Royalty w/o 10/1 in review

Yankees win! 2012 AL East Champions

September was one for me to remember. After the Giants/Eagles game ended, the calendar said it's now October.

October is a month that can be memorable or it can be forgettable. This one I hope is somewhere in between.

With the baseball regular season ending on the third day of the month it's off to a good start.
With that being said, here's how it's started for me.

First of all, since the Yankees and Orioles ended September winning their games, it put them in a tie for first place. The playoff push was on.

As for me, I went to work with less than enough sleep but I managed to get through the day. After work, I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox to close out the regular season at home while the Baltimore Orioles were on the road in Florida, St. Petersburg to be exact where they were playing the Tampa Bay Rays as they call them.

Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I got off the subway and I went to Burger King to have dinner. I enjoyed a few Chicken Parm sandwiches which tasted really good considering it was fast food. Once I was done, I headed over to Yankee Stadium so I could get ready for the playoff like baseball I was going to see.
When I went upstairs to go to my seat, I ran into my pals Phil Butleman and David Sack. It was great to see them again. Phil was back after spending a few weeks out on the West Coast while David was busy going to school. After we spoke, they went to their seats and I went to mine where I met up with the King.
As for the game we saw, it was over early. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and he retired the Red Sox in order in the top of the first which set the tone. The Yankees also went down 1,2,3 in their half of the first.
In the second inning, Red Sox first baseman Mauro Gomez lead off with a double but Sabathia got the next three batters out to leave him stranded.

The Yankees came up and they responded in a monster way. Robinson Cano lead off with a home run to center field to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. After Mark Teixeira struck out looking off of Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz to record the first out, Nick Swisher singled to start the onslaught. Curtis Granderson followed with a two run homer, a high fly ball if you will that just made it to the short porch in right field to extend the lead to 3-0. Russell Martin was up next and he left the yard to make it 4-0. After walks were issued to Eric Chavez and Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki singled to load the bases. Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. With that being said, the Yankees had batted around. Robinson Cano was up again and this time he delivered a two run double to pad the lead, it was now 7-0. I thought for a moment I went to a Monday Night football game. Before this inning finally ended, Mark Teixeira sent a "Tex" message to right to round out the scoring with a two run homer to give the Yankees a commanding 9-0 lead after two innings. Since Roger Clemens wasn't pitching, I felt the lead was safe.

In the end, I was right. The Red Sox broke the shutout in the fourth inning as Daniel Nava lead off with a homer to make it 9-1. The Red Sox added another run in the seventh inning to make it 9-2. The Yankees tacked on another run in the bottom of the eighth when rookie Melky Mesa who was making his big league debut got his first major league hit and run batted in to make it 10-2. That's the way it mercifully ended for the pathetic Red Sox who were playing out the string. CC Sabathia was dominant as he pitched solidly for eight innings to earn his 15th win of the season.

While the Yankees were cruising to an easy victory, the Orioles lost to the Rays which gave the Yankees a one game lead in the battle for first place.

Tuesday night after work I went back for more meaningful October baseball. This time I met the King for dinner at the 7 Fish Market before we went into the Stadium on a misty rainy night. Luckily the game was played through without a delay.

As for the game we saw, the Red Sox got off to a fast start as they lead 1-0 just two batters into the game. A few batters later they scored again to make it 2-0. The Yankees sliced the lead in half as they took advantage of an error by Red Sox third baseman Pedro Ciriaco who made a throwing error on an infield single to put Curtis Granderson in scoring position with two outs. Granderson proceeded to steal third then Eduardo Nunez beat out a grounder to shortstop that plated a run to make it 2-1 Red Sox. It stayed that way until the ninth inning when the Red Sox added an insurance run as James Loney lead off with a homer to make it 3-1 off Yankee closer Rafael Soriano who came on to pitch the ninth inning. The Yankees weren't done just yet. Curtis Granderson lead off the bottom of the ninth with a single. Raul Ibanez was called upon to pinch hit. He came through in the clutch as he lined the ball into the right field porch to tie the game at three. The crowd went crazy.

Meanwhile in Florida, the Orioles just finished beating the Rays and Big Game James Shields who was dominating but was the hard luck loser despite going the distance allowing just two hits one unfortunately was a home run which was the difference as the Rays lost, 1-0. He did set a team record as he struck out 15 Orioles in the process.

Back in the Bronx, we went into extra innings. The Yankees' bullpen held the Red Sox at bay for three innings. In the bottom of the twelveth inning after there were two out, Red Sox reliever Andrew Miller walked Francisco Cervelli after he had him in a 0-2 hole. Curtis Granderson followed with a free pass which set the stage for another dramatic moment as Raul Ibanez came through again. This time he found a hole on the left side of the infield that won the game for the Yankees, 4-3. What a choke by the gutless Red Sox. On the other hand, the Yankees always find a way to win when their backs are to the wall.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the Bronx for the showdown if you will. By winning the first two games of the series against the Red Sox, the Yankees controlled their destiny. Another win and they finish first regardless of what the Orioles did.

Before I went into the Stadium, I went to the Court Deli Restaurant where I picked up a Corned Beef sandwich for dinner. I proceeded to go inside and I went up to my seat and I enjoyed it.
As for the game we saw, it was a battle of two Japanese pitchers. Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Red Sox and his fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda who was on the mound for the Yankees.

The Red Sox drew first blood as they got a run scoring single by Cody Ross in the top of the first inning. The Yankees went down in order in their half of the first. In the second inning, Kuroda worked around a walk he issued to get the Red Sox out without further damage. In the bottom of the second, the Yankees went to work on Dice K as Matsuzaka is nicknamed. After a single, a walk and a strikeout, Curtis Granderson hit a fly ball to the right field porch to make it a 3-1 game. In the third inning, Kuroda survived another walk as he got the Red Sox out again. His counterpart, Dice K continued to play with fire. After recording the first out, he allowed a single to Alex Rodriguez. Robinson Cano came up next and he took him deep to make it 5-1. After a single to Nick Swisher, Dice K was done for the night. Kuroda on the other hand, was able to work around a few walks as well as some hits each inning but he kept the Red Sox in check. His teammates responded as they sensed the celebration was on the way. It was only a matter of time as the Yankees pounded the Red Sox into submission. They whipped them, 14-2 as the Chase for 28 was officially on. Another first place finish for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees by winning avoided playing a possible tie breaker game in Baltimore on Thursday. Actually the Orioles wound up losing to the Rays before the Yankees officially beat the Red Sox so they clinched earlier than expected if you will. It was a formality when it was all said and done.

More October baseball here we come in the Bronx.

In preparation, I got some needed nights off on Thursday night and Friday night after work.
Thursday night I came home, I ate dinner and took it easy.

Friday night I came home, I ate dinner then I went out and I did my laundry.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write some special posts about my local football filled weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 8/8 in review

Monday night after work I went out to Citi Field to see the Mets play the San Diego Padres who were making their first and only appearance at Citi Field this season as they opened up a four game series.

As for the game, the Mets and Padres went back and forth in this one. It turned out to be a wild night at the ball yard. The Mets lead early on, 4-1. The Padres came back to tie the score at four in the sixth inning. They broke the tie in the top of the eighth inning as they scored four more runs to take a 8-4 lead off the Mets lousy bullpen. The Mets stormed back with two more in the bottom half. With score remaining 8-6 Padres going to the bottom of the ninth inning, we fastened our seat belts hoping for the tide to turn again. Heath Bell came on to try and close it out for the Padres. Instead the Mets singled him to death as Lucas Duda delivered the big game winning hit up the middle that scored two to make the Mets winners, 9-8.

Tuesday night I went back to Citi Field in hope of seeing more heroics on the field.

I got a lot more than I bargained for as we had some added entertainment in the stands in our section 516.
Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to write to explain in detail what transpired during the game.

As for the game on the field, the Mets and Padres battled it out again. The Padres and Mets went back and forth in the middle innings. The Padres broke through first scoring two runs in the top of the fourth inning. The Mets responded with two of their own to even the score. The Padres regained the lead in the fifth inning, 4-2. It stayed that way until the Mets batted in the eighth inning. Angel Pagan lead off with a solo home run that put the Mets within one at 4-3. They scratched and clawed their to tie the score again at four thanks to a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Nick Evans after they loaded the bases thanks to a few hits, a sacrifice bunt and an international walk. The Padre bullpen blew the game as they proceeded to walk Ronny Paulino to reload the bases then they walked Ruben Tejada to give the Mets the lead, 5-4. Thankfully Jason Isringhausen was able to hold down the lead this time as the Mets came away with another dramatic home victory.

Wednesday night after work I met up with my Cousin Andy who was going to join me for the game. On the way to Citi Field we met up for a pregame dinner at Subway which is connected to a Carvel right off the 7 train at the Junction Blvd. stop. Needless to say, we both had a "royal" meal and we got a tremendous deal. If you don't believe me then ask my Cousin. He always gets the royal treatment when he sees me and that's not just because he's family. That's just the royal way of how we roll at home or away. What else can I say.
Once we finally arrived at Citi Field we were greeted by my boy Vincent Ascanio. He was all smiles when I told him about our "royal" dinner and dessert. After all, he's the one who told me about it.

We all got situated for the game in our seats in section 516 row 3. As we did I was greeted by a number of familiar faces who were in the house too. We had our pal Manny Morales there, Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman and a very special guest was there as well.

Stay tuned as I go into further detail in a separate post regarding this amazing young man. This will definitely be a must read.

As for the game, the Mets ran out of luck. They fell behind early, 5-0. They fought back to get within two at 5-3 but they couldn't stop the Padres as they extended their lead. The Mets eventually lost, 9-5.

Thursday was an afternoon game so since I was working I had to skip it. After work I went home to rest up and recharge the batteries.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Rays. With CC Sabathia pitching, I expected to see a decent game.

Unfortunately CC who sailed through the first two innings decided it was time to serve up batting practice. He certainly did. He wound up giving up five solo home runs to the Rays as they went on to beat the Yankees, 5-1.

On Saturday afternoon, I went back to the Bronx again. Before the game, the Yankees had a special pregame ceremony for their Captain Derek Jeter who back on July 9th joined the 3,000 hit club. Jeter was honored by his teammates and the Yankee organization for becoming the first player to get 3,000 hits all in pinstripes. They gave him some really special gifts so he can always remember this special milestone for the rest of his life.

As for the game, the Yankees proceeded to beat up the Rays, 9-2.

On Sunday afternoon, I was planning to go back to the Bronx for the finale of the three game series but mother nature wouldn't cooperate as it rained all day and the game was postponed.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Remember to check back for the two special posts I'm going to do. Trust me you don't want to miss them.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty saw plenty of baseball over the weekend!

First Energy Park - Home of the Lakewood Blueclaws

After seeing history made Saturday afternoon, the King drove my Cousin Andy and I to Lakewood, New Jersey for a minor league doubleheader at First Energy Park.

Since the game in Lakewood also got rained out Friday night, they were scheduled to play two 7 inning games starting at 6:05PM instead of one nine inning game at 7:05PM.

We wound up arriving in Lakewood in the top of the second inning. We should have made it on time but we ran into traffic which made it impossible to do that. The King did a nice job getting us there despite the unplanned delay.

We lucked out that the game went into extra innings and it ended after 9 innings as the Kannapolis Intimidators beat the Lakewood Blueclaws, 8-5.

In the second game, the Blueclaws beat the Intimidators by a score of 3-1.

Besides the two games we saw, we were also treated to a musical tribute to local native Bruce Springsteen and the late great Big Man Clarence Cleamons. They played their music throughout the evening. It made for a more entertaining night.

What a day it was for my Cousin Andy. He had a birthday to remember forever. I'm glad that the King and I were apart of it.

Sunday the King and I went back to the Bronx to see the finale of the rain shortened series between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. Both teams split the two games they played.. This was the rubber match.

It turned out to be a great pitcher's duel. It lived up to billing for a change. Like in the good old days, both starters James Shields of the Rays and CC Sabathia of the Yankees both pitched a complete game.

The game flew by as both teams matched zeros until the Rays decided to throw the ball away not once but twice in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Yankees took full advantage and capitalized by scoring the only run of the game. They went on to win the game 1-0 and it took only a mere 2 hours and 11 minutes.

In addition to seeing a well played game with enjoyed some great company too. We had our pals Vincent Ascanio and Rich Warnock in the "royal" box with us. It was nice that they were able to join us. Since they're so young, they may not see such a well pitched game again in their lives.

I don't remember the last time I saw both starters finish what they started. In this day and age, it's such a rarity.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about a roadtripper that does his research to figure out ways to make our national pastime affordable for fans of all ages.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/4 in review

The first full week of baseball is in the books. Here's how it played out for me.

Monday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Minnesota Twins. The new Yankee Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Twins. That trend continued right off the bat as the Yankees build a 4-0 lead after the first two innings as Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod and Jorge Posada each delivered two run homers.

The Twins chipped away to get within one at 4-3 but the Yankee bullpen shut them down over the last three innings to preserve the victory for starter Ivan Nova and the Bombers.

As for the crowd, they got what they expected on this night another Yankee win.

Tuesday night it was time to do it again. The Twins were back for more punishment. Well for most of the night it seemed that way but miraculously they awoke from the dead in the eighth inning. They were down 4-0 because they couldn't touch CC Sabathia who was in total control. Thanks to Yankee manager, the genius Joe Girardi. He decided it was time to overmanage. Instead of letting his ace CC Sabathia pitch the eighth inning, he brought in Rafael Soriano, their overpaid set up man. He proceeded to walk in a run with the bases loaded after he walked two others to help fill them up. The Twins took full advantage of his wildness as they tied the game at 4 as right fielder Nick Swisher played a two run single into three run triple off the bat of Delmon Young and reliever David Robertson.

Girardi had the greatest closer of the modern era in his bullpen and he didn't bring him in with the game on the line to preserve the lead. Apparently I thought he was giving him the night off. Once the game was tied going to the ninth inning, the genius called on Mariano to hold it down. Brilliant modern move by Girardi.
After 9 innings, the game remained tied so it was time for bonus baseball.

In the top of the tenth inning, Joe Mauer of the Twins delivered the game winning single to give the Twins a rare win at the new Yankee Stadium as the Twins won, 5-4.

Wednesday night after work I went back to Yankee Stadium in hopes of seeing a baseball game but all I saw was the tarp on the field. At 7:48PM, they made the announcement that the game was postponed.

Thursday night I went home after work to get a much needed night of rest. I wound up recharging the batteries to brace myself for Opening Day and weekend at Citi Field.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that will go into all the details.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is live at Yankee Stadium - Baseball's back!

View from Section 420B row 7

It's feels like we're at the Pinstripe Bowl again.

However the Yankees are getting ready to take on the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day.

First pitch from CC Sabathia was 1:11PM Eastern Time as the picture shows you from my seat in section 420B row 7, my season tickets. If you're in the building, come on up and say hello.

Royalty is here to set the scene for you today and throughout the season.

If you want to be part of the experience let me know. If can't make it to the game and you want live pictures let me know and I'll e-mail and/or text them to you.

All my readers and followers are always with me in spirit.

Whoever you root for I hope they have a successful season.

Hope to meet and greet some of you during the season at a ballpark.

If not, my blog is the next best thing.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/18 in review

Monday after work I went to Yankee Stadium to see Game 3 of the ALCS between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers.

With the series all even at a game a piece, the Rangers came into Yankee Stadium behind Cliff Lee he "completelee" dominated them again, 8-0!

Lee was brilliant in this performance as he went 8 innings allowing only 2 hits while striking out 13 Yanks.
He left with a 2-0 lead. The Rangers tacked on 6 more runs in the ninth inning to make the score look more lopsided.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Bronx for Game 4 of the ALCS.

The Rangers won again. This time by a 10-3 score. A.J. Burnett started this one for the Yankees but he couldn't finish the sixth inning thanks to Bengie Molina who delivered a clutch three run home run to give the Rangers the lead for good at 5-3. I blurted out "I love all Molinas". Josh Hamilton added two homers and Nelson Cruz also went deep to bury the Yankees on this night and it give the Rangers a commanding 3 games to 1 lead in the series.

Ironically, this day 10/19 marked the four year anniversary of the other Molina blast that killed the Mets in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Cardinals off Aaron Heilman who I hated. As a result, the saying "I love all Molinas" was created when I blurted that out after Yadier did the damage that night.

It should be noted that the Molina brothers (Bengie, Yadier & Jose) have all played a major role in the postseason in the past.

Wednesday afternoon I was able to leave work early so I could attend Game 5 of the ALCS. I went there hoping to see the Rangers win their first pennant but thanks to CC Sabathia it wasn't meant to be on this day. CC and the Yankees staved off elimination by beating the Rangers, 7-2 and forcing a Game 6 in Arlington Friday night.

Thursday night I went home after work to rest up for another busy weekend.

Friday morning before I went to work I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend.

After work I went back into Queens to pick up the car by the subway and off to Virginia I went.
I drove 380 miles to Verona, Virginia which was about 20 miles passed Harrisonburg where I spent the night. During my drive, I listened to the Yankees lose to the Rangers who advanced to the World Series for the first time.

I got to my hotel just before 1AM.

I woke up in the morning and finished the last 120 miles to Blacksburg, Virginia home of the Virginia Tech Hokies.

I wound up parking for free in the neighborhood just over a mile from the campus where the football stadium was located. I'll go into more detail in a separate post regarding the game experience.

After the game, I decided to take a shot at seeing another college football game in Charlottesville, Virginia which was 148 miles away.

Stay tuned as I recap that adventure along with the Virginia Tech experience.

Sunday I went to Baltimore to see the Ravens play the winless Buffalo Bills.

It was another amazing weekend in the eyes of Royalty.

Please check back for all the details of this great journey.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman