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| The King and I |
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
