Royalty w/o 6/27 in review

"Bay Day" at Citi Field

After going home Monday night after work, I was well rested to head up to the Bronx after work Tuesday night to see the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Yankees for the first time since 1997.

If you remember the Brewers used to be an American League team. In 1998, they switched over to the National League.

The Brewers were in first place when they arrived in the Bronx. With that being said, I expected to see a good game. It turned out I was wrong. The Yankees went on to destroy the Brewers, 12-2.

They looked more like a Little League team as my boy Vincent Ascanio who was in the house along with his pal and big fan of royalty, Michael Longo in the "royal box" said.

We go to games hoping to see well played ones. From the Brewer standpoint, this was a disgraceful performance.

At least the company was good and that's all that really matters to me in the end.

Wednesday night I back to the Bronx to see if the Brewers could resemble a major league team. They were slightly improved. This time they lost 5-2 to the Yankees.

The highlight of this night was once again not on the playing field.

I managed to meet up with a few of the Ballpark Boys who were visiting Yankee Stadium. The King and I met Jack Wilson and Kellan Larsen. When they saw the King's notebook of games attended this year and his lifetime totals, they were in stunned disbelief.

They're in the midst of a dream trip seeing a game in every major league ballpark this summer.

These four 18 year old boys are from Seattle, Washington. They just graduated high school and they're driving all over the country. They started on June 11th and they plan to finish the excursion on August 4th at Safeco Field.

They have a website, http://boysofsummer2011.com/ and you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter @BallparkBoys_11. Check out their schedule and hopefully you meet up with them if they come to a ballpark near you.

Thursday night I went home after work since the Yankees wrapped up their series with the Brewers that afternoon. In case you were wondering the Brewers got swept away.

I felt bad for my Brewer fan club out in Milwaukee. They were there in spirit though. Unlike others, royalty remembers.

Friday night after work I went to Citi Field for part two of this year's Subway Series as the Yankees came to Queens to visit the Mets.

As for the game, the Mets lost to the Yankees, 5-1 in front of a record crowd of 42,020 which included standing room. This was the first time I remember the Mets selling standing room for a game.

Royalty had company as Vincent Ascanio was present and accounted for. So was Martin Caamano. Last but definitely not least an old friend, Mark Kozminsky who I grew up with stopped by seat in section 516 row 3 to say hello before the game. It was great to see him again after all these years.

Saturday afternoon I went back to Citi Field for more. This time the Mets scored two runs and they lost again, 5-2 in front of a new record as 22 more people showed up at the ballyard. This time they announced a crowd of 42,042.

At least we had additional company there with us. Besides Vincent Ascanio and Martin Caamano who were back too, we had our good friend Manny Morales as well as Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal too.

Sunday afternoon I went back to Citi Field hoping the Mets could find a way to salvage a game and avoid being swept.

It was a long day thanks to mother nature and stupid decision making by the Mets and/or the umpires. This game should have started earlier since it barely rained and it had stopped raining. They decided to wait longer because of the threat of more scattered showers in the area.

The game finally got started at 2:39PM. The Mets did everything they could to torture us some more.
Luckily they managed to breakthrough on Yankee closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning. They got the tying run across the plate to tied the game at 2.

The game went into extra innings as the Mets finally found a way to win thanks to a game winning single by Jason Bay in the 10th inning at 6:04PM. Jason Bay finally decided to earn a micro fraction of his pay. It's about time.

As Mets radio announcer Howie Rose says after a Met win and I quote, "put it in the books."

Well another week in the life of royalty is also in the books.

If you want to take part in the "royal" experience in the future, please contact me so we can make it happen. It doesn't hurt to ask. I don't make promises I can't keep. If I say I'm going to do something consider it a done deal. I'm upfront and honest.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 6/13 in review

Monday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees wrap their four game series with the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees were looking for the sweep but they couldn't even score a run as they lost, 1-0 to the Tribe who managed to salvage a game after losing the first three over the weekend.

The Yankees lost more than a game on this night though. Their Captain, Derek Jeter who lead off the game with a hit, wound up injuring his calf after he batted in the fifth inning. Our friend Bryan Gilligan noticed Jeter coming up lame.

As a result, the road to 3K has been temporary derailed for a few weeks as Jeter was placed on the 15 day disabled list.

During the game, newcomer and big fan of royalty, Michael Longo stopped by the "royal" box as he calls it to say hello. It was great to see him again.

Tuesday night I was back at Yankee Stadium to see the return of the Texas Rangers to the Bronx which was delayed by rain at the start.

On paper it looked like a great pitching matchup with CC Sabathia going against rookie sensation Alexi Ogando who had a record of 7-0 coming in.

Back on April 17th, the Yankees roughed up Ogando for five runs in six and a third innings but he didn't get a decision in that game.

This time the Yankees lit him up for six in one and two thirds innings as they handed him his first major league loss. They went on to beat up the Rangers, 12-4. It should be noted the Yankees hit three homers after going a few games without hitting any.

Our friend Steve Tepperman was in the house as he stopped by to say hello. We also had my friend Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich with us as well.

Wednesday night I went back more for batting practice as it turned out in the Bronx. The Yankees used the long ball to fuel the fire again on this night. They hit five more home runs. Mark Teixeira hit two of the them. Eduardo Nunez celebrated his birthday by hitting one in the absence of the Captain. Ramiro Pena who was recalled from the minors added his first of the season and Robbie Cano finished the barrage with a three run blast as the Yankees cruised to another 12-4 victory.

Thursday night after work I went home after work to rest up and to recharge the batteries.

Friday night I went out to Citi Field after work as interleague play returned as the Angels came to Citi Field for the first time to play the Mets. The game was delayed at the outset thanks to mother nature again.

As for the game, the Angels had a 4-2 lead after they broke a 2-2 tie late in this one. The Mets chipped away to cut the lead to 4-3 as they headed to the bottom of the ninth inning when the Halos called on their closer Jordan Walden to come in to seal the deal. He allowed the first two batters he faced to get on base by giving up a walk and a hit. He proceeded to strike out the next three batters he faced using his nasty slider as the Angels came away with the win.

As a result, he preserved the victory for starter Joel Pineiro who picked up his 100th win of his major league career.

Royalty had company as our pal, Vincent Ascanio was present and accounted for.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub to indulge in a post game meal.

Saturday night I went back for more Mets torchure. Thanks to Mike Pelfrey it turned out to be rare treat. He went the distance as the Mets cruised to an easy victory, 6-1.

More importantly, royalty had plenty of love in the stands as Vincent Ascanio also came back for more, his friend Rich Warnock and his father were in the house too. We also had our boys Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal there with us. Last but definitely not least, our pal Manny Morales stopped by to say hello.

It wound up being a great night out. After the Met win, we went back to Donovan's Pub to celebrate this time.

Sunday afternoon I spent Father's Day at the old ballyard. Unfortunately my Dad couldn't make the game but we went out for dinner afterwards instead.

As for the game, the Mets reverted back to their losing ways. They fell behind 7-0 and they woke up too little too late as they added three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lose to the Angels, 7-3 in the rubber match of the three game set.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/30 in review

Mets Season Ticket Holder of the Game

I lived at Citi Field for the whole week except for Thursday afternoon because I was doing something called work.

Monday night the Mets had a nice military salute and tribute for all the brave men and women who have and continue to protect our country day in and day out. We're always proud to be Americans everyday but Memorial Day is one of those days that patriotism takes on more meaning.

On this night, the Mets built a lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates only to have the score tied up at the seventh inning stretch.

Apparently the Mets were inspired by the special rendition of God Bless America in honor of Memorial Day. They stormed back to retake the lead by scoring two in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth and they held on to beat the Pirates, 7-3 sending the crowd home happy.

It should be noted the Hooligan's were in attendance as well. They provided their usual added entertainment as they sang their songs as the Mets batted.

Tuesday night the Mets scored a run in the first inning. Unfortunately they didn't score anymore. They wound up giving up three runs in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth as they fell to the improving Pirates, 5-1.

It should be noted that Pirate rookie Josh Harrison made his major league debut and he got his first major league hit.

Wednesday night I was back for more punishment as it turned out. The Mets had a 2-0 lead going into the seventh inning when the Pirates broke through on the Mets again. They scored five runs in the inning. They added four more in the eighth to put the game away. The Mets added one more as they lost this one, 9-3.

We did have a special surprise guest on this night so it wasn't a total loss or waste of time. The King's half brother Charlie Casiano stopped by to say hello. It was a pleasure to see him again. Hopefully he'll join us for a road trip in the near future.

Thursday night I got a break from watching Mets baseball. After those last two games, it couldn't have come at a better time.

Friday night I went back to see if they could win again in front of me. This time their division rival, the Atlanta Braves who were visiting Citi Field for the first time this season.

The Mets once again had a lead until the late innings. This time they were up 3-1. Their starter Jonathon Niese pitched well before he was taken out of the game with two outs in the eighth inning. The bullpen allowed the Braves to tie the game after Niese departed. Jason Isringhausen was victimized this time. In the ninth inning, they brought in Francisco Rodriguez aka K-Rod in to keep the game tied. He failed to do so. He got hit hard this time as the Braves chopped him up as they scored three more runs to take game one of the series, 6-3.

Saturday night was different in more ways than one. The week before my ticket representative for the Mets, Michael Parton arranged for me to be selected as the Mets Season Ticket of the Game. I got to say the two words baseball fans long to hear before the game starts. That being "Play Ball." It was a thrill and an honor to do so.

I must have inspired the Mets who wound up scoring five runs in the seventh inning to break open a scoreless game. They amazingly hung on to win, 5-0. Dillon Gee pitched seven shutout innings to improve his record to 6-0.

It should be noted our fan club in section 516 was in the house supporting me. I also had Vincent Ascanio who took the great picture of me on the scoreboard as you can see and his father Ralph was with him for this special occasion.

Sunday the Mets and Braves wrapped up their three game series at night thanks to ESPN which decided to take the game. As a result, Citi Field looked a lot less crowded than it would have been for a day game.
Those of us including our pals Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal who decided to show up got treated by the Mets as they had early 6-0 lead. Despite that they still tried their best to blow the game. Thankfully they held on again to win, 6-4.

In the future, if you plan to come to Citi Field let me know so we can arrange to hook up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/2 in review

Citi Field

After getting a much needed night off on Monday night after work, I wound up going to Citi Field to see the Mets who returned home.

Tuesday night the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants made their one and only visit to Citi Field to play the Mets.

This night turned out to be a very entertaining one in the stands. With the threat of rain in the air, the King and I decided to move up towards the top. We wanted to be under cover so we could keep score of the game without getting our scorebooks wet in case it did indeed rain. Luckily it rained lightly for a brief time but it didn't stop the game.

Since we decided to sit higher up we got treated to a musical comedy show if you will in the next section. There were a group of Met fans sitting together across a few rows who provided some great entertainment.
They were having fun and since there were a number of Giant fans sitting nearby they turned up their act another notch. It made for an amusing night as they sang songs when different Met players batted. They had fun with the Giant fans too.

One guy was dressed up with a light green Citi Field style staff jacket. He went over to a Giant fan and acted like he was Citi Field security and he was going to throw them out. He had me fooled for a minute. Then I saw it said "Hooligan's" on it so I knew it was a prank.

In matter of fact, a few of the guys amongst these people thought I was Josh Hamilton who plays for the Texas Rangers. He's hurt now. They asked me how I was feeling. I played along with them. They even wanted to take a picture with me so I complied with their request.

It was lots of fun thanks to these people who sat nearby.

As for the game we saw, it was a seesaw battle as the game was tied at 6-6. The Mets blew chances to win this game. Finally in the tenth inning, Aubrey Huff delivered the game winning blow when he hit a solo home run to give the Giants the 7-6 victory. As a result, the Giant fans in the house got the last laugh on this night.
Wednesday night we were back at Citi Field. This time it was for the "Freak" show as slender Tim Lincecum took the mound for the Giants.

The "Freak" didn't disappoint. He got off to a slow start but he certainly finished strong. He wound up walking three and he struck a dozen including the last five batters he faced in his seven innings of work.
Thanks to Met killer Pat Burrell who had a run scoring single and Mike Fontenot who also drove in a run, the Giants had all the run support they needed as their bullpen came in and shut the door. They used three pitchers to get through the eighth inning which was ridiculous to say the least after the "Freak" was allowed to throw 114 pitches in seven innings. Brian Wilson, their bearded closer finished and preserved the shutout as the Giants won, 2-0.

Thursday night I went home after work. I needed to catch up on things at home so it worked out well.
Friday night I went back to Citi Field as the Los Angeles Dodgers returned "home" if you will. The Dodgers like the Giants left their original home in New York to head out West 53 years ago.

With the return of the Dodgers, the Mets drew a very nice crowd. The Mets fresh off a win Thursday afternoon, were looking to make it two in a row. Thanks to their spark plug, Jose Reyes they did just that. Reyes had two triples, a double and a walk in five plate appearances to pace the Mets past the Dodgers, 6-3.

It should be noted the Mets pitchers couldn't shut down Dodgers' outfielder Andre Ethier who came into the game with a 29 game hitting streak technically speaking. For some reason, he didn't play their last game in Chicago which tainted the so-called streak. Nonetheless, Ethier was lethal on this night as he got three hits to extend his streak to 30 straight games with at least one hit in the games he's played in.

Saturday night I returned to Citi Field. I was greeted by my fan club when I got to my seat by Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal who were in the house. I hadn't seen them in a few weeks so it was a welcome sight to have them there. As usual, they were thrilled to see the King and I.

In addition, our good friend Manny Morales was there present and accounted for. Manny was with some of his friends who have had a Saturday plan for years for the Mets. At Shea, they sat on the Mezzanine level just to the left of home plate. When they opened Citi Field they gave them lousy seats way out just past first base in short right field. Needless to say, Manny and his friends weren't too happy. Last year they got upgraded to be closer to home plate. It was a slight improvement. This year they got a major upgrade because they now sit in our section higher up than us but it's a much better view than they had since Citi Field opened in 2009.

Manny missed the first few Saturday games so this was his first time sitting in his new seat. He seemed happy with the upgrade. As he said and I quote " he's now sitting in the "royalty" section.

As for the game we saw, the Mets were looking to make it three wins in a row so they could get back online. They did indeed as they beat the Dodgers, 4-2. In the process, they put an end to Andre Ethier's 30 game hitting streak for what it was worth.

Sunday I spent my Mother's Day afternoon at Citi Field hoping to see the Mets sweep the Dodgers before going out with Mom for dinner. It wasn't in the works as the Dodgers dodged the broom. They beat the Mets, 4-2.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty spends some quality time in the Keystone State over the weekend!

Saturday morning I rented a car from Avis for the weekend. First stop was to pick up the King on my way to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Rangers in the afternoon.

As for the game, the Yankees rebounded to even the series at one game a piece as they beat the Texas Rangers, 5-2.

Luckily I didn't stick with the original plan I had made. I was looking to go to Washington D.C. but as it turned out the Nationals game got rained out.

Our luck ran out as the game we were planning to attend in Philadelphia was also washed out thanks to mother nature.

Thankfully that game was called very early so we had plenty of time to seek out an alternative. We did our research and found out that there was an AHL hockey playoff game in Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pennsylvania at 7:05PM. The baby Penguins were taking on the Norfolk Admirals who we saw play in Norfolk last month.

I drove us there instead. We dodged the lousy weather and we arrived in the parking lot around 6:45PM. After I parked the car, the King went ahead towards the box office to buy us tickets. When he opened the door to go in, someone gave him two free tickets. They said they didn't want them to go to waste. That made our night complete. We made the best of the situation. That's the way royalty rolls on the fly.

As for the game we saw, the visiting Norfolk Admirals came into the game ahead one game to none in the best of seven series. When the game was over they left the building heading back home with a two game lead. They scored the first goal of the game very late in the second period. They added an empty net goal with 5.3 seconds left to seal the deal. The home crowd left the building in disbelief.

After the game we drove back to Astoria, New York to the King's place to get some sleep.

We got up Sunday morning and we picked up our friends Bryan Gilligan and Rich Wolber who joined us for another visit to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to see the Phillies take on the Marlins at 1:35PM.

We saw our friend Frankie Centola who had his brother Nicky and his son Frank Jr. With him. It was great to catch up with them while we were there.

They plan to come to Citi Field over Memorial Day weekend to see their Phillies play the Mets.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies scored early and late to squeeze past the pesky Marlins, 3-2. The Marlins fought back to tie the game but Carlos Ruiz delivered the game winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to the delight of the. Philly faithful.

After the game, we drove back to Yankee Stadium for Sunday night baseball. When we got to our season seats in section 420B row 7, we were greeted by our fan club from Citi Field, Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal who were also in the house. As usual, they were so happy to see the King and I. It was a pleasant surprise to see them there.

As for the game, the Yankees beat the Rangers in a seesaw battle as Eric Chavez of the Yankees delivered the game winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, 6-5. Thankfully the game didn't go into extra innings.

After the game, the King and I drove towards Boston, Massachusetts so we could be at Fenway Park Monday morning.

Stay tuned for all the details from that memorable day as I'll be doing a special post.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys the return of Mets baseball at Citi Field over Opening Weekend!

The King and I

When the schedule was released back in the middle of September I marked down April 8th, that was when the Mets would open their home schedule at Citi Field.

With that being said, I arranged to work a half a day so I could be there for the special occasion. After work on Friday I went out to Citi Field for the Mets home opener against the Washington Nationals at 4:10PM. It's been an annual tradition since 1982 for me to see the Mets home opener. In 2000, the King and I went all the way to Japan to see them open the season there.

Ironically the Mets lost their Opening game in Japan which was designated as a "Cub" home game as pitcher Mike Hampton who was on the mound wound up walking 9 Cubs in that one. He still induced them to hit into 5 double plays in the 5-3 defeat.

This time the Mets pitching staff issued 8 free passes while they got the Nationals to hit into 3 double plays as they lost this one, 6-2 in front of an alleged sellout crowd of 41,075. It should be known that there were noticeable areas of empty seats scattered throughout the ballpark. The Mets classified this game as a "platinum" game so the ticket prices were just as expensive as if they were playing the Yankees in a subway series game in July.

Honestly speaking, they didn't deserve to sell this game out because they were only playing the Washington Nationals even though it was Opening Day which is the only reason why they charged so much. In my view, it was a typical modern greedy business move by the Mets. In other words, a sign of the times. My advice is to get used to it because this is fast becoming the norm not the exception I'm sorry to say. My just telling you the truth. The media doesn't get paid to bad mouth. I write to to enlighten you and to enhance your knowledge. That the way royalty likes to roll. It works for us so it should work for you.   

As for the actual people who really did show up, it was nice to see some fellow season ticket holders in our section that also renewed their seats for another season. It's always nice to see familiar faces.

Speaking of familiar faces, upon entry to the ballpark, I was greeted by Sam who checked my bag before I got to the ticket taker to have my ticket scanned. It was nice to know Sam is back for another year. I saw him many times last year and it was always a pleasure to see him because he always made me feel wanted.
After I spoke briefly to Sam, I went to the ticket taker who happened to be Tony, another familiar face. I told him this is my lucky day. That was being a little premature though. Things actually got better. Not only were they giving out Mr. Met bobblehead dolls, I saw a ticket taker who I knew from Madison Square Garden, that being Rose who always has a happy face and a big sincere smile. I got to speak to her for a short time too. Now my royal entry was complete.

Before I could make my way to the escalator to head up towards my seat I ran into fellow Met fan and big fan of royalty, Cory Zimmerman who was all dressed up in his Met gear and he was all fired up for the new season that was finally upon us.

In addition, he also sells tickets to Met games. If you need tickets to see the Mets play and/or you want to see Citi Field in style, I strongly suggest you contact him so he can satisfy all your needs and wants.

Needless to say, tell him the Prince referred you so he can provide the royal treatment you expect and deserve.

Once I finally got to my seat in Section 516 row 3 I received visit from our friend Eddie who's also a road warrior and fan of the royalty way. It was great to see him again. Royalty has a knack of attracting good people.

For example, I got to see a few young kids who we met last season here at Citi Field, Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal. It was a thrill to see them again especially since they were so happy to see the King and I. We have built up quite a fan club over the years.

In matter of fact, we all spent the weekend together at Citi Field as they came back for more too. The Mets got their first home win as they beat the Nationals, 8-4 on Saturday night.

Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of the series, it took a few extra innings to decide the winner. Thanks to Mets reliever Blaine Boyer who pitched a 1,2,3 10th inning but he couldn't duplicate that in the 11th inning as the Nationals broke through as Ivan Rodriguez delivered a clutch single to snap the 3-3 tie. Laynce Nix put the game out of reach as he hit a three run blast. The Nationals won the game and the series, 7-3.

There's plenty of baseball left to be played so if you want to come out to a ballgame let me know so I can make your experience more enjoyable home or away.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 8/9 in review

Monday night I came home after work to recharge the batteries and to work on my blog.

Tuesday night after work I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Rockies. The Mets scored the only run of the game and they beat Cy Young Award candidate, Ubaldo Jimenez, 1-0! Jose Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the only run of the game. Mike Pelfrey pitched well shutting the Rockies out for 7 innings.

Wednesday night we saw a another good game until Met manager Jerry Manuel decided  it was time to over manage. The Mets behind 7 strong innings from Jonathon Niese lead 2-1 going to the 8th inning.

Thanks to Jerry Manuel the game got away as the Rockies scored 5 runs off the lousy Met bullpen. In particular, Manny Acosta who couldn't retire a batter and he gave up 3 runs. Instead of bringing his best relief pitcher, Francisco Rodriguez aka K-Rod, to get 4 outs he let the game slip away.

As a result, K-Rod exploded rightfully so in the clubhouse after the game. I'm happy he did. He wasn't given the opportunity to do his job that being to close the door or at least keep the game close so the Mets could still mount a comeback.

As for the rest of K-Rod explosion,  I totally disagree with his actions. He went overboard and he assaulted his father-in-law. He got arrested for doing so and he was suspended by the Mets without pay for 2 games.

Thursday I was working so I couldn't make the finale of the 3 game series that started at 12:10PM. About a month ago, our friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore asked me if I had an extra ticket for that game. He said he knew somebody who wanted to go and they were hoping to see Citi Field for the first time. I told Peter my ticket is available so I e-mailed his friend, John Marek, and I told him my situation.

John arranged to get the day off from work. I told him I would have a friend of mine meet him so he could get the ticket. I want to thank my friend Phil Butleman for being so accomodating in my absence.

As for John, he wrote me an e-mail afterwards. Here's what he said:

Hey Gary, Thanks again for having Phil meet me at Citi Field with your ticket. Make sure he gives you the $25. No really, I had a great time walking around the concourse before the game and taking in the Hall of Fame Museum afterwards. Not to mention the great performance by Johan Santana during the game. Mike had  10 opportunities to use his vocal chords and he did. The location of the seat was great too. All I had to do was wipe off the rain. Take care, John

That's just another example of giving royal treatment indirectly.

I'm very grateful that a good person was able to buy my ticket and he had a great time. That's priceless to me.

I hope to meet John in person someday. Phil told me he was a nice guy. I figured that since he was referred by Peter.

Friday I went back to Citi Field to see the Mets play their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. If you remember back in late May the Phillies went scoreless in 3 three games at Citi Field. To refresh your memory, here are the details.

The question ths time was will the streak continue? Yes, it did. Thanks to R.A. Dickey who out pitched Cole Hamels in a old time pitcher's duel. The Mets won the game, 1-0! Dickey gave up one hit to Cole Hamels in the sixth inning. What a performance that was!

For the second game in a row, the Mets starting pitcher went the distance. With K-Rod being suspended, the Mets didn't need him thanks to Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey.

More importantly, section 516 row 3 had some familiar faces too. Steve Work,  a Friday night regular, was present and accounted for but for some unknown reason his brother Jon was missing in action. I asked Steve a few times where he was. He said and I quote "I don't know." As I like to say, "it was his loss."

As for Steve & Jon, see the special post.

In addition, Manny Bonilla, the young man who I met a few weeks ago on July 31st was also in the house. I arranged to have him sit right next to me. It was another great time in the stands. His friend Arjun couldn't make it. He was away due to a family emergency. For more details, see this post.

Saturday night I was back at Citi Field to see the Phillies behind their ace pitcher, Roy Halladay shut down the Mets, 4-0! Pat Misch who was called up from Buffalo, the Mets Triple A affiliate was the hard luck loser. 3 of the runs he gave up were due to 2 costly errors. The Phillies finally broke their scoreless streak at Citi Field with 2 outs in the third inning. They went 38 and 2/3 innings without scoring.

More importantly, I had the luxury of seeing Manny Bonilla again and this time his friend Arjun was back in town and present as well at Citi Field. Despite the Mets failures, it was a fun night.

In addition, I was talking to some Phillie fans who were seated in row 4. They came up from Philadelphia to see the game. I told them about my blog and I gave them my business card. I didn't catch all their names but I remember hearing Andy and Brian.

Furthermore, during the game I got to speak to a few Met fans as well they were Dan Maimon and his friend Tim who said he was from Buffalo. I look forward to seeing these guys in the future at Citi Field.

Sunday it was Sunday Night Baseball at Citi Field thanks to ESPN. Luckily, they managed to get the game in without a rain delay. It didn't really rain very hard most of the night but it was annoying to have to sit and watch the game in it.

As for the game, Jose Reyes was the Mets offense. He did hit a solo home run that accounted for all the Mets scoring. He lead off the game hitting a ball to short left field that fell in for a hit. With Reyes' speed he should have had a double or at least he could have looked like he was trying to get one. Yes, the infield was getting muddy at the time but that didn't stop him from trying to steal second base. He got caught. I was so happy that he did for his lack of hustle on the hit.

Mike Pelfrey pitched well again for 7 innings but the Phillies managed to get a few clutch 2 out hits to give them a 3-1 victory. The Phillies took 2 out of 3 from the Mets. With the loss, the Mets fell further behind in the playoff race.

As for company in the stands, for the third straight game my new friend Manny Bonilla was in the building. He told me baseball is his passion. He met the right people to help him achieve his goals. He's a welcome addition. He said he'll be back during the next homestand.



 

                   

Saturday night at Citi Field brought out more special guests!

Arjun Lal and Manny Bonilla

After seeing our Friday night regulars, Saturday night brought out two young lads to Citi Field as you can see in the picture.

One of them was Manny Bonilla who is the one on the right in the picture I took of them.

When the King and I got to our seats, Manny got the King's attention.

Apparently the King had seen him before.

I asked who he was. The King didn't know but he recognized him by sight.

I told the King I never saw him before.

I heard him say he wanted tickets to see the Braves in September but he mentioned that those games were sold out.

I told him I have a ticket available for the Sunday game on September 19th. I said I only have one. Is that okay? He said yes.

Shortly thereafter, I noticed he had a friend with him. His name was Arjun Lal.

I started to talk with Arjun as well.

He was a Yankee fan. I told him we have season tickets over there too.

In matter of fact, he said he was going to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

I asked him where he was sitting, he said in the first row by the dugout.

I was speechless.

They seemed like really nice young kids.

Their company made for a memorable night.

Manny being a big Met fan was dressed up wearing a Jason Bay T-shirt.

He was pulling hard for Mets starting pitcher Hisanori Takahashi who he referred to as "Taki".

Come on Taki he yelled a number of times.

Taki pitched well striking out 10 Diamondbacks in 6 innings which had the King yelling and screaming all night.

Manny with his right arm extended was one of many around us who joined in and loved the act.

The King had the whole section joining in as well as others to our left and right.

It was one of those nights thanks to the great people we were fortunate to have sitting around us.

The King became the center of attention as the game wore on.

In the end, we were all jumping for joy when the Mets came back to win the damn game in the mortal words of the late great Bob Murphy may he rest in peace.

I want to thank Manny and Arjun for being part of the festivities.

They had a blast.

I look forward to seeing these youngsters at a future game at Citi Field.

They know where to find us and we'll make sure we find some seats for them so we can enjoy each other company again.

Keep checking back you never know who we'll meet next.

Thank you for reading and following along as the life of royalty unfolds.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman