Royalty Tours USA

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 4/30

Here's the game plan:

Monday April 30th Orioles at Yankees 7:05PM

Tuesday May 1st Orioles at Yankees 7:05PM

Wednesday May 2nd Orioles at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday May 4th Diamondbacks at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday May 5th Diamondbacks at Mets 4:05PM

Sunday May 6th Diamondbacks at Mets 1:10PM

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 4/23 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

Friday, April 27, 2012

Royalty w/o 4/16 in review

RJ's view from the Front Row at Citi Field 

Monday night after getting back from Boston with time to spare, we saw the Yankees open a four game series with the Minnesota Twins.

After making my royal entrance into the Stadium, I went up to the royal box if you will to see the game.
As for the game we saw, the Twins got on the board early as they scored twice in their first at bat. The Yankees answered with three of their own in their half of the first as Derek Jeter hit a lead off homer and Curtis Granderson followed with one of his own. Mark Teixeira added a run scoring single. The score stayed that way until the fifth inning when the Twins re took the lead, 4-3. They tacked on another run in the sixth on a Justin Morneau solo homer and added two more in the eighth as they went on to beat the Yankees, 7-3. It was a big win for the Twins because coming to the Bronx is usually a house of horrors for them regardless of what stadium it is new or old.

Tuesday I went back to work. After work I went back to the Bronx for game two of the four game set. I was joined by my co-worker Steve Orefice who had tickets for the game. Since he wanted to take part in the royal experience again, we stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant and got sandwiches to bring into the Stadium.

Steve's a Yankee fan so he picked the right night to go to a game as the Yankees rebounded to beat the Twins this night, 8-3. CC Sabathia, the ace of the staff worked into the eighth inning to pick up the win. It should be noted early in the game, Denard Span got ejected from the game after he didn't agree with a strike call on the very first pitch he saw. Manager Ron Gardenhire also got tossed defending his player.

Wednesday night after work, I returned to the Bronx for some more baseball.

As for the game, the Yankees came up on the short end of the stick on the scoreboard despite a solo home run by Derek Jeter in the ninth inning as they lost the game, 6-5.

Thursday night after work, I went back for the finale of the series. It was also my 3,800th Major League game I've attended live in person.

As for the game I saw, it was very memorable for me in more ways than one as Curtis Granderson went five for five which included home runs in his first three at bats as the Yankees hung on to split the series with the Twins by a score of 7-6.

Friday night after work, I went to Citi Field as the Mets returned home to take on the San Francisco Giants in a four game wraparound series.

As the Mets do after the third inning of every home game, they salute our returning Veterans with the Welcome Back Veterans program. On this night, they honored a young man who's in the midst of living his baseball dream as he continues his journey to see every Major League ballpark. I'm referring to RJ Breisacher who I met at Yankee Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day. He got to sit in the first row with his friend Melissa who was visiting him while she was visiting NYC.

As for the game, the Mets fell behind 3-0. They clawed their way back to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning only to fall in the tenth inning as they lost, 4-3 as Hector Sanchez delivered the game winning hit. The Mets blew chances to win the game.

After the game, the King and our friends Frank Anichiarico and Bryan Gilligan went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Saturday morning I did my laundry before I returned to Citi Field in the afternoon to see game two of the four game set.

I was joined by my pal Vincent Ascanio who's a regular at the ballpark. We also had Bryan Gilligan on hand as well as Manny Morales and Marc Beck which enhanced the royal experience.

As for the game we saw, the Mets wound up winning in the bottom of the ninth, 5-4 after they blew a three run lead in the top of the ninth. Thanks to a throwing error by Giants' catcher Buster Posey, the Mets' walked off with the victory.

As for the King, Bryan Gilligan and I we ran out of the ballpark so we could go to another game. Bryan was nice enough to drive the King and I a hundred miles to New Britain, Connecticut where we saw the New Britain Rock Cats, the Minnesota Twins' Double A affiliate in the Eastern League. They were playing the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays farm club who we saw play in Trenton, NJ a few weeks ago.

As for the game we saw, the Rock Cats won, 4-1.

Sunday thanks to mother nature I got a much needed day off as the Met game against the Giants got rained out.

As a result, I was able to catch up on things at home.

On that note, another royal week of stadium travel in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Royalty enjoys another Patriot's Day at Fenway Park!

Patriot's Day at Fenway Park in its 100th Anniversary season  

After we saw Sunday night baseball on ESPN live at Yankee Stadium, the King drove us towards Boston so we could be in position to see the traditional Patriot's Day baseball game at Fenway Park during its 100th Anniversary season Monday morning.

When the schedule came out back in September, we looked to see who the Red Sox were playing on the third Monday in April which is a legal holiday in the state of Massachusetts and Maine. Besides the Red Sox playing baseball in the morning, the Boston Marathon takes place every year on that day.

This time the Red Sox were hosting the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition, the Yankees were slated to play the Minnesota Twins in the Bronx that night.

We instantly decided that we'll be spending our seventh Patriot's Day together in Boston. We were joined by our pal Phil Butleman who decided to come with us.

For me, it was my 94th baseball game I've seen live at Fenway. That's at least one every year there since 1986. That tradition continues as well.

In addition, we were blessed with summer like weather that day. It was very warm with the temperature reaching the upper 80's. It was great weather for baseball but not for those who were planning to run in the marathon. As a result, some people were forced to pull out of the race.

On the way there, we spent the night at Super 8 in Sturbridge, Massachusetts which put us an hour or so away from Boston. We checked in around 2:30AM. We got some sleep then we continued on our way to Fenway. We arrived with plenty of time to spare.

Upon arrival, we stopped off at our favorite street vendor, Sausage Connection. We said hello to the special people we know, Harry and his mother who was also there. It was too early to have something to eat since we had some breakfast at the hotel. After the game, we saw them and we got some food and ate it on our way back to the car. Just like the Green Monster at Fenway Park, seeing them is always part of the royal experience.

In between we went inside to see some baseball, the Red Sox wound up falling to the Rays by a score of 1-0. The lone run came courtesy of a walk by Red Sox' starter Josh Bard who issued seven walks in all while striking out seven batters over six and two thirds innings of work. James Shields of the Rays worked into the ninth inning shutting down the Red Sox' offense to help preserve the victory for the Rays as Fernando Rodney picked up the save by getting the last two outs to seal the deal.

After the game, we caught a glimpse of the Boston Marathon which runs a few blocks away from Fenway Park as we made our way back to the car so we could head back to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Twins.

Stay tuned for that and the rest of my week in review.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 4/23

Here's the game plan:

Monday April 23rd Giants at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday April 24th Marlins at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday April 25th Marlins at Mets 7:10PM

Friday April 27th Tigers at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday April 28th Tigers at Yankees 4:05PM

Sunday April 29th Tigers at Yankees 1:05PM

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 4/16 in review.

In addition, I plan to do a special post about my latest visit to Fenway Park on Patriot's Day.

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 meets two more special roadtrippers, RJ Breisacher and Chuck Booth at Yankee Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day!

Me with RJ Breisacher and Chuck Booth
The life of royalty has its privileges in more ways than one.

Being a sports fan and attending live sporting events on a daily and nightly basis is lots of fun.

Besides having a chance to see the best athletes perform on the biggest stage, every so often I get to run into people who share similar interests to mine.

With that being said, I had the unique privilege and honor of meeting up with a few more special people when I was at Yankee Stadium for Sunday night baseball on ESPN on Jackie Robinson Day.

I got to meet and greet two more roadtrippers, one was a rookie if you will and the other a seasoned vet when it comes to sports travel.

First of all, I got to meet up with a young man named RJ Breisacher who's in the midst of living a dream.
This young man is a true American hero. He has served our country in Afghanistan while we were at war. For that, I want to thank him for his service.

Since returning to the country, he decided he wanted to chase his dream of attending a baseball game in all 30 current Major League ballparks. In the process, he's keeping a blog called Baseball Dreamin' where he's tracking his adventures.

Please feel free to follow his dream as he lives it. He's only 26 and he's seen other parts of the World. Now he's seeing the Country he defended while he was abroad.

On the other hand, I also got to met up with a guy who's from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Chuck Booth who's trying to rewrite the Guinness Book of Records by attempting to break his own record of seeing all 30 Major League ballparks in 24 days in 2009.

He's in the midst of his latest streak which officially began in Anaheim on April 7th where he met up with my pal, Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk.

RJ and I had the privilege and honor of meeting and greeting him too as he was able to get back from Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he saw the Blue Jays play the Orioles that afternoon. He flew back to LaGuardia airport and he arranged to get to the Bronx on time to keep his potential record breaking streak intact.

Needless to say, regardless if indeed breaks his record or not, it's quite an attempt and accomplishment on his part.

Upon meeting and greeting him, he did refer to me as a pioneer of sports travel since I've been doing this for 25+ years now. I was humbled by his commentary.

He's been a travel expert for the last four or five years. While he was with RJ and I, he gave us some of his tricks of the trade. It was an absolute pleasure to meet and greet him and RJ as we were able share unique stories that we've encountered in our lives.

I hope to cross paths again with these guys as well as other roadtrippers who are making the rounds to see their favorite team and/or sport.

I always offer my assistance to everybody. If you share the passion, please feel to pick my brain.

I always look forward to meeting up with new people so we can continue to expand this great fraternity that keeps growing leaps and bounds like the population.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees another doubleheader on Jackie Robinson Day!

Me at Citizens Bank Park
April 15th marked the 65th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in the Major Leagues.
As a result, all teams and players acknowledge this momentous occasion by honoring this baseball legend by wearing his number 42 which was retired by all teams. Only a select few like Mariano Rivera of the Yankees still wear 42 on a regular basis.

Royalty celebrated this special day by seeing not one but two Major League games on this Sunday.

First of all, we met up with our friends Phil Butleman and Bryan Gilligan by Yankee Stadium as the King proceeded to drive us all to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia where the Mets were visiting the Phillies that afternoon.

Thanks to our friend Frankie Centola who was there with his son Frank the third, for getting us tickets for the game.

It was nice to see them again as always. We'll be returning the favor on Memorial Day when the Phillies visit Citi Field to play the Mets.

As for the game we saw, the Mets were looking to sweep the Phillies. The Mets jumped out to an early 2-1 lead after the first inning. The score remained that way until the seventh inning when the Met bullpen came on and imploded.

The Phillies finally broke through against Met pitching. Mike Pelfrey who started, worked in and out of trouble for six innings. He handed over the one run lead to the bullpen and they let the game get away as the Phillies poured it on as they avoided being swept. The Phillies wound up whipping the Mets, 8-2.

After the game, we drove back to Yankee Stadium for game two of our doubleheader.

We arrived with a little time to spare as the King managed to get the job done despite the usual Sunday traffic heading back to NYC.

In the nightcap, we got to see the rubber match between the Angels and the Yankees on Sunday night baseball thanks to ESPN.

The Angels drew first blood in this one as they scored the first run of the game in the top of the second inning thanks to a home run by Mark Trumbo. The Yankees answered right back to tie the score in the bottom half of the inning as Raul Ibanez delivered a run scoring single.

The Yankees tacked on four more runs in third inning and Derek Jeter hit a three run homer in the fourth to give the Yankees' a 8-1 lead. The Angels' came back to cut the deficit to 8-5 but the Yankees added three more runs late to win the game, 11-5 to take the series, two games to one. During the game, I received a visit from a co-worker of mine, Dan Juvan who was at the game with his friend Issac.It was very nice of them to come up to the royal box to say hello.

In addition, I did get to see some other special guests while I was at the Yankee game that night as well. Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do regarding them.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty spends a Saturday in different ballparks as the doubleheaders keep on coming!

View from behind home plate at Coca Cola Park
Saturday afternoon the King and I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series between the Angels and the Yankees in the Bronx.

This time the Halos took extended batting practice as they belted three home runs off of Yankee starter and loser Phil Hughes who got beat up. Chris Iannetta, Howard Kendrick and Vernon Wells did the honors as the Angels evened the series at a game a piece as they cruised to an easy 7-1 victory.

After the game, we met our pal Vincent Ascanio outside the Stadium as he joined us for the second game of the doubleheader we were going to see. The King who had rented a car from Avis for the week. He drove us 100 miles to Allentown, Pennsylvania to see some minor league baseball.

We went to one of the best minor league ballparks in the country, Coca Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Our buddy Jason Grilli, spent some time there last year before he returned to the Major Leagues and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent due to a stipulation in his contract.

The IronPigs were hosting the Rochester Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins' farm team.

One of the highlights on this night wasn't even on the field. We were standing behind home plate watching the game. All of a sudden, a guy named Diamond Jim as he said his name was noticed a familiar face. He saw the King who he remembered from the past from going to games there. The King has a notorious signature strikeout call that he does that drew Diamond Jim's attention. Diamond Jim was an older gentleman. He couldn't wait for a Red Wing to strike out so he could hear the King bellow. He got his wish on four occasions as the IronPigs' pitchers combined to strike out the Red Wings' batters four times during the game.

As a result, the King made Diamond Jim's night. It was a real treat to see this guy enjoy the King's festivities.
As for the game we saw, the IronPigs broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning as they scored three runs as their center fielder Rich Thompson doubled in the go ahead run and former Phillie Domonic Brown added a two run triple for insurance as the IronPigs' went on to win the game, 5-2.

Stay tuned for another special post as the doubleheader weekend of games continued on Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Royalty sees Yankee Home Opener in the Bronx and Mets in Philadelphia that night!

Fist Pitch 1:11PM from Hiroki Kuroda
On Friday the 13th the only bad luck I was I had to work a half a day. After that, it was all good.
I went up to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees open up their home schedule with the new look Angels who signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in the off season.

It was a beautiful day weather wise for baseball in the Bronx which made for a festive atmosphere. I got to see some familiar faces of people I recognized who work at the Stadium and others I know from going to the games on a regular basis.

As for the game I saw, the Yankees took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning off Angels' starter Ervin Santana. The last time I saw him pitch in Cleveland he threw a no-hitter. That wasn't happening today as Nick Swisher hit a three run double in the first inning which set the tone early.

Yankees' starter Hiroki Kuroda who they picked up in the off season pitched well as he dominated the Halos for eight plus innings as the Yankees shut out the Angels, 5-0.

It was a nice crisp fast game which gave the King plenty of time to drive me, Bryan Gilligan and Vincent Ascanio down to Philadelphia so we could see another major league baseball game at Citizens Bank Park where the Phillies were hosting the Mets.

We arrived with some time to spare. Upon entry by the first base gate, we were greeted by a familiar face as we saw a lady we know from going there so often over the years. Her name is Brenda. She was so happy to see us and vice versa. Nothing beats being treated properly and royally the moment you step foot on the premises.

We proceeded to go inside the ballpark. We headed upstairs to our usual perch there in section 319 where we stand and have a great view of the game.

While we were there we got visits from some people we know. First we saw our pal Andrew Van Cleve who was there. Secondly, we saw a guy named Jeff Prickitt who we met many years ago at the old Veterans Stadium. Ironically we met Jeff at a White Sox game in Chicago back in 1994 also. He always thought we were from Philadelphia because we went to a lot of Phillies games. We got to know him back in the day because of the King's infamous signature strikeout call. As a result, he always knew when Cougar which is another nickname the King goes by was in the building.

When he heard him he would come by to say hi. One time at the Vet he had a number of family members with him and he introduced us to them.

Jeff is a good guy and big fan of the King and I. This time he had his friend Matt with him. He introduced to him and we all got to spend some quality time together at the ballpark.

As for the game we saw, the Mets like the Yankees earlier in the day, got off to a fast start as they roughed up Phillies' starter Cliff Lee for three runs in the top of the first inning as Daniel Murphy hit a run scoring double and Jason Bay added a two run home run as the Mets went on to beat the Phillies, 5-2.

Stay tuned for some more special posts that will recap the rest of the weekend I enjoyed.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Royalty w/o 4/9 in review

Gio Gonzalez signed my score book
After work Monday night I raced over to Citi Field so I could see my boy Gio Gonzalez who now plays for the Washington Nationals. The Nationals were making their first of three visits to Queens.

After accomplishing my mission, I went up to my perch in section 516 where I met the King and the rest of the people we know in our section.

As for the game we saw, the Mets continued their winning ways as Daniel Murphy delivered the game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Mets a 4-3 victory as they improved to 4-0 on the young season.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his first major league home run and we were there to see it.

Tuesday night after work I went back to Citi Field. First I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's where I met up with my pal Manny Bonilla for dinner.

After we ate we got back on the 7 train for one stop to get to Citi Field to see if the Mets could continue their winning ways. They were trying to go 5-0 for the first time since 1985. Ironically that was the year I met the King.

When we arrived we got to see some other members of the royal court as the King and Vincent Ascanio were present and accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Mets undefeated season ended as the Nationals beat them, 6-2. Well it was fun while it lasted.

Wednesday night after work I came home and I went shopping fast then I did my laundry which was piling up from all the running around I was doing.

Thursday night after work I went to the barber shop to get my haircut and my beard trimmed. That was another necessity.

Stay tuned for the special posts I'm going to do about the Yankee Home Opener as well as the adventurous baseball weekend I had. Please bear with me as I try to find time to catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

2012 NFL Schedule


Please see the link below for all the details.

http://www.nfl.com/schedules

If and when you need my expertise in planning your 2012 football road trips please feel free to contact me.

I plan to dissect the schedule to put together the most creative trip plans that the schedule allows.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty catches up with Gio Gonzalez now with the Washington Nationals at Citi Field!

Gio and I 
During the off season, the Washington Nationals traded for Gio Gonzalez who pitched for the Oakland Athletics. The A's who are strapped for cash decided instead of rewarding Gio with a long term contract, they would trade him.

After a number of teams including his hometown team, the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets tried to get him, the Washington Nationals stepped up to the plate and hit a home run as they were the ones who found a way to capitalize as they brought him to our Nation's Capitol.

With that being said, besides his family, I was the happiest person for Gio. After seeing Gio pitch in the minor leagues back in April 2006, I knew he was eventually going to be a star at the major league level some day.

I had the privilege and honor of meeting him for the first time in person in May 2009 in Sacramento when he playing for the River Cats. He was signing autographs at a table before the game.

Since then I've gone out of my way to track him down. Where ever he goes I go. I've seen him in Cleveland, Kansas City, Yankee Stadium and now a second time at Citi Field.

My rapport with him is growing fast and furiously just like his stats as a major league pitcher. The last two seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Gio has proven he's on the major league level to stay.

Once he got traded again to the Washington Nationals they turned around and showed him the love he deserved. They rewarded him with a long term contract that will keep him in the District for at least five years. In addition, there's options for a sixth and seventh year.

Once the baseball season started I knew it wouldn't be long before I could see Gio again. The Nationals were playing the Mets at Citi Field the second week of the season.

With being said, I planned accordingly. I raced out of work so I could be in position to see Gio after batting practice Monday night which was the first game of the series.

I went down to the area between third base and left field where the Nationals were taking BP. There were plenty of people there hoping that some players would sign autographs for them when they were done.

Once batting practice ended, all the players ran into the clubhouse except for one. Who was that one you ask. None other than my boy Gio Gonzalez. I tried to get his attention before he came over but I couldn't.
Even after he signed his lucrative long term contract, Gio is still the same kind hearted human being I knew previously. That alone spoke volumes to me. I finally got his attention while he was signing autographs for all the people who wanted one including me. He signed my score book which has become a tradition. He like royalty caters to people of all ages.

He took pictures with some people including me. In matter of fact, I met some people who were down there. I told them what a great guy Gio is.

A few people in particular, Dennis and Rachel Ford who I met briefly had a really nice camera and they took some great photos of Gio. They managed to get a few with me partially in them which they actually e-mailed to me. What a nice gesture that was.

In addition, there were some young fans there who got his autograph. A young man named Nick who was there with his friends Brendan and David called Gio and I quote a "class act."

Gio must have signed autographs for at least a good ten minutes. In this day and age, most athletes have totally lost touch with the real world. It's sad but true. That's just the way it is. It's great to see a guy like Gio who knows how to treat fellow human beings properly regardless of how much money he makes.

Gio has earned his paycheck. He has paid his dues over the years to be where he is. He turns 26 in September and he's been traded numerous times.

Thankfully he has found a place to call home. For that, I'm grateful for him.

I personally think he's a true professional in every sense of the word. He has adjusted to whatever curve ball has been thrown his way to become a major league baseball player.

I got to speak to him for a few minutes while he was signing. We shook hands a few times. I told him he had a rough debut as a National in Wrigley Field in Chicago. He told me and I quote "the umpire was squeezing me." I asked him what he thought of Wrigley, he said and I quote "I loved it."

I gave him my contact information. As a result, he's now following me on Twitter.

I'm his marketing guy. Any time I can plug him I will. This guy is worth every penny he gets. I'm not one to use that phrase too often. If and when you get a chance to meet and greet him, you'll understand where I'm coming from.

Since I saw him at Citi Field, he has started two more games for the Nationals at home. The first one was their home opener against the Cincinnati Reds last Thursday afternoon which the King and our friends Bryan Gilligan and Phil Butleman  witnessed in person. Needless to say, I was there in spirit.

Gio was in vintage form. He threw seven shutout innings without walking a batter. He gave up two hits and he struck out seven batters. More importantly, he picked up his first major league hit but not his first National win because the bullpen blew the lead for him. The Nationals did win in extra innings.

Last night Gio was stellar again at Nationals Park as he dominated the Houston Astros throwing another seven shutout innings. This time he gave up two hits, two walks and he fanned eight batters. This time the bullpen did protect the slim 1-0 lead as he picked up his first National win as well as his first National League win and decision. He's now 1-0.

I was there in spirit as always plus there was a special guest in the house, a soldier who's making the rounds to see every Major League ballpark in the next few months.

Stay tuned for the special post I'll be writing about him. His name is R.J. Breisacher. He's living his baseball dream as I write.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

ESPN.com acknowledges Royalty of Superfans!

Please see the article that Thomas Neumann of ESPN.com Page 2 did about the King aka Michael Casiano and I.

Here's the link:

http://espn.go.com/blog/PlaybookFandom/post/_/id/282/superfans-take-live-sports-to-the-extreme 

What an amazing story this is.

I want to personally thank Thomas for following through on his word.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, April 16, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 4/16

Here's the game plan:

Monday April 16th Rays at Red Sox 11:05AM

Twins at Yankees 7:05PM

Tuesday April 17th Twins at Yankees 7:05PM

Wednesday April 18th Twins at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday April 19th Twins at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday April 20th Giants at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday April 21st Giants at Mets 1:10PM

                              New Hampshire Fisher Cats at New Britain Rock Cats 6:35PM

Sunday April 22nd Giants at Mets 1:10PM

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 4/9 in review.

In addition, I plan to do some special posts on the unique royal experiences I had this past week. Trust me they'll be worth the wait. Please bear with me as I find the time to write about them.

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

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Royalty enjoys seeing special guests on Easter Sunday!

The Pelle Family - Eddie, Bethany & Jillian 
This Easter Sunday was a very special and memorable one for many reasons.

First of all, the King and I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play. Before the game started, I wound up tracking down Lori Martini who was making her rounds seeing people she knows in the ballpark. I caught up with her in section 504 where she was visiting her friend Ken, a fellow Met fan who she introduced to me.

After spending some qualIty time with them, I went to my usual perch in section 516 where my familiar people reside to watch the rest of the game.

We had some regulars amongst us like Frank Anichiarico, Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio and Manny Bonilla. We also got a visit from our friend Andy Weinstein who were met on the plane when we were going to Tokyo, Japan from JFK airport back on March 25, 2000 to see the Mets open the season against the Chicago Cubs. Andy lives in West Haven, Connecticut. He owns his own business, Star Tires. If you happen to live in that area or if you're passing through contact him and tell him Royalty sent you. Andy always comes over to visit us when he's able to come down to see the Mets play. For that, we're very grateful.

Furthermore, we had some more very special guests join us. They were Eddie Pelle who met me in December 2010 thanks to my blog that he found when he did a sports travel search. He came by with his wife Bethany and their adorable daughter Jillian who was born on July 2, 2011. She was dressed up in a Met outfit. She was attending her first baseball game at the tender age of nine months and five days.

It was an honor and privilege to be able to take part in this special occasion for the Pelle family.

My pal Kurt Smith, the author of Ballpark E-Guides needs to take notes because he just became a proud Daddy on Valentine's Day when his daughter Sarah Victoria was born. He said he can't wait to take her to her first baseball game.

I'm afraid the heat is on for him. He needs get her to one before the season ends so he can say his daughter beat Jillian to her first age wise.

As for boys, the Ultimate Sports Baby, Dylan Van Cleve saw his first baseball game at Wrigley Field when he was a mere three days old. That's not a typo.

As for the game we saw, the Mets completed the sweep of the Braves as they beat them, 7-5.

After the game, we said our goodbyes to everybody except our buddy Manny Bonilla who decided he wanted to join the King and I for the Net game we were attending against the Cavaliers in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center.

We wound up meeting our friend Dennis Barbara after the Met game because he said he would drive us there since he had room in his car. That was very nice of him.

As a result, we got there with plenty of time to spare. Manny needed a ticket so we wound up getting him one outside and we proceeded to go in.

As for the game we saw, the Nets beat the Cavaliers who were missing their rookie sensation, Kyrie Irving in overtime, 122-117.

After the game, we all took the Path train back to NYC. We said goodbye to Manny and the King and I continued on our way home.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Royalty entertains and sees two more baseball games in the process!

Vincent Ascanio and me
After saying goodbye to Don Allen and his grandson Jack on Friday night, we arranged to meet again outside Citi Field on Saturday. I told them I'll help them get tickets to see the Mets play the Braves at 1:10PM.

We met up by the Home Run Apple which is located right between the subway entrance and the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Upon arrival, I noticed an incredible line of people by the ticket windows. I couldn't believe it. I know it was the first Saturday afternoon game of the season and it was a somewhat nice day but I never thought there would be so many people looking to go to the game at the last minute. Back in the day, teams did well on the day of the game with decent walk up crowds. These days people are programmed to buy their tickets way in advance so they can get a decent seat and also by doing so they can just go right into the ballpark with having to wait to get a ticket especially if there's an unusual number of others that are trying to do the same thing.

With being said, I had Don and Jack wait on the shortest line while I went to see if I could round up a few tickets from someone outside the ballpark. Oddly enough, I didn't see any scalpers or anybody trying to unload tickets not even a single one. All of a sudden, I recognized a scalper I knew by face. I approached him and I told him I needed two tickets to help a few friends out. He told me since it was for me he would give me a good deal on a few tickets he happened to have. I pulled Don and Jack off the line and they bought the tickets from him and we headed in. Surprisingly, Jack who was rather quiet for the most part, suddenly got all excited when he saw the tickets he couldn't thank the scalper I knew enough for them. I felt so good inside because I just made this young man's day.

We proceeded to go inside to watch the game together. We did get into the ballpark in the bottom of the first inning because the line to go through security like the ticket windows was totally out of control.
If I wasn't helping these special people out I would have been in on time for sure. That's the way it goes in life. You never know when you're going to get thrown a curve ball.

We went upstairs after the first inning where the royal box is located if you will. I wanted to introduce these people to the people I know from going to so many baseball games. They were dazed and amazed to say the least.

We enjoyed each other's company during the game. Needless to say, Don and Jack had a blast. It was their first time seeing Citi Field too. They couldn't thank me enough for helping them make this possible. I told them it was an absolute pleasure to do so.

As for the game we saw, the Mets beat the Braves, 4-2.

Late in the game I said goodbye to Don and Jack because our friend Bryan Gilligan decided to drive the King, Vincent Ascanio and I down to Baltimore where the Orioles were playing the Minnesota Twins at 7:05PM at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

With that being said, we decided to leave after 8 innings so we could get to Baltimore as fast as a possible.
Bryan literally flew down the road to get us they're quickly. He dropped us off nearby so we could go ahead and get tickets while he went to park the car. That's another example of how teamwork makes the dream work.

We wound up missing a few batters in the top of the first inning. I must say it was an amazing display of driving by Bryan. We couldn't thank him enough for taking us all down there.

As a result, we got to see our friend Phil Butleman who was at the game too. Phil was staying in Baltimore for 6 straight games. He loves that ballpark. Can you blame him?

As for the game we saw, the game was scoreless after the first inning. The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Adam Jones hit a solo home run. They added two more runs in the third and three more in the fourth to extend their lead to 6-0 off of Twins' starter Francisco Liriano. The Orioles wound up cruising to an easy 8-2 win.

After the game, Bryan drove us back to Midtown Manhattan and we took the subway home since he lives in Westchester.

Thanks to Bryan I got to extend my streak of seeing at least one game at Camden Yards every year since it opened back in 1992.

Stay tuned for a special post that will tell you how I spent my Easter Sunday. It was quite a royal experience to say the least. Please bear with me.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Royalty entertains special people at Prudential Center for Nets Basketball!

Don Allen, his Grandson Jack and I 
When I was going to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins back on March 31st, I got a call from my good friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore. He asked me if I could help out an old friend of his. I told Peter without hesitation absolutely. He said I'll have my friend Don Allen get in touch with you by e-mail. I told him that sounds like a plan.

With that being said, that Monday I got an e-mail from Don. He told me he wanted to take his 18 year old grandson Jack to some sporting events during the week because he came up from Northern Virginia to visit and he wants to spend some quality time with him.

Peter had told him about the King and I. He said these guys see more sporting events live than anybody he knows. They can guide you along the best.

With that being said, I replied back to Don's initial e-mail he sent me and we got the ball rolling towards making this dream a reality. I gave Don a number of options to choose from. Mind you Don isn't a sports fan so he didn't know exactly what I was talking about. I asked him what teams his grandson Jack liked. He told me he likes the Islanders, the Knicks, the Nets and the Mets.

With that being said, I went to work to figure out a way to accomodate Jack's needs and wants since his grandpa Don was willing to go for the ride and have a great time regardless of where they wound up going to.

I told him tickets shouldn't be hard to find to see these teams play except for the Knicks. Luckily I had a few extra Knick tickets available so I told Don we'll work out a fair deal so you can spend Easter Sunday at Madison Square Garden with your grandson Jack when the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls in the afternoon.
In addition, he said he wanted to go to see the Nets and Mets play since I told him they were home too. We wrote each other back and forth so we could arrange to meet up since I was going to the Net game that Friday night at the Prudential Center after work.

Since it was Good Friday, I got out of work early at 3PM. I told Don I want to go home fast after work and then I could meet him near the Prudential Center for the Net game. He wrote back to me and said unless you have a prior commitment I want to treat you for dinner. I was beside myself to say the least. I gathered myself and I gave him a few options. He said how about we meet up at the Edison Ale House which is right next to the Prudential Center at 5:30PM. I said you got a deal. I'll see you there then. Being such a precise planner, I managed to arrive there right at 5:30PM. I got to meet and greet Don and Jack who were already seated at a table. Before we ordered our food, Don and I conversed. He said he looked at my blog. I was speechless for a moment. He said just from reading it I know you're a sensitive person. I agreed with him. I told him I am especially when it comes to different people's needs and wants. I have a marketing degree and I practice what I preach. I'm an upfront and honest person. That's who I am. He continued to praise me based on my writing ability. I felt so proud.

Meanwhile his grandson Jack was sitting there taking this in. He unfortunately didn't have much to say. I knew he had a problem which made me even that much more willing to bend over backwards to do whatever I needed to in order to make him happy.

After we enjoyed a delicious meal together, we walked out to look for a few tickets for Don and Jack so they could get into the building to see the Nets play the Washington Wizards. After a few minutes, I saw a familiar face, my friend Bob aka Doc as we know him was there. He tried to help me get them tickets. Moments later a security guard by the door said he had some extra tickets. He was so kind to give them to us. I already had one. So now we were all set. Don was totally beside himself watching me in action.
We all went inside. Jack said he wanted to sit downstairs. With Doc's assistance, Jack's request was fulfilled. We wound up sitting 13 rows up from the Net bench in section 10. A royal upgrade indeed.
As for the game we saw, the Nets found a team they could beat as they ran past the Wizards, 110-98.

After the game, I took the Path train back to Lower Manhattan where Don lives part time since he's semi retired he said, he has three different places to call home. One here in Battery Park, another near his daughter, Jack's mom in Northern Virginia and another place in Italy. He was a very interesting gentleman to say the least.

We parted ways for the night but we arranged to meet at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon so Jack could see the Mets play.

Stay tuned for the other special posts I'm going to do about the continuation of that plus the rest of the amazing holiday weekend I enjoyed.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty officially starts our 2012 baseball season at Citi Field on Opening Day!

Prince at Opening Day at Citi Field
As much as the King and I would loved to have been at the new Marlins Park to officially open the season, it wasn't meant to be. The King and I had personal streaks to keep intact. Since the Mets were opening the season at home, we didn't want to risk missing it by flying down to Miami and not getting back in time. Instead we're planning to go there in the middle of July.

As for me, I've seen every Met home opener since 1982 which includes the one in Tokyo, Japan back in 2000. As for the King, his streak dates back into the late '70's. In addition, he has a streak of over 220+ straight games at Citi Field since it opened in 2009. In matter of fact, he has missed only one game there in that time. In addition, he plans to see all 81 again this year he said.

Since I had to work a half a day, I barely got to the game on time. The MTA did their best to cost me some precious time on my way there on the 7 train. Luckily everything worked out for me.

Upon arrival, I got to say hello to my favorite security guard and big fan of royalty, Sam Citron. I hadn't seen him since the end of September but I know he's been following my whereabouts here on my blog. It was an absolute pleasure to see him again. Seeing his friendly and familiar face put me in the comfort zone before I headed inside to see the game.

Once I got in the building, I went up to my familiar surroundings in section 516 row 3 where the King and I have had our full season tickets since the ballpark opened. Our seating area is affectionately known as the "royal box" thanks to my pal Michael Longo who gave it that name.

In addition, we got to see many familiar faces where we sit. Despite low expectations, other people who sit by us still decided to renew their season tickets like we did. With that being said, there's always something to look forward to every game. We can't control what happens on the field but at least we know we'll be seeing some good people in the stands on a daily and nightly basis all spring and summer long.

Amongst them were our friends Ralph and Vincent Ascanio, who are back for another season of Mets baseball as the team celebrates their 50th Anniversary of playing here in New York.

In addition, I got to meet some new people. First of all, our buddy Eddie Pelle who I met thanks to my blog in December 2010 was on hand with his friend and co-worker Fredy Sanchez who he introduced to the King and I to. It was great to have them join us in the "royal box" for this Opening Day. We enjoyed their company immensely throughout the game.

Furthermore, I got to meet and greet another person I met online recently. Her name is Lori Martini. She's a lifelong Met fan who lives in Brooklyn. She happens to be a screenwriter and songwriter. She wrote the song, "Believe" that the Mets' Justin Turner came up to when he batted last summer. She recently wrote a short film called "Caught" as well. I look forward to seeing her more often at Citi Field this season.

As for the game we saw, Johan Santana who missed all of last season, started and he pitched five shutout innings. After struggling with his control in the fifth inning, manager Terry Collins decided to take him out in a scoreless game against division rival, the Atlanta Braves. The Mets proceeded to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when David Wright delivered a run scoring single. That proved to be the difference in the game as the new look Met bullpen shut down the Braves the rest of the afternoon. The Mets won the game, 1-0.

After the game, our friend Bryan Gilligan who also renewed his Met season ticket was present and accounted for as well, took the King, Vincent Ascanio and I down to Trenton, NJ to see the Trenton Thunder, the Double A affiliate of the Yankees play the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays' farm team on Opening night in the Eastern League.

As for that game we saw, the Thunder took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning but that lead disappeared as the Fisher Cats scored a pair of runs in the third and fourth innings to take the lead for good. They went on to win the game, 5-3.

It was a perfect way to start the new baseball season with a doubleheader. Thankfully mother nature cooperated with us.

Stay tuned as I will be writing some more special posts regarding my memorable weekend where I entertained some other very special people I just met for the very first time. It will show why the royal way is the way to go if and when you want to attend a live sporting event regardless of the sport.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/2 in review

Another royal week of stadium travel has come and gone. What a week it was for me and the lucky people I met new and old during it.

Here's how it went:

Monday night after work I had a much needed night off so I could catch up on my paperwork since like the King, I keep score of every game I attend. That includes all sports in my case: baseball, football, basketball and hockey. In addition, I got to be home to watch TV which is rare. With the Final Four Championship Game between the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky and the Jayhawks of Kansas University on, I decided to tune in. The Wildcats wound up beating the Jayhawks so they were declared the National Champions of men's college basketball.

Tuesday night after work I went to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the NY Islanders at the Prudential Center. It was most likely my last hockey game for this season. With that being said, I finished with 65 hockey games attended live.

As for the game experience, the King and I were joined by our pal Vincent Ascanio who loves going to sporting events live. He's only 19 so he has a lot of time to catch up to us. He looks up to the King and I as a positive inspiration.

As for the game we saw, the Islanders were playing out the string while the Devils were getting ready for the playoffs to start. It showed on the ice as the Islanders looked disinterested. They went on to lose the game, 3-1. The Devils added an empty net goal late to seal the deal.

Wednesday night after work I went to our favorite local gathering place when we're in town. I'm referring to Donovan's Pub where I met up with the King and our friends Frank Anichiarico and Bryan Gilligan. We needed to make our baseball predictions since the new season was getting ready to officially start here in North America in Miami at the new Marlins Park where the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals were playing the Miami Marlins. This turned out to be the best time for all of us to get together.

We all enjoyed each other's company and the great meals we all ate. While we were there we got to see Eddie Plunkett. Eddie's mother Kathy is a waitress there. She told us when we arrived, he was coming to celebrate his wife's birthday. It was a pleasure as always to see him again.

Thursday I went to work for a half a day. Then I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day.

Stay tuned for all the details of how the Opener went as well as the rest of the memorable Passover and Easter weekend I experienced.

I'll be doing some very special posts about some very deserving people I met up with.
 
True to my word, I cater to all walks of life and people of all ages.

Wait and see what I mean.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 4/9

Here's the game plan:

Monday April 9th Nationals at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday April 10th Nationals at Mets 7:10PM

Friday April 13th Angels at Yankees 1:05PM Opening Day (Home Opener)

                           Mets at Phillies 7:05PM

Saturday April 14th Angels at Yankees 1:05PM

                                Rochester Red Wings at Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 6:35PM

Sunday April 15th Mets at Phillies 1:35PM

Angels at Yankees 8:05PM

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 4/2 in review.

In addition, I plan to do some special posts on the unique royal experiences I had this past week. Trust me they'll be worth the wait. Please bear with me as I find the time to write about them.

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

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Royalty w/o 3/26 in review

Another royal week of attending sporting events has come and gone.

Here's how it went:

Monday night after work I went to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the Bucks. Both teams were battling for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. I went with expectations of seeing a really good game. I wound up not getting the result I hoped for. Both teams played awful most of the night. They shot terribly and they didn't resemble teams that even belonged in the playoffs or in the professional ranks for that matter. The Knicks wound up beating the Bucks, 89-80. The Knicks played without Amar'e Stoudemire who hurt his back and Jeremy Lin was listed as day to day. In their absence, Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks as he scored 28 points and he pulled down 12 rebounds.

Tuesday night after work I went to Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Blackhawks at the Prudential Center.

As for the game I saw, it was 1-1 after regulation time. It remained that way after the overtime session, so it was decided by a skills competition. The Devils got rewarded with the extra point as they won the shootout, 2-1.

Wednesday night I went back to the Garden to see the Knicks play the Magic who were still without Amar'e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin.

The Magic got off to a good start with their guard Jameer Nelson leading the way in the first quarter. After that the Magic disappeared for the night as the Knicks shot the lights out as they destroyed the Magic, 108-86.

Thursday night I went back to the "Rock" to see the Devils again. This time they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was a rare high scoring game as the Devils lit the lamp early and often as they beat the Lightning, 6-4 despite Ryan Malone of the Lightning who had a hat trick.

Friday night after work I went home to do the laundry so I could have some clean clothes to wear. I was very tempted to go to the Garden to see the Rangers play the Canadiens but I thought better of it.

Saturday afternoon the King and I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Bruins. We were joined by our friend Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich.

We took public transportation to get out there so it seemed like a road trip for the King and I. When we got inside the building we thought we were in Boston. They're were a tremendous number of people who came down from Boston to see the game too. People were dressed up in their Bruin gear to root on their defending Stanley Cup Champions.

As for the game we saw, it was competitive for the first two periods as the score was tied at two. In the third period, the Bruins put the pedal to the metal as they crashed the net much to the delight of their fans who were in the house as they went on to whip the Islanders, 6-3.

After the game, the King and I took another road trip if you will to Madison Square Garden courtesy of public transportation. We arrived at the Garden with plenty of time to spare as we prepared to see the Knicks play the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As for the game we saw, not only did Amar'e Stoudemire not play, I found out that Jeremy Lin is now out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. To make matters worse, the Cavaliers were without potential rookie of the year candidate, Kyrie Irving. I was looking forward to seeing him play again. With those key players out, the Cavaliers had a very tall order to overcome. They did hang around for the first three quarters but the Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter as they cruised to a 91-75 victory. I was hoping the Cavaliers would find a way to win for the great people I know from Cleveland but it wasn't meant to be on that night.

Sunday afternoon the King and I took our last road trip to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders battle the Ottawa Senators. Unlike Saturday afternoon, the visiting team only had a handful of their fans there this time.

As for the game we saw, the Senators raced off to victory after they gave up the first goal of the game to the Islanders. After that, they didn't look back as they scored five unanswered goals to beat the Islanders, 5-1. Kyle Turris of the Senators had two goals and an assist.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, April 2, 2012

Royalty 2012 Tentative Baseball Preview

On September 14, 2011, the MLB schedule was officially released.

With that being said, I instantly went to work to plan out the 2012 royalty tentative baseball schedule.
Needless to say, we'll be at plenty of Mets and Yankees games when we're home.

In addition, the King will be reaching another milestone most likely sometime in June when he witnesses his 7,000th live baseball game. He needs only 86 more. He needed 88 but he deducted two from that total when we saw a few spring training games in the middle of March when we were out in Arizona.

We do have a 7K celebration in the works to recognize his impressive accomplishment. Stay tuned for further details. Once we have it figured out, I'm going to do a special post that will tell you all you need to know if you want to join us for this special occasion.

As for road trips and other highlights, here's what we have lined up in our tentative game plan.
Thursday, April 5th we open our baseball regular season at Citi Field as the Mets celebrate their 50th Anniversary season when they play the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day.

In addition, I plan to meet up with a very special person,  Lori Martini who is a big time Met fan and she's from Brooklyn. She recently did a short film called "Caught". She also wrote the song "Believe" that the Mets' Justin Turner used as his walk up song last summer.

After the game, the King and I are going to Trenton, NJ to see the Trenton Thunder, Double A affiliate of the Yankees, open their season on Opening night.

The King also plans to be at the Openers for the Orioles, Phillies and Nationals too.

Friday, April 13th the King and I will be in the Bronx as the Yankees return home to play their home opener against the Angels who signed free agent Albert Pujols from the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in the off season.

After that game, we're going down to Philadelphia to see the Mets play the Phillies too.

Sunday, April 15th we're going back to Philadelphia in the afternoon then we hope to see Douglas "Chuck" Booth at Yankee Stadium that night. He's hoping to make it in time from Toronto where he'll be seeing the Blue Jays play that afternoon.

Monday, April 16th the King and I will reunite with Douglas "Chuck" Booth and Lori Martini because we'll all be in Fenway Park in Boston for the traditional Patriot's Day game when the Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays.

In May, I hope to get a visit from a fellow roadtripper and ballpark chaser, Ken Lee who's planing to see all 30 ballparks this season too. He plans to visit NYC on May 1st for the Yankees and May 6th for the Mets.

The King and I have plans to celebrate the Ultimate Sports Baby's 2nd birthday before we see the Phillies play the Padres on Saturday May 12th with Andrew Van Cleve, the Ultimate Sports Fan and Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk..

We also have a road trip planned to go to Rochester, Toronto, Buffalo and Cleveland over the weekend of the 18th-20th. In the process, we plan to reunite with legendary roadtrippers Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell aka the Buffalo boys USRT if you will. We will also meet up with Sean MacDonald who's coming from Japan to see his Blue Jays. He will be joined by his buddy, Peter Sharp. The last time we all got together was back in July 2010 in Minneapolis at Target Field.

I also hope to meet up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge when we roll into Cleveland Sunday morning. I hope to see our friend Bessanne Hustosky too if she's up to it.

In June, I plan to go to PNC Park in Pittsburgh to see the Royals. I hope to see my pal, Chris Coats aka Superfan there too. Hopefully our friends from Pittsburgh, Mike and Alicia Irr will be able to join us.
In the middle of July, we plan to be in Florida to see the Marlins new ballpark when they play the Nationals. While we're there, we look to see some minor league games in Juniper, Daytona and Palm Beach. In addition, we plan to go to Tampa really St. Petersburg to see the Rays play the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. We also plan to drive down to Atlanta to see the Mets at Turner Field. Paul Derrick from Houston plans to meet up with us so he can cross some more stadiums off his list. His company will only enhance the royal experience.

At the end of August and over Labor Day weekend, a road trip to Chicago and Milwaukee is on the slate. We plan to see a few Cub games at Wrigley Field, a few Brewer games at Miller Park, a game or two at Kane County and a White Sox game at US Cellular Field too.

On September 22nd, it looks like I'm going to be able to see fellow roadtripper Bob DeVries and Laura Wall of the SADS Foundation at Citi Field as they come to NYC for their annual SADS awareness event. I'm looking forward to seeing these special people again.

In October, I hope to get to some postseason games if it works out right for us.

In the meantime, batter up, it's time to play ball!

Hope to see you at a ballpark soon.

If you need my assistance and expertise in getting places, I strongly suggest you consult me so I can help make it happen.

If you want to go for a "royal" ride, contact me so I can arrange to accomodate your needs and wants.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 4/2

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday April 3rd Islanders at Devils 7PM

Thursday April 5th Braves at Mets 1:10PM Opening Day

                             New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Trenton Thunder 7:05PM Opening Night

Friday April 6th Wizards at Nets 7:30PM

Saturday April 7th Braves at Mets 1:10PM

                             Twins at Orioles 7:05PM

Sunday April 8th Braves at Mets 1:10PM

                          Cavaliers 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 3/26 in review.

In addition, I plan to do a special post on my 2012 baseball season preview. I'll give the highlights of my tentative game plan as well as some special people I plan to meet and greet along the way.

If I by chance I leave you out please don't get offended. If you want to join me please feel to contact me. If you need my expert opinion and/or sound advice I'm always here to help. Please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my very best to make the time to fulfill your needs and wants.

I would like to wish my readers and followers a very Happy Passover and/or Easter whichever applies to you.

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