Royalty w/o 7/29 in review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Coats & I at Citi Field

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty gets a special visit from another roadtripper at Citi Field!

Saturday morning June 29th I woke up early so I could do my laundry.

After I got done, I went out to Citi Field to see the Mets host the Washington Nationals in game two of their three game series in the afternoon.

I didn't get to see my pal Sam Citron at the Rotunda entrance upon arrival because he wasn't working. He told me on the last homestand that his son was getting married so he took a few days off. It felt different not seeing him there.

When I went upstairs to section 515 where we sat that day, I was greeted by a fellow roadtripper, Tolu Robertson who I initially met on Twitter over the winter. His handle is @DarkMeatHook. Please feel free to follow him. He's a good guy. He lives in the Washington DC area. I met him in person for the first back in April on Gio Gonzalez bobblehead doll day. Speaking of bobbleheads, he's a big collector of them. He said he prefers getting ones from his local teams though. Tolu came up to NYC by bus to see his Nationals play for the weekend. He also was seeing Citi Field for the first time. He wisely bought a ballpark e-guide in advance from my pal Kurt Smith so he could get a good idea of what to expect before he arrived. With that being said, he was impressed with the ballpark as a whole.

In addition, we had some other special guests on hand that day in section 513 as the Hooligan's and the 7 Line showed up. They always make the total experience better.

Furthermore, we had some of our usual pals there with us too. I'm referring to David Sack, Michael Carson, Manny Morales, Pat Gorman and Alan Gimpel.

As for the game we saw, the Mets bounced back after their brutal meltdown Friday night as they evened the series at a game a piece by beating the Nationals, 5-1.

After the game, Tolu and I took the subway to Coney Island to see another baseball game. We went to MCU Park to see the Brooklyn Cyclones take on the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Ironically on the way there, my pal Steve Cirvello from the FDH Lounge got on the train. It was a pleasant surprise. He was going to the Cyclone game too. It was great to see him again. I told him about some future trips I have planned. He said he hopes to put together a project that will include me while I'm on the road. Time will tell if something can be worked out.

When we finally got to the game, we were joined by my pals Rich Wolber, Michael Abrams, Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan and the King.

As for the game we saw, the Renegades tossed the Cyclones a beating as they whipped them, 9-0.
After the game, my pal Tolu Robertson was determined to go to a restaurant that he saw on the show Man vs. Food that airs on the Travel Channel. The place was called Spurmoni Gardens. He mapped it out beforehand. It turned out to be a few subway stops away on the train. With that being said, I made sure we went there. It worked out really well since we were both starving.

We ordered a half tray of sicilian pizza which we wound up splitting. It was delicious. I want to thank Tolu for suggesting this brilliant idea.

After we ate, we took the train back to Queens. I went home and Tolu went to a nearby hotel that he reserved for the night.

Stay tuned for the special post that will go into detail about how I spent that Sunday to end the month of June.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 8/27 in review

The King and I with Dylan Van Cleve 

Monday night after work I went up to the Bronx on the D train. When I got up there I went to Burger King where I met the King and Vincent Ascanio. I wound up getting a few Whoppers for dinner. Nothing beats flame broiled burgers and more importantly I had them my way with just lettuce. They were made to order and they tasted really good.

After we got done eating we made our way over to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays. I was thinking of our pal Sean MacDonald who's originally from Ottawa, Canada then he moved to Japan for quite some time until he recently relocated to Singapore. Regardless he still loves watching baseball and he always roots for the Blue Jays. With that being said, he was with us in spirit.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees scored first as Robinson Cano hit a solo homer to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The Blue Jays answered right back as Adam Lind tied the game at one with a solo homer of his own in the top of the second. In the fourth inning, Robinson Cano homered again and the Yankees tacked on a few more runs to take the lead again, 4-1. The Blue Jays got within one as Yorvit Torrealba hit a two run shot to make the score 4-3 in the fifth. The Yankees responded as Nick Swisher did the same. The Blue Jays inched closer again with a run in the seventh to make it 6-4. In the top of the ninth, the Blue Jays were down to their last out with two men on when Colby Rasmus who previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals crushed the ball into the second deck in right field to give the Blue Jays a 7-6 lead. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Derek Jeter aka Captain Clutch lived up to his nickname as he tied the game at seven with a solo homer to right center. The game went into extra innings. The Blue Jays went on to win, 8-7 in 11 innings thanks to a throwing error on a pick off attempt by Derek Lowe which put pinch runner Mike McCoy on third base with nobody out after Yorvit Torrealba got a single to start the inning. After a strikeout, Mike McCoy scored the eventual winning run after a ball was grounded to third by Adeiny Hechavarria. McCoy raced home and he beat the throw to make Sean a happy camper on this night.

Tuesday after work I did the same drill except I met the King for dinner at the 7 Fish Market where we had some seafood.

This time we saw a much faster game with a different end result. The Yankees scored a run in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead off starter Ricky Romero who's had a rough year on the mound. Third baseman Adeiny Hechavarria sliced the lead in half in the fifth inning with a solo homer to make the score 2-1. That's the way it stayed as the Yankees won much to Sean's chagrin. Yankees' starter Phil Hughes pitched 7 strong innings to earn his 13th victory of the season.

Wednesday night after work I went home since the Blue Jays and Yankees wrapped up their series in the afternoon. The Blue Jays wound up winning the game and the series.

As for me, I came home and I made dinner then I went out and I did my laundry. When I came back I packed up my bags in preparation for our weekend getaway.

Thursday I took off from work so I could pick up the King as he worked at the Post Office for the last time. He decided to take a buyout that they offered him to retire. I went to Dollar Rent A Car to get a car for the day by LaGuardia Airport. I proceeded to pick up the King and off to Philadelphia we went to see the Mets play the Phillies in a matinee.

We were joined by our pal Andrew Van Cleve who recently became a father for the second and last time. On August 22nd, his wife Nicole gave birth to their second son, Micah. With that being said, the letters USB have taken on a new meaning. It used to stand for the Ultimate Sports Baby who is Dylan who was with Andrew at the game. Now it stands for Ultimate Sports Brothers aka Dylan and Micah.

As always, it was great to see Andrew and Dylan. They made the Met loss as it turned out much more bearable. I want to thank them for keeping us company.

As for the game we saw, the Mets were looking to sweep the Phillies. Mike Baxter lead off the game with a home run. Scott Hairston hit one of his own in the second inning with one out. After that, it was all Phillies as they scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-2 lead. That's how it ended as the Phillies avoided getting swept by the Mets.

Since the game went so fast, the King and I decided to change our game plan from going to Trenton, NJ to getting closer to home since we had to return the car rental early Friday morning before we caught our flight to Milwaukee for our Labor Day weekend getaway.

With that being said, we wound up in Coney Island where we met up with Vincent Ascanio. We all went to MCU Park to see the Brooklyn Cyclones host the Hudson Valley Renegades.
 
As for the game we saw, both teams were battling to make the playoffs. In the second inning, the Cyclones scored first on a fielder's choice by Brandon Nimmo to take a 1-0 lead. The Renegades tied the game in the fourth inning on a single by Justin O'Connor. The game remained tied until the ninth inning when the Renegades' shortstop Leonardo Reginatto delivered the big blow, a two run homer which was the difference as the Renegades clinched a playoff spot with a 3-1 victory.

Stay tuned as I'll be doing some special posts that will go into detail about our latest annual traditional journey to the Midwest. It was a blast that doesn't get played out. In fact, I can't wait until next year to go back for more. Please bear with me as I try to find time to recap it for you.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Auburn, NY to see nightcap of minor league doubleheader!

Ticket and Credential courtesy of Stadium Journey

After we had early dinner in Rochester, we went to Auburn, NY which is about 100 miles from Rochester.

We arrived in Auburn just before the gates opened at 6PM. Paul Derrick went to the window to pick up the credentials and tickets for the game that they left for us as guests of Stadium Journey. See picture for proof.

In addition, it was dollar beer night. They also sold hot dogs and peanuts for a buck as well.

We all got our money's worth and then some.

Furthermore, our pal Peter Farrell from Buffalo surprised us and he showed up just before the first pitch.
I want to thank him for being part of our night.

As for the game we saw, the Auburn Doubledays lost to the Hudson Valley Renegades, 3-1.

After the game, Peter asked to join him at Jim's Steakout which is a Buffalo institution for the last the 30 years.
Since we we're spending the night at the same Super 8 in the Buffalo area, we decided to join him.
They claim to have the best damn hoagies in Buffalo, No Bull.

After having one, I must say I definitely agree with that statement wholeheartedly.

It was a great way to end another great day in the life of royalty.

Stay tuned for the next installment of this memorable journey.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 6/21 in review

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

The same can be said for our lives. Another week has come and gone.

Here's a recap of how things played out in the life of royalty.

Monday was a night off to recharge and refuel for the week at Citi Field watching the last installments of this year's interleague play.

Tuesday night the Detroit Tigers made their first visit to Citi Field.

Shortly before the game I found out Justin Verlander, the Tigers ace, was pitching against the Mets Jonathon Niese who has pitched great. So I said to myself I'm in for a good one tonight. In this case, I wish I was right. But it didn't take long to be proven wrong. Justin Verlander gave up 2 runs in the first inning. In addition, the game was moving at a snail's pace then we had a 58 minute rain delay to boot in the 3rd inning. So instead of being a good good night it become a long long night. When the game resumed the Mets bats came alive as they chased Verlander and a few relievers as they broke open the game. They lead 10-0 after the third. Jerry Manuel, the Mets manager, decided to let Niese pitch so he could have a chance to win the game by pitching 5 innings. Unfortunately Niese failed to do so even with the big lead. He left with 2 outs in the fifth inning as the Tigers got within 5 runs, 11-6. The Mets tacked on 3 more runs in the 6th. They wound up winning, 14-6!

Wednesday night R.A. Dickey pitched a gem.

 He tamed the Tigers for 8 innings. K-Rod was called on to pitch the ninth inning to a chorus of boos. The crowd wanted Dickey to finish what he started like they did back in the good old days. Jerry Manuel didn't give him that opportunity. K-Rod did close it out and the Mets won again, 5-0!

It should noted during the game our friend and royalty customer Manny Morales stopped by to say hello to the King & I. It's always a pleasure to see visitors especially good people like Manny who was at Citi as part of his "Saturday Plan".

It seems odd but the Mets don't give their weekend plan holders all the games on either Saturday and/or Sunday. Instead, they throw in some mid week games. A creative marketing plan on their part to sell less attractive games as part of the total package.

Thursday night the Mets were looking for the sweep. The Tigers were throwing Armando Galarraga who was robbed of a perfect game just a few weeks ago. The Tigers took a 6-1 lead midway through this one but the Mets stormed back to pull within 2 at 6-4 after 6 innings. They managed to add another run in the seventh to get within one but they couldn't claw their way all the way back. They lost 6-5!

As the rock group Meatloaf said in one of their songs 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

 Friday night the Minnesota Twins made their first visit to Citi Field as well.

 The Mets behind Mike Pelfrey who picked up his 10th win of the season. The Mets won, 5-2!

 Saturday was a double dip. It should be noted that my Cousin Andy met me at Citi Field and he did the doubleheader as well.

As always, he was grateful to have the privilege of our company. He always has a great time when he sees us. He left me a voice mail today thanking me for giving him the opportunity to enjoy himself even though it was just for one day.

When I heard it I was so happy.

 First up the Twins played the Mets again. This time the Twins evened the series at 1. The Twins were facing their former ace, Johan Santana who was traded to the Mets because he alleged turned down the Twins for greener pastures. For the Twins, it was payback time. They didn't waste any time getting to Santana who they roughed up for 4 runs in the first inning. Thanks to Carl Pavano who was given a nice cushion before he even threw a pitch, the Twins cruised to victory. Pavano wound up shutting down the Mets on a complete game 3 hit shutout. The Twins won, 6-0!

After the game, our friend Bryan Gilligan was kind enough to drive the King and I as well as my Cousin Andy to Staten Island where we were going to see the Staten Island Yankees play. The stadium is located right by the Ferry Terminal.

After the game, we boarded the Ferry to get back to Lower Manhattan.

As for the game, the Staten Island Yankees fell behind. 5-0 to the Hudson Valley Renegades who never looked back and they went on to win, 8-1!

Sunday we were back at Citi Field to see the rubber match between the Mets & the Twins. The Mets behind Jonathon Niese who pitched 6 shutout innings. The bullpen kept the Twins off the board as the Mets took 2 out of 3 again, 6-0 was the final score.

Jeff Francoeur, David Wright & Ike Davis supplied the power. They all hit home runs. Jason Bay, added a triple in this game which was his 1,000th major league hit.

In retrospect, it was a good week.

Stay tuned for the schedule for week ahead.

Thank you for following along.

Please feel free to voice your opinion.

Yours truly,

Prince Charming