one around that time though.

A few months ago, Andrew mentioned to me that they were having a birthday party for Dylan. He asked me what the King and I were doing that Saturday afternoon before the Cub game that was scheduled to start at 6:10PM that night. I told him we didn't have anything set yet.

He replied would you and the King like to come to Dylan's first birthday party that afternoon which will take place between 1 and 3PM. I was speechless at first then after I gathered myself I told him we would be privileged and honored to do so.

As the time got closer, Andrew told me the details for the big bash. He said it was going to be at a place called D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub which was located within walking distance from Wrigley Field. Please stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do about this restaurant.

As for the party, the King and I went over there early so we could get situated and ready for this special occasion.
Besides Andrew, we didn't know anybody when we first walked into the restaurant. That changed instantly as Andrew introduced us to his parents who came in the Bay Area to be part of this memorable day.
Ironically his parents met Sean MacDonald a few weeks prior when they were still home. Sean was in the States on a three week sports road trip of his own out in California and Nevada. Andrew was out there too so they met up and he introduced him to them. What a small world it really is.

I can see why Andrew is such a great guy. He's blessed to have such wonderful parents. The King and I enjoyed spending some precious time talking with them. They travel all over the globe like their son who showed them the way it's done.

For example, his father told us about a trip that they took to Italy. Andrew arranged it for them and he made sure they saw a sporting event too. His father said they wound up at a basketball game that was being played 15 minutes away from their hotel. What a convenience he said. Upon hearing this story, I was left in awe.

Andrew proceeded to introduce us to his lovely wife Nicole aka the Ultimate Sports wife or should I say "Doctor". Nicole just got her doctorate degree as she's now a PHD. Now that's an accomplishment.

Congratulations again, Nicole. You are a very special lady. She referred to us as the Prince and the King. What a thrill it was to finally met her.

Last but not least we got to meet the youngest person as far as I'm concerned to see a live baseball game at a mere 3 days old at Wrigley Field no less. He's none other than the Ultimate Sports baby, Dylan Salvatore Van Cleve. In fact, according to his Daddy Andrew, Dylan has seen 65 sporting events in his first year on the planet. That's definitely a record for sure. I hope the Guinness Book of World Records is taking notes.

As for Dylan, when the party was over I joked around that he's my adopted son. I should be so blessed. He was not only adorable but he was so such a good boy all afternoon long. It's true he was the center of attention but it was amazing how well behaved he was. He had a blast.

As for us, we didn't come empty handed. We bought him a Phillie Phanatic doll. I came up with a brainstorm. Since Dr. Nicole is going to be a professor in the fall at Temple University in Philadelphia, it made perfect sense.

Dylan will probably grow up to be a Phillie phan. If not, his favorite mascot will be the Phanatic. He's mine. Andrew and Nicole thought it was a great idea since it came from royalty.

As for the party overall, it was truly a day I'll cherish for many years to come.

It was in my eyes, the highlight of the weekend. The food was excellent, the company was second to none and the cake was so fitting. It had a baseball glove and it said and I quote "Holy Cow, Dylan's 1"! They acknowledged the late great Cub broadcaster, Harry Caray, who was known for using that terminology on the air.

I want to personally thank the Van Cleve family for giving the King and I the opportunity to celebrate this special day with them.

Stay tuned as the rest of the weekend recap will eventually follow.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Your truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Miller Park after enjoying the "Suite" life at Wrigley Field!

Miller Park
After you go to baseball heaven, things tend to spiral downward. In other words, when you start at the top, it's all downhill from there.

As for the King and I, we still try to make the best of the circumstances we're given.

With that being said, we attacked the Chicago rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon and we made our way to Miller Park in Milwaukee so we could see another baseball game.

I managed to do 24 miles in the first hour upon our departure from the streets of Wrigleyville at 4:47PM.

The second hour I managed to do another 59 miles. A few minutes later I wound up parking the car on the street within walking distance of Miller Park at 6:51PM for a 7:10PM first pitch as the Milwaukee Brewers were taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We survived the worse drive of the trip. We knew exactly what to expect since we've done this drive numerous times over the last 20 years.

As for Miller Park, it's located across the way from where Old County Stadium was. With that being said, it's a convenient location and more importantly it has a retractable roof so they can play the game regardless of the weather conditions.

In order to get to Miller Park from Chicago you have to eventually take I-94 West which goes through South Milwaukee where the airport is located at exit 318. You continue through downtown Milwaukee which is exit 312 I believe. Please be aware of the construction that's ongoing in this area. Once you get through that, you'll see Miller Park in the distance. As you approach the area, there are signs that guided you to Miller Park Way which is exit 308 and before you know it you have arrived.

You can park in their massive parking lots which surround the stadium. If you choose to do so, I strongly suggest you get there early if possible so you can take in the Wisconsin experience.

Whenever we've gone to a Brewer game in Milwaukee, it always seems like we're at a football game because everybody's outside their cars tailgating and having a great time before they decide to head into the ballpark.

Milwaukee is known for its beer and brats. In matter of fact, the Miller Brewery is located right nearby. You can even smell the alcohol as you walk over to the ballpark which makes for a fitting touch.

As for the brats, Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin has the best around. They serve a brand called Klement's. When you go to a Brewer game, treat yourself to one and see. Please make sure you eat it right by requesting sauerkraut and the famous secret sauce that they use to give it that unique taste.

By doing so, you may not be in baseball heaven like in Chicago but you'll be in Brat heaven instead.
As for the usual game experience, Miller Park like County Stadium provides for an unique family entertainment atmosphere.

At Miller Park, they're celebrating their 10th anniversary. The Brewer tradition has continued throughout the years. From the famous Sausage race to the 7th inning stretch when they "Roll out the Barrel" to Bernie Brewer going down his slide in left field when a Brewer hits a home run.

Furthermore, they even have one dollar tickets on the day of the game. They're known as the "Uecker" seats in honor of their radio announcer, the legendary Bob Uecker, who is notorious for saying and I quote "I must be in the front row". That's another reason to get to Miller Park early so you can get in for just a buck.

As for the game, we saw the Brewers beat up on their whipping boys, the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2.

The Brewers had beaten the Pirates 29 out of their last 31 games that were played here in Milwaukee.

Regardless of the outcome, it was fun to be in the building to take in all of the traditional festivities.

Stay tuned as the best is still yet to come from this incredible weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Royalty enjoys the "Suite" life at Wrigley Field!

"Suite"
Once the King and I arrived in Chicago at O'Hare airport on Friday morning, life was good.

The weather at that time was gorgeous. As the day wore on, the temperature dropped considerably.

Fortunately for us we got hooked up with tickets to the Fox suite at Wrigley Field which was located right by third base. I just had to go to the Will Call window to pick them up.

I want to thank my former co-worker here at Fox in New York, Walter Augustin for making this possible for the King and I and our friend Andrew Van Cleve aka the Ultimate Sports fan who lives up the block from the friendly confines.

Walter now works at our Fox affiliate WFLD in Chicago. When he heard I was coming to town the day before he arranged to accomodate me and my friends. We had a great time in the suite thanks to our fine host Tim who made sure everything ran smoothly. We got to enjoy free food and the drinks were on the house too.

More importantly, the King and I met a lady named Rebecca Barr who was enjoying the game in the suite with us. She made a great situation even better. We got to talk baseball with her. She grew up near Peoria, Illinois in a very small town she said. Peoria is located between Chicago and St. Louis. She happens to be a Cardinal fan. I respect that. I did tell her this is baseball heaven though. Nothing beats seeing a baseball game at Wrigley Field. The setting here is so unique.

As for the game we saw, the Cubs were playing the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs wound up putting their hitting shoes on as they proceeded to pound the World Champs, 11-4 on this Friday afternoon. With the Cubs getting the win, they raised the blue "W" and the home crowd walked out singing happily to their special song when they win. These days it's a "Way of Life" on the North side of the Windy City.

After the game, the King and I went up to Milwaukee to see the Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park a mere 85 miles away. It's alot harder than it sounds because we had to battle the impossible Chicago rush hour traffic in order to get there in a timely fashion.

Please stay tuned as I go into detail about our second game of the day.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Wrigley Field and Miller Park for our annual visit!

Back in the middle of September the major league baseball was announced, I thoroughly analyzed it and I decided the perfect time for the King and I to make our annual road trip to Chicago and Milwaukee was in the middle of May.

The Mets were going to be away in Houston and the Yankees were home playing the Red Sox. With that being said, we decided that in order to keep our streaks alive in Wrigley Field where we see at least one game every year and Miller Park where we've seen at least one every year since it opened in 2001 we would go this past weekend.

For the record, the King has now seen 104 games at the friendly confines and I've seen 74 there myself. He's gone there every year since 1981 and I've been going there every year since 1988.

As for Miller Park, he has one more than me. I have 18 games seen there and he now has 19.

We've also been to Milwaukee almost every year too except for a precious few when the schedule didn't work out for us to get there back in 1995 and 2000.

It should be noted that I did get to Old County Stadium for 23 games in person. I don't know what the King's exact total was there but it's slightly more than mine, it's probably in the low 30's if I were to take an educated guess. Regardless it's very impressive to say the least.

This trip was more memorable than many of the ones we've taken in the past. Not only did we wound seeing two games in each ballpark, we had a very special occasion to celebrate while we were there too.

Stay tuned for the special post for all the details regarding that. In my eyes, that was the highlight of the weekend and it didn't consist of going to a game either.

In addition, I'll be doing a few other special posts about places to eat in the Chicagoland area.

On the other hand, I'm going to write a separate post that details the different game experiences we had over the weekend.

Please bear with me as I relive these special moments that we enjoyed while we were out there.

Believe me it will be worth waiting for.

As always, I state the facts so you can read about what you missed this time around.

If and when you're ready to get a sample of royal treatment firsthand please let me know so I can accomodate your needs and wants.

In the meantime, I greatly appreciate all of you that read and follow along.

Thank you for your precious time.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Super Fan Chris Coats got plenty of royal treatment while he was in NYC!

Chris Coats
When baseball season was getting ready to start, I got an e-mail from one of the biggest Kansas City Royal fans I know.

This one was from a young man named Chris Coats. He's been traveling around the country the last four years watching his Royals play. In addition, he goes to all their home games. He has gotten quite a following as a result. He's known as "Super Fan" back home.

He wears all kinds of Royal gear from head to toe as he roots his hometown team on where ever he sees them play home or away. He usually wears his cape so he can live up to his nickname.

When he told me he was coming to NYC in the middle of May, I got all excited. The one and only time he came here was back in June 2007 when he saw the Royals play in Old Yankee Stadium.

This time he came to see the new one. Chris is a great kid who knows how to listen to me. Just like I did four years ago when he was here, I guided him along every step of the way if you will so he could maximize his time and minimize his cost during his visit here in the Big Apple.

He got to experience the absolute best royalty has to offer. I gave him his options and he made some wise decisions. He even took a "Great Adventure" while he was here.

He was very grateful for all my assistance along the way. He was kind enough to give me a ride home from the subway before he left NYC for good this time so he could head out towards Detroit where he was spending the weekend seeing the Royals play.

He picked the right time to come to new Yankee Stadium as his Royals took two out of three from the Bronx Bombers for the first time since 1999.

He witnessed history as the Royals top prospect Eric Hosmer hit his first major league home run and for good measure he saw his second one too.

More importantly, he got to enjoy royal treatment again as I made sure he got out of the Stadium alive. Ironically, former Royal player and now broadcaster was wondering how he was going to get out of the Stadium. Chris is very respectful and he doesn't look for trouble. He got laughed it by some Yankee fans along the way but in the end he wound up getting the last laugh as the Royals won the series.

I plan to go to Kansas City again over Labor Day weekend if things go as I have them planned out tentatively speaking. If indeed that happens, I expect to see Chris and some other great people I know from the Heartland.

Let me know when you want to get a sample of royalty that way I do a special post about you.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, May 16, 2011

Royalty w/o 5/9 in review

After having a night off after work on Monday night, I was able to gear up for the busy week that lied ahead.
Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Kansas City Royals who were making their one and only visit to the Stadium this year.

One of their biggest fans was in the house for the three game set. I'm talking about Super Fan Chris Coats Coats. Stay tuned as I'll be doing another special post on him.

For those of you who can't wait to read about the latest installment of his meeting up with royalty here in NYC, please feel free to check out the previous post I did about him last July when we visited the renovated Kaufman Stadium. That will give you a feel for who he is and what he's about.

As for the game we saw, the Royals got only one run courtesy of the "Melk Man" aka Melky Cabrera as the former Yankee went deep as they fell to the Yankees, 3-1 to open the series in the Bronx.

Wednesday night the Royals fought hard and managed to pull out a 4-3 11 inning victory over the mighty Yankees which took a mere 4 hours and 31 minutes to play. On this night, Royals top prospect first baseman Eric Hosmer hit his first major league home run and for good measure he also drove in the game winning run with a sacrifice fly. What a night for the rookie who just got called up from the minor leagues.

Thursday night the Royals were trying to do something they hadn't done in the Bronx since 1999, that being winning a series from the Yankees. They finally did and here's how they did it.

They got off to a fast start by building an 8-0 lead after 5 innings. The Yankees proceeded to slice the deficit in half at 8-4. The Royals added additional runs to make it 11-4 before Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod hit a meaningless home run to make the final score 11-5.

Once again the Royals were lead by the "Melk Man" who hit another home run and Eric Hosmer who followed up his memorable night by going 3 for 5 with another homer, a single and a double. The future may very well be brighter in KC in the near future.

It should be noted that royalty had some company in the stands as Ralph Ascanio and his son Vinny were present and accounted for on this night. It was great to have them there with us. In addition, they had the thrill of meeting Superfan Chris Coats in person. Vinny cherished the moment.

A reminder to stay tuned for the write up on Superfan Chris Coats who's been making a name for himself out in the heartland and other parts of the country these days.

In addition, I'll be doing a very special post on the epic weekend that the King and I spent in Chicago and Milwaukee.

It was a weekend for the ages to say the least. Over the years, the King and I have made some of the most amazing trips ever designed but this one was unique in its own way.

Please stay tuned to hear how it unfolded. It will definitely be worth the wait.

Please bear with me so I can relive it to the best of my ability since I do all my writing by memory and I'm always pressed to find the spare time I need to do so properly for your reading pleasure.

Remember this blog would be nothing without great people like you that take your precious time to read it.

As always thank you for reading and following along. I greatly appreciate all of your support.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 5/16

Here's the game plan:

Monday May 16th Marlins at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday May 17th Marlins at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday May 18th Nationals at Mets 7:10PM

Friday May 20th Mets at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday May 21st Mets at Yankees 7:10PM

Sunday May 22nd Mets at Yankees 1:05PM

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 5/9 in review. I'm going to be doing some special posts on this eventful week.

Please check in often so you can catch up on how royalty rolls home and away.

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

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

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should be always be in touch. Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Royalty w/o 5/2 in review

Citi Field
After getting a much needed night off on Monday night after work, I wound up going to Citi Field to see the Mets who returned home.

Tuesday night the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants made their one and only visit to Citi Field to play the Mets.

This night turned out to be a very entertaining one in the stands. With the threat of rain in the air, the King and I decided to move up towards the top. We wanted to be under cover so we could keep score of the game without getting our scorebooks wet in case it did indeed rain. Luckily it rained lightly for a brief time but it didn't stop the game.

Since we decided to sit higher up we got treated to a musical comedy show if you will in the next section. There were a group of Met fans sitting together across a few rows who provided some great entertainment.
They were having fun and since there were a number of Giant fans sitting nearby they turned up their act another notch. It made for an amusing night as they sang songs when different Met players batted. They had fun with the Giant fans too.

One guy was dressed up with a light green Citi Field style staff jacket. He went over to a Giant fan and acted like he was Citi Field security and he was going to throw them out. He had me fooled for a minute. Then I saw it said "Hooligan's" on it so I knew it was a prank.

In matter of fact, a few of the guys amongst these people thought I was Josh Hamilton who plays for the Texas Rangers. He's hurt now. They asked me how I was feeling. I played along with them. They even wanted to take a picture with me so I complied with their request.

It was lots of fun thanks to these people who sat nearby.

As for the game we saw, it was a seesaw battle as the game was tied at 6-6. The Mets blew chances to win this game. Finally in the tenth inning, Aubrey Huff delivered the game winning blow when he hit a solo home run to give the Giants the 7-6 victory. As a result, the Giant fans in the house got the last laugh on this night.
Wednesday night we were back at Citi Field. This time it was for the "Freak" show as slender Tim Lincecum took the mound for the Giants.

The "Freak" didn't disappoint. He got off to a slow start but he certainly finished strong. He wound up walking three and he struck a dozen including the last five batters he faced in his seven innings of work.
Thanks to Met killer Pat Burrell who had a run scoring single and Mike Fontenot who also drove in a run, the Giants had all the run support they needed as their bullpen came in and shut the door. They used three pitchers to get through the eighth inning which was ridiculous to say the least after the "Freak" was allowed to throw 114 pitches in seven innings. Brian Wilson, their bearded closer finished and preserved the shutout as the Giants won, 2-0.

Thursday night I went home after work. I needed to catch up on things at home so it worked out well.
Friday night I went back to Citi Field as the Los Angeles Dodgers returned "home" if you will. The Dodgers like the Giants left their original home in New York to head out West 53 years ago.

With the return of the Dodgers, the Mets drew a very nice crowd. The Mets fresh off a win Thursday afternoon, were looking to make it two in a row. Thanks to their spark plug, Jose Reyes they did just that. Reyes had two triples, a double and a walk in five plate appearances to pace the Mets past the Dodgers, 6-3.

It should be noted the Mets pitchers couldn't shut down Dodgers' outfielder Andre Ethier who came into the game with a 29 game hitting streak technically speaking. For some reason, he didn't play their last game in Chicago which tainted the so-called streak. Nonetheless, Ethier was lethal on this night as he got three hits to extend his streak to 30 straight games with at least one hit in the games he's played in.

Saturday night I returned to Citi Field. I was greeted by my fan club when I got to my seat by Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal who were in the house. I hadn't seen them in a few weeks so it was a welcome sight to have them there. As usual, they were thrilled to see the King and I.

In addition, our good friend Manny Morales was there present and accounted for. Manny was with some of his friends who have had a Saturday plan for years for the Mets. At Shea, they sat on the Mezzanine level just to the left of home plate. When they opened Citi Field they gave them lousy seats way out just past first base in short right field. Needless to say, Manny and his friends weren't too happy. Last year they got upgraded to be closer to home plate. It was a slight improvement. This year they got a major upgrade because they now sit in our section higher up than us but it's a much better view than they had since Citi Field opened in 2009.

Manny missed the first few Saturday games so this was his first time sitting in his new seat. He seemed happy with the upgrade. As he said and I quote " he's now sitting in the "royalty" section.

As for the game we saw, the Mets were looking to make it three wins in a row so they could get back online. They did indeed as they beat the Dodgers, 4-2. In the process, they put an end to Andre Ethier's 30 game hitting streak for what it was worth.

Sunday I spent my Mother's Day afternoon at Citi Field hoping to see the Mets sweep the Dodgers before going out with Mom for dinner. It wasn't in the works as the Dodgers dodged the broom. They beat the Mets, 4-2.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, May 9, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 5/9

Here's the game plan:
Tuesday May 10th Royals at Yankees 7:05PM

Wednesday May 11th Royals at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday May 12th Royals at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday May 13th Giants at Cubs 1:20PM

                          Pirates at Brewers 7:10PM

Saturday May 14th Giants at Cubs 6:10PM

Sunday May 15th Giants at Cubs 1:20PM

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 5/2 in review.

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

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Golden Corral

Golden Corral
When the King and I were driving down to Philadelphia the other day I noticed a sign for the Golden Corral off exit 37 of I-95. I didn't realize it was there. It probably opened up recently.

We've been down that road many times over the years and I always take notice of all the details on the road so I'm prepared if and when the time allows for me to take advantage of an opportunity.

Since we got a really fast game we had plenty of time to indulge in a quality meal.

On our way back towards Trenton, NJ we got off the exit and drove a mile West and on the right side of the road in a shopping center there it was right in the town of Bensalem, PA.

As they say there and I quote "help yourself to happiness". That's a perfect way to put it.

I strongly suggest if and when you decide to give it a try that you come with an empty stomach that needs a major fill up. Unlike the gas prices these days, here you get your money's worth and plenty more regardless of how much you decide to eat.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner during the different times of the day.

They offer a one price all you can eat deal. For example, dinner cost us a mere $11.49 plus tax. How can you beat that in this day and age.

They cater to all walks of life in particular to families with little kids. That way people can afford to eat out and they can eat until their heart's content. People who go there love to eat and why not. After all, life is short why not enjoy the ride while it lasts. I won't say go there everyday but once in a while is fine and dandy.

As for the food they offer, they have a wide variety of choices so you should have no problem finding something to eat.

In addition, since you can get all you can eat, it's a perfect way to sample different kinds of food to see if you can expand your eating menu in the future.

As for the food, they have a number of different stations set up for you to line up and pick and choose what you want to have at that moment.

First of all, you can start with a soup or a salad. They have different rolls and cornbread too.

Secondly, for the main course you can choose from a number of different items such as steak, ribs, fish, chicken, pizza or pasta. In other words, an All American feast.

Thirdly, they have numerous vegetables to pick from. They include broccoli, cauliflower, corn and brussel sprouts to name some. In addition, they have baked and mashed potatoes as well.

Last but not least you should make sure you leave some room for dessert. They have a nice selection of pies, cakes, cookies and ice cream to choose from.

I think I covered all the bases. Needless to say, you can't go wrong.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the Mets down in the City of Brotherly Love!

Phillie Phanatic
Saturday morning I went to Avis and I rented a car for the weekend. I picked up the King and off we went to another one of our many second homes, this time we went to Philadelphia to see the Mets play the Phillies in an early afternoon affair.

We got to see the best pitcher in the major leagues pitch. I'm talking about the "Doc" aka Roy Halladay. He didn't let us or the fans in jammed packed Citizens Bank Park down either.

Doc pitched a gem of a game as he went the distance in beating division rival, the New York Mets. He struck out eight batters as the Phillies backed his great pitching with just enough run support to beat the Mets, 2-1.

Thankfully the game took only 2 hours and 25 minutes to play. My rule of thumb is to allow 3 hours on average. As I like to say, a baseball game can go two hours or five hours. I just hope that it goes fast when I want it to. Unfortunately for the King and I that doesn't seem to be the case that often. This time we got a break.

Since the game went so fast we had plenty of time to get to our next game which was in Trenton, New Jersey, 40 miles away. In addition, we were able to sit down and enjoy a quality meal at a rock bottom price. We wound up going to the Golden Corral for dinner. Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about that unique experience.

After we ate, we continued on our way to Trenton to see a minor league baseball game between the Trenton Thunder who are the Yankees double A affiliate and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the farm club of the Toronto Blue Jays who we saw play a few weeks ago in New Britain, Connecticut.

The last time we saw the Fisher Cats win. This time they lost to the Thunder, 4-1. We even got to see former major leaguer Kei Igawa pitch and he picked up the win in relief because starting pitcher Manny Banuelos didn't get the last out in the fifth inning to qualify for the victory. He pitched effectively for the two and a third innings he threw.

He pitched in Japan before the Yankees brought him to the States back in November 2006. Since he signed a huge long term contract, the Yankees are stuck with him. He didn't cut it in the big leagues, now he's pitching in the lower minor leagues after spending time in Triple A. He turned out to be a total bust.

Sunday afternoon the King and I went back to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Blue Jays. This time the Yankees beat the Jays, 5-2.

After the game, we went back down to Philadelphia to see if the Mets could savage a game in their three game series with the Phillies. After facing the best pitcher in baseball, the Phillies followed up by sending their next best pitcher to the mound, that being Cliff Lee.

Fortunately for the Mets, Cliff Lee didn't have his best stuff on this night. The Mets managed to take a 1-0 lead but the Phillies fought back to tie the game after Lee departed for the night.

The game remained tied when we were forced to leave the ballpark after watching the game for four hours after the Mets batted in the top of the 12th inning. The King had to get to work. He works overnight at the Post Office. He starts at 2AM.

The Mets wound up winning the game in the 14th inning when catcher Ronny Paulino doubled in the go ahead run to give the Mets a 2-1 win. Paulino finished the game with 5 hits.

We hated to leave but we had no choice. We got back to the car at 12:23AM. I had to drive 100 miles to get him back to work on time. I got him there at 1:56AM. He said and I quote "I'm impressed." It should be noted we had to stop for gas too.

I proceeded to drive myself home and I got home at 2:27AM.

Monday morning I woke up and I returned the car back to Avis and then I went to work.

Another adventurous weekend was in the memory bank.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Royalty w/o 4/25 in review

Yankee Stadium
Monday after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Chicago White Sox who were making their only visit to the Stadium.

More importantly, I was able to show my co-worker Lauren DiGirolamo and her friend Caitlin the way to the Stadium. They went with me so needless to say they got to experience the royal way of doing things.
They got to the Stadium with relative ease. They were meeting people who had their tickets for them. I made sure they got where they needed to go then we parted ways.

As for me, it was great to be back in the Bronx where I was able to see familiar faces as I entered the ballpark as well as the ones on my way to my seat.

Nothing beats the feeling when you're in your own backyard and people treat you like you're really at home even though you're really at the ballyard.

That's why going to Yankee Stadium is such a pleasure for me. I know how fortunate and lucky I am when I go there.

When you want to go to the Stadium you should consult me so I can show you the right way to enjoy the experience, the royal way.

As for the game I saw, the White Sox got a dominant performance out of former Met farmhand Philip Humber who held the Yankees hitless for six and a third innings when A-Rod singled up the middle to break it up. Humber allowed the lone hit in seven innings of work.

The White Sox got a run off A.J. Burnett who pitched well for 8 innings but he suffered the loss as the White Sox went on to win, 2-0.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Stadium for more royal treatment from the Stadium staff. In addition, I was treated to a pleasant surprise when I got to my seat because I got to see Vincent Ascanio who was there to see the game too. We got to catch up since we last saw each other at Citi Field when his father was the Mets season ticket holder of the game.

As for the game, this time the White Sox won again behind their starter Gavin Floyd who struck out 10 Yankees over 8 innings.Paul Konerko delivered a big blow when he hit a two run homer in the top of the eighth inning to gave the White Sox the lead. It should be noted that pinch runner Brent Lillibridge who played in the Atlanta Brave farm system, saved the game in rightfield. He went into the game and he made two great catches in the ninth inning to preserve the victory for the pale hose, 3-2. What a way to end the game as he caught a sinking line drive off the bat of Robinson Cano as he got his glove barely off the blades of grass to seal the deal.

That's an example of why it's always better to be there live. If you listen on the radio and/or watch on TV then you have to listen to the announcer describe to you what they saw. Most of the time, they over embellish it. If you're there live, you can draw your own conclusion and savor the moment for a lifetime. If and when somebody asks you about that particular game, you can say "I was there."

Wednesday night you know the drill. This time the outcome was different though. The Yankees won, 3-1.
This was another great game which lasted only a mere 2 hours and 11 minutes as Yankee starter Bartolo Colon rediscovered the fountain of youth as he pitched 8 brilliant innings. He pitched like the Bartolo Colon in his younger day.

Speaking of the past, back on March 31, 2002 the King and I saw him start the season in Anaheim when the Angels played Opening night against the Cleveland Indians, his former team. That night he threw a complete game shutout as the Tribe beat the Halos, 6-0.

Thursday night I decided to take the night off which is very rare considering the Yankees and White Sox were wrapping up their four game series in the Bronx.

In retrospect, it turned out to be a wise decision. The Yankees blew out the White Sox, 12-3 and I needed to recharge my batteries.

Friday night I returned to one of my many second homes for more baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays were visiting the Yankees for the first of their three trips to NYC this season.

Too bad our good friend Sean MacDonald who lives in Japan was out on the West Coast in California and Nevada wrapping up a three week excursion to the States following different sports. He's originally from Ottawa, Canada and his favourite team is the Blue Jays. Needless to say, he was with us in spirit. His Blue Jays on this night make him proud as they beat the Yankees, 5-3.

Jose Bautista, the 2010 Major League home run champion, had a single, a home run and he walked twice, one was intentional in the victory.

Stay tuned as I will write a special post about the royal getaway that the King and I took over the past weekend. As usual, it lived up to billing and then some.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, May 2, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 5/2

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday May 3rd Giants at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday May 4th Giants at Mets 7:10PM

Friday May 6th Dodgers at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday May 7th Dodgers at Mets 7:10PM

Sunday May 8th Dodgers at Mets 1:10PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

Happy Mother's Day if it applies to you.

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

Stay tuned for my w/o 4/25 in review.

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

Yours truly,

Gary Herman