Royalty w/o 8/26 in review

Monday night after work I went to Taste of Italy's No.2 for pizza where I wound up meeting up with Vinny Ascanio, Frank Anichiarico and David Sack on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game series with their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. When I got to the Rotunda entrance I was greeted by my pal Sam Citron.

Since it was close to game time, I went straight upstairs to section 515 where the rest of the Royal Court was sitting on this night. Besides Vinny, Frank & David, we also had Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel amongst us.

We had a good pitching match up that night as the Phillies had Cliff Lee on the mound while the Mets countered with rookie prospect Zack Wheeler. It turned out to be a good one for a change. The Phillies got a two run triple from Cody Asche in the fourth inning that was the difference in the game as the Phillies got by the Mets, 2-1.

Tuesday night after work I returned to Citi Field for game two of the four game set. Since it was another Citi Tuesday I decided to eat at the ballpark with the $10 gift card I received just for showing my Citi card at the booth out in center field. I was considering going to Shake Shack but as usual the line was forever so I decided to go next door to Blue Smoke for some ribs instead. When I got done I walked back around the ballpark on the field level then I went upstairs behind home plate in section 515 where I caught up with the King, David Sack, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman & Pat Gorman who were also present & accounted on this night.

Eric Schwartzman & I at Citi Field

It should be noted a few innings into the game I got a special visit from a fellow ballpark chaser who lives in Astoria. I'm referring to Eric Schwartzman. He kept me company for a while and we exchanged stories as we watched the game. Ironically he said he went to college with Bob Deal, another ballpark chaser who I happened to see a few days before. I told him that. What a small world it really is. I want to personally thank Eric for spending some of his precious time with me that night. Hopefully we'll catch up again soon.
As for the game we saw, it was a rare fast one. It took only two hours and 19 minutes as Mets' starter Jonathon Niese went the distance throwing a three hit shutout as the Mets beat the Phillies, 5-0.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway & Carvel for my pre game meal & dessert as I returned to Citi Field for game three against the Phillies.

When I got up to section 515 on this night, I was joined by a regular crowd as David Sack, Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel also came back for more. In addition, Martin Caamano showed up as well. Furthermore, we had some added entertainment in section 513 as the Hooligan's were in the house.
As for the game we saw, unlike the night before it was a long one. It took three hours & 32 minutes to play mainly because of Dice K who started for the Mets & to be perfectly honest, he was absolutely awful. The Phillies roughed him up as they went on to beat the Mets, 6-2.

Thursday night after work I came home because I needed to do my laundry. The Mets wrapped up their series with the Phillies in the afternoon. They wound up winning to splitting it two games a piece.

Friday I got out of work early at 3PM thanks to the holiday weekend. As a result, I was able to go home first & I had a bite to eat. Then I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open up a weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. It happened to be Yogi Berra Bobblehead Doll night for the first 18,000 fans so I was fortunate I was able to get there early enough to get one.

Yogi Berra Bobblehead Doll 

Before the game started, they carted Yogi around the warning track and he waved to the fans.

When I got up to my seat in section 420B row 7, my pals Steve Tepperman, Larry Peim & William Frank Guthrie were all sitting nearby. Shortly after the game started, fellow roadtripper Sean MacDonald showed up. He just moved to NYC after spending 15 years in Japan & another year in Singapore. It was great to see him again. I expect to see him more often but not in the near future because he's taking a four month trip to see all 32 NFL stadiums by car. I told him to contact me if and when he needs any of my sound advice along the way.

As for the game we saw, it was fast & scoreless for the first three innings. After that, the rest of the game was dragged on. The Orioles got on the scoreboard first in the top of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead which was short lived as the Yankees answered when Alfonso Soriano hit a two run homer to make it 2-1. The Orioles responded in the top of the fifth inning when they got a long two run homer from Danny Valencia who hit the ball to the back of the Oriole bullpen in left center field. They also got a clutch two out hit from Manny Machado to take a 4-2 lead. In the fifth inning, the Yankees batted around as they score five runs to take the lead for good. They wound up holding off the Orioles by a score of 8-5.

After the game we went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Saturday afternoon the King & I returned to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series between the Yankees & the Orioles. We had William Frank Guthrie, Al Linderman & Michael Abrams there with us.
As for the game we saw, the Yankees got a stellar complete game performance as starter Ivan Nova threw a three hit shutout as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 2-0.

After the game, the King & I took the subway to Coney Island where we saw the Brooklyn Cyclones host the Aberdeen Ironbirds at MCU Park. Ironically as we were walking to the ballpark, a guy asked us if we needed tickets. We said we did & he handed them to us. I shook his hand and thanked him.

When we got inside the park, we had some friends there as Domish, William Frank Guthrie & his wife Beth showed up as did Al Linderman & Michael Abrams.

As for the game we saw, the Ironbirds got seven shutout innings from their starter Sebastian Vader who earned the victory as the Ironbirds won, 7-0. Earlier in the season, we saw Vader throw eight shutout innings. That night he left winning 4-0. The Ironbirds' bullpen blew the game as they wound up winning 5-4 in ten innings.

Sunday afternoon the King & I returned for the finale in the Bronx. Depending on how the game was going I was considering going to Brooklyn again to see the Cyclones play the Ironbirds at 5PM. I hate to leave games early unless I deem it necessary.

As for the game we saw, Andy Pettitte started and he pitched well for six innings. He gave up two hits in the seventh inning & Joe Girardi decided to take him out unnecessarily. He left with a 3-0 lead. The move turned out to back fire on the Yankees as the Orioles wound up exploding for seven runs as they batted around. The King & I were feed up in the middle of the inning. After J.J. Hardy hit a three run homer to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead, we decided to leave so we could get to the Cyclone game on time.

The Yankees wound up losing the game, 7-3. Adam Jones hit a three run homer that we missed. The game took three & a half hours to play. We didn't regret leaving. We hate to be held prisoner.

We wound up taking the subway back to Coney Island and we arrived at MCU Park just in time for the first pitch at 5:01PM.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Cyclones got a run to go up 1-0. The Ironbirds tied it up in the top of the eighth inning when left fielder Connor Bierfeldt hit a solo homer. In the ninth inning, the Ironbirds scored four runs including a three run double by Mike Yastrzemski, the grandson of former Red Sox great, Carl Yastrzemski. The Cyclones made a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning but they fell short as they lost the game, 5-4.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/2, w/o 9/9 & w/o 9/16 week in reviews. I'm trying to catch up slowly but surely. Please bear with me.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

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 w/o 7/15 in review

Wednesday night after I returned to work I took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Baby Bombers at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees were hosting the Batavia Muckdogs. During the day, I got an e-mail from fellow roadtripper, Jim Wood who I met back in May at Citi Field. He told me he was going to be at the game. I told him I'll see him there. It turned out to be a festive occasion for him that night because he was seeing his 100th ballpark. I was thrilled to be part of his personal milestone. There was a small crowd on hand so we had plenty of room to enjoy each other's company as well as the game. We got to catch up on our whereabouts since we met in May. It's always fun to hear someone else's point of view from their travel experiences. Jim said he was working near Philadelphia the day before. When he got done with work, he went to see the Camden Riversharks play in an independent league game before he drove up to Staten Island. After the game he saw with me, he said he was driving to Aberdeen, Maryland to spent the night before he finished driving back home to Raleigh, North Carolina where he now lives.

As for the game we saw, the Muckdogs hung on to beat the Yankees, 8-6. They lead 8-1 after seven innings. They gave up four runs in the eighth and another one in the ninth on a home run by right fielder Yeicok Calderon before they got the next three Yankees out to escape with the victory.

After the game ended, Jim & I said our goodbyes. He went on his way and I was able to catch the 10:30PM boat back to Lower Manhattan.

Thursday night after work I went out to Coney Island on the D train to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at MCU Park. Before I got to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway for a pre game meal. When I got outside the park I ran into my pals Vincent Ascanio & Michael Abrams who were also there. When we got inside, we saw our buddy Domish who was present & accounted for.
Upon entry, I went right to the team store so I could get my new minor league 25 game passport book stamped & validated to prove I was officially there.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones fell behind, 1-0 in the second inning. The Scrappers added another one in the top of the fifth inning to go up 2-0. The Cyclones broke the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fifth as they trailed, 2-1. The Scrappers responded with three more runs in the top of the sixth as they went on to beat the Cyclones, 6-2.

Friday night after work I returned to Citi Field now that the All-Star break was officially over. I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for a few slices of pizza before I was greeted by my pal, Sam Citron at the Rotunda gate as the Mets opened a three game series with division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies who were in town for the weekend.

I proceeded to go up to the Fan Assistance booth behind home plate so I could get my Major League Ballpark Passport book stamped & validated. It was number 6 out of 30 for me as I continue to make the rounds to see all 30 current parks again.

When I finally got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by the King who was back from his latest road trip & his brother Henry who was visiting from Florida. Bryan Gilligan, Vinny Ascanio, David Sack, Alan Gimpel & Michael Carson were also on hand. It was a late arriving crowd mainly because of the post game concert they were having as they announced a gathering of 35,021. The performer was Nas, a rapper from Queens.

As for the game we saw, it was over fast for all intent and purposes as the Phillies scored early and often off Met starter Jeremy Hefner who got beat up. He allowed eight runs in two plus innings as the Phillies lead, 11-0 after three innings. The Mets made an attempt to comeback but they dug too big of a hole for themselves as they wound up losing the game, 13-8.

After the game, the King, his brother Henry, Bryan Gilligan & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. We wound up meeting up with Charlie Casiano & Frank Anichiarico there as well. We were one big happy family. It was a great way to forgot about the awful game we saw.

Saturday morning I got up early so I could do my laundry before I returned to Citi Field for game two of the three game series with the Phillies.

This time I got a visit from a special guest who I met the Saturday before in Pittsburgh at PNC Park. I'm talking about Blair Long who decided to spend his afternoon at the ballpark. His wife Paula was going to join him but it was too hot for her so she wisely decided to stay home. It was nice to see him again.

In addition, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Pat Gorman, Phil Butleman, David Sack & Al Linderman were also present & accounted for that day.

Furthermore, I got a surprise visit from my pal Eddie Pelle, his girlfriend Bethany & his brother John who came up during the game.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies took an early 1-0 lead as shortstop Jimmy Rollins lead off the game with a home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Mets answered back with three runs off Phillies' starter Cole Hamels. The Phillies got a run back in the top of the fifth to get within a run at 3-2. The Mets matched them as David Wright drove in a run to give the Mets a 4-2 cushion. They tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning which proved to be huge as the Phillies got a two run homer in the ninth inning from Chase Utley to get within a run again at 5-4 with two out. The Mets were able to get the final out to escape with the win.

After the game, Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Vincent Ascanio & I to Coney Island where we went to see another baseball game as the Brooklyn Cyclones were hosting the Batavia Muckdogs at MCU Park.

We were joined by our friends Beth & William Frank Guthrie who also spent the night at the ballpark.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones jumped on the Muckdogs early as they scored the game's only runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Cyclones wound up scoring three times as they survived two rain delays as they defeated the Muckdogs, 3-0.

Sunday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for the rubber match of the three game set between the Mets & Phillies. It was also Dwight Gooden Bobblehead Doll day and Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets against Cliff Lee and the Phillies.

When I got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by Steve Tepperman, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Al Linderman, Alan Gimpel, Michael Carson, Rich Wolber, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman as well as Mike & Joe Klein who were there too.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was on. He threw seven shutout innings & he struck out ten Phillies as the Mets used the long ball to beat Cliff Lee, 5-0. David Wright & Marlon Byrd hit back to back solo homers in the first inning & Juan Lagares added a three run blast in the fourth inning to carry the Mets to the victory.

After the game, I went back home for a little while. I then went out and I met up with my parents who came in from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to visit for dinner. I also got to see my adorable niece Taylor and my handsome nephew Jeremy who they brought with them. It was nice to spend some quality time with the family.

Stay tuned for my w/o 7/22 in review when I find some free time to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & 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 6/17 in review

Opening Night at Richmond County Ballpark

Monday after work I took the Staten Island Ferry from Lower Manhattan to Richmond County Ballpark at St. George, the home of the Staten Island Yankees. They're the single A affiliate of the New York Yankees in the NY-Penn League which is a very low level league. A lot of players who just got drafted go to play in this league and/or similar ones across the country.

It was Opening night as the Baby Yankees were hosting their interborough rivals, the Brooklyn Cyclones who are the Mets' single A farm team.

Before I went over to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway in the Ferry Terminal. I had my pre game meal there. When I finished I met up with my pal Vincent Ascanio who got me a $10 ticket for the game. We then we went inside to see the game. We were joined by a few familiar faces as Michael Abrams and Rich Wolber were also in attendance.

As for the game we saw, the Staten Island Yankees took advantage of a throwing error by Cyclones' third baseman Anthony Chavez which allowed two runs to score. They managed to make them stand up as they held off the Cyclones, 2-1. James Roche of the Cyclones hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to slice the lead in half. It should be noted that we saw L.J. Mazzilli, son of former Met & Yankee Lee Mazzilli play his first professional game. He was drafted by the Mets out of UCONN. He also got his first professional hit, a single to left center field in the 4th inning.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx in hopes of seeing the Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time in the Bronx since the 1981 World Series. In addition, it marked the return of Don Mattingly to the Bronx. The former Yankee player is now the manager of the Dodgers. Unfortunately mother nature dampened those plans as she decided to rain at the wrong time. I wound up meeting up with Vincent Ascanio again. We went to Burger King to have dinner. While we were eating we found out the game was called off.

After we ate, we headed home. I wound up watching the sixth game of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat on TV.

Wednesday I was working so I couldn't make it to the make up game that afternoon between the Yankees and the Dodgers. The Yankees beat them, 6-4. However after work I did go back up to the Bronx for the regularly scheduled game. Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant and I picked up sandwiches for the King & I. He had roast beef and I had corned beef.

Me & Megabus Matt at Yankee Stadium

When I finally went into the Stadium, I went up to my seat in section 420B row 7 where I was greeted by the King, Vincent Ascanio and a special guest. I'm referring to Matthew Weil aka Megabus Matt who was back in town after taking some exhausting bus rides down south to Atlanta, Tampa & Miami. It was great to see him again as he continued his 25 games in 25 days tour on Megabus. A few days later he finished his journey and he had some spare change left from his $700 budget. Thanks to modern technology, he was able to keep a running account of his expenses. I was happy to see that he achieved his goal. I told him I hope to see him again in August when the King & I go out to the West Coast.

As for the game we saw, the Dodgers came out hitting. They got straight singles of Yankee starter Phil Hughes. They wound up scoring two runs. They added some more as the game went on. Yasiel Puig, the sensational rookie hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to close out the scoring as the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 6-0. Former Met Chris Capuano threw six shutout innings to pick up the victory.

Thursday night after work I returned to Yankee Stadium as the Yankees opened up a four game weekend series with their division rival, the Tampa Bay Rays. Before I went inside, I stopped off at the New Sunflower Chinese restaurant for my pre game meal. I had fried scallops and fries.

As for the game we saw, the Rays smacked around Yankee starter Andy Pettitte. They wound up getting five runs off of him in his six and two thirds innings of work. Evan Longoria was the difference as he hit a sacrifice fly and two home runs. Yunel Escobar also went deep for the Rays as they went on to beat the Yankees, 8-3. on the bright side for the Yankees, rookie Zoilo Amonte who pinch hit for Vernon Wells got his first major league hit. He hit the third base bag with the ball and it caromed into left field.

Friday night after work I went back for game two of the series between the Yankees and the Rays.

As for the game we saw, Zoilo Amonte picked up where he left off Thursday night. He got three more hits which included his first major league home run in the sixth inning. He also came out for a curtain call per the fan's request. Joe Girardi told him to go ahead out of the dugout. The Yankees went on to beat the Rays, 6-2.

After the game, our pal Bryan Gilligan drove the King & I to Donovan's Pub where we had a post game meal. I wound up having roast turkey since they were out of pork chops.

Saturday morning I got up early and I did my laundry before I went back to Yankee Stadium for game three of the four game series between the Yankees and the Rays. We were joined by Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio, Rich Wolber and Pat Gorman this time.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees built a 3-1 lead with their ace CC Sabathia on the mound. Then in the sixth inning, CC got hit around. The Rays took the lead, 5-3 thanks to rookie Wil Myers who hit his first major league home run, a grand slam no less. The Yankees responded in the bottom of the seventh inning as they got a bases loaded walk to David Adams to cut the lead to 5-4. Then Vernon Wells pinch hit and hit a three run double to give the Yankees the lead for good as they went on to beat the Rays, 7-5. In the process, CC Sabathia picked up his 199th career win despite allowing five runs in seven innings of work.

After we left the Bronx, Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Vincent Ascanio and I to MCU Park in Coney Island, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. They were hosting the Aberdeen Ironbirds, the Baltimore Orioles farm club.

We were joined by David Sack, Al Linderman, Michael Abrams & William Frank Guthrie.

As for the game we saw, the Ironbirds got eight shutout innings of three hit ball from their starter Sebastian Vader. He left the game winning, 4-0. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the bullpen imploded and they cost him a victory as the Cyclones rallied to tie the game at four. The game went extra innings but the Ironbirds wound up getting a game winning single from their third baseman Kristopher Richards in the tenth inning to beat the Cyclones, 5-4.

After the game, Bryan wanted to go back to Donovan's Pub for another post game meal. So the King & I decided to join him. This time I ordered chicken parm and spaghetti. It was delicious.

Sunday the King and I back to Yankee Stadium to see the finale of the four game series between the Yankees and the Rays. In addition, it was their 67th annual Oldtimer's Day as they welcomed back Yankee legends from years past.

The King and I got there close to game time so we missed the pre game festivities.

We had our pals Larry Peim and Al Linderman there with us.

As for the game we saw, Ivan Nova made a rare start and he pitched well for the Yankees. He allowed three runs over six and two thirds innings. The Yankee offense only managed to score one run as the Rays beat the Yankees, 3-1. James Loney hit a two run single in the seventh inning that broke a 1-1 tie to give the Rays the victory. As a result, they split the four game series.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/30 in review

Monday night after work, I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles.

Before I went into the Stadium, I went to Burger King to have dinner. I wound up getting a Memphis pulled pork sandwich. After I ate, I picked up a frozen bottle of water from my pal Jin Kim who was hawking them outside his store, KJY Fruit Market on my way to Yankee Stadium. Since it was so hot I needed some relief. For a dollar, I couldn't go wrong.

After I got inside the Stadium, I went up to my seat in section 420B row 7. I got to see Vincent Ascanio who was up there already. We exchanged pleasantries and we got ready for the game.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees scored first as Eric Chavez delivered a run scoring single in the bottom of the second inning to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. The Orioles responded quickly as former Yankee Wilson Betemit lead off the top of the third with a solo homer to even the score at one. The Orioles tacked on a few more runs in the fifth inning as they hit a few sacrifice flies to take the lead for good at 3-1. The Yankees played catch up the rest of the night. Former Mariner Ichiro Suzuki followed a solo homer by Eric Chavez with one of his own in the eighth inning to get the Yankees within a run. It was his 100th major league home run since he came over from Japan back in 2001. Unfortunately for him and the Yankees, that's the way it stayed as the Orioles held on for a 5-4 victory.

Tuesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the series. This time I decided to go to the Court Deli Restaurant to get a sandwich for the King and I. Right after I walked in, I turned around and my pal Eddie Pelle was there. What timing that was. Eddie said this was his first time there. He said he read about it on my blog so he decided to try it out. He asked me what he should get. I told him they have great pastrami and corned beef. He decided to order a combo sandwich. After we got done ordering, we took the food out so we could eat it at the Stadium.

Eddie told me he had a seat in section 415. I told him to come with me so he could get an upgrade. We went up to section 420B and we ate our sandwiches. Shortly thereafter, I asked Eddie how his sandwich was. He said it was delicious. That was music to my ears. After we finished eating, we watched the game.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees got off to a fast start as they scored five runs in the first inning. In the second inning, the Orioles got a few hits then they struck out twice. They started a two out rally as they strung together five more hits and a walk before they made the third out. Chris Davis delivered the big blow as he hit a grand slam. When it was all said and done, they scored seven runs as they roughed up Yankees' starter Ivan Nova in the process. They added another run in the third inning to make it 8-5. They added on more runs later as they cruised to an easy 11-5 win.

Wednesday night after work I went home so I could do my laundry. I ate dinner and rested up briefly.
Thursday night after work I went out to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Connecticut Tigers at MCU Park.

As for the game I saw, the Tigers tossed the Cyclones a beating as they whipped them, 11-3.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a three game series with the Seattle Mariners.

Before the game, I met the King at the 7 Fish Market where we had a pre game meal.

After we ate, we went into the Stadium to see the game. We had a few veteran pitchers starting the game as the Mariners were throwing Kevin Millwood against Yankees' ace CC Sabathia.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees knocked Millwood around as they scored four runs off him in six innings. They added a few more runs against their bullpen. CC Sabathia on the other hand, pitched well and he even went the distance as the Yankees won the game, 6-3. He allowed just three hits and he struck out ten in the process.

During the game, I got a tweet from fellow roadtripper, Tike Narry, who was visiting the New Yankee Stadium for the first time with his wife and their seven year old son Patrick. I wound up meeting up with Tike and Patrick during the game on the concourse. He's from the Bay area. He told me he has season tickets for the San Francisco Giants and he goes to a lot of Oakland A's games too. It was nice to meet and greet them.
After the game, our friend Bryan Gilligan drove the King and I to Donovan's Pub in Queens for a post game meal.

Saturday the King and I went back to the Bronx to see game two of the series. We also got a ride to Philadelphia from Bryan Gilligan as we saw the Phillies game too that night.

Stay tuned for the special post that I'm going to do about our busy day.

Sunday the King and I went back to Yankee Stadium for the finale of the series.

As for the game we saw, the Mariners scored first to take an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees tied the game at one in their half of the first. They scored a run in the second and another in the fourth to go up, 3-1. Former Yankee Jesus Montero drove in his second run of the game to cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth. The Yankees answered with a run in the fifth and they got two more in the sixth to pull away as they beat the Mariners, 6-2.

With that, another week of baseball was in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/2 in review

Monday night after work I came home and I did my laundry. After I was done, I was able to rest and relax for a short time.

Tuesday I got out of work early which worked out because that morning I got an unexpected e-mail from Steve Cirvello. He works with my pal Rick Morris from the FDH Lounge. He asked me if I had any free time this week. I wrote him back instantly and I told him I'm available this afternoon since I was getting out of work early. It's not easy for me to find free time with my schedule and/or the lifestyle I live. This turned to be a perfect opportunity. I wound up meeting Steve in Midtown Manhattan to discuss a possible documentary plan for the near future. It was a very productive conversation we had. I hope things materialize going forward. For the time being, he wanted to get the ball rolling he said.

After I finished chatting with Steve, I made my way out to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of their three game set. In addition, it was fireworks night. It turned to be a fun night that included a record crowd that gradually showed up at Citi Field. They announced there were 42,516 people on hand. Amongst those who joined us was our pal Manny Bonilla. It was nice to see him again. He always enjoys our company.

As for the game we saw, the Mets' bats did the talking as the fireworks started early as the Mets built a 6-1 lead after four innings. In the sixth inning, Mets All-Star third baseman David Wright hit a three run homer to make it 9-1. Daniel Murphy added a two run double in the eighth inning to round out the scoring as the Mets took game one, 11-1. The crowd was so into the game all night which made for a very festive atmosphere. It was great to be apart of it.

After the game, the King and I decided to stick around with Manny Bonilla to see the fireworks show that they were having. It was an entertaining display. They showed highlights and they played brief musical clips that spanned the five different decades of the Mets franchise history which began 50 years ago in 1962.
Wednesday I was off from work as America celebrated Independence Day. I spent my afternoon back at Citi Field with the King, Bryan Gilligan and Vincent Ascanio.

As for the game we saw, the Mets lead the Phillies and Cliff Lee who was looking for his first win of the season, 2-0 after six innings. Mets starter Chris Young was pitching well similar to his start a few weeks ago against the Yankees. Just like the Yankees did, the Phillies struck back in a hurry. After Juan Pierre lead off the seventh inning with a single, Chase Utley followed him with a two run homer that tied the game at two. All-Star catcher Carlos Ruiz followed by hitting a solo home run to give the Phillies the lead for good. They added three more runs in the eighth and ninth innings to even the series at a game a piece as they beat the Mets, 9-2. As for Cliff Lee, he finally picked up his first win of the season. He pitched well as he struck out nine and allowed only two runs in eight innings of work.

After the game, Bryan drove us all to Coney Island where we got to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Williamsport Crosscutters at MCU Park.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones scored four runs in the first inning. The Crosscutters came back with a run in the second inning and they took a brief lead in the top of the fifth inning as they scored four more runs. The Cyclones responded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth which included a three run home run to right field by Brandon Nimmo. That's the way the game ended as the Cyclones won, 9-5.

Thursday I went back to work after having a day off in the middle of the week which seemed rather odd.
After work I went to Checker's for dinner with the King on our way to Citi Field for the rubber game or grudge match if you will since the Mets' R.A. Dickey was facing the Phillies' Cole Hamels.

As for the game we saw, the pitching match up didn't exactly live up to billing as I had hoped it would. R.A. Dickey wound up going seven innings but he gave eleven hits and five runs. Cole Hamels did slightly better. He allowed seven hits and four runs in his seven innings of work. The Mets' bullpen kept it a one run game as they headed to the bottom of the ninth inning. The Phillies' brought in their closer Jonathan Papelbon to try and seal the deal. He allowed a lead off double to pinch hitter Ronny Cedeno. After Josh Thole bunted him to third, Papelbon struck out Kirk Nieuwenhuis for the second out. He proceeded to hit pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin who won a game for the Mets in Philadelphia earlier this year in Philadelphia by hitting a game winning home run off Papelbon. Ruben Tejada battled and worked out a walk to load the bases. Daniel Murphy followed with a smash up the middle that hit off of Papelbon. He tried to recover but he fell down, Murphy beat the throw to first base as the Mets tied the game at five. All-Star David Wright became the hero when he delivered the game winning hit as the Mets beat the Phillies, 6-5. As a result, Citi Field was sent into a frenzy. It was quite a scene.

Friday night after work I met up with the King for some pizza at Taste of Dolly's on our way back to Citi Field to see the Mets who were hosting the Chicago Cubs to begin a three game weekend series.
As for the game we saw, the Cubs drew first blood as they took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Johan Santana who gave up a lead off home run to Reed Johnson. In the bottom of the second inning, Lucas Duda answered back with a solo home run of his own. The Mets went back ahead 2-1 in the third. The Cubs evened the score again in the fourth. Then they exploded for a five run outburst in the fifth which proved to be too much to overcome as the Cubs hung on for a 8-7 win. Cubs closer Carlos Marmol escaped by getting a double play to end the game.

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

Saturday afternoon the King and I went back to Citi Field for game two of the weekend series. This time the Mets won, 3-1 behind a solid pitching performance by Dillon Gee who pitched eight strong innings to earn the victory.

Sunday afternoon we went back for more hoping the Mets could go into the All-Star Break on a high note.
Unfortunately the Mets fell behind 4-0 before they came up to bat. Jonathon Niese got roughed up then he settled down until the seventh inning when he served up a three run homer to All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro to make it 7-0. That's the way it ended as the Mets couldn't get anything going.

Hopefully they just had a bad day and they can continue their winning ways in the second half of the season.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 8/15 in review

Shea Bridge at Citi Field

This past week was a rather uneventful one for me. Since the schedule makers had a brainstorm it prevented me from seeing any major league baseball for most of the week. Neither the Mets or Yankees were home Monday-Thursday. So I had to resort to going all the way to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play.

With that being said, Wednesday night right after work I met the King and we took a long subway ride out there. We got there with just enough time to go to Nathan's Famous the original one I might add for a few hot dogs, crinkle cut fries and a lemonade. A great pre game meal on our way to the ballpark which is called MCU Park these days. It used to called Keyspan Park.

Once we got inside, we met up with plenty of familiar faces. We got to see many people that we know which made for a nice night out which enhanced the royal experience.

As for the game we saw, the Brooklyn Cyclones went on to beat the Jamestown Jammers who we saw play in Jamestown on our recent road trip at the end of July. The Cyclones built an early 4-0 lead after two innings as they cruised to an easy 5-2 victory.

After staying home again Thursday night, I went back to Citi Field Friday night to see the Mets play the red hot Milwaukee Brewers. Thanks to mother nature, the game was delayed just before game time. After a lengthy almost three hour delay they finally started playing just before ten o'clock. As a result, I was forced to leave the game early due to the fact I had to count on public transportation to get me home. In addition, I had a long day in store on Saturday to deal with so I departed Citi Field in the top of the seventh inning at midnight.

The Mets were trailing 6-0 at the time. After I left the Mets wound up breaking the shutout as they scored a run. They lost the game, by a score of 6-1.

Saturday the game was originally scheduled for a 7:10PM start but Fox decided a few weeks ago to change the starting time to a 4:10PM first pitch so I knew with my game plan I was in jeopardy of having to miss the game. The way it turned out, I did indeed. That's just the way it goes sometimes. I had more important things to take care of on a personal level so I did what I needed to do.

Sunday I went back for more punishment at Citi Field. After coming back on Saturday to take a lead against K-Rod no less, the Mets still found a way to lose anyway. The Mets once again fell behind this time, 2-0. Lucas Duda hit a two run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at two and it gave the Mets a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately that was short lived as their lousy bullpen gave the game away again. The Brewers scored two runs in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth inning to sweep the Mets, 6-2. This time K-Rod pitched a scoreless eighth inning to help the Brew Crew leave New York in style. Unlike their last visit to NYC, when they got embarrassed in the Bronx by the Yankees.

I was happy for the great people I know who happen to live in Milwaukee.

After the game, the King and I got a ride to Brooklyn thanks to our friend Bryan Gilligan who took us to see the Cyclones play again. Well that would have been true if mother nature didn't interfere. We got to see three plus innings. During the top of the fourth, the umpires decided to tarp the field. The Cyclones were losing to the Tri City Valley Cats, 6-2 at the time. After waiting over an hour, they suspended the game.
That's how the week ended. They were completing the game on Monday night before the regularly scheduled game which was now going to be a seven inning game. Check back next week for all the details.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman