Royalty Tours USA

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Royalty w/o 8/20 in review

Mets win, 2-1!
Monday after work I went to Checker's for dinner on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game series with the Colorado Rockies who were making their only visit to Queens this year.

Upon arrival at the Rotunda entrance I was greeted by my pal Sam Citron. He always puts me in a good mood when I see him. He told me how much he loves reading my blog. It's rewarding to hear him speak so highly of writing ability. He said he loves how I go into such detail when I recap my whereabouts. I greatly appreciate his kind words.

After speaking with him briefly, I proceeded into the ballpark. I went up to section 516 near the top which was empty so I could take in the nice breeze that blows through. I was joined by David Sack, Phil Butleman and Vincent Ascanio as well as the King.

As for the game we saw, R.A. Dickey started for the Mets and he pitched well. He went seven innings allowing just a solo homer to Tyler Colvin in the fifth inning which tied the game at one after the Mets scored first in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. The Rockies wound up taking the lead in the eighth inning on a passed ball. They added an insurance run in the ninth as they went on to beat the Mets, 3-1.

Tuesday night after work I went back to Citi Field for game two. This time I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for my pre game meal. When I finished I got back on the 7 train for one stop.

As for the game I saw, the Mets hung tough until the sixth inning. That's when the road got "rockie" for them. They gave up four runs thanks to a costly throwing error by Chris Young which ultimately cost them the game as they lost again to the Rockies, 6-2.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway for dinner and then while I was there I got Carvel for dessert on my way back to Citi Field for more punishment.

When I got into the ballpark, I arrived just in time to see some employees get honored on the field. In particular, I saw Rose Hussey, who I know. She was recognized for the great customer service that she has provided over the past 26 years. I've seen her numerous times from going to Shea Stadium and now Citi Field. She always makes going to the game worth while. She's always sincere and personable to everyone she sees. I was so happy to see her get acknowledged by the Mets for being such an asset to the organization. They finally did something right for a change.

After spending some time on the field level, I went up to section 516 so I could get ready to watch the game. Despite the Mets inability to beat the Rockies the first two games, I thought there was some hope because rookie Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets. I was right he pitched well for six innings. He allowed just one run and he struck out nine before he left the game that was tied at one. Once he left, the game took a turn for the worst as the bullpen imploded. Ramon Ramirez and Frank Francisco both gave up a pair of runs as the Mets fell again to the Rockies, 5-2.

Thursday night after work I came home so I could do my laundry. I was able to rest up for a short time too which was nice for a change.

Friday night after work I went back to Taste of Dolly's for a few slices of pizza before I returned to Citi Field to see the Mets host the Houston Astros on Merengue night. As part of the festivities, the Mets wore special royal blue jerseys that said Los Mets across the chest.

On this night, the King and I were joined by Bryan Gilligan and Frank Anichiarico.

As for the game we saw, the Mets couldn't do much on offense. They scored their only run thanks to a solo homer by David Wright who hit his 200th major league home run. Jonathon Niese pitched well allowing just three runs in seven innings. Jordan Lyles pitched better giving up the one run in six innings as the Astros emerged victorious, 3-1.

After the game we all went to Donovan's Pub to enjoy a post game meal which helped us forgot about the horrible performance we saw by the Mets.

Saturday morning I went to Avis to rent a car for the day so I could drive to Philadelphia to see the Phillies play the Nationals after the Met game with Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico and the King.

After I rented the car I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Astros in game two of the three game series. It was Mike Piazza Bobblehead day.

I got my bobblehead doll when I went in. Once I got up to the top of section 516, I was greeted by Steve Tepperman who was there. He came with an old scorecard from UCLA back in 2002 when current Astro and former Bruin Ben Francisco was on the cover. The King and I met Ben Francisco when we were in Alaska back in July 2001. We saw him on a one day cruise. He had a day off from playing in the Alaskan League. We also saw him play for UCLA in Hawaii in February 2002. We saw him play in the minor leagues on a few occasions and a number of times as he tries to stay in the major leagues.

Manny Morales was also at the game since he has a Saturday plan which includes majority of the Saturday games and this one was one of them.

Furthermore, during the game, I got a visit from Bob Deal, another ballpark chaser who came down from Albany to see the game. We got to catch up since we last met up at the end of May. It was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Mets behind R.A. Dickey beat the Astros 3-1 as he earned his 16th win of the season.

After the game, I drove us to Philadelphia. We arrived around 6:25PM which gave us plenty of time to make the first pitch as the Phillies hosted the Washington Nationals. We had a great pitching match up as my boy Gio Gonzalez was pitching against Roy Halladay.

Unfortunately for Gio, Roy Halladay pitched better. After struggling in the first inning, Gio settled in and pitched well until the fifth inning when he got in and out of trouble again. With the game tied at two heading to the sixth inning, John Mayberry Jr. lead off the sixth inning with a solo homer which prove to be the difference as the Phillies beat the Nationals and Gio, 4-2.

After the game, I drove us back home. We all had a good time in the City of Brotherly Love.

Sunday morning I returned the car I rented to Avis then I went back to Citi Field for the rubber game of the Mets and the Astros. I met up with my Cousin Andy and my pal Mike Carroll as well the King.
We got to enjoy each other's company again. It was nice to see them.

As for the game we saw, the Mets held a 1-0 lead until the ninth inning as starter Jeremy Hefner pitched great for eight plus innings before he was taken out. Robert Carson got the only batter he faced out. Bobby Parnell then came in to try and keep the game tied at one in the ninth. He gave up a hit to Ben Francisco which almost gave the Astros the lead but the runner Justin Maxwell was gunned down at the plate by Lucas Duda in left field. Parnell worked his way out of the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Ike Davis delivered his second homer of the game that ended it as the Mets won the game and the series, 2-1.

After the game, my Cousin Andy and Mike Carroll and I all went out to Met Life Stadium to see the Jets play Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in preseason football. I decided to go that way I would spend more quality time with my Cousin.

As for the game we saw, the Jets failed to score a touchdown for the third straight exhibition game. Mark Sanchez played into the middle of the third quarter before he gave way to Tim Tebow. Sanchez looked pretty good. Unfortunately for him some of his receivers dropped passes and he had a pass deflected that was intercepted. As for Tim Tebow, he almost won the game for the Jets with his ability to make things happen. He did have an impressive 20 yard run where he made defenders miss as he got a big first down to keep a drive alive late in the game. In the end, the Jets came up short as they lost, 17-12.

With that another week of sports travel is in the books. It was an eventful week to say the least.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman





























Sunday, August 26, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 8/27

Here's the game plan:

Monday August 27th Blue Jays at Yankees 7:05PM

Tuesday August 28th Blue Jays at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday August 30th Mets at Phillies 1:05PM

                                   New Britain Rock Cats at Trenton Thunder 7:05PM

Friday August 31st Giants at Cubs 1:20PM

                              Pirates at Brewers 7:10PM

Saturday September 1st Giants at Cubs 12:05PM

                                      Pirates at Brewers 6:10PM

Sunday September 2nd Giants at Cubs 1:20PM

                                      Peoria Chiefs at Kane County Cougars 6:30PM

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 8/20 in review.

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

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

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

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees Yankees play Red Sox on Sunday Night with fellow roadtripper Dave Block!

Me and Dave Block outside Yankee Stadium
After we saw a minor league baseball game in Wilmington, Delaware on Sunday afternoon, I drove us back to NYC so we could see the Yankees wrap up their series with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night in the Bronx.

I originally planned to drive straight to the Bronx where I was going to park the car in the neighborhood like I usually do if and when I drive there.

This time there was a change in plans. Since Mike Carroll decided he wanted to go home I needed to drop him off by Grand Central Station so he could catch a Metro North train. Since it was around 7:20PM, I decided that I would just leave the car on the street in Manhattan and we could hop the subway up to the Bronx. By doing so, I didn't have to deal with the possible nightmare of parking the car in the Bronx as well as the traffic to get there. I've done that drill enough times over the years to know I was better off taking the subway instead.

We said goodbye to Mike Carroll who thank us for everything and he said he had a great time. We all enjoyed his company.

As for leaving the car in Manhattan, it worked out beautifully as the King, Dave and I walked over to the subway which was three or four blocks away to catch the 4 train up to the Bronx. We got a train within a few minutes so we had no problem getting to the Stadium on time. The King and I already had tickets for the game. We just needed to get Dave one since he decided to join us. After looking around outside for a short time, we were able to find one for him to get in the building. A guy had a bleacher ticket available. He said he would take $10 for it. So Dave quickly handed him a ten dollar bill and we went inside. I told him to come up with us behind home plate.

It worked out well since there were a few empty seats near where the King and I sit so Dave sat with us and we enjoyed the game together. What a perfect way to end an amazing weekend.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees took the rubber match of the series from their hated rival as Hiroki Kuroda pitched a gem. He went eight innings to earn the victory as the Yankees won the game, 4-1.

It should be noted that Ichiro Suzuki hit two solo home runs to help the cause. Too bad Peter Farrell wasn't there to see it live.

After the game, we took the train back to Manhattan. The King went to work and Dave went back to the car with me. He left his bag in the trunk. He told me he was meeting someone in the Village where he was spending the night so I told him I'll drive him there. True to my word, I took him where he needed to go. I didn't want him to take the subway to get there by himself. He may have gotten lost. I didn't want that to happen. I treat people the way I like to be treated. With that said, I gave him door to door service. I dropped him off right in front of the building at midnight.

We said our goodbyes. Dave was very grateful for all my kindness over the few days we spent together. I told him we'll be in touch and I said it was an absolute pleasure to have him along with us.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman









Royalty goes to see the Wilmington Blue Rocks play on the way back to NYC!

Wilmington Blue Rocks baseball
After we finished breakfast in Baltimore, Dave Block, Mike Carroll, the King and I continued up North towards NYC.

Along the way, we stopped off in Wilmington, Delaware which about 70 miles from Baltimore and 30 miles from Philadelphia to see the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Single A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals in the Carolina League. They were hosting the Lynchburg Hillcats which is now the Atlanta Braves' farm team.

It should be noted that this was Dave Block's first ever minor league baseball game that he's seen in person. I'm so happy I was able to make it happen for him. As for Mike Carroll, it was the first time he's seen a Blue Rock game. As for the King and I, we've seen a number of their games over the years. It's hard to believe their celebrating their 20th anniversary this season. It's amazing how time really flies.

Here's a few tidbits of information about these teams from years past. The Blue Rocks have produced major league ballplayers who have passed through Wilmington to reach the big show. They had Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran who have had very successful major league careers. As for Lynchburg, they were the Mets' affiliate in the 1980's. With that being said, Dwight Gooden spent some time there before he got called up to the major leagues.

Nowadays the Blue Rocks are managed by former Met and Tiger catcher Vance Wilson. Vance played for the Mets from 1999-2005 and the Tigers in 2006 & 2007. I was a big fan of Vance when he played for the Mets. He backed up Mike Piazza during his tenure with the team. More importantly, I got to meet him when the Mets played in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2003 outside the stadium at a fan fest. He was such a great guy. I followed him from time to time through the rest of his Met career.

Since he's managing the Blue Rocks now, he was coaching third base. So during the game I walked over to where he was standing and I got his attention between innings so I could say hello. He remembered me. It was great to see him again. Obviously he loves the game and he continues to be a part of it. I'm happy for him. I was wondering what happened to him after he retired. Now I know.

As for the game we saw, the Hillcats wound up beating the Blue Rocks, 3-2. It was a good competitive battle. Thankfully it went fast enough so we could get back to Yankee Stadium in time for the ESPN Sunday night game in the Bronx.

Stay tuned for the wrap up of the ride back and the game experience.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman








Royal breakfast at Eichenkranz Restaurant in Baltimore Sunday morning!

Peter , Dave, Carmen , me, the King & Mike Carroll 
After getting some sleep, Dave Block, Mike Carroll, the King and I went to have breakfast Sunday morning at Eichenkranz Restaurant in Baltimore with our friends Peter & Carmen Agnew.

A few years ago we discovered this local spot right in the middle of a neighborhood on a side street thanks to Peter & Carmen who live nearby. Unless you live in the vicinity like they do, you would have no idea this place even exists.

The King and I have made it a staple when time allows to go there. You can't beat the prices or the service.

We always get royal treatment thanks to Rose the waitress there who loves my accent. She was so thrilled to see me again. She referred to me as her boyfriend. Nothing beats feeling like you're home even if you're technically not. With all the traveling I've done over the years, everywhere feels like home to me.

While we were there we got to catch up with Peter & Carmen who always ask us to come down. I always do my best to fulfill their requests. Peter loves all the different people we've introduced him to.

After we all enjoyed a hearty inexpensive breakfast, we said our goodbyes to Peter & Carmen and Rose until the next time we visit.

Stay tuned for the special post that we will recap the next part of the journey as we headed back towards NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Royalty sees Gio Gonzalez at Team Store in Nationals Park!

Gio Gonzalez autograph signing at Team Store 
After I entered Nationals Park, I was told by the King that Gio Gonzalez is going to be signing autographs at the team store. I was all excited to hear that. As a result, I didn't have to look for him during batting practice.

With that being said, the King and I and Dave Block decided to wait on the long line so we could get Gio's autograph. It was worth the wait. Once we got close to Gio who was at a table signing, I yelled out to him. He instantly recognized me and he got up and he shook my hand and he showed me love. I took a picture for Dave while he was signing. It was really cool. Dave was impressed to say the least. The King had Gio sign the cover of his 2012 baseball games attended scorebook. I had him sign my scorebook again. After he signed, I spoke to him briefly. I told him I'll see him at Citi Field in September when the Nationals return to play the Mets.

Ironically Gio was scheduled to pitch again on Sunday and we weren't going to be there. What a surprise!

I was grateful to be able to see him again for a few minutes. It made my night.

For the time being, the first time I met Gio was in Sacramento on May 14, 2009 when he was at a table signing autographs in the minor leagues. This time I saw him again at a table signing autographs as a major leaguer. He has come so far in that time. I'm so proud of him.

Gio has made a name for himself in our Nation's Capitol and the fans love him there. I hope he continues to pitch well and I hope the Nationals become World Champions in October. Time will tell.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with roadtripper Dave Block in Washington DC for Mets/Nationals Game!

Dave Block and I

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from fellow roadtripper Dave Block who lives in San Diego. I initially met Dave thanks to my blog last year at the end of July. He called me on the phone when I was on the road with Paul Derrick from Houston. He told me how impressed he was with my blog. We wound up meeting up over the September 11th 10th Anniversary weekend. We've been in contact from time to time since.

Like I said earlier, Dave contacted me and he wanted to know my schedule from August 17-23 so I wrote him back a detailed e-mail with my game plan. Dave and I went back and forth to finalize a way to hook up. I will now recap the amazing time we had together.

Saturday morning I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend. On the way there, Dave called me to tell me he arrived in Washington DC. He flew in on a redeye flight from San Diego. I told him we'll meet him by Nationals Park between 4 and 5 o'clock. He wanted me to put his bag in the car. I told him that's not a problem.

After I worked out the final details of meeting up with Dave, I picked up a Grand Marquis which was very similar to the Crown Victoria that I've rented a few times recently so it was easy for me to adjust to the vehicle.

After I got the car I back home to Astoria to pick up the King. After that, we went to 45th Street and Lexington Avenue where we picked up our pal Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike. Mike told me a few months ago that he wanted to see the Mets play the Nationals in Washington. I told him no problem I'll count you in. Then Dave contacted me and he decided he needed to get away for the weekend. It worked out well as we went through the Lincoln Tunnel to head down South to our Nation's Capitol.

Dave called me around 3PM to see where we were. At the time, we just stopped in Delaware to get some lunch. We were about 90 miles away from DC. He told me he went sight seeing and now he's back at the airport killing time. I told him we'll be by Nationals Park closer to 5PM depending on traffic. I know going from the Baltimore area to DC is no bargain. It's a very difficult 40 mile drive. As expected, this time was no different. Dave called me and he said he was outside the ballpark waiting on line to get a ticket. I told him to be patient. We finally got to him just after 5PM. He got a ticket and then he came with us to park the car. We let Mike out so he could get tickets for the King and I as well as himself. As we were walking to the ballpark after we parked the car, Mike called me to tell me he rounded up tickets for us. As I say, team work makes the dream work. I greatly appreciated his help and I told him so.

We all met outside the center field gate. It was around 5:30PM so we had plenty of time before the game started to walk around. Little did I know, my boy Gio Gonzalez was signing autographs at the team store at 5:40PM. Stay tuned for the details of that. I'm going to do a special post.

Once we were done walking around we all went upstairs to get ready for the game to start.

We wound up standing behind section 313 which is under the press box and right behind home plate. It was a standing room only crowd as people gradually filled in all the seats.

As for the game we saw, the Mets and Nationals hooked up in a pitchers' duel. The game stayed scoreless until the seventh inning when Ike Davis of the Mets broke through. He hit a two run homer off of Nationals' starter Edwin Jackson who pitched great. That turned out to be the only runs in the game as the Mets behind Jonathon Niese beat the red hot Nationals, 2-0.

During the game, the King and I met a lady named Nancy Broderick. She was holding up a sign saying the number 56. She said that this was her 56th baseball game this year. I recently retired after spending 34 years with the Federal Government. Now she plans to enjoy her retirement seeing baseball games. She took a picture with the King and I. She heard the King's lifetime totals and she said she's going to use that as inspiration for the future. It's always great to meet others who share a similar interest.

As an added bonus, they had a concert after the game featuring Third Eye Blind who is a modern rock group from the '90's. Dave said he never heard of them. The King and I have heard some of their music. Mike Carroll is a big fan of theirs. He asked me a few weeks if we were going to stay after the game to see them. I wasn't planning to. Since he wanted to stay so I told him we will.

It turned out to be a nice 50 minute show on the field right behind second base where the stage was set up. They told the audience they're working on a new album and they plan to be back in DC again soon.

After we went back to the car, Mike wanted to go to Ben's Chili Bowl for a post game meal. He told me it's an institution. He said they we're opened until 2AM. So I decided to follow through on his request. After driving through the District we finally arrived there around midnight. The place was small and it was jam packed with people. We patiently waited our turn and we enjoyed our meal.

After we finished, I drove back to the Baltimore area we spent the night.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will recap the Sunday we all spent together. It was quite a day start to finish.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman
















Thursday, August 23, 2012

Royalty welcomes back the USRT as they return to NYC to see the Yankees play the Red Sox!

View from Section 420B Row 7
Friday when I was at work I contacted Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell aka the USRT because they were driving down from Buffalo to see the Yankees play the Red Sox.

I wanted to make sure they had the bases covered so their latest visit would be as painless as possible.
I wrote Andrew a text with some ideas that they could benefit from. I told them where they should eat outside the stadium so they don't waste their hard earned money inside. As expected, they took my advice. They were so grateful as always for my helpful hints. It's always a pleasure to see them and to guide them along.

I arranged to help them get tickets back in March when the Yankees had their presale. They wound up getting seats out by the right field foul pole on the terrace level. They really didn't want to sit there they said. So I told them to come by us we had a few empty seats. It worked out perfectly as we all got to sit together to watch and enjoy the game. We also caught up on our travels since we last met in May in Buffalo. We also discussed our future plans for the rest of the year.

As for the game we saw, it was a wild one aided by the long ball. As for the Yankees, Nick Swisher hit two more home runs, Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin also went deep. The Captain Derek Jeter made the game official when he hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score at four. It was his 250th Major League home run of his Hall of Fame career. That came after the Red Sox' Dustin Pedroia had hit a three run shot to give the Red Sox their only lead of the night at 4-3. The Yankees broke the tie later as they went to beat the Red Sox, 6-4.

Peter Farrell was disappointed because one of his favorite players Ichiro Suzuki went hitless in three at bats. It was a rare opportunity for him to see him play live and he failed to get on base.

Despite that, Andrew and Peter both had a great time catching up with the King and I. After the game, we said our goodbyes until we meet again.

The King and I went home to get ready for our busy weekend while the Buffalo Boys were driving towards Boston since they were going to see their Buffalo Bisons play as part of a minor league doubleheader at Fenway Park. They call it the Futures Game. They were continuing their getaway on Sunday in Binghamton and Auburn, NY before they returned home late Sunday night.

Stay tuned as I recap our adventurous weekend getaway with some special guests who joined us for the royal ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman









Royalty w/o 8/13 in review

Nick Swisher hits his 200th MLB Homer - Grand Slam
Monday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees host the Texas Rangers in the first game of their four game series.

Before I went into the Stadium, I met up with the King for dinner at Burger King a few blocks away. After we ate, I stopped by the KJY Fruit Market so I could get a cold bottle of water to bring in to the ballpark since it was rather warm out and I wasn't going to splurge for one inside for five times the price.

After I exchanged pleasantries with my pal Jin Kim, the King and I continued up the block to the Stadium.

We went inside and we went to our seats in section 420B row 7 right behind home plate in the grandstand.
As for the game we saw, the Rangers broke through first as they scored a run in each of the first two innings to take an early 2-0 lead off Yankee starter David Phelps who got the rare start. The Yankees got going against Rangers' starter Ryan Dempster in the third inning as they put up a five spot. Nick Swisher hit a grand slam, his 200th Major League homer and Curtis Granderson added a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead. They extended the lead in the sixth inning as Eric Chavez hit a solo homer. They tacked on a few more runs late as they went on to beat the Rangers, 8-2 in the battle of the best in the American League. David Phelps went five innings to earn the victory and newly acquired former Red Sox' pitcher Derek Lowe wound up pitching the last four innings of scoreless relief to earn a save.

Tuesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the series. This time I met the King for dinner at the 7 Fish Market. We had some fish together before we went into the Stadium to see more baseball. Vincent Ascanio was planning to meet us there but he got delayed on the train so we wound up seeing him at the ballpark instead.

As for the game we saw on this night, it was scoreless until the seventh inning as the starters Matt Harrison of the Rangers and Hiroki Kuroda of the Yankees were battling in a pitchers' duel. In the seventh inning, Harrison put a guy on base and for whatever reason Rangers' manager Ron Washington decided to take him out of the game. He came in with a 13-6 record. Despite that, he summoned Alexei Ogando from the bullpen to attempt to get out of the inning. He came in throwing heat but Nick Swisher was able to catch up with it and he hit a two run homer to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The next batter was Mark Teixeira and he followed with a solo homer of his own to give the Yankees a 3-0 cushion. That proved to be the difference as Kuroda pitched a complete game two hit shutout as he shut down the high powered Rangers to guarantee the Yankees no worse than a split in the four game series.

Wednesday night after work I went back up to the Bronx again for game three. The King told me he wanted to sleep longer so I told him I'll go to the Court Deli Restaurant and get us some sandwiches to eat by our seats. I got a corned beef and he had turkey. When I got off the train, it was raining. I still proceeded to round up the food for us and then I took it into the Stadium. I went upstairs and I started to eat. The King arrived shortly thereafter. We both enjoyed our dinner. Then we patiently waited out the rain delay which lasted an hour and forty five minutes. The game finally started at 8:50PM.

For Yankee fans, it was worth the wait. Even though they had to sweat it out. Freddy Garcia pitched well as he went six and two thirds before giving way to the bullpen trio of Boone Logan, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano who held the Rangers off the scoreboard as the Yankees won the game, 3-2.

The only offense the Rangers could muster on this night was courtesy of Josh Hamilton who finally hit a home run at the new Yankee Stadium. Just before he did, the scoreboard informed us of that fact. The guy sitting next to me was upset to say the least. A few pitches later, boom there it goes, see ya. To add insult to injury, he hit another one in his next at bat. Fortunately for the Yankees, he failed to tie the game as struck out in the ninth inning with a chance to do just that.

Thursday night after work I went home and took it easy since the Yankees and Rangers wrapped up their series in the afternoon as the Rangers managed to win a game before they left town. As for me, I got to relax and recharge the batteries for the busy weekend I had planned.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will go into further detail about the fun I had home and away entertaining fellow roadtrippers.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman











Monday, August 20, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 8/20

Here's the game plan:

Monday August 20th Rockies at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday August 21st Rockies at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday August 22nd Rockies at Mets 7:10PM

Friday August 24th Astros at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday August 25th Astros at Mets 1:10PM

                                   Nationals at Phillies 7:05PM

Sunday August 26th Astros at Mets 1:10PM

                                 Panthers at Jets 8PM

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 8/13 in review.

In addition, I'll be some special posts about the amazing weekend I had. Please bear with me. Trust me it will be worth the wait.

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, August 17, 2012

2012-2013 AHL Schedule


To all my readers and followers,

The 2012-2013 AHL schedule has been released:

Please see the link below for all the details:

http://theahl.com/2012-13-ahl-schedule-released-p178712

If you need any assistance don't hesitate to ask or consult me that's why this blog is here.

If I can make a difference in your life I will, all I ask for is a fair opportunity to do so.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Royalty w/o 8/6 in review

Citi Field - Home of 2013 All-Star Game
Monday night after work I went home to rest up since there were no games in the area for me to go to. It was nice to come home and relax for a change.

Tuesday night after work I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Marlins. On my way there, I stopped off at Wendy's and I had a baconator combo meal. It was as good as advertised.

When I got done, I got back on the 7 train and I went to Citi Field. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Sam Citron, the security guard who is a big fan of the King and I. He told me he was being honored by the Mets for being employee of the month for July. I congratulated him for his much deserved honor. As he always says and I quote "it's always a pleasure."

I proceeded to go in and I went up to my seat in section 516 to watch the game. Shortly thereafter, I was greeted by my pal Manny Bonilla who was there. It was nice to see him again. We were joined by the King as well as Ralph and Vincent Ascanio.

In a pre game ceremony, the Mets unveiled the logo for the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game which will be held on July 16th at Citi Field.

As for the game we saw, the Marlins jumped on the Mets as they scored four runs in the fourth inning after matching zeros for the first three innings. In the process, former Met Jose Reyes extended his hitting streak to 25 consecutive games with an infield single. The Mets fought back with a pair of runs in the fifth inning but that's the way it stayed as the Marlins held on to beat the Mets, 4-2.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway and Carvel for dinner on my way back to Citi Field for game two of the series between the Mets and the Marlins.

This time I didn't get to see Sam at the gate but I did get inside in time to see him honored on the field on the Citi vision screen. It was great to hear his name announced on the public address system as he was greeted by Mets' bench coach Bob Geren.

As for the game we saw, the Mets fell behind right off the bat as Jose Reyes hit a solo home run to extend his hitting streak to 26 games in the first inning. Giancarlo Stanton followed a walk to Carlos Lee with a two run homer to give the Marlins a 3-0 lead. It turned out to be all they would need as they shutout the Mets but they tacked on more and then some as the game wore on. Stanton hit another two run homer as the Marlins pounded Chris Young and the Mets, 13-0.

Thursday night after work I went home since the Mets and Marlins wrapped up their three game series in the afternoon. In the process, Jose Reyes' hitting streak ended as the Mets won to salvage a game after dropping the first two. As for me, I went home to rest and catch up on things around the house.

Friday night after work I returned to Citi Field as the Atlanta Braves came to town to play the Mets.
I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for my pre game meal this time.

After I ate, the Q48 bus was coming so I took it instead of hopping back on the 7 train for one stop. If I wanted to get some exercise, I could have walked over.

Upon entry to Citi Field, I saw Sam and we exchanged pleasantries. After doing so, I headed inside.
When I got up to my perch in Section 516, I was greeted by our pals Manny Morales, Marc Beck, David Sack, Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan and Alan Gimpel. It was great to see them all again.

As for the game we saw, Mets rookie pitcher Matt Harvey was making his Citi Field debut after he made his major league debut in Phoenix. He then pitched in San Francisco and San Diego. I was anxious to see him pitch live. After a shaky start, he settled in and he pitched well all things considered. He allowed a two run homer to Jason Heyward in the first inning and that was it. He did struggle with his control as he walked five in the first three innings. He shut the Braves down over the last three innings as he pitched before he departed trailing 2-0 after 6 innings. Unfortunately Paul Maholm who started for the Braves was too dominant on this night as he shut out the Mets giving up just three hits. He went the distance as he beat the Mets, 4-0 spoiling Matt Harvey's home debut.

After the game, Bryan drove the King and I to Donovan's Pub in Woodside where we met up with our friend Frank Anichiarico who joined us for a post game meal.

Saturday during the day I was able to go shopping and I did my laundry before I headed back to Citi Field to see the Mets battle the Braves in game two of the three game set at night. I met up with my Cousin Andy who joined me for the game. I want to personally thank my pal Manny Morales for giving me a ticket for him. That was very kind of him. Needless to say, my Cousin Andy was very grateful for Manny's generosity.
Besides my Cousin Andy, we had more company as our pals Phil Butleman, David Sack, Frank Anichiarico, Ralph and Vincent Ascanio were present and accounted for. Their presence made for a fun night in the stands.

As for the game we saw on the field, that was another story. I was excited because Johan Santana was starting for the Mets. Unfortunately he wasn't long for the night. He gave up a few runs in the first inning then he couldn't finish the second inning as he left trailing 9-0. At that point, the game was already decided. The Mets managed to score some runs but they wound up losing this one, 9-3.

Regardless of the outcome, it was nice to see my Cousin Andy again as well as the rest of the bunch.
Sunday I took it easy during the day as the Mets and the Braves were wrapping their three game series on ESPN Sunday night baseball.

I arranged to meet my pal Mike Carroll who I got a ticket for at Citi Field.

As for the game we saw, it looked like the Mets were going to salvage a game without breaking a sweat. After Mets starter Jonathon Niese pitched great for eight innings, Mets manager Terry Collins decided to take his chances with his bullpen to finish this one. The Mets lead, 6-1 at the time. The Met bullpen did their very best to scare us to death. They held on barely. It took three relievers to put this one away. The last batter Jason Heyward of the Braves struck out and the ball got away. He ran to first and he was called out by a footstep it was that close. That would have tied the game at six. The Mets won, 6-5 the hard way.

With that, another week of sports travel is in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

























Sunday, August 12, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 8/13

Here's the game plan:

Monday August 13th Rangers at Yankees 7:05PM

Tuesday August 14th Rangers at Yankees 7:05PM

Wednesday August 15th Rangers at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday August 17th Red Sox at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday August 18th Mets at Nationals 7:05PM

Sunday August 19th Lynchburg Hillcats at Wilmington Blue Rocks 1:35PM

                                Red Sox 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 8/6 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

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Royalty sees a gem by Felix Hernandez at Yankee Stadium then goes to Citizens Bank Park for more baseball!

Saturday turned out to be a great day to be a baseball fan.

The King and I as well as Bryan Gilligan and Vincent Ascanio enjoyed that luxury.

In the afternoon, we were at Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the Seattle Mariners. It was a real treat because we got to see one of the best young pitchers in the game. I'm referring to Felix Hernandez aka King Felix. He was opposed by Hiroki Kuroda who started for the Yankees.

Kuroda pitched well as he allowed a run in six and a third innings. Felix Hernandez was a little better as he dominated the Yankees from start to finish as he made that one run stand up as he beat the Yankees, 1-0. He pitched a gem. He gave up just two hits as he shut the Yankees down to earn his tenth win of the season.

The game went nice and fast. It took only 2 hours and 32 minutes which gave us plenty of time to get to Philadelphia for the second game of our major league doubleheader. I want to personally thank our pal Bryan Gilligan for driving us down there.

It was my first game in Citizens Bank Park since May 12th when we went there to celebrate Dylan Van Cleve's 2nd birthday.

We didn't get to see Dylan this time but we met his Daddy Andrew. It was nice to see him again.

In addition, our friend Manny Morales was there too. He decided at the last minute to make the trip down he said.

As for the game we saw there, Roy Halladay started for the Phillies as they played the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Halladay who had been setback by an injury earlier in the season, pitched seven shutout innings as he picked up the victory. The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks, 3-0.

It was great to see another game in one of my favorite modern ballparks.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/30 in review

Monday night after work, I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles.

Before I went into the Stadium, I went to Burger King to have dinner. I wound up getting a Memphis pulled pork sandwich. After I ate, I picked up a frozen bottle of water from my pal Jin Kim who was hawking them outside his store, KJY Fruit Market on my way to Yankee Stadium. Since it was so hot I needed some relief. For a dollar, I couldn't go wrong.

After I got inside the Stadium, I went up to my seat in section 420B row 7. I got to see Vincent Ascanio who was up there already. We exchanged pleasantries and we got ready for the game.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees scored first as Eric Chavez delivered a run scoring single in the bottom of the second inning to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. The Orioles responded quickly as former Yankee Wilson Betemit lead off the top of the third with a solo homer to even the score at one. The Orioles tacked on a few more runs in the fifth inning as they hit a few sacrifice flies to take the lead for good at 3-1. The Yankees played catch up the rest of the night. Former Mariner Ichiro Suzuki followed a solo homer by Eric Chavez with one of his own in the eighth inning to get the Yankees within a run. It was his 100th major league home run since he came over from Japan back in 2001. Unfortunately for him and the Yankees, that's the way it stayed as the Orioles held on for a 5-4 victory.

Tuesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the series. This time I decided to go to the Court Deli Restaurant to get a sandwich for the King and I. Right after I walked in, I turned around and my pal Eddie Pelle was there. What timing that was. Eddie said this was his first time there. He said he read about it on my blog so he decided to try it out. He asked me what he should get. I told him they have great pastrami and corned beef. He decided to order a combo sandwich. After we got done ordering, we took the food out so we could eat it at the Stadium.

Eddie told me he had a seat in section 415. I told him to come with me so he could get an upgrade. We went up to section 420B and we ate our sandwiches. Shortly thereafter, I asked Eddie how his sandwich was. He said it was delicious. That was music to my ears. After we finished eating, we watched the game.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees got off to a fast start as they scored five runs in the first inning. In the second inning, the Orioles got a few hits then they struck out twice. They started a two out rally as they strung together five more hits and a walk before they made the third out. Chris Davis delivered the big blow as he hit a grand slam. When it was all said and done, they scored seven runs as they roughed up Yankees' starter Ivan Nova in the process. They added another run in the third inning to make it 8-5. They added on more runs later as they cruised to an easy 11-5 win.

Wednesday night after work I went home so I could do my laundry. I ate dinner and rested up briefly.
Thursday night after work I went out to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Connecticut Tigers at MCU Park.

As for the game I saw, the Tigers tossed the Cyclones a beating as they whipped them, 11-3.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a three game series with the Seattle Mariners.

Before the game, I met the King at the 7 Fish Market where we had a pre game meal.

After we ate, we went into the Stadium to see the game. We had a few veteran pitchers starting the game as the Mariners were throwing Kevin Millwood against Yankees' ace CC Sabathia.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees knocked Millwood around as they scored four runs off him in six innings. They added a few more runs against their bullpen. CC Sabathia on the other hand, pitched well and he even went the distance as the Yankees won the game, 6-3. He allowed just three hits and he struck out ten in the process.

During the game, I got a tweet from fellow roadtripper, Tike Narry, who was visiting the New Yankee Stadium for the first time with his wife and their seven year old son Patrick. I wound up meeting up with Tike and Patrick during the game on the concourse. He's from the Bay area. He told me he has season tickets for the San Francisco Giants and he goes to a lot of Oakland A's games too. It was nice to meet and greet them.
After the game, our friend Bryan Gilligan drove the King and I to Donovan's Pub in Queens for a post game meal.

Saturday the King and I went back to the Bronx to see game two of the series. We also got a ride to Philadelphia from Bryan Gilligan as we saw the Phillies game too that night.

Stay tuned for the special post that I'm going to do about our busy day.

Sunday the King and I went back to Yankee Stadium for the finale of the series.

As for the game we saw, the Mariners scored first to take an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees tied the game at one in their half of the first. They scored a run in the second and another in the fourth to go up, 3-1. Former Yankee Jesus Montero drove in his second run of the game to cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth. The Yankees answered with a run in the fifth and they got two more in the sixth to pull away as they beat the Mariners, 6-2.

With that, another week of baseball was in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman



















Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Royalty is going back to Chicago and Milwaukee over Labor Day Weekend!


Here's the game plan:

Friday, August 31st

The King and I are flying into Milwaukee General Airport in the morning. We leave NY LaGuardia airport at 7:25AM Eastern Time. We arrive on Air Tran Airways in Brewtown at 8:40AM Central Time. Upon arrival, I'll be renting a car from Hertz for the weekend.

As for the games we're planning to see, they are as follows:

Giants at Cubs 1:20PM

Pirates at Brewers 7:10PM

Saturday, September 1st

Giants at Cubs 12:05PM

Pirates at Brewers 6:10PM

Sunday, September 2nd

Giants at Cubs 1:20PM

Peoria Chiefs at Kane County Cougars 6:30PM

Monday, September 3rd

Peoria Chiefs at Kane County Cougars 1PM

Twins at White Sox 6:10PM

Tuesday, September 4th

We're flying home from Milwaukee.

Our flight leaves Milwaukee at 7:45AM Central Time and arrives at NY LaGuardia at 10:49AM Eastern Time.

This is going to be another royal blast to the Midwest.

If  you want to join us let me know so I can help make it happen.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 8/6

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday August 7th Marlins at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday August 8th Marlins at Mets 7:10PM

Friday August 10th Braves at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday August 11th Braves at Mets 7:10PM

Sunday August 12th 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 7/30 in review.

In addition, I'll be doing a special post about our getaway to Philadelphia.

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

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Royalty goes to Baltimore to see the Oakland Athletics play the Orioles!

Vincent Ascanio, Me, The King, Peter  Agnew & Frank Anichiarico
Saturday morning I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend. I called them on my way so I could see if I could get a bigger car than I reserved.

I wound up having them hold a Crown Victoria for me. It worked out well since I had four other people come for the ride.

I got the car and I drove back home to get the King. We arranged to have our friends Al Linderman and Frank Anichiarico meet us there. We told our pal Vincent Ascanio to meet us by the 21st Street subway station in Queensbridge. He called that he was early so I went out and picked him up while we waited for Frank to come by.

It worked out well as Frank showed up at Noon and away we went.

On the way down South we ran into a big thunderstorm just North of Philadelphia on I-95. I thought I was back in Florida it was that bad.

After weathering the storm, we arrived in the Baltimore area around 4:30PM. We arranged to meet up with our friends Peter & Carmen Agnew for dinner at Looney's Pub in Canton/Fell's Point where they live. Since Carmen was going to Church at 5PM she didn't have time to eat with us. She wanted to say hello to us at least. It was great to see her again. She's such a wonderful person. Peter wound up ordering food for her to take out after we were all done eating.

As usual, the food was delicious. We ordered chicken wings which were made to order and they were damn good I must say. I had a piece of broiled orange roughy for dinner. The other guys went with burgers. They were very satisfied customers I might add. I asked them how their food was and I got plenty of positive responses.

Peter introduced us to John who's the manager at that location. I told him we love coming here. Why go somewhere else when you know what you're getting here. After trying plenty of other places, I know Looney's suits our eating and drinking needs best.

After we ate, we drove over to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to see the Orioles play the Oakland Athletics. Peter arranged to get us tickets for the game right behind home plate up near the top in the shade in section 336. He knows that's where we love to sit. Since he has season tickets for the Orioles he was able to exchange some unused tickets so he could accommodate us. That was very kind of him. For that, we were very grateful.

Peter decided to go home and wait for Carmen so she could have her dinner.

As for the game we saw, the Athletics beat up on the Orioles, 6-1.

The star of the game was rookie Yoenis Cespedes, the star from Cuba that the Athletics signed in the off season. I've seen him play briefly on TV a few times. This was the first time I saw him play live. What a thrill he was to watch. He can do it all for the young up and coming Athletics. On this night, he lead the way with his bat hitting a home run. He also hit a stand up triple as he raced around the bases like it was nothing. In addition, he made a great backhanded catch in center field after playing most of the game in left field.

I hope to see him play again but that may not be until next year. The main reason we went to Baltimore this time was because they were playing the Athletics. They come to Yankee Stadium for their only visit in September and the Mets are home at the same time. Since the King has a streak going to every home game at Citi Field except for one that he missed in 2009, he won't be able to see the Athletics play in New York. For that matter, he can't be in two places at the same time. As for me, I plan to be at Citi Field too. If not, I may go to a football game that weekend. We try to see every team play at least one game home or away if possible every year.

In retrospect, it turned out to be a wise decision to go to Baltimore. We got to see Yoenis Cespedes put on a show and we saw the original of the retro ballparks. Camden Yards is still the best of the new ones. It's a modern day Wrigley Field in comparison to the others. Quite amazingly, Oriole Park opened up way back in 1992. Time has literally flown by. I remember going there for the first time. They played the Mets in an exhibition game. This was my 85th game there over the years. I've seen at least one every year. As for the King, he's seen 150+ there including the first official game that opened the ballpark on April 6,1992 when the Orioles hosted the Cleveland Indians.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Royalty w/o 7/23 in review

Gio Gonzalez up at Bat
After work Monday night I raced over to Citi Field hoping to catch up with Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals since his team was in town to play the Mets who finally returned home after a miserable road trip after the All-Star break. Just like the Mets I had no such luck. Since it rained for a little while late in the afternoon I knew batting practice may have been cancelled. When I got inside Citi Field shortly after 6PM, the field was deserted except for some members of the grounds crew who were getting the field ready for the game.

When I got down to the railing, I heard a guy tell his son that the Yankees just traded for Ichiro Suzuki. I was surprised at first then I realized you can never have enough depth these days. With all the injuries, it makes sense to carry extra bodies. In my eyes, it would have been nice to see Ichiro stay with the Mariners but in this day and age, it's figures he waived his no trade clause so he could have a chance to win.
As for the Yankees, it was a good business decision even if he's old and washed up. He will help sell tickets and merchandise. It was a low risk move for them.

As for me, after I missed out on an opportunity to see Gio again, I went up towards my seat in section 516. Before I went to sit down, I decided to stop off and get something to eat at Blue Smoke where they have pulled pork sandwiches and ribs. I've had the pulled pork in the past which was excellent. This time I decided to try the ribs. They were amazing to say the least. I'm glad I decided to get them.

After I ate, I watched the Mets play the Nationals along with the King, Vincent Ascanio and David Sack who came back from a road trip out in the Midwest. It was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Nationals got a solid performance by starter Jordan Zimmermann who allowed just one run in six innings but he didn't weigh in the decision as the bullpen allowed the Mets to tie the game at two. The Nationals struck early in the first inning. Right after the King wanted to know why Bryce Harper was on the All-Star team, he hit the next pitch into the bullpen to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. He showed him. After the game was tied late, the Nationals needed a tenth inning to overcome the Mets. They did so by scoring six runs to outlast them, 8-2 to keep them in their tail spin.

Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for dinner on my way to Citi Field.

I knew that Gio Gonzalez was starting so I knew I wouldn't be able to see him up close. I wound up going out to the outfield to see him as he was loosening up to get ready for his start. It was payback time for him. His last start was against the Mets in Washington and he got bombed. I expected him to bounce back and pitch well. This time he didn't disappoint me. He pitched seven strong innings allowing a run which was unearned. He retired the side in order in four of the seven innings. It was a Gio like performance that I've become accustomed to reading about.

The Nationals went on to beat the Mets again, 5-2. Gio picked up his 13th win of the season against just five losses. On this night, he out pitched Mets' ace R.A. Dickey who fell to 13-2.

It should be noted this was the first major league game I saw Gio win live in person. If you're an avid reader of my blog you know I always wound up missing him pitch by a day. That's happened numerous times the last three years. Thankfully it didn't happen again this time.

Wednesday night after I work I went home after work to rest up and catch up on things around the house.
Thursday night I got home in time for the release of the 2012-2013 NBA Schedule on NBA TV. I was anxious to see what's in store for my upcoming Fall and Winter. I spent some time laying in some potential local games as well as some possible road trips that I may take.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx for the first installment of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry there this season. Before I went inside the Stadium, I met the King at the 7 Fish Market for dinner.

After we ate, we walked up the block to go to the game.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees tossed the Red Sox a beating as they won, 10-3. Phil Hughes pitched well for seven innings allowing three runs. The Yankee offense was powered by the long ball as usual. Raul Ibanez and Russell Martin both hit two run homers off starter Aaron Cook who is notorious for throwing ground balls. He got shelled for six runs in four innings. Later in the game, Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach for the Yankees.

Saturday I rented a car and I drove a car full to Baltimore to see the Orioles play. Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that will recap that getaway.

Sunday the King and I went back to Yankee Stadium for the rubber match of the Yankees/ Red Sox series. When we were away Saturday the Red Sox beat the Yankees to even the series at a game a piece.

This time the Red Sox got off to a fast start as they built a 2-0 lead thanks to a hit by Ryan Sweeney. The game stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning when Russell Martin hit a solo home run to pull the Yankees within a run at 2-1. In the eighth inning, Martin delivered again. This time he got a run tying single.

The game stayed tied until the tenth inning when Pedro Ciriaco untied it with a hit to give the Red Sox a 3-2 win. As a result, they won the series over the weekend.

Another week has come and gone.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman