Royalty Tours USA

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Royalty does a Bay area baseball doubleheader!

After experiencing a false start on Saturday August 10th on the way out to the Bay area, things changed for the better on Sunday, August 11th.

After I got that amazing night's sleep in Patrick's bed. I was rested for another busy day that lied ahead. I even got a break when Tike Narry said he would drive all of us. Once the King, Duck & I got ready we headed out after meeting Tike's wife Dawn. We spoke with her briefly. She seemed like a wonderful woman. She must be after all she married Tike. They initially met while umpiring a game together 15 years ago. They seem to be a perfect match. Tike found his baseball sweetheart. With that being said, I considered him a lucky man.

Once we said our goodbyes to Dawn, Tike drove us to the area by AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. He parked the car in his favorite parking lot where he can get out of the area with relative ease. The days of free parking in the vicinity even on Sundays are gone he said. They charge $7.00 an hour to park by a meter everyday. What a joke that is. Since the Giants have been World Champions two of the last three years they can get away with being extra greedy in this city.

After we parked the car, we got out and we walked towards the ballpark which was nearby. Before we went inside, we stopped off at the 21st Century Amendment Brewery which is Tike's place to go before Giant games. Tike walked in with us and he looked like he owned the place. He knows every worker there from being such a regular. In fact, he used to work at Kinko's that was located nearby. As a result, he was able to build a business relationship with the owner back in 2001. He told us he used to have parties for his employees there all the time. With that being said, he now has a second home if you will. Even though he no longer works for Kinko's, he's a customer of theirs for life.

Hell or High Watermelon 
After Tike introduced us to some of the people who work there, we sat down and we ordered our pre game meal. They had a special brunch menu that was limited because it was a game day. I normally prefer to have eggs for breakfast but the choices weren't to my liking. So I decided to do something out of the ordinary. I had a burger instead. Tike told me how good they were. True to his word, it was absolutely awesome. I had it with mozzarella cheese & grilled onions. I also had a Hell or High Watermelon beer which had a 4.9 alcohol content. It was really good. I'm not a big fan of beer. Tike is & he knows his microbrews. They brew their own beer there. I took Tike's advice and I wasn't disappointed. I knew he wouldn't steer me wrong. The King ordered a different kind of beer so did Duck. The King enjoyed his first ever beer in the morning he said. Technically speaking, it was really afternoon because we gained three hours the day before. Regardless the clock at the time said it was still morning. After we all enjoyed our brunch and brews, we headed over to the ballpark. Tike once again got us tickets in section 315 in the first row behind home plate. We had a beautiful view of the field and the amazing backdrop with the Bay in the background.

Patrick, Tike & I at AT & T Park
When we walked inside the ballpark, I got my main MLB Pass-Port Book officially stamped/validated at the Guest Services booth on the lower level. We then walked around the concourse area to look around the ballpark. I had flashbacks from my last visit there in May 2009. I must say AT&T Park is one of the best new modern ballparks. I always hear people raving about it. I can see why. It's a small compact place with incredible scenery.

When we were done walking around we went up to our seats to watch the game between the visiting Baltimore Orioles and the hometown San Francisco Giants.

View from section 315 at AT& T Park
As for the game we saw, it was a close one for seven innings as the Orioles were beating the Giants, 3-2. Then in the eighth & ninth innings, the Orioles turned the game into a blowout as shortstop J.J. Hardy and center fielder Adam Jones blasted home runs to lead the way as the Orioles beat the Giants, 10-2.

After the game, we went back to the car and Tike proceeded to drive to San Jose which is about 40 miles south of San Francisco. Thankfully he knew the way. We wound up parking the car on the street in the neighborhood which was within walking distance of San Jose Municipal Stadium , which is the home of the San Jose Giants, the single A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the California League. They were hosting the Bakersfield Blaze, the Dodgers' farm club. We managed to get inside the ballpark with just enough time to spare for the 6PM start. The only other time the King & I were there was back in August 1993.
Prince at San Jose Municipal Stadium
Shortly after the game started, we got a special visit from our pal Andrew Van Cleve who was there with his son, Dylan. Andrew is originally from the Bay area. He contacted me when I was at the Giant game. He asked me what I was doing that night. I told him we're going to San Jose. He was flying back from Las Vegas to San Francisco that afternoon because he had his brother's bachelor party there. He decided to join us for the game. As always, it was great to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Blaze tied it at two in the eighth inning. The game wound up going into extra innings. The Giants ended it in the eleventh inning when second baseman Ryan Cavan delivered the game winning hit as the Giants won, 3-2.

On the way back to Casa De Narry, Tike decided to stop off at Carl's Jr. where we were able to get a post game meal. I had a charbroiled fish sandwich which was really good. I also had a orange cream shake to go along with it.

Stay tuned as I will write the next installment of this memorable journey when time allows.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Royalty returns to the West Coast!

Saturday morning August 10th after barely getting any sleep thanks to a long Yankee game that Friday night, it was time to hit the road again. This time the King & I along with our good friend Frank Anichiarico aka Duck went to LaGuardia airport to fly out to San Francisco. We had a layover in Chicago O'Hare first. We were planning to arrive in the City by the Bay at 11:15AM Pacific time if were on time. Unfortunately we got delayed in Chicago due to a runway being shut down in San Francisco according to the air traffic control. As a result, an hour delay turned into a two and a half hour one. With that being said, we finally landed safely in the Bay area at 1:45PM that afternoon. We were supposed to go to the Giant game at 1:05PM upon arrival. After we got our bags that we checked in, we took a tram ride that seemed endless to the car rental center where I was renting a car from Dollar rent a car. Luckily I had a reservation through my Dollar Express account which saved me at least another hour. The lines for all the car rentals were jam packed. I didn't need to waste any more of our precious time. Finally I got the car, a Ford Fusion. It worked out well from that point on. Unfortunately by the time we got to the AT&T Park, the game was in the 7th inning. We had to meet up with fellow ballpark chaser and friend of mine, Tike Narry who had our tickets for the game. We wound up meeting him by the right field gate so we went inside to watch the last few innings of the game that the Giants won, 3-2. I was hoping to meet up with a few other ballpark chasers, Dave Block aka the Gratitude Guy & Matthew Weil aka Megabus Matt who were also at the game. Unfortunately that didn't work out either.

I told Tike back in April when he came to Citi Field to see the Mets for his last current ballpark with his wife Dawn and their son Patrick that I was going to make every effort to come back to the West Coast in August. True to my word, I found a way to make it happen. In the middle of May, I booked myself on an American Airlines flight using my frequent flier miles. Since I don't change and/or cancel my flights, I knew I was going. The King finally made up his mind in June that he wanted to go so he had me book him on the same flights. In July, he talked Frank into joining us. So I proceeded to get him on the flights as well. I do whatever it takes to get things done. Once I had the flights finalized, I booked the car and the hotels.

I contacted Tike with our game plan. He out of the goodness of his heart told me that he was going to join us over the weekend when we were there. He went way overboard as he extended himself by putting us up for two nights at his newly remodeled home that was destroyed by a fire last August when he was ironically on the East Coast. We met briefly at Yankee Stadium a few days before his trip was cut short. Once we got situated, everything went nice & smooth the rest of the way.

After the Giant game, I wound up driving to Tike's place aka Casa De Narry as he calls it in San Leandro which is just past the Oakland Coliseum where the A's call home for the time being. We dropped off our bags there & we took a quick tour of his place. Once we got done, Tike decided to drove us all to Stockton which is a little over an hour away. We went to see a minor league baseball game as the Stockton Ports, the Oakland A's affiliate of the California League were playing host to the Modesto Nuts, the Colorado Rockies farm team at Banner Island Ballpark. Quite amazingly, Tike had never been there. I was surprised since he's such a big baseball fan and he's lived out there almost his whole life. Back in August 1993, the King & I saw a baseball game at the old ballpark there in Stockton. So this was our first visit too. Tike brought his son Patrick with him. It worked out really well because he's such a good kid. We all enjoyed his company.

Prince at Banner Island Ballpark
As for the game we saw, it was a good one. The Nuts tied it at five in the top of the eighth inning. The Ports answered back with the eventually game winning run in the bottom half as they went on to beat the Nuts, 6-5.

After the game, Tike stopped off at an In N Out Burger in Tracy which is about 20 miles north of Stockton on the way back to his home. He wound going through the drive thru so I made sure I got a double-double and a vanilla shake. It was outrageous. Glad he was kind enough to stop off there.

We finally got back to Casa de Narry just before midnight. We were all so tired from the long day we had. As for the sleeping arrangements, I wound up sleeping in Patrick's bed because he wanted me to. I did and I got a much needed good night sleep. When I woke up I was fresh as a daisy. I'm not kidding. I felt really good. I was out for the count for the first time in a long time.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the journey as I will recap each day of the trip in a different post. It was truly a blast. Wait and you'll see how it unfolded.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 8/26

Here's the game plan:

Monday August 26th Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday August 27th Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday August 28th Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

Friday August 30th Orioles at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday August 31st Orioles at Yankees 1:05PM

                                  Aberdeen Ironbirds at Brooklyn Cyclones 6PM

Sunday September 1st Orioles at Yankees 1:05PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

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

Stay tuned as I plan to do a number of special posts that will go into detail from our West Coast extravaganza. I also plan to do my w/o 8/19 in review eventually too. Please bear with me as I try to find time to catch up. I keep falling further behind. Please be patient. 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

Royalty w/o 8/5 in review

Monday after work I came home for a rare night of relaxation. After I made myself dinner, I took it easy because I was so tired from being out late the night before. I struggled through the day at work. It was tough for me. Old age is catching up to me.

Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's on my way to Citi Field where I saw the Mets open a three game series with the Colorado Rockies who were making their only visit to the area. I saw my pal Sam Citron when I entered through the Rotunda gate. I proceed to go out to the center field area where I showed my Citi credit card and I got a $10 gift card since it was another Citi Tuesday. When I was done, I walked back around to go up to the Royal Court which was in session in section 515. We had Martin Caamano, David Sack, Phil Butleman, Manny Morales & Pat Gorman on hand that night. Later on in the game, I got a special visit from Bob Kelly who returned from a business trip he took to Montreal on Monday. He decided to see another Met game when he got back to NYC. He actually had a seat downstairs near the Met dugout he said. He came up to pay respect to the King & I. I want to personally thank him for doing so. That was very nice of him.

As for the game we saw, the Mets took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when center fielder Juan Lagares delivered a two out, two run triple to right center field. The Rockies got a run back in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Nolan Arenado to make it a 2-1 game. In the sixth inning, the Rockies got even when Charlie Blackmon hit a pinch hit home run to tied the game at two.
Thankfully Eric Young Jr. hustled around the bases on an infield single to second base by Juan Lagares as he slide in safely which turned out to be the difference in the game in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Mets beat the Rockies, 3-2.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway & Carvel for my pre game meal as I returned to Citi Field for more baseball. All-Star starter Matt Harvey was pitching so I knew I had a chance to see something special. When I got upstairs in section 515, I was joined by William Frank Guthrie, Michael Abrams, Steve Tepperman, Frank Anichiarico, Manny Bonilla & Rich Wolber. In addition, Phil Butleman, David Sack & Pat Gorman came back for more too. Furthermore, we had the Hooligan's who provided some added entertainment in section 513. It was a fun night to be at the ballpark.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was as good as advertised on this night. He pitched his first complete game of his young career. He allowed four hits and he struck out six as he earned his ninth win of the season as the Mets beat the Rockies, 4-0 in a quick one for a change. The game lasted only two hours & twenty minutes. It should be noted that Mets' rookie Wilmer Flores got his first major league hit in the second inning. He also added a double in the eighth inning which cleared the bases to give Matt Harvey the insurance he needed to have an opportunity to finish what he started. It was a rare feeling indeed.

Thursday night after work I came home since the Mets & Rockies played an afternoon game to wrap up their three game set. It worked out well for me because I needed to do my laundry and I wanted to pack my bags in anticipation of my big week long trip to the West Coast. It turned out to be a very productive evening as I got everything done as I planned to.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a three game weekend series against the Detroit Tigers. Before I went inside Yankee Stadium, I decided to try a different place for dinner. I went to U.S. Fried Chicken where I had a few pieces of chicken and cole slaw. It was good. I'm glad I gave it a shot. As I like to say, it never hurts to try. You can't succeed if you don't. When I got done, I walked back over to the Stadium. It stopped raining after it started briefly when I got off the subway.

When I got upstairs to my seat in section 420B row 7, the tarp was on the field for no apparent reason. The Yankees notoriously like to hold their fans hostage even when it's not raining. By doing so, they delayed the start of the game by 47 minutes. Needless to say, the King & I weren't too happy especially since we had to catch an early flight in the morning.

Among us unhappy campers were our pals William Frank Guthrie & Steve Tepperman who can't understand it either.
 
As for the game we finally saw, the Yankees' starter Ivan Nova pitched well allowing just one run over seven innings. He left the game with a 3-1 lead. It stayed that way until the ninth inning when Mariano Rivera came on to try & close it out. Quite amazingly, he failed to do so. With two outs, and a man on second, Miguel Cabrera battled Mariano. He fought off a few foul balls that hit off his ankle. He could barely walk. He finally gathered himself & he proceeded to launch a ball over the center field fence that tied the game at three which stunned the crowd that was still left. After the Yankees failed to score in the bottom of the ninth inning, the game went into extra innings. I really wanted to leave since I needed to get some sleep. I decided to stick out an extra inning. Luckily with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, Brett Gardner poked a ball through to left field which scored the winning run as the Yankees outlasted the Tigers, 4-3. He was the last batter I was going to see.

Stay tuned for the numerous special posts I plan to write that will recap the big West Coast trip that the King, our friend Frank Anichiarico & I took. Please bear with me as I try to find the time to go into detail about it.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Royalty sees a Major League doubleheader & greets other ballpark chasers!

On Sunday August 4th, the King & I along with our pal Chris Coats aka KC Superfan returned to Citi Field for the rubber match of the three game series between the Mets & the Royals.

We sat in section 516 where we were joined by Bryan Gilligan, Phil Butleman, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico & Rich Wolber.

Chris Coats, me, Stephanie & Todd Dupee at Citi Field
In addition, we got a visit from a few ballpark chasers, Stephanie aka Snarky Mamacita and her friend Todd Dupee. It was great to meet & greet them. They have a blog as well which recaps their travels from their recent baseball road trip that they took to the Southeast as well as other trips from years past. Stephanie is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Since I've traveled there many times over the years it was easy to relate to her. She now lives here in NYC. We plan to meet up again in the near future.

As for the game we saw, the Royals broke through in the fourth inning when third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run off of Mets' starter Zack Wheeler to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. In the top of the fifth inning, the Royals added three more runs thanks to a wild pitch, an error & a timing hit by Lorenzo Cain as the Royals batted around. The Mets got one back in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, the Royals tacked on two more runs to take a 6-1 lead. By doing so, Chris Coats who was forced to leave early because he had to catch a flight back home didn't miss anything except for a run the Mets scored in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Royals beat the Mets, 6-2.

After the game, the King drove Frank Anichiarico & I down to Philadelphia where we saw the Phillies play the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Our pal Bryan Gilligan also drove down and he took our friend Phil Butleman there. We all sat in section 418 where we met up with our buddy David Sack who was there on the way back from a road trip he was on that took him through the Midwest.

The Phillies were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1993 National League Champion team over the weekend. It was nice to see some of the players who played on that team there as part of the festivities. They included Kevin Stocker, Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Curt Schilling & Mickey Morandini among others. The King & I could relate well to that team because we got to see them play a lot that year during the regular season as well as the post season. Ironically they beat the Braves to advance to the World Series against the Blue Jays which ended when Joe Carter hit a game winning home run in game six at the Skydome as it was called back then.

As for the game we saw that night, the Phillies' starter Cliff Lee didn't pitch well. He gave up two runs in the first inning on a single by third baseman Chris Johnson. In the fourth inning, the Braves added two more runs on run scoring singles by Jason Heyward & Justin Upton after the Phillies got a run in the bottom of the third inning. The Braves went on to win, 4-1.

Stay tuned for my w/o 8/5 in review. I'm still in the midst of catching up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Royalty w/o 7/29 in review

Monday morning I woke up early so I could return the car I rented from Avis for the weekend before I went to work. I wound up driving 591 miles safely.

After work, I wound up taking a ride out to Coney Island when I found out the game I planned to see in Staten Island that night was changed to a 4PM doubleheader because they got rained out on Sunday afternoon. As a true professional, I adjusted to the circumstances at the last minute. It worked out well as I stopped off at Subway for a sandwich on my way to MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. They were hosting the Hudson Valley Renegades that night. I was joined by some friends, Michael Abrams, Pat Gorman & Domish. It was nice to spend the evening with them.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones won, 4-0. They got a solo home run from first baseman Matt Oberste in the second inning to go up, 1-0. They tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth as they cruised to the shutout victory.

As for the King, he was on the road with our pal Vincent Ascanio for the week since there was no local baseball until Friday in the area.

With that being said, I had a mini All Star break for myself. I decided to use the free time wisely.

Tuesday night I came home after work. I made dinner then I went around the block & I did my laundry.

Wednesday & Thursday night I came home after work. I made dinner, relaxed and I was able to relive my All Star game memories by writing about them here.

Friday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's on my way to Citi Field. It should be noted that during the day I got an e-mail from my pal Bob Kelly who said he's going to the Met game since he was in town on business. I told him I'll see him there. I did indeed. As always, it was great to see him again.

In addition, I had another special guest, Chris Coats aka KC Superfan came in special from Kansas City to see his Royals play the Mets for the weekend. I wound up meeting him on the Q48 bus that he took from LaGuardia airport because his flight got delayed so he got in later than he expected. He was planning to join me for dinner. Ironically I barely caught the bus he was on by Taste of Dolly's. Luckily I was able to time it right since the train ride I took was longer than normal. As a result, we took the bus to Citi Field together. As we were walking towards the Rotunda gate, we ran into the King and our friend Frank Anichiarico who were getting ready to head inside the ballpark. What timing that was. We all proceeded to go in together as we saw our pal Sam Citron. I introduced Chris cape and all to Sam. Since Sam is an avid reader of my blog & he loves to meet some of the people I know and write about. He was so happy to see us all again.
When we finally got up to the Royal Court in section 516 we were also joined by Bob Kelly who was up there waiting for us, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman & Martin Caamano.

As for the game we saw, it was another long one. Thankfully Eric Young Jr. ended it with a two run game winning home run in the 11th inning. The Mets couldn't hold the 2-0 lead they had courtesy of David Wright who hit a two run homer in the first inning to support starter Dillon Gee who allowed a run in seven plus innings of work. The Mets' bullpen sprung a leak as they let the Royals tie the game in the top of the ninth inning thanks to a Lorenzo Cain sacrifice fly.

Despite the long game, the King, Chris Coats & I went to Donovan's Pub where we met up with Charlie, the King's brother for a late post game meal. Chris really enjoyed it. With that being said, I'm glad he got to go there with us.

Saturday morning I got up early so I could get my haircut in preparation for my West Coast trip that was coming up.

Chris Coats & I at Citi Field
In the afternoon, the King, Chris Coats who stayed over with us & I went back to Citi Field for game two for the series between the Mets and the Royals.

Of course, Chris was hoping for a different result on this day. This time the Mets lead early 1-0, the Royals came back with three runs to take the lead in the third inning. In the bottom of the eighth the Mets rallied to tie the game at three thanks to a two run single by Josh Satin. The game also went into extra innings. This time Chris got his way as Justin Maxwell who was recently acquired from the Houston Astros hit a pinch hit game winning home run in the 12th inning to give the Royals a 4-3 win.

As a result, we altered our second game plans. We were going to go to New Britain, Connecticut to see the Rock Cats play. But since the Met game went so long we decided to go to Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York in the Hudson Valley near Poughkeepsie instead. That decision worked out since we were able to get to the game on time. The King drove Vincent Ascanio & I there. As for Chris Coats, he decided to go to see Beyonce in concert at the Barclays Center. We wound up meeting him at the house after the game. It turned out well for all of us.

As for the game we saw, the Hudson Valley Renegades lost to the visiting Auburn Doubledays, 4-3 in 13 innings after both teams blew some chances in the extra innings. Third baseman Cody Gunter finally ended the suspense with a single to right to win it for the Doubledays.

Stay tuned for another special post that I'm going to write about the major league doubleheader we saw that Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty spends the last weekend in July in Washington DC watching baseball & soccer!

Saturday morning July 27th I got up early so I could take public transportation out to Avis on Long Island in New Hyde Park which is right near where I used to live. I decided to rent a car for the weekend so I could see the Mets play the Nationals in our Nation's Capitol. In addition, I went to see a soccer game too. More importantly, I was hoping to see some people I know who live down there.

I wound up getting a Chevy Impala which was equipped with an XM radio. With that being said, I had the luxury of listening to all kinds of different music and sports. It worked out really well. Since they gave me a car with a half a tank of gas, I had to stop to get more on my way down. I did that at a familiar place. I went to Wawa's in Elkton, Maryland.

I ran into some pockets of traffic along the way but luckily I was able to park the car on the street for free within walking distance of Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. I was considering parking by RFK Stadium where the DC United play soccer since I was going to see them after the baseball game. I would have taken the Metro to Nationals Park. Since I was pressed for time, I decided to drive straight through.

Prince Outside Nationals Park

The King and our pal Vincent Ascanio were already down in Washington because they went to the day night doubleheader that was played on Friday. They stayed over in the area. By doing so, they got to the ballpark early. As a result, they were able to get to $5 tickets at the box office a few hours before the game started. They were able to get me one as well. As I like to say, teamwork makes the dream work. I wound up parking the car at 2:46PM. I called the King and he met me at the gate at the ballpark at 3PM. He passed me out the ticket. Shortly thereafter, I met up with a young lady named Neva outside the ballpark by the team store. She was with her cousin and a friend of hers. They couldn't make the game due to a prior engagement. She met me because I arranged to get a picture signed that she had taken with Gio Gonzalez at one of his foundation's functions. I told her I was going to do my best for her. True to my word, I did indeed. When I saw Gio at Citi Field at the end of June, he signed it. Being the special person he is, he said he remembered her when I asked him. When Neva found out that I got it signed, she was lost for words. She was so happy. She couldn't thank me enough. She told me I made her entire summer. I didn't do anything special. I just asked Gio to sign the picture I printed out in color for her. Thankfully I was able to see him in order for him to do so. When I told her I got it for her, she wanted to know how she could get it. I told her we can meet at the ballpark. True to my word, we did. Ironically the other day she told me she bought a frame for it. That put a big smile on my face. Thanks to me, she now has an autographed framed picture of her and Gio. It's amazing how a small gesture can go so far in someone else's life. With that being said, I feel so good. I know I made a difference just by being who I am.

Gio Gonzalez on cover of Nationals' program
After we spoke briefly, I walked into the ballpark so I could see the game. I stayed downstairs for the first inning then I went upstairs to stand under the press box with the King by section 312. Shortly thereafter, we got a surprise visit by our friend Joe Rossi who came down for the game with a few buddies of his. As always, it was a pleasure to see him again. Later in the game, I got a visit from another person I knew. I'm referring to fellow ballpark chaser David Cordell who came by with his son Sam. Ironically they saw Gio Gonzalez before the game on the field. Since they have season tickets for the Nationals, they were able to take part in a special meet the players event. David said and I quote "Gio signed autographs for everybody who was there." I wasn't shocked at all. That's the Gio I know & love as a baseball player and a fellow human being. He's an inspiration to others. David also told me that his son Sam who is autistic was going to Gio's Special Camp in August. Sam is a lucky child even though he has a disability. He's blessed with great parents. David's wife, Janice who I met at Citi Field in April is a baseball fan too. She stayed at their seats while they came over special to see me. I want to personally thank David for being so kind & thoughtful.

As for the game we saw, the Nationals hit three home runs off Mets' starter Dillon Gee that afternoon. Ian Desmond & Denard Span hit back to back homers in the second inning and Bryce Harper hit a two run homer to back the great pitching that day by starter Dan Haren who was finally on his game. As a result, the Nationals went on to beat the Mets, 4-1. It should be noted that the King, Vincent & I left the game in the bottom of the eighth inning when the sky opened up. The game wound up being delayed an hour and two minutes. They were going to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Red Sox at Camden Yards on their way home & I decided to go to see the DC United play the New England Revolution in a soccer match at RFK Stadium.

When I got to the parking lot, I heard the end of the baseball game I left. Nothing special happened so I'm glad I did what I did. I parked in Lot 8 since Neva told me that's where the supporters hang out before the game. Mother nature dampened the party atmosphere somewhat. Since I needed a ticket for the game, I decided to go inside so I could relax before the game started once I got one. I wound up buying a ticket outside from someone for $15. It worked out well since the seat was located by mid field so I had a good view of the action. By going there, I was able to say that I've now seen three different sports in RFK Stadium. In 1996, I saw a Redskins game and in 2005, 2006 & 2007 I saw 20 Nationals' games there. It was great timing because the week before I read that they're building a new stadium for the United so their days are numbered at RFK. That sealed the deal for me. I decided I'm definitely going to see that game. In addition, I needed a break from baseball.

Prince at RFK Stadium for DC United
As for the game I saw, I finally saw my first ever goal in an outdoor soccer game in the 8th minute as Luis Silva of the United scored to make it 1-0. In the second half, the Revolution, got even and then some as they went on to beat the United, 2-1. The best part of the game was that at 9PM it was over. They play two 45 minute halves in running time. They usually add on some extra time but in general soccer matches are played in a timely fashion. On this night, I was tired and hungry so I wanted to take care of my body. After the game, I did just that. I drove to Jessup, Maryland where I spent the night at Knights Inn. They also had a Country Pride restaurant there which was open so after I checked in, I went there & I had a hearty dinner.

Live action from DC United game
After I got a good night sleep, I went back there for breakfast. When I got done, I went to Nationals Park to see the Nationals wrap up their weekend series with the Mets. I bought a $5 ticket at the box office & I went inside when the gates opened. I was hoping to see Gio Gonzalez again but there was no batting practice so I was unable to see him. I plan to catch up with him at Citi Field in September when the Nationals return to NYC.

Prince at Nationals Park on Sunday
As for the game I saw, the Nationals took batting practice during the game as they went on to whip the Mets, 14-1. Wilson Ramos hit a grand slam to lead the offensive explosion.

As for the traditional President's race, Abe Lincoln aka Honest Abe won that.

After the game, I drove back home. On the way back, I stopped off at Golden Corral where I helped myself to happiness in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It was a perfect to end off another memorable weekend.

Stay tuned for my w/o 7/29 in review as I slowly but surely play catch up. Please bear with me.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

2013-2014 AHL Schedule

To all my readers and followers,

The 2013-2014 AHL schedule has been released:

Please see the link below for all the details:

http://theahl.com/2013-14-ahl-schedule-unveiled-p185738

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

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 8/19

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday August 20th Braves at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday August 21st Blue Jays at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday August 23rd Tigers at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday August 24th Tigers at Mets 4:05PM

Sunday August 25th Tigers at Mets 1:10PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

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

Stay tuned for the recap of my DC weekend getaway at the end of July as well as my w/o 7/29 & w/o 8/5 in review. In addition, I plan to do a number of special posts that will go into detail from our West Coast extravaganza. Please bear with me as I try to find time to catch up. I keep falling further behind. Please be patient. 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

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Royalty w/o 7/22 in review

Monday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for a few slices of pizza on my way to Citi Field as the Mets opened a four game series with their division rival, the Atlanta Braves. When I arrived at the ballpark, I entered through the Rotunda gate and I was greeted by my pal Sam Citron. As always, it was a pleasure to see him.

When I got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by the King, Vincent Ascanio and Bryan Gilligan. In addition, we also had our pals Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel & Al Linderman on hand. Furthermore, in section 513 the Hooligan's were present and accounted for. It's always fun when they show up.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a great start from starter Dillon Gee who threw seven shutout innings. He left the game with a 1-0 lead. The Met bullpen did its job in the eighth inning but in the ninth it sprung a leak as closer Bobby Parnell was unable to seal the deal. He allowed three hits and two runs to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. The Mets tried their best to tie or win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. With runners on first & second & two men out, Justin Turner pinch hit and he drove a ball to the gap that appeared to be good for at least one run if not two. Thanks to Jason Heyward of the Braves it was good for none. He made a great game saving catch to end the game as the Braves hung on to win, 2-1.

Tuesday night after work I went to Checker's for dinner before I returned to Citi Field for game two of the series with the Braves on Citi Tuesday. Every Tuesday night home game, the Mets offer their Citibank cardholders special discounts and a $10 gift card just for showing their card. Since the King & I have Citibank credit cards we get to take advantage of this unique perk.

After we went out to the booth near the Apple in center field, we went up to our perch in section 516 behind home plate to watch the game. This time we were joined by Manny Bonilla, David Sack, Phil Butleman & Frank Anichiarico.

As for the game we saw, it didn't start off well as Braves' shortstop Andrelton Simmons lead off the game with a home run to give the Braves a 1-0 lead off Mets' starter Carlos Torres. Luckily Torres settled in nicely as he proceeded to shutout the Braves for six innings. He even helped his own cause by getting a hit in the third inning that tied the game at one. The Mets added three more runs in the sixth inning which made a winner out of Torres as the Mets beat the Braves, 4-1 to even the series at a game a piece.

Wednesday night after work I stopped off at Subway & Carvel by Junction Blvd on my way back to Citi Field for game three. After I had a quality meal and a royal dessert, I got back on the 7 train and I went to the ballpark.

After saying hello to Sam again, I made my way up to the Promenade level in section 516 where I met up with the rest of the crew that were in attendance that night. I'm referring to David Sack, Manny Morales, Rich Wolber, Martin Caamano, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman & Michael Abrams.

As for the game we saw, the Braves overpowered the Mets who were wearing orange jerseys with "Los Mets" on them in honor of Hispanic Heritage night. The Braves built a 6-0 thanks to the long ball. They got a solo homer from Evan Gattis in the second inning, a three run homer from Dan Uggla and a two run blast from Andrelton Simmons in the fifth inning which propelled them to an easy 8-2 victory over the Mets. Unfortunately for the Braves it turned out to be a painful night for them because they lost starting pitcher Tim Hudson who dominated the Mets for seven & two thirds innings. Hudson got spiked accidentally by the Mets' Eric Young Jr. on a play at first base.

Thursday night after work I went home to get a much needed night of relaxation. I made myself dinner and I watched some TV.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the red hot Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Before I went into the ballpark, I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant and I picked up a corned beef sandwich.

It should be noted that night marked the return to the Bronx for Alfonso Soriano who got traded back to the Yankees earlier in the day from the Chicago Cubs. He was in the starting line up.

When I got up to my seat in section 420B row 7, I was greeted by a fellow ballpark chaser, Ben Fallon who was there with his son Declan. Ben came up from the Washington DC area to visit his family who live on the Jersey Shore. It was nice of him to stop by to say hi. I met him last September for the first time when I went to Nationals Park. Speaking of Nats Town, stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do that will recap the weekend I spent down there. It worked out well that I got to see Ben here because he wasn't going to be there.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees got beat up. CC Sabathia started and he got bombed. He gave up six runs in the second inning as the Rays batted around. He wound up giving up seven runs in five innings of work. The Yankees trailed, 10-1 after seven innings before they staged a late comeback attempt that fell short in the ninth inning as the Rays used four relief pitchers to finish off the Yankees, 10-6. The game took 3 hours and 44 minutes. It was painful to watch for any baseball fan. As for Alfonso Soriano, he was a non factor as he went hit less in five at bats.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

2013-2014 NBA Schedule

To all my readers and followers,

The 2013-2014 NBA schedule has been released:

Please see the link below for all the details:

http://www.nba.com/gameline/20131029/

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.

Stay tuned for my upcoming basketball road trips as well as other creative ones that others may be interested in taking.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, August 5, 2013

Royalty w/o 7/15 in review

Wednesday night after I returned to work I took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Baby Bombers at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees were hosting the Batavia Muckdogs. During the day, I got an e-mail from fellow roadtripper, Jim Wood who I met back in May at Citi Field. He told me he was going to be at the game. I told him I'll see him there. It turned out to be a festive occasion for him that night because he was seeing his 100th ballpark. I was thrilled to be part of his personal milestone. There was a small crowd on hand so we had plenty of room to enjoy each other's company as well as the game. We got to catch up on our whereabouts since we met in May. It's always fun to hear someone else's point of view from their travel experiences. Jim said he was working near Philadelphia the day before. When he got done with work, he went to see the Camden Riversharks play in an independent league game before he drove up to Staten Island. After the game he saw with me, he said he was driving to Aberdeen, Maryland to spent the night before he finished driving back home to Raleigh, North Carolina where he now lives.

As for the game we saw, the Muckdogs hung on to beat the Yankees, 8-6. They lead 8-1 after seven innings. They gave up four runs in the eighth and another one in the ninth on a home run by right fielder Yeicok Calderon before they got the next three Yankees out to escape with the victory.

After the game ended, Jim & I said our goodbyes. He went on his way and I was able to catch the 10:30PM boat back to Lower Manhattan.

Thursday night after work I went out to Coney Island on the D train to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at MCU Park. Before I got to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway for a pre game meal. When I got outside the park I ran into my pals Vincent Ascanio & Michael Abrams who were also there. When we got inside, we saw our buddy Domish who was present & accounted for.
Upon entry, I went right to the team store so I could get my new minor league 25 game passport book stamped & validated to prove I was officially there.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones fell behind, 1-0 in the second inning. The Scrappers added another one in the top of the fifth inning to go up 2-0. The Cyclones broke the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fifth as they trailed, 2-1. The Scrappers responded with three more runs in the top of the sixth as they went on to beat the Cyclones, 6-2.

Friday night after work I returned to Citi Field now that the All-Star break was officially over. I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for a few slices of pizza before I was greeted by my pal, Sam Citron at the Rotunda gate as the Mets opened a three game series with division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies who were in town for the weekend.

I proceeded to go up to the Fan Assistance booth behind home plate so I could get my Major League Ballpark Passport book stamped & validated. It was number 6 out of 30 for me as I continue to make the rounds to see all 30 current parks again.

When I finally got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by the King who was back from his latest road trip & his brother Henry who was visiting from Florida. Bryan Gilligan, Vinny Ascanio, David Sack, Alan Gimpel & Michael Carson were also on hand. It was a late arriving crowd mainly because of the post game concert they were having as they announced a gathering of 35,021. The performer was Nas, a rapper from Queens.

As for the game we saw, it was over fast for all intent and purposes as the Phillies scored early and often off Met starter Jeremy Hefner who got beat up. He allowed eight runs in two plus innings as the Phillies lead, 11-0 after three innings. The Mets made an attempt to comeback but they dug too big of a hole for themselves as they wound up losing the game, 13-8.

After the game, the King, his brother Henry, Bryan Gilligan & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. We wound up meeting up with Charlie Casiano & Frank Anichiarico there as well. We were one big happy family. It was a great way to forgot about the awful game we saw.

Saturday morning I got up early so I could do my laundry before I returned to Citi Field for game two of the three game series with the Phillies.

This time I got a visit from a special guest who I met the Saturday before in Pittsburgh at PNC Park. I'm talking about Blair Long who decided to spend his afternoon at the ballpark. His wife Paula was going to join him but it was too hot for her so she wisely decided to stay home. It was nice to see him again.

In addition, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Pat Gorman, Phil Butleman, David Sack & Al Linderman were also present & accounted for that day.

Furthermore, I got a surprise visit from my pal Eddie Pelle, his girlfriend Bethany & his brother John who came up during the game.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies took an early 1-0 lead as shortstop Jimmy Rollins lead off the game with a home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Mets answered back with three runs off Phillies' starter Cole Hamels. The Phillies got a run back in the top of the fifth to get within a run at 3-2. The Mets matched them as David Wright drove in a run to give the Mets a 4-2 cushion. They tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning which proved to be huge as the Phillies got a two run homer in the ninth inning from Chase Utley to get within a run again at 5-4 with two out. The Mets were able to get the final out to escape with the win.

After the game, Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Vincent Ascanio & I to Coney Island where we went to see another baseball game as the Brooklyn Cyclones were hosting the Batavia Muckdogs at MCU Park.

We were joined by our friends Beth & William Frank Guthrie who also spent the night at the ballpark.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones jumped on the Muckdogs early as they scored the game's only runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Cyclones wound up scoring three times as they survived two rain delays as they defeated the Muckdogs, 3-0.

Sunday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for the rubber match of the three game set between the Mets & Phillies. It was also Dwight Gooden Bobblehead Doll day and Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets against Cliff Lee and the Phillies.

When I got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by Steve Tepperman, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Al Linderman, Alan Gimpel, Michael Carson, Rich Wolber, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman as well as Mike & Joe Klein who were there too.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was on. He threw seven shutout innings & he struck out ten Phillies as the Mets used the long ball to beat Cliff Lee, 5-0. David Wright & Marlon Byrd hit back to back solo homers in the first inning & Juan Lagares added a three run blast in the fourth inning to carry the Mets to the victory.

After the game, I went back home for a little while. I then went out and I met up with my parents who came in from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to visit for dinner. I also got to see my adorable niece Taylor and my handsome nephew Jeremy who they brought with them. It was nice to spend some quality time with the family.

Stay tuned for my w/o 7/22 in review when I find some free time to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty schedule w/o 8/5

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday August 6th Rockies at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday August 7th Rockies at Mets 7:10PM

Friday August 9th Tigers at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday August 10th Orioles at Giants 1:05PM

                                  Modesto Nuts at Stockton Ports 7:05PM

Sunday August 11th Orioles at Giants 1:05PM

                                Bakersfield Blaze at San Jose Giants 6:05PM

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 the rest of my w/o 7/15 as well as my w/o 7/22 & w/o 7/29 in review. In addition, I plan to do a few other special posts too. Please bear with me as I try to find time to catch up. I keep falling further behind. Please be patient. 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

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Royalty salutes All-Star pitcher Jason Grilli of the Pittsburgh Pirates!

Back on May 26, 2011 I got to meet and greet Jason Grilli who was trying to make a comeback to the major leagues after he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the entire 2010 season. At the time, he was playing for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies Triple A affiliate. A few months later due to a stipulation in his contract he became a free agent. He signed on with the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 21st. He finished the season strong for the Pirates. He was rewarded with a one year contract for the 2012 season. He became the Pirates' set up man for their closer at the time, Joel Hanrahan. After having a solid season, he was once again a free agent. This time he was offered a two year contract to stay in Pittsburgh. After giving it some thought, he decided to stay in the Steel City. In the off season, the Pirates traded Joel Hanrahan to the Boston Red Sox. With that being said, Jason was asked to take over as the Pirates' closer. Jason being used to adversity was able to overcome his knee injury to get back to the big leagues. Now he was determined to adapt to his new role in the Pirates' bullpen. Based on his first half performance, he has passed the test with flying colors.

Jason Grilli at Wrigley Field 
Ironically I saw Jason again during batting practice when I was at Wrigley Field back on July 6th. He came over and he shook my hand and I wished him well. I told him to keep up the great work.
He was there with his father Steve who pitched with the Detroit Tigers and the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1970's. I remember having his baseball card when I was a young lad. They were having a catch in the outfield. It was so cool to see this father & son combination in the friendly confines.

That Sunday night the All-Star selections were announced. Jason Grilli aka Grill Cheese was among those who had his name called. What an accomplishment it was for him. This is a great example that hard work truly does pay off.

Jason & Steve Grilli having a catch at Wrigley Field
The following Saturday I saw Jason again at PNC Park before the Pirates played the Mets. I officially congratulated him on being selected to the All-Star game. Later that night, Jason came in and he closed out the game as he notched his 29th save of the season.

I was so happy for him as he pumped his fist when he sealed the deal getting the Mets out 1,2,3.

Jason Grilli on the cover of SI  
Thanks to his business partner and friend of mine, JeanAnn Harrison who told me that Jason was on the cover of the July 22nd Sports Illustrated which did a feature story on Jason and the rest of the Pirates' bullpen which is referred to as the Shark Tank. Jason is living the dream nowadays and then some.

Hope he helps the Pirates finally finish over .500 for the first time since 1992. In addition, I hope they get to play some meaningful baseball in October this year.

Time will tell. With that being said, Let's Go Bucs, raise the Jolly Roger.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field!

The last time the Major League Baseball had its All-Star Game in Queens was back in 1964 at Shea Stadium. That was just before my time. A few years ago when plans were in the works to finally bring the All-Star Game back to Queens, I had every intention of going to the game.

On Tuesday night, July 16th, Citi Field, the Mets' new home was the site for the 84th Midsummer Classic. Since I have full season tickets for the Mets I was given the opportunity to purchase strips of tickets for the festivities which included the Futures Game which I missed because I went away over the weekend instead, the Fan Fest, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

The only other time I got to see an All-Star Game was back in 2008 when the Yankees hosted it at Old Yankee Stadium. That game was an epic 15 inning marathon that ended around 1:45AM.

This time I took the day off from work so I could relax and be ready for the special night. Unfortunately the weather was brutal that day & night which tried to put a damper on the occasion. As a result, I didn't get to the ballpark too early. Instead I got a text message from my pal Eddie Pelle who said he was also going to the game. He said he was coming from work. He asked me if I wanted to meet him for dinner first. I replied to him and I said absolutely. We wound up going to a place called the Burger Garage in Long Island City. He told me how good this place was. With that being said, this was a perfect opportunity to see what he was talking about. I wound up getting a Turkey burger and onion strings. All I can say is when I got done was I was a satisfied customer. I want to thank Eddie for the recommendation. Actually his friend Fredy Sanchez deserves the credit because he's the one who found this place.

After Eddie & I finished eating we got back on the 7 train and we went to Citi Field for the big game. On the way in, I got to say hello to my pal, Sam Citron at the Rotunda entrance.As for our seats, Eddie wound up getting a ticket on the lower level. I had my season seat in section 516 row 3. When we got to the field level, I said goodbye to Eddie and I told him to enjoy the game. I proceeded to go upstairs to the promenade level. When I got up there, I saw my pal Vincent Ascanio who was there with his father, Ralph. The King was missing in action. He decided to join our friend, Bryan Gilligan on a road trip to the Midwest instead. In his absence, his brother Henry Casiano who was visiting from Florida, wound up going to the game thanks to our buddy Alan Gimpel who had an extra ticket that he bought from him in section 509 row 12. Vincent & I went over to see them before we went to our seats to get ready for the game and pre game ceremonies. It was nice to see Henry again.

Me at the MLB All Star Game
When I got to my seat in section 516 row 3 I sat down and relaxed while I waited for my pal Andrew Van Cleve to show up since he had what would have been the King's seat next to me. While I waited for him, I got a visit from another ballpark chaser who was at the game that being Bill Pritchard who lucked out and won a contest that got him free tickets for the game in section 402 out in right field. He was very fortunate to be in the building. He stayed for a few innings before he returned to his seat. I want to personally thank Bill for stopping by.

Tribute to real heroes
As for the festivities, there was a special touching tribute to the real heroes, those who have and continue to protect our freedom here and abroad, after the players of both leagues were introduced to the crowd. The players were lined up between the bases in the middle of the infield. The Veterans were positioned along the base lines allowing the players to acknowledge them as we braced for the National Anthem which concluded with a fly over.

Live action from the All Star Game
As for the game we saw, Mike Trout hit the first pitch he saw from Matt Harvey, the Mets' All-Star starting pitcher down the right field line for a lead off double. The next batter was Robinson Cano of the Yankees. Harvey proceeded to hit him with a pitch putting runners on first and second. Cano was taken out of the game. Apparently he got hurt. Matt Harvey settled down as he retired the next three batters to end the inning. He went back out for the second inning and he retired the American League in order. In his two inning appearance, he struck out three. After a shaky start, he proved he was worthy of the starting nod. As the game went on, changes were frequent. In the fourth inning, the American League finally broke the scoreless tie as Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays' hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it a 1-0. In the fifth inning, the Orioles' J.J. Hardy grounded into a fielder's choice that drove in another run to make it 2-0. As for the National League, they got their first hit after the first ten batters made out. Former Met and now Cardinal Carlos Beltran did the honors. It turned out to be the first of just three hits that the National League had for the game. In the eighth inning, Jason Kipnis of the Indians doubled in another run to give the American League a 3-0 lead. After their half of the inning ended, the crowd was treated to a special live version of the song Sweet Caroline as Neil Diamond came onto the field to perform it. When he got done, Mariano Rivera was called in from the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. He came in to the familiar tune by Metallica, Enter Sandman. Mariano was acknowledged by the record breaking crowd of 45,186 as there was a moving tribute to the greatest relief pitcher of the modern era. I beg to differ with Bud Selig's commentary that's he's the greatest of all time. The game has changed so much that it's not right to compare the different eras of baseball. Regardless Mariano is the best at his role as the game is played today. He proceeded to throw a scoreless 1,2,3 eighth inning. In the ninth inning, Jason Grilli of the Pirates was summoned from the bullpen to pitch the top of the ninth. Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about him. He's truly a great story. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning but he was forced to work out of a jam because Prince Fielder got a lead off single that was played into a triple by former Met Carlos Gomez. Grilli bared down and he got the next three batters out keeping it a 3-0 game. The National League managed to get a two out double off closer Joe Nathan of the Rangers but Paul Goldschmidt was stranded there as Pedro Alvarez popped out to second base to end the game. The American League won, 3-0 and they will now have the home field advantage in the 2013 World Series.

Shortly after the game ended, they announced the Most Valuable Player of the game. Since they're wasn't a clear cut choice, Mariano Rivera was given the award. By doing so, they sent him out in style since he's going to officially retire at the end of the season. I personally thought it was fitting since the game was played in New York City.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman