Royalty Tours USA

Monday, October 28, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 10/28

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday October 29th Lightning at Devils 7:30PM

Wednesday October 30th Bucks at Knicks 7:30PM Opening Night

Friday November 1st Heat at Nets 8PM Home Opener

Saturday November 2nd Central Connecticut Blue Devils at Wagner Seahawks 1PM

                                       Flyers at Devils 7PM

Sunday November 3rd Saints at Jets 1PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

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

Stay tuned as I plan to do my w/o 9/23, w/o 9/30, w/o 10/7, w/o 10/14 & 10/21 in reviews. 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

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Royalty w/o 9/16 in review

Monday night after work I came home I made myself dinner then I went around the corner & I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went out to Citi Field to see the Mets open up a three game series with 2012 World Champion San Francisco Giants who were making their first & only appearance in Queens. As an added bonus for their fans the Giants went to the Bronx to play the Yankees over the weekend too. As a result, the Giants got to spend six straight days in the area. With that being said, there were a good number of Giant fans at all of the games. At Citi Field, they was a large group of fans that took over the last two or three sections out in left center field behind the Party City Party Deck. There was a sea of black & orange for the Giants not blue & orange for the Mets. Thanks to the Giant fans who made the trek across the country plus the ones who remember when the Giants played here in NYC way back in the day for helping to enhance the attendance so the announced crowd could look more legitimate.

As for me, I went straight to ballpark. I was greeted by my pal Sam Citron when I arrived at the Rotunda gate. After we exchanged pleasantries, I went inside I decided to have Two Boots pizza for dinner. Since it was another Citi Tuesday I was able to get my $10 gift card just for showing my Citi Card at the special booth out behind the Apple in center field. By doing so, I was able to enjoy some of the great food choices Citi Field has to offer. When I finally got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams, Mike Jaffee who made a rare appearance, Al Linderman & Frank Anichiarico who happen to be Giant fans from way back when they were very young. That was their team. It should also be noted that on this night it was the King's 7,400th lifetime baseball he's seen live in person. It was also his 245th baseball game in 2013 for those who were wondering.

As for the game we saw, it was a marathon time wise as it lasted three hours & 55 minutes. The Giants went on to outlast the Mets, 8-5.

Wednesday night after work I returned to Citi Field for game two of the three game set between the Mets & Giants. This time I had chicken tenders & Nathan's fries for dinner at the ballpark. They were really good. I wound up sitting in section 515 that night with Manny Morales, Phil Butleman, Charlie O'Reilly, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico, Alan Gimpel & Pat Gorman who were present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Mets' rookie catcher Juan Centeno who was called up from the minor leagues got his first major league hit. The Mets went on to win this game in dramatic fashion. They entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by a score of 4-1. The Mets rallied to come all the way back as Josh Satin delivered the game winning hit to cap off the four run rally to give the Mets a 5-4 victory.

Thursday I took the day off from work knowing the Mets were playing an afternoon game at 1:10PM to wrap up their series with the Giants. In addition, the Philadelphia Eagles were also home against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday Night football. When I saw that on the NFL schedule back in April I decided that would be a perfect day to take off so I could see both games.

In the morning, the King went to Dollar Rent a Car by LaGuardia airport & he picked up a car for a week since he decided to make one last road trip before the regular season came to a close. By doing so, he drove Vincent Ascanio & I down to Philadelphia for the Eagle game. He came back home & he picked me up & we drove over to Citi Field for the afternoon game.

When we got to the Promenade level in section 515 we were joined by Mike & Sharon Jaffee who usually like to attend the mid week afternoon games that I normally don't get to go to. It was nice to see both of them again. In addition, Michael Abrams, Phil Butleman, Al Linderman & Alan Gimpel came back for more as well.

As for the game we saw, it was a rare fast one as the Giants went on to beat the Mets, 2-1 in two hours & 37 minutes. By doing so, the Giants took two out of three from the Mets before they headed to the Bronx for the weekend.

Thankfully the game went fast. It turned out that we needed it to do so because getting down to Philadelphia during rush hour is no bargain. In addition, we ran into some pockets of traffic that delayed us even further. We did manage to stop of at McDonald's fast off I-95 in Pennsylvania. I was able to get myself chicken nuggets and a few grilled onion cheddar burgers to go along with an order of fries, a drink and three chocolate chip cookies which I ate in the car. It definitely hit the spot.

Me at Lincoln Financial Field
When we got closer to the City of Brotherly Love, we found out that the Eagles were retiring Donovan McNabb's #5 jersey at halftime. I wound up sitting with our pal Frankie Centola on the Club level. The King & Vincent Ascanio bought tickets at the box office since they had a limited number available. We also met up with our buddy Andrew Van Cleve who went to the game too. Furthermore, at halftime I got to see our pal Sean MacDonald who is in the midst of seeing all 32 NFL teams play a home game this season. As always, it was great to see him again.

Donovan McNabb #5
As for the game we saw, the Eagles wound up losing to the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, 26-16. The Eagles committed numerous turnovers throughout the game & the Chiefs took total advantage of their opportunities. It was also the return of former Eagles' coach Andy Reid to Philadelphia where he brought plenty of success during his tenure there. On this night he wound up getting the last laugh as his Chiefs beat his former team.
After the game, the King decided to drive Frankie home. He lives in the Philadelphia area. Then he drove Vincent Ascanio back to Brooklyn before he finally took us both home. As a result, we arrived back in Astoria at 4:35AM. I laid down for a few hours then I got up and I went to work.

Friday I was exhausted but I still went back to work. After work, I went up to the Bronx to see the San Francisco Giants continue their road trip as they spent the weekend at Yankee Stadium taking on the Yankees. This was their first visit to the new Stadium. They came to the old one back in June 2002.

I stopped off at U.S. Fried Chicken before I went into the Stadium. I had a few slices of pizza there. When I finally got up to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was greeted by Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Phil Butleman & William Frank Guthrie who were also in the building.

As for the game we saw, it was a pitcher's duel until the seventh inning between Tim Lincecum of the Giants & CC Sabathia of the Yankees. With the bases loaded & two outs, Alex Rodriguez aka A-Roid hit a grand slam to right field that cleared the bases and it gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead. For what it's worth, A-Roid passed legendary Yankee Lou Gehrig for the most grand slams in MLB history by hitting his 24th of his career. Speaking of legendary Yankees, Mariano Rivera came on to pitch a scoreless ninth inning as the Yankees beat the Giants, 5-1.

After the game, our pal Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Frank Anichiarico & I to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. We were joined by the King's brother Charlie Casiano who met us there. It was a good time as it always seems to be when we get to go there. It was nice to see Charlie again.

Saturday afternoon the King & I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series with the Giants. Al Linderman & Frank Anichiarico were there to see their Giants play again. We also had Bryan Gilligan & Vincent Ascanio on hand as usual.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees silenced the Giants, 6-0 as Ivan Nova threw a six hit shutout.
After the game, the King drove Bryan, Vincent & I to Philadelphia where we saw the Mets play the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park that night. We once again stopped off at McDonald's and we took out some food & we ate it in the car since we were pressed for time.

We got to the game just before it started. We wound up sitting up in section 421 under the overhang because there was a threat of rain for most of the night. Shortly after we sat down, we got a visit from our pal Andrew Van Cleve who came up to say hello. He was sitting downstairs with his father who came to visit from the Bay area. As always it was great to catch up with Andrew.

As for the game we saw, the Mets built a 5-1 lead by scoring four runs in the top of the sixth inning. The Phillies answered back by scoring three in their half to make it a 5-4 game. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, David Wright walked then the umpires decided to put the tarp on the field as the rain picked up. We all wisely decided to leave knowing that the game probably wasn't going to be resumed based on the weather forecast. It turned out we were right. As a result, the Mets won the game, 5-4.

Sunday afternoon the King went back to Philadelphia to see the Mets play the Phillies again. As for me, I passed up the opportunity to go to Yankee Stadium for what turned out to be Mariano Rivera Day. I stayed home watching the ceremony on television while I waited to leave the house to go out to MetLife Stadium to see the Jets play the Buffalo Bills in a battle of young rookie quarterbacks. I'm referring to E.J. Manuel who was drafted in the first round surprisingly by the Bills and Geno Smith who surprisingly fell to the Jets in the second round.

As for the game I saw, it was the second rounder who lead his team to victory. Geno Smith made a few mistakes that resulted in turnovers but when he needed to shine, he did. He lead the way as the Jets beat the Bills, 27-20. It should be noted that running back Bilal Powell ran for 149 yards on the ground which helped the Jets hold off the Bills.

Stay tuned as I will continue to play catch up. Please bear with me as I try my best to do so.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 10/21

Here's the game plan:

Monday October 21st Vikings at Giants 8:40PM

Thursday October 24th Canucks at Devils 7PM

Saturday October 26th Miami (OH) at Ohio Bobcats 2PM

                                    Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State 8PM

Sunday October 27th Jets at Bengals 4:05PM

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 the rest of my w/o 9/16, w/o 9/23, w/o 9/30, w/o 10/7 & w/o 10/14 in reviews. 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, October 17, 2013

Royalty spent weekend in middle of September watching Mets play Marlins at Citi Field!

On Thursday September 12th after work I came home & I relaxed for a change. By doing so I was able to prepare for the busy weekend I had planned at Citi Field.

Friday night after work I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for some pizza before I returned to Citi Field as the Mets opened a four game weekend series with the Miami Marlins. Thanks to a rain out back in June, the Saturday game was rescheduled as a single admission doubleheader.

When I arrived at Citi Field Friday night I saw my pal Sam Citron who greeted me at the Rotunda entrance. When I got upstairs I was joined by David Sack, Frank Anichiarico, Vincent Ascanio, Charlie O'Reilly, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel who were also present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a rare power surge as Andrew Brown hit a solo homer in the second inning & Lucas Duda added what proved to be the game winner as he hit a three run blast in the sixth inning as the Mets held off the Marlins, 4-3 to take game one. Jonathon Niese picked up the victory despite giving up two solo homers to Giancarlo Stanton, one in the second inning & other in the seventh.
After the game, Bryan Gilligan, the King, Frank Anichiarico & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Saturday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for a rare single admission doubleheader. I arranged to get my Cousin Andy a ticket so he could join me for the twinbill. I met him outside by the Apple. It was great to see him again. We always enjoy each other's company. When we got to our seats upstairs, we had plenty of company as Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Michael Carson & Michael Chin were there as well.
As for the games we saw that day, the Marlins got seven shutout innings from their starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez who shut the Mets down in game one. The Marlins went to win, 3-0. In the night cap, the Mets got a solid pitching performance from Dice K who allowed just one run in seven innings of work as he picked up his first win as a Met. The Mets got back to back home runs from Daniel Murphy & Lucas Duda as they took game two, 3-1.

Sunday afternoon I passed up the possibility of going to see the Giants play the Broncos in the latest Manning Bowl. I remember going to the first one at Giants Stadium when Peyton Manning played for the Indianapolis Colts. This time I decided to take the more affordable way out so I returned to Citi Field for the finale of the Mets and Marlins weekend series.

Besides the King & I, company was few & far between as we had Alan Gimpel & Pat Gorman there for the festivities.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the bottom of the 12th inning when rookie Travis d'Arnaud became a hero as he delivered the game winning hit to give the Mets a 1-0 win over the Marlins. In the process, we got to see Vic Black of the Mets get his first major league win. He pitched a scoreless 12th inning as he got credit for the victory as the Mets won three out of the four games.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/16 in review as I continue to play catch up slowly but surely.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 10/14

Here's the game plan:

Saturday October 19th Tigers at Red Sox 4:37PM or 8:07PM ALCS Game 6

Sunday October 20th Patriots at Jets 1PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

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

Stay tuned as I plan to do the rest of my w/o 9/9 recap, w/o 9/16, w/o 9/23, 9/30 & w/o 10/7 in reviews. 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

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Royalty catches up with Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field in September!

After I saw my first football game of the new season on Sunday September 8th, I returned to Citi Field for baseball during the week of 9/9 as the Mets played the Washington Nationals then they hosted the Miami Marlins.

Gio Gonzalez warming up in bullpen on 9/9
As a result, I got to see my boy Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals not once, not twice but on three different occasions. Monday night after work I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for some pizza on my way to the game. When I got to Citi Field I saw my pal Sam Citron who greeted me upon arrival at the Rotunda entrance. I proceeded to go up to the field level then I went out to the bullpen area so I could see Gio warm up since he was pitching that night. I saw him working out in the outfield. He was wearing his head phones & listening to music which is part of his pre game pitching routine. In the meantime, I was charging my phone while I kept my eyes on Gio as he was doing stretching exercises. Once I saw him start walking towards the bullpen, I took out my charger & I went down to get his attention before he started throwing off the bullpen mound. When he came in, I yelled out to him. He looked up & said how are you? I told him, I'm great. I didn't want to distract him since he was zoning in on the task on hand. When he was throwing off the bullpen mound & I blurted out to him to throw strikes. When he got done warming up, I yelled out again before he left the bullpen to head back to the dugout. I said go get 'em Gio.

I proceeded to go upstairs behind home plate in section 515 where the rest of the royal court who were on hand were sitting. Among them we had a special guest as Bob Kelly made another appearance after he came to visit the King & I twice in August. It was a pleasant surprise to see him again. He's a Met fan even though he lives in Virginia Beach. He said he goes to some Nationals games. I told him I enjoy going there when I can fit it into my busy schedule. We also had Alan Gimpel, Michael Abrams, Frank Anichiarico, Martin Caamano & Charlie O'Reilly there with us as well.

As for the game we saw, Gio was my main focal point. He was given a two run lead before he even threw a pitch thanks to Denard Span who hit a home run to lead off the game which was followed by a home run by Ryan Zimmerman. Gio gave up a walk to Daniel Murphy after he got the first out as Eric Young Jr. led off popping up to second base. Gio put it in cruise control as he retired the next 17 Mets. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Zach Lutz pinch hit to lead off. He hit a soft bloop that landed barely on the chalk on the foul line behind first base & short right field. It wound up being the only hit Gio gave up as he dominated the Mets, 9-0. His teammates hit five home runs to back his golden left arm. He wound up walking Lutz who stayed in the game in the ninth inning. Gio wound up going the distance throwing 110 pitches to earn his 10th win of the season. He came within inches of throwing a no hitter. Apparently Gio heard me & he followed what I said to do. Did he ever. We almost saw history. So close yet so far.

Gio Gonzalez & I at Citi Field on 9/10
Tuesday night after work I went straight to Citi Field for game two of the four game series with the Nationals. I went down by the tarp by left field to watch batting practice. I noticed Gio was out in the outfield. I went down to the railing & I got his attention. He acknowledged my presence. I knew when batting practice ended he would come over. In the meantime, I met up with a young man named Tony Wong. He likes to collect baseball cards & get autographs. He remembered seeing me back in April when everybody mobbed me when Gio came over to see me. I told him nobody is better than Gio. He was raving about him too.

Gio came by as expected, he came over to me first & he shook my hand. I asked him if he heard me when I saw him in the bullpen. He said he did. I told him how much I hate Zach Lutz for costing him a place in baseball history. As he always does, he downplayed it. I know deep down it definitely hurt him to come so close. I wound up getting a bunch of pictures he took with me signed. In addition, he signed my scorebook from the gem he threw the night before. He also signed my passport books. I asked him about the jersey. He promised he'll get it for me. He told me to meet him further down between the tarp & the dugout. I waited until game time but Gio didn't come back out.

I stopped off at Blue Smoke to get some ribs for dinner before I went upstairs to sit with the royal court in section 515 again. This time I was joined by Manny Morales, Phil Butleman, Alan Gimpel & Al Linderman.
As for the game we saw, the Nationals continued their power surge as they hit three more home runs as they beat the Mets again, 6-3 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche & former Met Scott Hairston hit one pinch hitting.

Gio Gonzlez & I at Citi Field on 9/11
Wednesday night after work I went right to Citi Field again. This time I was determined to get the jersey from Gio. Once again I saw him after batting practice. While I was waiting for him, I saw another young man named Joe Ceraulo. He told me his father George works at Citi Field. He was telling me great things about Gio. He said & I quote "he's the nicest man in MLB." I couldn't agree more. He took a picture of Gio & I. I returned the favor by taking a picture of him & Gio. When Gio came over he asked me if I was coming to the game tomorrow meaning Thursday afternoon. I told him I can't, I'm working. He told me he'll get you the jersey he promised me. He told me to meet him again between the tarp & the dugout. Since it was 9/11 it was a horrible day. Gio said he was having a rough day when I asked him how he was doing. The team spent some time at Ground Zero.

Me & Gio Gonzalez on 9/11 with the jersey in my hand
Despite being down most of the day, Gio true to his word this time went into the dugout & a little while later he came out with the jersey for me. He had asked me if I wanted it personalized. Of course, I said yes. I told him to write whenever he wanted to on it. When I got it I opened it up & I read what he wrote. It said & I quote "To Gary, Best Damn "True" Fan any Baseball player could ever ask for!!" Then he signed his name. I couldn't thank him enough for getting it for me. He felt the same way. He greatly appreciates all my support that I've given him since I met him for the first time back in May 2009 in Sacramento. I've been wearing the jersey everyday as a tribute to him. It's a size 44 so it helps me keep my weight off.

Here's the back of the jersey Gonzalez #47
I put it on & I went upstairs to sit with the royal court. Before I did, I stopped off & I bought myself a filet mignon steak sandwich from Pat LaFreida's. It was as good as advertised. I'm glad I treated myself to it.
When I finally got settled in section 515, I was joined by Phil Butleman, David Sack, Tommy & Frank Anichiarico.

What Gio wrote on the jersey he gave me 
As for the game we saw, the Nationals once again shutout the Mets, 3-0. Dan Haren threw six shutout innings and four relievers combined to silent the Mets' bats. Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo homer & Anthony Rendon hit a two run double in the eighth inning to put the game away.

Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do that will recap the weekend I had as the Mets played a four game series with the Miami Marlins as I try my best to continue to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Friday, October 11, 2013

Royalty starts the NFL season at MetLife Stadium as Jets open up with the Buccaneers!

Back on September 8th, I got to go to my first of many NFL games I have planned for this season. Being a big time Jet fan, I went to the MetLife Stadium to see my team open their season against former Jet Darrelle Revis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the off season, Revis Island got a new address. He's coming off of a season injury he suffered last season which forced him to miss the majority of the season. In addition, a few years ago he held out before finally signing to come back. I liked Revis but it was a business decision that was made as the Jets and Revis decided to part ways. Time will tell if it was a sound one.

As for me, I was able to meet my pal Larry Peim who was driving out to the game. He met me across the street from Penn Station. It worked out well since he had a parking pass so we didn't have to walk that far to enter the stadium. After the game, I arranged to meet Larry & he gave me a ride back to the Bronx since he lives in Westchester.

As for a ticket, I got one thanks to another friend of mine, Alan Gimpel who has Jet season tickets. He had an extra one that he sold to me at below what he actually paid. I was grateful that he did. I wound up sitting with him in section 306 row 16 which is in the corner of the end zone. I usually prefer to sit on the side but I wasn't going to complain. As a professional observer I adjusted to the different perspective I'm used to having when I go to a football game. Honestly speaking, the view wasn't bad at all.

Before I went to my seat in section 306, I stopped off in section 312 so I could say hello to my buddy & long time Jet fan, Ira Lieberfarb aka Ira from Staten Island as he refers to himself when he calls into the local sports talk shows here in NYC and even other parts of the country. Ira is a class act who quietly watches the game pulling for his team. In matter of fact, he has now gone to all the Jet games home & away that they've played since 2006. That's what you call dedication. The Jets are notorious for being a mediocre bunch since their inception in 1960. Ira being older than me got to see Joe Namath play back in their glory year of 1968 when they won Super Bowl 3. Since then he's seen his share of ups and downs over the years.

After seeing him I went to my seat and I enjoyed Alan's company as well as the game.

As for the game we saw, the Jets decided to start rookie quarterback Geno Smith who they drafted in the second round of this year's draft. He went to college at the University of West Virginia. I did see a game there back in October 2007 before he attended school there. With that being said, this was the first time I actually saw him play a football game. As the game went on, I was impressed with his athletic talent & ability. He showed that he can run when the situation presented itself. I t should be noted that he was tentative about taking too much of a risk when he did. For example, he wound slide a yard or two early so he could avoid taking a big hit. He reminded me of RG3 to a lesser extent. In addition, he showed that he has a strong throwing arm.

The game was close throughout the day. The Jets got on the scoreboard first on a safety of all things. Josh Freeman, the quarterback of the Buccaneers wisely kicked the ball out of the end zone after taking a horrible snap with 8:35 left in the first quarter. By doing so, it only cost his team two points instead of seven if indeed the Jets recovered the ball in the end zone. I thought it was a great heads up play. Later in the first quarter, Freeman connected with wide receiver Mike Williams on a 17 yard touchdown pass to take a 7-2 lead with 1:07 left. The Jets got closer with 11:01 left in the second quarter when kicker Nick Folk booted a 43 yard field goal to make it 7-5. The Buccaneers extended their lead to 14-5 when running back Doug Martin run in from five yards out. The Jets managed to close the gap to two again at 14-12 with 34 seconds to go until halftime. Geno Smith hooked up with tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. for a 7 yard touchdown pass, his first in the NFL. In the second half, the Jets hung tough. The game stayed 14-12 until there was 5:05 left in the fourth quarter. That's when Nick Folk gave the Jets a 15-14 lead by kicking a 30 yard field goal. The Buccaneers answered back with just 34 seconds to go in the game as their kicker, Ryan Lindell, a veteran who played many years for the Buffalo Bills delivered a 37 yard field goal that gave the Buccaneers a 17-15 lead. After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Jets had the ball at their own 20 yard line. Geno Smith went back to work. He hit Kellen Winslow again over the middle for a 25 yard gain to the Jets own 45 yard line. The next play the Jets spiked the ball. Geno Smith then wasn't able to find an open receiver so he took matters into his own hands as he ran for 10 yards to the Buccaneer 45 yard line. It should be noted as he was running out of bounds, linebacker Lavonte David hit him late. He paid for his stupidity as he got called for a personal foul which resulted in a 15 yard penalty that put the ball at the Buccaneer 30 yard line. As a result, it gave the Jets an opportunity to win the game as time was running out. Nick Folk came on & he split the uprights from 48 yards out to give the Jets a 18-17 lead with just two seconds to go. The Jets kicked off and they stopped the Buccaneers after they tried to do some razzle dazzle. The Jets in unbelievable fashion won the game. Christmas came early thanks to Lavonte David & his bone head decision. As for Darrelle Revis he didn't do much as his former team who got the last laugh on this day.

Stay tuned for a very special post that will go into further detail about my latest encounter with my pal Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals. It will be a must read indeed.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, October 7, 2013

Royalty schedule w/o 10/7

Here's the game plan:

Monday October 7th Jets at Falcons 8:40PM

Tuesday October 8th Coyotes at Islanders 7PM

Saturday October 12th Tigers at Red Sox 8:07PM ALCS Game 1

Sunday October 13th Steelers at Jets 1PM

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 my recap of my first football game on 9/8 as well as my w/o 9/9, w/o 9/16, w/o 9/23 & w/o 9/30 in reviews. 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, October 3, 2013

Royalty w/o 9/2 in review

Back on Labor Day I was off from work. The King decided to rent a car from Avis for the day. He wound up getting a Chevy Cruze. He came back home & he picked me up. We then went to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees open a three game series with the Chicago White Sox. We knew the weather forecast wasn't great that day.

When we got up to our seats in section 420B row 7 we met up with our pal Al Linderman who was there too. Another guy named Tommy who we know from going to so many local games was there as well. In matter of fact we asked him if he wanted to go to Philadelphia for the Phillie game with us. He said he would. It was going to be his first time at Citizens Bank Park. He did say he saw a number of games at Old Veterans Stadium which closed back in 2003. It was our pleasure to take him there.

As for the game we saw, we had a rain delay in the top of the second inning which lasted an hour & 53 minutes from 1:30PM-3:23PM. With that being said, we had no chance of seeing the whole Yankee game. Luckily the Yankees scored eight runs in the 4th inning to go up 9-0. We decided in order to get to Philadelphia on time we needed to leave at a certain time. We did at 4:43PM with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Yankees batting. The game was official at that point. In other words, the game counted for what it's worth. The King said he rented a car to go to Philadelphia not to leave it on the street in the Bronx. I agreed wholeheartedly.

As for the rest of the Yankee game, we listened to it in the car as we headed 100 miles south. The Yankees wound up winning the game, 9-1. Glad the game was so one sided when we left. With that being said, we barely missed anything.

When we got to Philadelphia, we parked the car on the street like we always do within walking distance of Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies were hosting the Washington Nationals. It was a good pitching match up too. Stephen Strasburg started for the Nationals and Cole Hamels was on the hill for the Phillies.

When we got inside we went up to section 319 where we like to stand to watch the game. We saw our pal Frankie Centola who got us tickets for the game. It was also dollar dog night so we were able to take advantage of the situation since we didn't have any time to stop to get anything to eat on the way down. A few innings later our buddy Andrew Van Cleve came by to see us. Shortly thereafter, Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk also paid us a visit. He was finishing up his weekend getaway that took him to Washington DC, Charlotte & Norfolk. It was great to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Nationals were up 2-1 late in the game. Tyler Clippard came in relief and he gave up a hit to Jimmy Rollins that tied the game at two in the bottom of the eighth inning. Carlos Ruiz then followed by delivering what proved to be the game winning hit as the Phillies went on to beat the Nationals, 3-2. It should be noted that Clippard got the first two batters out before he collapsed.

Tuesday I went to work nice & tired after getting home late from the game in Philadelphia. It didn't stop me from going back to the Bronx after work. Before I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series between the Yankees & the White Sox, I stopped off at Burger King for dinner.

When I got upstairs I to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was joined by the King. During the game, fellow ballpark chaser Josh Robbins who I first met in Phoenix during my West Coast trip in the middle of August came by with his friend Sven Jenkins. Josh was visiting family in Albany for the week. He also had a wedding to attend. I'm glad he was able to come down to the Bronx to take in the Yankee game. It was great to see him again. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.

As for the game we saw, we had another good pitching match up as Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees & Chris Sale, the ace for the pale hose was on the mound for the visiting White Sox. On this night, we witnessed some history as Derek Jeter got a hit which was his 3,314th of his storied career which enabled him to move into sole possession of 9th place on the all time hits list passing Eddie Collins. In addition, we saw Vernon Wells steal home in the second inning. The Yankees trailed in the game, 4-1 until the bottom of the eighth inning when they finally got to Chris who couldn't close the "Sale" if you will. The Yankees wound up scoring five runs in the inning thanks to a two run single by Alfonso Soriano, a run scoring single by Curtis Granderson & a two run double by Eduardo Nunez as the Yankees went on to beat the White Sox, 6-4.

Wednesday after work I back to the Bronx to see the finale of the series between the Yankees & the White Sox. Before I went into the Stadium I stopped off at Foodtown which is a supermarket a few blocks away. I got a made to order sandwich which consisted of ham & swiss cheese on a roll. It was stacked high. I wound up eating it when I got up to my seat. I was joined by the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico aka Duck, Al Linderman & Michael Abrams who kept his consecutive Yankee home game streak which started back in 2002 intact.

As for the game we saw, the White Sox scored a run in the top of the first inning. The Yankees responded with the equalizer when Robinson Cano hit a solo home run to tie the game at one. In the second inning, White Sox rookie third baseman Marcus Semien got his first major league hit. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Yankees exploded for four runs to take a 5-1 lead. They tacked on another run in the seventh inning to go up, 6-1. In the top of the eighth inning, the White Sox staged a comeback as they scored four runs to cut the lead to one. With two outs in the inning, Mariano Rivera was called on for a rare four out save opportunity. Mariano caught Alejandro De Aza looking at strike three to end the rally. After the Yankees made out 1,2,3 in the bottom of the eighth, Mariano finished the job by tossing a 1,2,3 ninth inning to seal the deal as the Yankees held off the White Sox, 6-5 to sweep the three game set. In the process, they kept their playoff hopes alive.

Thursday night after work I went back to the Bronx as the Yankees opened a crucial four game weekend series with the other team that has Sox in their name. I'm referring to their hated division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. This time before I went into the ballpark, I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant. I got myself a hot turkey sandwich which I took in with me. I ate it in my seat in section 420B row 7 where I was joined by the King.

As for the game we saw, the starters Jake Peavy for the Red Sox & Ivan Nova for the Yankees didn't pitch well. Peavy left after six plus innings leading 7-2 before the Yankees erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the seventh to take a 8-7 lead after Peavy left the game after giving up a walk and a hit. In the top of the ninth inning, the Red Sox tied the game at 8 when Stephen Drew got a run scoring single off of Mariano Rivera who blew the save. The game wound up going into extra innings as the Red Sox prevailed in ten innings as Shane Victorino got the game winning hit to give the Red Sox a hard fought 9-8 victory.

Friday night after work I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two against the Red Sox.

This time I decided to go to a different place for dinner. I wound up going to U.S. Fried Chicken. I went there once before for chicken. This time I had a slice of pizza and a spinach roll. It was very good. I'm glad I tried it.

When I got done I went over to the Stadium. I got to my seat and I met up with my pal William Frank Guthrie who was there.

As for the game we saw, Andy Pettitte pitched well for six innings. In fact he left with an 8-3 lead. Phil Hughes came in relief and he got bombed. The Red Sox tied the game at eight when Mike Napoli hit a grand slam. In the eighth inning, the Red Sox broke the tie as they scored four more runs as Shane Victorino helped the cause again. This time he hit a two run homer to make it a 10-8 game. Daniel Nava walked with the bases loaded which made it 11-8 and Stephen Drew added a clutch two out run scoring single for good measure as the Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees, 12-8.

After the game, the King, Bryan Gilligan & I went to Donovan's Pub in Queens for a post game meal. We met up with the King's brother Charlie Casiano there. It was great to see him again.

Saturday morning I got up early & I did my laundry before I went back to Yankee Stadium for game three of the four series with the Red Sox.

When the King & I got to our seats we were joined by our pal Al Linderman.

As for the game we saw, the Red Sox continued to destroy the baseball as they lead 12-3 after five innings. They got long balls from Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes and rookie Xander Bogaerts who hit his first major league homer it was quite a shot to say the least. The Yankees fought back as they scored four runs in the sixth inning and they added two more in the eighth inning to cut the lead to three at 12-9. The Red Sox got an insurance run as Mike Napoli hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth to make it, 13-9 as the Red Sox held on to win by that score. The game lasted three hours and 32 minutes. This time we stuck it out to the bitter end.

After the game we went down to Philadelphia again thanks to Bryan Gilligan who drove the King, Vincent Ascanio & I there.

We did make it for the first pitch which was thrown at 7:08PM by Phillies' starter Kyle Kendrick to B.J. Upton of the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by our buddy Andrew Van Cleve who was there as well.

As for the game we saw, it was a seesaw battle. Both the Braves and the Phillies scored a pair of runs in the third inning. The Phillies scored two more in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. The Braves added a run in the sixth to make it a 4-3. The Phillies tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to take a 5-3 lead. The Braves tied the game at five when shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a two run homer off closer Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the ninth. The Phillies wound up getting the last laugh in the bottom of the ninth inning when their shortstop Freddy Galvis ended the game with a home run with one out off of ex-Phillie Freddy Garcia who came on to pitch for the Braves.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about the first football game I saw this season. In addition, I plan to continue to play catch up on all my whereabouts in the month of September. Please bear with me.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman