Royalty witnesses history in Cleveland!

Ervin Santana throws a No-Hitter

After Paul Derrick and I got barely enough sleep it was time to get ready for another day on our epic excursion.

We decided to pass up a recommendation to go to a local place to eat breakfast due to time constraints. Instead we went to the Waffle House which was conveniently located right next to the Super 8 where we spent the night.

After we had our All-Star breakfast we were ready to make our way to Cleveland for the next leg of the journey.

We got back on the highway and I drove 130 miles to Cleveland. It was an interesting ride to say the least.
I was going at a pretty nice speed and then I let a car pass me. Thankfully I did. The lady in this car stayed ahead of for quite some time. She was driving very erratically mainly in the left and occasionally the middle lane of the three lane road. It was only 10:15AM in the morning. She appeared to be either drunk or falling asleep. I laid back still doing a comfortable speed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She was drifting from lane to lane and at times she was riding on the shoulder. It was scary, I couldn't believe what I was seeing in broad daylight.

Thankfully about 50 miles down the road a state trooper pulled her over. I hope she lost her license and/or went to jail. Fortunately she didn't kill anybody or herself for that matter.

After that adventure, we continued on our way to Cleveland. Our friend Bryan Gilligan and the King who went back to New York after the Phillie game Monday afternoon reunited with us in Cleveland.

They called to tell us that they parked their car in a $5.00 lot within a short walk from Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians in downtown Cleveland.

I wound up parking in the same lot.

We met up with them outside the ballpark. We went to the box office and bought ourselves $8.00 tickets for the game.

We got our money's worth and then some.

In fact, we all witnessed history. Thanks to starting pitcher Ervin Santana of the Angels who walked one batter, struck out ten and he gave up a run due to an error on the first batter of the game but thankfully he didn't allow any hits in his nine innings of work.

As a result, he got credited with a no-hitter, the ninth in Angels history. It was the first one ever thrown at Progressive Field formerly known as Jacobs Field which opened its doors for the first time in 1994.

It was a day for us to remember forever. The Angels beat the hometown Indians, 3-1.

It was the first no-hitter that I've seen on the road. In the past, I've only seen a no-hitter and/or a perfect game at old Yankee Stadium. This was my fifth one overall.

As for Paul and Bryan, it was their first no-hitters they've ever seen in person. What a great way to enhance an already amazing journey.

As for the King, it was his ninth no-hitter he's seen over the years. The majority of which were at old Yankee Stadium but he did see Bob Forsch throw one back in 1983 and Doc Halladay last October in the Division Series.

After we came to our senses and we realized we just saw more history, we went back to the car and we headed to our next destination. All of us went to Jamestown, NY except Bryan he was there last year so he decided to go to Akron, Ohio for a minor league game instead.

Stay tuned for the recap of the nightcap after our historic afternoon.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is hitting the road hard at the end of July with special guest and roadtripper, Paul Derrick!

Over the years, the King and I and numerous others have made some of the most memorable and unique sports road trips you can ever imagine.

Unfortunately we have the misfortune of holding down full time jobs which limits the time we get to go away.
With that being said, we always maximize the time off we have to the fullest. Like everybody else we play the cards we're dealt.

We've never seen all the parks and/or stadiums in the same year and we may never get to do it.

As an alternative, we do things differently than most people. We do it the royal way.

The King loves to maximize the number of games he sees each and every day of the year.

I prefer to see as much quality as possible. In other words, the more places we can see in a short period of time the better even if it means giving up a "number" if you will.

Well back in January, I got in contact with a young man named Paul Derrick who lives in Houston, Texas.
He saw my blog and he was totally amazed. He decided to pick my brain. I told him please feel free to do so. He told me and I quote "be careful what you wish for." He refers to me as his "sports travel idol."

On July 22nd, my wish and his dream will come true. He's flying in from Houston aka H-Town as people like to call it to the Big Apple aka New York City. For the record, he was here a few years ago in 2009 and he went to Citi Field and Yankee Stadium.

The initial seed will be planted upon his arrival. Time will tell how much it will grow.

Paul is an up and coming sports traveler. He did time in the Army and he has spent time in different parts of the world. Now he wants to pursue his love for sports to go along with his love for travel here in North America.

As far as I'm concerned, he couldn't have found a better pair of people in the King and I to show him the way on how it's done. With our experience and know how, Paul will be a pro in no time.

We're going to embark on a journey to parts of the country that he's never been to before. The King and I on the other hand are masters of this territory. He's going to be in for a real treat.

He's an overview of the game plan that I have set up for us:

We're going to see 13 baseball games in 9 days in 13 different ballparks. 8 major league games and 5 minor league games. We'll be driving and stopping off in 10 different states along the way.

Here's how it will go as long as mother nature cooperates:

Friday July 22nd Athletics at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday July 23rd Cardinals at Pirates 7:05PM

Sunday July 24th Angels at Orioles 1:35PM

                           Trenton Thunder at Bowie Bay Sox 6:05PM

Monday July 25th Padres at Phillies 1:05PM 

                            Potomac Nationals at Wilmington Blue Rocks 7:05PM

Tuesday July 26th Mets at Reds 7:05PM

Wednesday July 27th Angels at Indians 12:05PM

                                 Aberdeen Ironbirds at Jamestown Jammers 7:05PM

Thursday July 28th SI Yankees at Batavia Muckdogs 11:05AM

                              Hudson Valley Renegades at Auburn Doubledays 7:05PM

Friday July 29th Angels at Tigers 7:05PM

Saturday July 30th Mets at Nationals 7:05PM

I'm renting a car for 9 days and I plan to drive around 3,400 miles give or take.

Stay tuned for the aftermath of this "royal experience on the road."

Since I can't text while I drive. Paul is going to be my guest blogger for this trip. He''s not just going for the ride, I'm putting him to work too. Since he loves to write like me it will be a thrill for him to document this special excursion.

As I like to say we give you royal treatment and an education too.

Wait and see what Paul has to say when this adventure is all said and done.

If you want to be a part of the story, let me know and I'll arrange to have you meet up with us along the way.

Paul and I have been in constant contact writing each other back and forth since January. Everything I told him will come true and then some. That's a promise. Wait and see. My talk is not cheap, it's priceless.

For more details about Paul, please feel free to check out his sports travel blog. It's on my blog list under his name and it's called Sporting Puma. He's still a rookie right now. When he returns home to H-Town, he's going to be like the King and I, a seasoned vet.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman