Royalty sees plenty of baseball over Mother's Day weekend!

Saturday afternoon May 11th the King & I went back to Citi Field for game three of the series between the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates. We met up with Jean Ann Harrison, Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico, Manny Morales, Pat Gorman, Rich Wolber, David Sack and Michael Carson who were also in attendance.
As for the game we saw, the Pirates beat up the Mets. They raced out to a 9-0 lead after five innings. They lit up Mets' starter Jonathon Niese who gave up eight runs in four and a third innings. The Mets finally broke the shutout in the sixth inning when they got a run off of starter Francisco Liriano who was making his first start for the Pirates after overcoming injuries to get back to the Major Leagues. Liriano went five and a third innings. He walked two and struck out nine. He earned the victory as the Pirates cruised to a 11-2 victory.


With rain on its way to the area, we wisely left after eight innings at 4:01PM so we could get to the car without getting soaked since the King was driving us to Scranton, Pennsylvania to see a minor league baseball game. We almost avoided the rain. As we got close to the car, the sky opened up. Luckily we didn't get too wet.

The game was delayed after the Pirates batted in the top of the ninth inning. As a result, we made a sound decision leaving when we did. After a 47 minute rain delay, the game resumed. We wound up missing a lead off homer by Andrew Brown of the Mets which made it 11-2 Pirates.

As we got further away from NYC, the weather improved for us. We wound up getting to Scranton with plenty of time to see the first pitch at newly renovated PNC Field which is the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. It's the Yankees' Triple A affiliate in the International League. On this night, they were playing the Gwinnett Braves, the Atlanta Braves farm club on Bark in the Park night. It should be noted there were dogs galore.

Jason Heyward playing for Gwinnett Braves

Curtis Granderson playing for the RailRiders

In addition, we wound up seeing a few Major Leaguers play because they were on rehab assignments. I'm referring to Jason Heyward who was playing for the Braves and Curtis Granderson who played for the RailRiders. Furthermore, we also saw former Major Leaguer Chien-Ming Wang start for the RailRiders as he attempts to make a return to the big leagues. He pitched well on this night as he allowed three runs in seven and two third innings. He didn't get a decision because he left with the game tied. The RailRiders got the winning run in the bottom of the eighth as Melky Mesa delivered a double that proved to be the difference as the RailRiders beat the Braves, 4-3.

Trevin Jaggars & I at PNC Field in Scranton, PA

During the game I got to meet another person I follow on Twitter who was also there. I'm referring to Trevin Jaggars. His Twitter handle is @Trevin8. Please feel free to follow him.

What a week it was for tweets and greets.

Sunday May 12th was Mother's Day. The King & I went back to Citi Field to see the Mets and Pirates wrap up their four game series as Matt Harvey tried to get a split for the Mets.

We were joined by Jean Ann Harrison, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Al Linderman & Alan Gimpel. In addition, we also had our friend Alvin Pachter and his father from Scranton there. They weren't able to join us Saturday night so it was nice to see them Sunday instead.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got Matt Harvey off the hook for the loss as Mike Baxter came through again as he tied the game at two in the seventh inning with a run scoring single. The Mets' bullpen gave up the go ahead run in the eighth inning. By doing so, it gave Jason Grilli a chance to get another save. He pitched a 1,2,3 ninth inning as he struck out two Mets to preserve the 3-2 win for the Pirates as they took three out of four from the Mets.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/31 in review

Prince at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA

If you're a regular reader and/or follower, you know what happened on Monday New Year's Eve and Tuesday New Year's Day.

As for the rest of the week, here's how it went:

Wednesday before I went back to work I returned the Dodge Avenger I rented for four days from Avis. I wound up driving 1,901 miles safely. 1,195 miles to finish 2012 with 17,745. The other 706 miles counted for 2013. After work I went home and I did my laundry. No rest for the weary I might add.

Thursday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for dinner before I went upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs who were playing their fourth game in five nights.
As for the game I saw, the Spurs looked like they were sleep walking throughout most of the game. As a result, they managed to lose to the Knicks, 100-83. The Knicks got them at the right time. The schedule makers weren't kind to the Spurs. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker wound up playing half the game and they both only scored 11 points. I was looking forward to seeing a great game. I didn't know at the time the Spurs were coming in exhausted.

As for the Knicks, they took total advantage as they sent the sellout crowd home happy after opening 2013 with a loss to the Trailblazers on New Year's night. Carmelo Anthony led the way scoring 23 points while J.R. Smith added 20 as the Knicks beat the tired Spurs.

Friday night after work, I went to Jersey City, NJ to see St. Peter's basketball as the Peacocks hosted the Manhattan Jaspers at the Yanitelli Center. I stopped off at McDonald's for a pre game meal before I walked over to the gym from Journal Square where the Path train drops you off in Jersey City. When I got to the gym, I was joined by the King and our pal Manny Morales.

As for the game we saw, it was a tight one right throughout. The Jaspers wound up coming away with a 55-53 decision as they held off the Peacocks to emerge victorious much to the delight of our pal Bryan Gilligan who went to college there. Unfortunately he couldn't join us but he was there in spirit nonetheless.
As for the announced crowd of 984, which was probably half of that, the Peacock fans were sent home unhappy.

Saturday morning I went back to Avis to rent another car for the weekend. This time I got a Hyundai Elantra which is great on gas. It's gets close to 35 miles per gallon.

I went back home to pick up the King and we went to Wilkes-Barre,PA to see a minor league hockey game at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza which is the home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. They were playing the Worcester Sharks.

Since we got to the area very early, we wound up going shopping at Walmart which is one of the many stores in the huge shopping area that's right up the road from the arena. After we went shopping, we had a nice dinner at Logan's Roadhouse which was practically next to Walmart. After we enjoyed a hearty dinner, we then drove over to the arena.

When we got inside, we decided to sit near center ice in the second level since the crowd was a lot smaller than in years past. They announced a crowd of 5,884 which was a little more than half full. Back in the day, they would sell out with no problem on a Saturday night. Amongst them was our pal Alvin Pachter. He was there with people who invited him to go with them. With that being said, he came over during the game and he spent some time with us. It was nice to see him again. As always, we enjoyed his company.

It should be noted they installed a new scoreboard this season which is a nice addition to this arena. Too bad they don't draw crowds like they used to.

As for the game we saw, the hometown Penguins got a rare win. They've been playing horrible lately Alvin said. On this night, they looked a winning team as they shutout the visiting Worcester Sharks, 3-0.

After the game, the King and I drove a few hours to York, PA where we spent the night at Super 8.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will recap the memorable day we had in Baltimore that Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/24 in review

Jason Grilli

Monday morning after driving back from Baltimore I arrived home at 4:30AM. I decided that it didn't make sense to lay down even for a half hour. I decided to unpack from the weekend instead. I got myself together then I ate breakfast and took a shower before I had to go back out to return the Toyota Camry I rented for the weekend from Avis. I wound up driving 519 miles safely over the two days. I got a ride to the subway then I went to work tired and all. I didn't take any energy drinks either. I found enough natural energy that I managed to get through the day. I took a nap during lunch which gave me the boost I really needed to do so.
After work I still went out to Citi Field to see the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates play out the string. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Sam Citron. He always brings out the best in me regardless of how I feel. Like he always says, it's always a pleasure. That is so true. After I said hello and goodbye to him, I decided to go out to the center field food court area to have my dinner since I had some money left on the gift card I had. Quite amazingly, the line at Shake Shack was very short so I decided this was a perfect opportunity for me to go there. I ordered a double and I got a vanilla shake. Wow it was delicious. I can see why the line is so long almost every game no matter how many people actually show up at the ballpark.

After I ate, I made my way around to the other side of the ballpark so I could get to the area where we sit behind home plate to watch the game. I was joined by the King, Vincent Ascanio and Bryan Gilligan. Shortly thereafter, we got a visit from a few special guests. I'm referring to Alvin Pachter and his father who made the trip from Scranton, PA. They like the Pirates and they had to wait all season to see they play at Citi Field. As the saying goes, better late than never. It was great to see them both again. Since their local team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees had their stadium renovated this year they didn't have any games to go to in their own backyard. Hence they didn't get to see a lot of baseball games. However they did go to Pittsburgh a number of times they said though to see their Pirates play at PNC Park.

As for the game we saw, the Mets beat up the Pirates who were in the midst of finishing under .500 again for the 20th straight year. They were playing so well until August came around. All of a sudden, like the Mets they totally fell apart. It's a shame that this happened to them. The Mets got a rare power surge as Ike Davis hit two home runs and he drove in five runs to lead the way as the Mets got a 6-2 victory.

Tuesday night after work I went back to Citi Field for more baseball as the Mets were playing their out last homestand of the season. After I saw Sam again I went inside to see batting practice. My main goal was to see if I could find Jason Grilli. After I looked around the outfield, I spotted him in left center field. I went down near the Party City Party Deck and I got his attention. Moments later, he came towards me and he threw me a batting practice baseball. I caught it. I told him thank you. We chatted for a few minutes. I did tell him I'll see him in Pittsburgh Saturday night at PNC Park. I was so excited to see him. He made my night complete especially since I had a very rough day at work. I told his business partner and friend of mine, JeanAnn Harrison I was on a mission to see him and true to my word I made it happen. She told me he was visiting family while he was in town.

After seeing Jason, I went over to Blue Smoke and I had some Kansas City spare ribs for dinner. They were so good. After I ate, I went up to our perch in the upper deck behind home plate to watch the game. This time I was joined by the usual bunch. In addition, we had our pals Manny Morales, Charlie O'Reilly and Michael Abrams amongst us.

As for the game we saw, the Pirates beat the Mets, 10-6. Jason Grilli came in the eighth inning and he got the Mets out 1,2,3. On a positive note for the Mets, David Wright got a single to right center in the seventh inning which was his 1,418th career hit as a Met. It tied him with Ed Kranepool for the most hits by a Met all time.

Wednesday night after work I went back to Citi Field for the last time this season since they were closing out on Thursday afternoon and I had to work. I wound up starving all day due to religious observance. When I got to Citi Field I made sure I fed myself. I didn't want to eat a lot so I wound up getting a few slices of pizza from Two Boots. They make good brick oven pizza.

After I ate, I got ready for the game. I met up with the King and Vincent Ascanio in the upper deck.
As for the game we saw, the Mets got a solid performance from young Jeremy Hefner who threw seven shutout innings as the Mets beat the Pirates, 6-0. In the process, David Wright entered the Mets' record book by himself as he got an infield single to third base in the third inning. It was his 1,419th career hit. With that hit, he moved into sole possession as the Mets all time hits leader.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner. After I ate, I went around the block and I did my laundry which had been piling up since I was so busy running around.

Friday night after work I went home to rest and relax. I got a text message late in the afternoon at work from my friend and big fan of my blog, Eddie Pelle. He wanted to see me he said. I told him I get out of work at 5:30PM. He told me he'll meet me then. It worked out perfectly as I met him when I got out. He had a personalized autograph of former Colts' quarterback and broadcaster Mark Herrmann for me. He jokingly told him that I'm his long lost cousin. Eddie had a conversation with him when he was at the Indianapolis Colt game against the Jaguars. He told him about my passion for football and my blog. Mark Herrmann seemed very interested. I hope I get to meet him some day myself.

Stay tuned as I'm going to recap my latest weekend getaway with some more special posts. Please bear with me as I try to find time to do them.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/13 in review

This past week was a busy one. It's was all work and play. There was no time to catch up on rest.

Monday night after work I went to see the Jets play the Ravens in the first Monday Night Football game at the New Meadowlands Stadium. You can see all the details here.

Tuesday night I went to Citi Field to see the Pirates play the Mets. R.A. Dickey who's been the Mets best pitcher throughout this season, delivered a complete game gem. He lost the shutout in the ninth inning after he gave up a lead off triple. The Mets wound up winning the game, 9-1!

Wednesday night I was back at Citi Field again and we had some special guests from Scranton, PA. Our friends Alvin Pachter and his father, Howard, made their first visit to Citi Field this season. Earlier this year we saw them in their backyard when we went to see the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees play. It's always a pleasure to see these special people. As for the game we saw, the Mets fell behind 5-0 then they came back by scoring 7 runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-5 lead. They added another run which proved to be the difference as they hung on for a 8-7 victory.

Thursday night was a nightmare getting to and from Citi Field. I left work like I normally do but it started raining at that time. I waited for it to let up and I walked to the subway to go to Citi Field. My path to the game was impeded by a fast moving tornado that left property damaged in the form of downed trees and it caused delays on the 7 train which goes to Citi Field. I wound up waiting a half hour before they informed us that the 7 train wasn't running in either direction then I met the King and we decided to take an alternate route to the game. We wound up catching up with Alvin Pachter who went home and came back this time with his friend Phillip Cutler. They were driving acrross the Triboro bridge which allowed us to meet them in Astoria. We hitched a ride to Citi Field. What a mess it was thanks to mother nature. We finally arrived at Citi Field in the fourth inning an hour after the game started.

As for the game, the Mets behind Mike Pelfrey who's been pitching well delivered 7 more strong innings as the Mets went on to sweep the Pirates, 6-2!

After the game I endured another nightmare going home. Luckily for me my car was in one piece when I got back to it after the game. The block I parked on had trees knocked down from the tornado that ripped through the area. It took me a little over 2 hours to get home. Mind you I only drove 10 miles. It was beyond belief how much damage was done in a short period of time.

Friday I went to work and headed back to Citi Field to see the Mets try to spoil the playoff hopes of  their division rival, the Atlanta Braves. The Mets took an early 3-0 lead but starting pitcher Jonathon Niese gave up 6 unearned runs thanks to an error by David Wright but Niese can take alot of the blame since he walked opposing pitcher Tommy Hanson not once but twice in this game. That's a cardinal sin. By doing so, he cost his team the game. The Mets lost, 6-4.

Interesting notes in this game were as follows:

Braves manager Bobby Cox who's retiring at the end of the season was ejected from the dugout for questioning balls and strikes. It was the 158th time he has gotten the boot which padded his own record.

For the Mets, leftfielder Lucas Duda hit his first major league home run.

Saturday I went back to Citi Field for more punishment as the Mets fell again to the Braves, 4-2! Tim Hudson who started for the Braves outpitched Mets rookie Dillon Gee.

Sunday I went to see the Jets take on their divsion rival, the New England Patriots at the New Meadowlands Stadium. The Jets after a slow start turned it around to pick their first win of the season as they beat the Patriots, 28-14!

When I get a chance I'm going to write a detailed post about the game. In addition, I'll do a post regarding the transportation in particular after the game.

Please stay tuned for those.

Thank you for reading and following along. 

Yours truly,

Gary Herman                   

Yankee Doubleheader on Memorial Day!

PNC Field in Scranton-Wilkes Barre

After spenting the weekend in New England, the King & I spent Memorial Day watching Yankee baseball day & night.

We were in the Bronx in the afternoon where we saw the Yankees beat up the Cleveland Indians, 11-2! A-Rod hit a Grand Slam that broke open a 2-1 game in the 7th inning as the Yankees proceeded to cruise to an easy victory.

After the game, we drove 128 miles to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to see the Triple A Yankees play.

They wound up losing 9-1 to the Durham Bulls who are the Tampa Bay Rays farm team
at PNC Field formerly Lackawanna County Stadium
.
More importantly, we got to meet up with Alvin Pachter and his father, Howard. In addition, they were joined by Philip Cutler who we've met a few times in the recent past.

As for Alvin and his father, we met them a number of years ago from going to see the Red Barons who played there when they were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Alvin and his father do road trips as well on a smaller scale.

They normally take a long car ride around the country during the summer.

They usually come to NYC a few times a year as well to pay us a visit.

They made the trip today worth our while.

It's always fun to see people that we've met on road trips so we can catch up and share our unique adventures.