Royalty w/o 9/23 in review

Monday night after work I came home & I made myself dinner before I went around the corner & did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays as they were wrapping up their last home stand of the regular season with a three game set before they went to Houston for the final weekend. It was also farewell to Mariano Rivera as he was retiring at the end of the season. When I got off the subway I went to the Court Deli Restaurant & I bought myself a corned beef sandwich to take into Yankee Stadium.

When I got to the Stadium there was a mob of people looking to go inside. It was Mariano Rivera bobblehead doll night for the first 18,000 fans who entered the ballpark. Due to a transportation issue, the bobbleheads weren't at the ballpark when the gates opened. While they waited for them to arrive, the Yankees gave out a voucher to those who were able to get inside before they ran out of them. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't one of the lucky ones. I wasn't alone. There were many disgruntled fans at the guest services booth inside gate 6 in right field when I was trying to get my ballpark pass-port book stamped. I really didn't care if I got a bobblehead doll or not. There were plenty of other people who did but they got turned away when they ran of the vouchers which people were able to exchange during the game once they made an announcement that they finally arrived. I heard rumors that the people in the legends seats got theirs delivered to them by Yankee Stadium employees. Everyday people like myself got treated like second class citizens. That's just the way it is. In all fairness, they should given out the bobbleheads to all fans in attendance. That way if you were able to come to the ballpark that night you got rewarded with a bobblehead doll. That is the case in some ballparks but not here in the Bronx. After I survived the chaos in the Great Hall, I took the elevator upstairs like I always do.

When I finally arrived at my seat in section 420B row 7, I was greeted by William Frank Guthrie & Larry Peim who were present & accounted for that night. They both got vouchers since they were able to get to the ballpark early. However, they still had to go all the way out to left field to pick up their bobblehead dolls. I was told the line was wrapped around the ramps. It was a total inconvenience for those who indeed got the vouchers. With that being said, I'm glad I didn't get one. In that regard, I consider myself lucky. It wouldn't have been worth the hassle to miss part of the game just to get the bobblehead doll even if it was Mariano Rivera. I heard they were instantly being sold on e-bay for $65-$100 each. I wouldn't have minded getting the money for it if I was able to get one. I mainly came to see the game first & foremost. If I got a bobblehead it would have been a bonus for me.

Speaking of the game, it didn't start off well for the Yankees as the Rays scored three runs off of Yankee starter Hiroki Kuroda in the first inning which included a lead off home run by Matt Joyce. It was a pop up that landed on the porch in right field. The Rays added insult to injury as they went on to beat the Yankees, 7-0. By doing so, they pushed the Yankees closer to the brink of elimination.

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the three game series between the Yankees & the Rays. Before I went into the Stadium, I stopped off at Burger King for dinner.
When I made up to my seat that night, I was joined by my pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich & fellow sports traveler Charlie O'Reilly who was also there.

As for the game we saw, the Rays had their hitting shoes on again as they beat the Yankees, 8-3. David Price started the game for the Rays & he threw seven strong innings allowing just two runs. He was aided by teammate Evan Longoria who hit two home runs, a three run blast in the sixth inning & a solo shot in the ninth for good measure. As a result, the Yankees were officially eliminated from the postseason for only the second time in 19 years. The other time they were knocked out was in 2008 that was the last year of the old Stadium that was across the street. The irony this time is that Andy Pettitte & Mariano Rivera are both retiring.

Thursday night after work I decided to pass up the opportunity to see Mariano Rivera's last game at Yankee Stadium. Instead I decided to go to Citi Field since the Mets were also home as they opened a four game season ending series with the Milwaukee Brewers. By doing so, I got to say hello to my pal Sam Citron upon entry to the Rotunda. In addition, I decided to have dinner at Shake Shack out in the area beyond the Apple in center field. It was a wise decision since there was nobody on line like they're normally is. I wound up getting myself a double cheese burger, an order of fries & a vanilla shake for $21.50. Thankfully I had some Citi Tuesday cards left over so I decided to splurge. It was really good but I don't think it's worth the money they charge for it. When I got done, I walked around to the other side of the ballpark then I took the elevator up to my usual perch on the promenade level. On this night I sat in section 515 along with Alan Gimpel, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Vincent Ascanio & Manny Morales. Of course the King was also present & accounted for. In addition, later in the game I got a special visit from another ballpark chaser who happens to live on the Upper West Side here in NYC. I'm referring to David Schaffer who came up to meet & greet me. He said he was sitting downstairs on the field level with people he went to college with at Albany back in the day. I want to personally thank him for coming up. It was an absolute pleasure to meet & greet him. We got to exchange different travel stories from some of our adventures over the years. I hope our paths cross more often in the future.

As for the game we saw, the Brewers went on to beat the Mets, 4-2 in front of a sparse crowd who showed up that night. It was nice & relaxing to be there as opposed to the Bronx where it was jam packed due to Mariano Rivera's last game at Yankee Stadium.

Rose honored at Citi Field before the game

Friday night after work I returned to Citi Field for game two of the four game series with the Brewers. This time after I saw Sam I went up to field level. I stayed there before the game started because a lady I know from going there all the time named Rose was being honored as for being team member of the year. She's such a nice person who definitely deserved to be recognized & she was. When she walked back into the stands I got her attention from a distance. After that, I went upstairs & I bought myself a few slices of pizza from Two Boots which is really good as well.

When I finished eating I went up to section 515 where I met up with Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman, Frank Anichiarico & Michael Carson.

As for the game we saw, the Mets fell to the Brewers again, 4-2. After the game, the King, Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico & I went to Donovan's Pub where we met up with Charlie Casiano, the King's brother for a post game meal.

Saturday afternoon the King & I got to Citi Field early because it was season ticket holder appreciation day. We got to partake in a gathering in the center field area where they served us food & soft drinks. It was a nice social get together. When we got done we went upstairs to section 516 where we met up with some special guests. I'm talking about the King's father, Miguel Casiano who was celebrating his 83rd birthday along with his son & the King's brother, Charlie. In addition, Pat Gorman, Manny Morales, Marc Beck & Alan Gimpel were on hand for the festivities.

As for the game we saw, the Brewers beat the Mets again, 4-2 in ten innings as former Met Carlos Gomez delivered the game winning hit to give the Brewers the lead & Yuniesky Betancourt got a hit to provide insurance just in case.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub again to celebrate the special occasion which turned out to be a family reunion as Susan Casiano, their sister joined us for the post game celebration. It turned out to be quite a day.

Mike Piazza gets inducted into Mets Hall of Fame

Sunday afternoon the King & I returned to Citi Field for the last time this season as the Mets closed out the season by honoring former Met catcher Mike Piazza who was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame that afternoon. As a result, there was a rare capacity crowd on hand to salute him.

As for people we knew, we had Mike Carroll, Michael Carson & Alan Gimpel there with us. In addition, a few fellow ballpark chasers who I met at Citi Field in the beginning of August were back. I'm referring to Stephanie aka Snarky Mamacita & her boyfriend Todd Dupee. It was nice to see them both again.

As for the game we saw, the Mets managed to salvage a game after losing the first three games of the series. The Mets took advantage of a few costly errors by the Brewers in the bottom of the eighth inning which helped the Mets score a pair of runs as they beat the Brewers, 3-2 to end the season on a high note.

Stay tuned for a number of special posts that will go into detail about my adventurous month of October.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field!

The last time the Major League Baseball had its All-Star Game in Queens was back in 1964 at Shea Stadium. That was just before my time. A few years ago when plans were in the works to finally bring the All-Star Game back to Queens, I had every intention of going to the game.

On Tuesday night, July 16th, Citi Field, the Mets' new home was the site for the 84th Midsummer Classic. Since I have full season tickets for the Mets I was given the opportunity to purchase strips of tickets for the festivities which included the Futures Game which I missed because I went away over the weekend instead, the Fan Fest, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

The only other time I got to see an All-Star Game was back in 2008 when the Yankees hosted it at Old Yankee Stadium. That game was an epic 15 inning marathon that ended around 1:45AM.

This time I took the day off from work so I could relax and be ready for the special night. Unfortunately the weather was brutal that day & night which tried to put a damper on the occasion. As a result, I didn't get to the ballpark too early. Instead I got a text message from my pal Eddie Pelle who said he was also going to the game. He said he was coming from work. He asked me if I wanted to meet him for dinner first. I replied to him and I said absolutely. We wound up going to a place called the Burger Garage in Long Island City. He told me how good this place was. With that being said, this was a perfect opportunity to see what he was talking about. I wound up getting a Turkey burger and onion strings. All I can say is when I got done was I was a satisfied customer. I want to thank Eddie for the recommendation. Actually his friend Fredy Sanchez deserves the credit because he's the one who found this place.

After Eddie & I finished eating we got back on the 7 train and we went to Citi Field for the big game. On the way in, I got to say hello to my pal, Sam Citron at the Rotunda entrance.As for our seats, Eddie wound up getting a ticket on the lower level. I had my season seat in section 516 row 3. When we got to the field level, I said goodbye to Eddie and I told him to enjoy the game. I proceeded to go upstairs to the promenade level. When I got up there, I saw my pal Vincent Ascanio who was there with his father, Ralph. The King was missing in action. He decided to join our friend, Bryan Gilligan on a road trip to the Midwest instead. In his absence, his brother Henry Casiano who was visiting from Florida, wound up going to the game thanks to our buddy Alan Gimpel who had an extra ticket that he bought from him in section 509 row 12. Vincent & I went over to see them before we went to our seats to get ready for the game and pre game ceremonies. It was nice to see Henry again.

Me at the MLB All Star Game

When I got to my seat in section 516 row 3 I sat down and relaxed while I waited for my pal Andrew Van Cleve to show up since he had what would have been the King's seat next to me. While I waited for him, I got a visit from another ballpark chaser who was at the game that being Bill Pritchard who lucked out and won a contest that got him free tickets for the game in section 402 out in right field. He was very fortunate to be in the building. He stayed for a few innings before he returned to his seat. I want to personally thank Bill for stopping by.

Tribute to real heroes

As for the festivities, there was a special touching tribute to the real heroes, those who have and continue to protect our freedom here and abroad, after the players of both leagues were introduced to the crowd. The players were lined up between the bases in the middle of the infield. The Veterans were positioned along the base lines allowing the players to acknowledge them as we braced for the National Anthem which concluded with a fly over.

Live action from the All Star Game

As for the game we saw, Mike Trout hit the first pitch he saw from Matt Harvey, the Mets' All-Star starting pitcher down the right field line for a lead off double. The next batter was Robinson Cano of the Yankees. Harvey proceeded to hit him with a pitch putting runners on first and second. Cano was taken out of the game. Apparently he got hurt. Matt Harvey settled down as he retired the next three batters to end the inning. He went back out for the second inning and he retired the American League in order. In his two inning appearance, he struck out three. After a shaky start, he proved he was worthy of the starting nod. As the game went on, changes were frequent. In the fourth inning, the American League finally broke the scoreless tie as Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays' hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it a 1-0. In the fifth inning, the Orioles' J.J. Hardy grounded into a fielder's choice that drove in another run to make it 2-0. As for the National League, they got their first hit after the first ten batters made out. Former Met and now Cardinal Carlos Beltran did the honors. It turned out to be the first of just three hits that the National League had for the game. In the eighth inning, Jason Kipnis of the Indians doubled in another run to give the American League a 3-0 lead. After their half of the inning ended, the crowd was treated to a special live version of the song Sweet Caroline as Neil Diamond came onto the field to perform it. When he got done, Mariano Rivera was called in from the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. He came in to the familiar tune by Metallica, Enter Sandman. Mariano was acknowledged by the record breaking crowd of 45,186 as there was a moving tribute to the greatest relief pitcher of the modern era. I beg to differ with Bud Selig's commentary that's he's the greatest of all time. The game has changed so much that it's not right to compare the different eras of baseball. Regardless Mariano is the best at his role as the game is played today. He proceeded to throw a scoreless 1,2,3 eighth inning. In the ninth inning, Jason Grilli of the Pirates was summoned from the bullpen to pitch the top of the ninth. Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about him. He's truly a great story. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning but he was forced to work out of a jam because Prince Fielder got a lead off single that was played into a triple by former Met Carlos Gomez. Grilli bared down and he got the next three batters out keeping it a 3-0 game. The National League managed to get a two out double off closer Joe Nathan of the Rangers but Paul Goldschmidt was stranded there as Pedro Alvarez popped out to second base to end the game. The American League won, 3-0 and they will now have the home field advantage in the 2013 World Series.

Shortly after the game ended, they announced the Most Valuable Player of the game. Since they're wasn't a clear cut choice, Mariano Rivera was given the award. By doing so, they sent him out in style since he's going to officially retire at the end of the season. I personally thought it was fitting since the game was played in New York City.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/27 in review (Subway Series Edition)

Gio Gonzalez pitching on Memorial Day

On Monday 5/27 Memorial Day was observed. The King & I stayed home during the day. We wound up watching the Nationals play the Baltimore Orioles that afternoon in our Nation's Capitol on TV. Gio Gonzalez was pitching so I was all excited. Unfortunately he didn't pitch that well. He got roughed up. He gave up four runs in five and two thirds innings. The Nationals lost the game, 6-2.

After the game, I made dinner before we went out to Citi Field for the first installment of this year's Subway Series between the Mets and the Yankees. Each team was hosting a two game series this time around due to the realignment that took effect this season. With that being said, the Mets were home Monday & Tuesday and the Yankees were home Wednesday & Thursday.

In game one at Citi Field, we were joined by our pals Phil Butleman, Alan Gimpel, Manny Morales, Marc Beck & Michael Abrams who has seen 927 consecutive Yankee home games in section 516. In addition, we had musical entertainment thanks to the Hooligan's who were present & accounted in section 513.

Furthermore, it should noted due to the outrageous pricing structure that the Mets implement, they weren't able to sell the game out. They announced a crowd of 32,911. They were a handful of empty sections scattered throughout the ballpark. As a result, they got what they deserved. We'll wait & see what happens next year. The bottom line is you can only push the envelope so far before people decide enough is enough. Apparently, the Subway Series has lot its luster.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees scored first in top of the sixth inning to take a 1-0 lead off starting pitcher Jonathon Niese who like his counterpart, Phil Hughes pitched well. The Mets tied the game at one as third baseman David Wright hit a lead off homer in the seventh inning off Hughes. The Mets got the eventual game winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of reliever David Robertson as second baseman Daniel Murphy delivered a clutch two out hit which enabled the Mets to win, 2-1.

Tuesday night after work I went to Checkers for my pre game meal. I wound up meeting up with the King there. After we ate, we got on the 7 train and we went back to Citi Field for game two. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our pal, Sam Citron. He told us, I hope they play tonight. The weather was horrible which wound up delaying the start of the game by 91 minutes. As a result, we decided to hang out in the Caesar's Club for a while as we waited out the rain delay. Once they said the game was going to start, we headed up to section 516.

We had company as David Sack was there with his friend Andrew. We also had Martin Caamano, Michael Carson, Mike Klein who came because his softball game was cancelled & Michael Abrams who came back for more.

Before the game started, the Mets did a video tribute to Yankee closer Mariano Rivera who's retiring at the end of the season. He then proceeded to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Met closer John Franco. It was a nice touch by the Mets to do that.

Mariano Rivera throws out ceremonial first pitch

As for the game we saw, we had a great pitching match up that lived up to the hype for a change as the Mets had Matt Harvey starting against Hiroki Kuroda for the Yankees. The game was scoreless again until the top of the sixth when the Yankees got a clutch two out run scoring single by Lyle Overbay to take a 1-0 lead. The Mets couldn't score against Kuroda who shut them out for seven innings. David Robertson threw a scoreless eighth inning. As for the Mets, Matt Harvey continued to impress as he went eight strong innings. He allowed the lone run and he struck out ten Yankees. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mets faced Mariano Rivera who came in looking to close it out. The Mets got a lead off double from Daniel Murphy to get the inning started. David Wright followed with a single to left center that tied the game at one. He went to second base on a throwing error so he was in scoring position representing the winning run. Lucas Duda came up next and he delivered the game winning hit as the Mets beat the Yankees again, 2-1 in front of an announced crowd of 31,877 which was slightly smaller than the night before. It should be noted that not only did Mariano blow the save, he also didn't record an out for the first time in his career.

Wednesday night after work I went up to the Bronx as the Subway Series continued at Yankee Stadium. Before I went inside, I stopped off at Foodtown which is a supermarket in the neighborhood. I decided to get a ham & swiss cheese sandwich to take into the ballpark with me for dinner.

When I got up to our seats in section 420B I was greeted by our pal Phil Butleman who was present & accounted for. I sat down and I ate it. When I was done, I got ready for game three of the series. It should be noted that the 7 Line Army, a group of 300 Met fans were in the building as part of their Bronx invasion. They were all dressed in orange t-shirts out by the left field foul pole on the terrace level. They were very vocal from start to finish. They had a blast. For a sample, here's a video they did on You Tube. It includes a tribute to the King. Click on the link and see it for yourself.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsglxQ4t4g&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkCsglxQ4t4g%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

As for the game we saw, this time the Mets picked up where they left off the night before at Citi Field. They batted around as they knocked out Yankee starter David Phelps who recorded just one out. He got belted as the Mets built a 5-0 lead before the Yankees took their first at bat against Mets' starter Jeremy Hefner. The Mets added another run in the third inning thanks to a solo homer by Marlon Byrd which made it a 6-0. The Mets tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning as Lucas Duda doubled in a pair to make it 8-0. The Yankees broke the shutout in the bottom of the fourth when Brennan Boesch hit a solo homer to make it 8-1. The Yankees chipped away as they scored a few more in the sixth inning to make it 8-3. The Mets made it 9-3 in the top of the ninth. The Yankees came back with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning but they came up short for the third straight night, 9-4 in front of an announced crowd of 43,681 which also was short of a sellout. The Yankees unlike the Mets charge the same price regardless of the opposition but since most of their seats are so pricey, it's hard for them to sellout most of their games.


Thursday night after work I returned to the Bronx for the fourth and final game of this year's Subway Series. This time I went to Burger King for my pre game meal. After I ate, I walked over to the Stadium. I went up to my seat in section 420B where I was greeted by our pals Steve Tepperman & Manny Morales who were also there. Since the Mets won the first three games, the question was would they be able to win again and sweep the series. Read on and you'll find out the details.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got on the scoreboard first as Marlon Byrd hit a two run home run after Yankee starter Vidal Nuno issued a lead off walk to Lucas Duda start the second inning. In the bottom of the third inning, the Yankees broke the shutout as Robinson Cano hit a solo homer off Met starter Dillon Gee to cut the lead in half, 2-1. Gee went on to retire the next fifteen Yankee batters in a row. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mets manger Terry Collins surprisingly took Gee out of the game with the Mets ahead, 3-1. Gee was in total control. He threw only 88 pitches and he stuck out twelve Yankees before he departed. Apparently he didn't want to take any chances. The Met bullpen combo of Scott Rice and Bobby Parnell shut the Yankees down the rest of the way as the Mets did indeed sweep the Yankees. By doing so, the King was forced to back up his bold statement. He said and I quote "if the Mets sweep the Yankees, I'll shave off my beard."

Stay tuned for the rest of the week in review as I recap the weekend and the King's temporary new look.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/15 in review

Monday as you already know from reading along that the King and I spent our time in Boston and Pawtucket, Rhode Island experiencing another horrific day in our lives. It reminded us of 9/11/01 on a smaller scale. For no good reason, three innocent people lost their lives and others lost limbs which have altered their lives for forever while others were treated for various injuries as a result of this terrible act. Life is short enough. You never know when the next lunatic is going to strike again. With that being said, we have to be grateful for those who we consider our friends and family. Some of us have more than others. Regardless of what you have, you should count your blessings and savor your time together. My thoughts and prayers are with those people affected directly and/or indirectly. With that being said, we say stay strong, Boston. We're all behind you in this time of need.

Tuesday night after work I went up to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees open a three game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks who beat them back in the 2001 World Series which ironically occurred right after 9/11 here in NYC.

Earlier that afternoon, the Yankees announced that they were going to honor those affected in Boston by having a moment of silence. In addition, the flags were all at half staff in remembrance of the tragic events that took place. Furthermore, after the third inning, they played a Boston favorite these days at Fenway Park. I'm referring to Neil Diamond's song, Sweet Caroline. It was a nice classy touch by the Yankee organization to acknowledge those who are in need of everybody's support during this unfortunate time.

Yankees & Boston Unite - Stay Strong

It was an emotional night at the ballpark. Once the game started, things seemed back to normal for us in the stands. It should be noted that in honor of Jackie Robinson Day which was also on Monday, the players all wore his number 42 as a tribute to him breaking barriers back in 1947. The Yankees made sure that they put up the player's real number on the scoreboard so people like us who keep score could figure who the players were. For whatever reason, they didn't do that at Fenway Park on Monday morning.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees fell behind 2-0 as the Diamondbacks scored twice in the top of the third inning. The Yankees responded in the bottom of the fourth as Robinson Cano hit a three run home run to give them a 3-2 lead. They added an insurance run in the seventh inning as Eduardo Nunez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. Fittingly the real number 42 these days, Mariano Rivera came on in the ninth inning and he retired the Diamondbacks 1,2,3 to notch another save which was his third of the season and the 611th of his legendary career as the Yankees closer. Ironically the Yankees won, 4-2 which symbolized the theme of the number 42 for Jackie Robinson on this night.

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the three game series with the Diamondbacks. This time things were getting more back to normal if you will but Boston is still and be in our prayers for the foreseeable future.

As for the game we saw, CC Sabathia started for the Yankees. He got roughed up early as first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit a two run homer to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead. They tacked on another run in the fifth inning as left fielder A.J. Pollock hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. In the seventh inning, the Yankees offense finally awoke. They rallied to tie the game at three as Diamondbacks' starter Wade Miley unraveled with two outs in the inning. He wound up walking in a run to make it 3-1. After he departed reliever Tony Sipp came in and he gave up a two run single to Brett Gardner which evened the score. The Diamondbacks escaped further damage for the time being. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Travis Hafner came up as a pinch hitter with two out and nobody on. He proceeded to hit a homer to right center field which turned to be the difference as the Yankees won again, 4-3. Sabathia allowed three runs in eight innings as he picked up the victory. Mariano Rivera threw another 1,2,3 ninth inning to preserve the win as he recorded his 612th career save.

Thursday night after work I repeated the process again. This time the Diamondbacks did their best to lose again. They took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Didi Gregorius who was recently called up from the minor leagues hit his first major league home run. The King and I saw him play back in March 2012 for the Cincinnati Reds in a spring training game in Goodyear, Arizona. In the sixth inning, Martin Prado, a former Atlanta Brave, hit a solo homer to make it 2-0. The Yankees answered back in the bottom half of the sixth as Robinson Cano hit a solo shot to get the Yankees on the scoreboard at 2-1. They evened the score again with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning when catcher Francisco Cervelli who's not known for his power hit a home run to left field to send the game into extra innings. After both teams threatened but didn't score in the eleventh inning, the Diamondbacks finally broke through with four runs in the top of the twelveth inning as Cody Ross got a single to drive in the first run and former Yankee Eric Chavez delivered a bases clearing three run double to give the Diamondbacks a 6-2 victory as they avoided getting swept again like they did in the 2001 World Series which they won by winning all their home games.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will recap the weekend we spent mostly at Citi Field with a side trip to Philadelphia for Sunday night baseball.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/30 in review

Bob Kelly, Me and The King

Another royal week of Stadium Travel has come and gone. It was rather eventful to say the least.

Here's how it went:

Monday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a three game series against the red hot Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees won thanks to a solid pitching performance by Hiroki Kuroda as they beat the Orioles, 2-1. All the runs came in the second inning. The Orioles took a brief 1-0 lead in top half of the inning and the Yankees answered back as Eric Chavez delivered a two run homer which turned out to be the difference.
What I didn't know at the time was that I saw Mariano Rivera's last appearance of the season most likely because he hurt his knee during batting practice later in the week.

Mariano said he plans to return from this injury. Before the season started, he hinted this year could be his last. Time will tell. If he doesn't come back, I saw the last game he pitched in. With that being said, I may have seen history without knowing it at the time.

Like the King, I'm not a big fan of closers, but since it's become crucial to have one these days, I'll take Mariano any day of the week. He's the best in the business at what he does. Nobody comes close. He's not perfect but when you need somebody to get the big outs at the end of a game, he comes through almost every time he's called on especially when it matters most. I do hope to see him pitch again in the future.

Tuesday night after work I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two of the three game set. The King and I were joined by our pal Vincent Ascanio who was present and accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Orioles beat up the Yankees, 7-1. In the process, Orioles' manager Buck Showalter who managed the Yankees back in 1995 picked up his 1,000th win as a Major League manager.

Wednesday night I returned to the Bronx for the rubber game of the series. I had the privilege of meeting up with a few special guests who were at the game. I'm talking about Greg Venuto, who reads my blog regularly and his Cousin Dave who came to the game with him. Greg drove down from his home in Norwalk, Connecticut. He stopped off to pick up his Cousin Dave in White Plains on the way down.
They wisely decided to leave their car by the Woodlawn station which is the first and last stop of the number 4 train. By doing so, they were able to park for free on the street and then they hopped on the train to the game. Why drive all the way there and have to hassle to find a parking spot somewhere near the Stadium unless you have to.

Since I knew they were coming to the game, I arranged to give them a royal upgrade. Greg has told me in the past that he prefers to sit behind home plate like I do so I made it happen for them. He told me his tickets were in section 306 on the terrace level which is way out by the right field foul pole.

As promised, I delivered on my word. I told him I'll meet them by my seat in section 420B row 7 around 6:45PM. I got up there around 6:40PM and they were already there. Nothing beats perfect planning and execution. Thankfully Greg and Dave listen and cooperate well. In order to make the dream work, you need teamwork. This is just another of the many examples I can talk about that proves my point.

When I came up I had my sandwich from the Court Deli Restaurant with me. So I just needed a little time to eat it. Once I got done and I got my scorecard ready for the game, I proceeded to have a conversation with them. Everything went well except for the game on the field. Since Greg is a big Yankee fan, he wanted to see them win. Unfortunately, on this night they laid an egg. They wound up getting shut out by the Orioles, 5-0. As a result, they also lost the series two games to one. Regardless of the outcome, Greg, Dave and I all enjoyed each other's company and that's all that matters.

Thursday night after work I went to a work related get together. Originally I was planning to go home after work. Then I find out this gathering was taking place and I was invited. With that being said, I thought it would be appropriate and proper for me to go.

Shortly thereafter, I found out the Devils were also playing that night and my pal Andrew Van Cleve asked me if I was going to the game. I told him maybe. Stay tuned for the special post that I will be doing on how I wound going there too.

As for the meet and greet get together I had, I wound up impressing a young lady named Colleen who I work with from the company we wound up visiting. She was blown away with my travel knowledge. She said she went to school in Richmond, Virginia. I dazzled her when I told her different things about that area. She has seen my blog before so she now knows what I write is the truth for sure.

Friday night after work I wasn't sure what I was going to eat for dinner on my way to Citi Field. Then my pal Manny Bonilla texted me just before I was leaving work and he said am I going to Taste of Dolly's. I was leaning towards not going there but when he said that's what he wanted I said to him since you want to go there, I'll join you. We met up there and we ate dinner together. Needless to say, he loves the royal way.
After we ate, we got back on the train for one stop and we went to Citi Field to see the Mets open a three game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Upon arrival, I introduced Manny to my buddy Sam Citron the security guard who also is a big fan of my blog.

After seeing Sam, we went inside to the royal box if you will as recommended by the Stadium Journey Magazine in section 516.

We got to meet up with the rest of the royal court that were on hand which included Ralph and Vincent Ascanio.

As for the game we saw, the Mets had a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning but their bullpen imploded. An error, a walk and a few hits did them in as they went on to lose, 5-4.

Saturday which was Cinco De Mayo, I went back to Citi Field. It was Tom Seaver Bobblehead day. So the King and I made sure we arrived early so we could get them because it was only for the first 25,000 fans.

As the musical group Chicago used to sing back in the day, Saturday in the Park. That it was and we had a very large royal gathering too I might add. We were joined by our pals Bryan Gilligan, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Manny Bonilla who came back for more and Steve Tepperman were there along with Ralph and Vincent Ascanio.

Later in the game, we got a surprise visit from our friend Bob Kelly who came up special to say hello to us. He said he was sitting on the 300 level with some co-workers. He was on a business trip. We met him last year in Norfolk, Virginia for a minor league hockey game since he lives in nearby Virginia Beach. He also came to Citi Field last September with his brother Dennis who was there with his lovely wife Sue. They had come in from Irvine, California which is near Anaheim. The King and I originally met them when we were in Japan to see the Mets in 2000 to open the baseball season. We've taken turns seeing each other over the years. As always, it was great to see Bob again. I want to thank him for going out of his way to come up to see us. That's what royal treatment is all about. He wanted to make sure he told his brother Dennis that he saw us. See the picture above for the proof.

As for the game we all saw, the Mets scored four runs in the fourth inning and they held on to beat the Diamondbacks, 4-3.

After the game, the King, Bryan Gilligan went to Donovan's Pub to enjoy a post game victory meal. We invited Bob but he couldn't make it. Next time he's in town, he said we'll get together and we'll all go out. He's such a great guy, I can't wait to see him again.

Sunday we returned to Citi Field for the rubber match of the series. Before we got inside the park we got to meet and greet ballpark chaser Ken Lee who was visiting from the Seattle area. He's in the midst of his "See All 30" road trip. It was nice to finally get to meet and greet him.

I proceeded to say hello to Sam Citron as I ran in and I barely made the first pitch but I saw it as usual. After watching the first inning and a half downstairs, I went upstairs to watch the rest of the game from the royal box where we got a visit from our pal Arjun Lal who was so excited to see us again.

As for the game we saw, it was a quick one as R.A. Dickey worked into the ninth inning before Frank Francisco came on to close it out. The Mets won, 3-1 as they took the series.

With that another week of baseball is in the books.

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 w/o 3/28 in review

After work Monday I went to Madison Square Garden as the Magic came back to play the Knicks for the second time in 5 days. This game wasn't originally scheduled but back on November 2, 2010 the game was postponed due to an asbestos scare. As a result, it was rescheduled for this night instead.

The Knicks came home in a downward spiral. The last time they played each other the Magic beat the Knicks, 111-99. This time the Knicks played better but they blew a 6 point lead late in the last minute of regulation. The game wound up going into overtime. The Knicks managed to overcome the letdown and they went on to beat the Magic going away, 113-106.

Tuesday night I went out to Newark, NJ with the intention of seeing the Nets play the Houston Rockets at the Prudential Center.

As it turned out, my plan of action didn't turn out as expected.

Stay tuned for a special post that will describe what happened on this particular night. If you've been there you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, this will give you reason to reconsider if it's worth the hassle or not to go there.

Wednesday I decided to take the night off so I could recharge the batteries and brace for the beginning of the new baseball season.

After working a half a day I went up to Yankee Stadium to start the baseball season. Please feel free to see the live post I did from my season seat in Section 420B row 7 seat 3.

As for the game, the Yankees opened the new season with a victory. They beat the Tigers, 6-3. Mark Teixeira hit a three run home run to open the scoring for the Yankees after the Tigers took a 1-0 lead. The Tigers came back to tie the game at 3. Former Tiger Curtis Granderson came back to haunt his former team when he hit a home run in the 7th inning. The "Grandy Man" delivered off former Yankee pitcher Phil Coke. With that being said, Curtis had a "Coke" and a smile.

The Yankees added a few insurance runs before Mariano Rivera closed it out in the ninth inning 1,2,3. It should be noted Granderson made a nice running catch to get the second out.

After the game, the King and I went to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play their crosstown rivals, the Rangers.

It was a playoff like atmosphere as these two teams battled it out.

The Rangers scored the first goal of the game but the Islanders went on to score the next six before the Rangers squeezed one more by former Ranger Al Montoya who thought he had it.The Islanders won, 6-2. As a result, many Ranger fans who were in attendance stormed out of the building.

As for the weekend which started early for me on Friday, stay tuned as I'll be writing a special post that recaps the adventurous getaway we had.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Deja Broom in the Bronx as the Yankees advance to the ALCS!



The Yankees Win!

Just like mother nature it was back to baseball royalty style in the Bronx Saturday night. It was a rare drive to Yankee Stadium for me but because I was heading down South right after the game I needed to be within walking distance from a car in order to get where I planned to go over the weekend. I wound up parking in the neighborhood for free. No need to overpay for parking this time of year or anytime in the Bronx for that matter. That's how royalty rolls along cost effectively.

Thanks to the Yankees winning, the King was able to join me for the journey down South. My bags were packed so was his just in case. I was smart to bring a broom anticipating that some "Twinkies" needed to be swept away like a bump in the road. I saw a sign make room, royalty is coming through.

Based on past history, I was right. For the second straight postseason, the Yankees put the Minnesota Twins out of the playoff picture without allowing them to win a game. After taking the first two games at Target Field, the Yankees came home to finish business.

They did so to a ho hum crowd who when it was all said and done quietly exited the ballpark after a relatively stress free 6-1 Yankee win. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes pitch seven strong shutout innings to lead the way. Jorge Posada and Mark Teixeira delivered run scoring singles, Marcus Thames hit a big two run home run and Brett Gardner add a sacrifice fly to spark the offense. Kerry Wood allowed a run in his shaky relief stint in the 8th inning. As usual, Mariano Rivera shut the door in the ninth inning. See you next April 4-7 in the Bronx.

The Yankees now advance to play the Texas Rangers in the ALCS which starts in Arlington, Texas on Friday night.

The winner goes to the World Series to play the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants who meet in the  NLCS.

Will it be a repeat of the 2009 World Series? Will wait and see.

If the Yankees get back there, Royalty will be there.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman             

Royalty w/o 9/20 in review

For the second week in a row I had no nights off between work and play. This past week I spend most of my free time after work in the Bronx in the House that George built.

Speaking of George, the late great owner of the Yankees, George Steinbrenner was honored with a larger than life size plaque in Monument Park in a special ceremony before the Yankees/Rays game on Monday night.

It was a typical Yankee first class production. They had the current team as well as many former players who had the privilege of wearing pinstripes during the George Steinbrenner era which was from 1973 until he passed away on July 13th on hand as well as family members to honor the "Boss". Those included former manager Joe Torre, Don Mattingly, Reggie Jackson, Roy White, Gene Michael, David Cone, David Wells and Tino Martinez to name a few.

George was always remembered for charity work and his relentlessness to have to win at all cost. George symbolized capitalism. He was referred to as the greatest owner in professional team sports. It's hard to dispute that fact.

After the touching ceremony, the Yankees in a George like fashion went on to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 8-6!

The Yankees roughed up Rays starter Matt Garza in the process. Curtis Granderson led the way by hitting two home runs including a three run blast that hit high off the foul pole in rightfield that give the Yankees a 8-4 lead at the time.

Tuesday night it was game 2 of this crucial series for first place. The Yankees stormed out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. They went on to cruise to an easy 8-3 victory as they opened a 2 and a half lead over the Rays for first place.

Wednesday night the game started and the Rays lead 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning when the sky opened up and the game was delayed for 2 hours and 11 minutes due to rain. they finally resumed playing at 10:11PM. The Rays tacked on a few runs to take a 3-1 lead going to the bottom of the sixth inning. It was 11:15PM and I needed to get home at a somewhat reasonable hour so I decided to leave. It was a case of deseperate times since I very rarely leave a game early unless it's a special situation like this.

The Rays hit back to back solo home runs courtesy of Carl Crawford & Evan Longoria in the seventh inning to extend their lead and they eventually won the game, 7-2! It should be noted the game ended at 12:34AM. I got home a minute earlier so if I would have stayed until the end I wouldn't have gotten home until around 2AM assuming I made the necessary train connections.

In retospect, I made the right decision. Thankfully I did. I was tired at work Thursday.

Thursday night after work as tired as I was it was time to go back to the Bronx for more punishment. Actually the Yankees were the ones who got beat up. This was suppose to be a marquee pitching matchup on paper between two Cy Young award candidates in the Rays' David Price and the Yankees' CC Sabathia. Neddless to say, it didn't live up to the hype. In matter of fact, CC took a bath if you will in this one on the mound. He got lit up for 10 hits and he gave up 7 runs as the Rays pulled back within a half game of first place with a 10-3 win!

Friday night the hated Boston Red Sox came back to the Bronx to see if they could keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They got to Yankee starter Andy Pettitte in the second and fourth inning and they knocked him out of the game after they touched him up for 7 runs to take a 7-1 lead after 4 innings. They added 3 more in the fifth inning to go up 10-1. The Yankees thanks to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez who both hit two home runs got within 2 runs but they couldn't finish the comeback as they fell short, 10-8! Please note that A-Rod hit his 609th and 610th career home runs.

Saturday afternoon it was game 2 of the series against the Red Sox. The Red Sox behind 7 strong innings by starter and  Cy Young award candidate Jon Lester shut down the Yankee offense as they won again, this time by a score of 7-3! A-Rod hit his 611th home run in the loss.

Sunday afternoon I went to see the Giants play the Tennessee Titans at the New Meadowlands Stadium. The Titans took total of a Giants team that couldn't help themselves from self-destructing time and time again.

For all the details of this Giant debacle, please stay tuned for my special posts regarding the game and more importantly the Royalty experience. Trust me it will be worth the wait.

After the Giant game, it was time for me to attend Sunday night baseball in the Bronx as the Yankees were looking to salvage a game in this three series and put a dagger towards the Red Sox slim playoff hopes.

This was a well pitched game for 7 innings between starters Daisuke Matsusaka aka "Dice-K" and Phil Hughes. Then as usual the bullpens took over and they prolonged the agony.

A-Rod hit his 612th career home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. The Red Sox rallied against Mariano Rivera of all people to tie the game again.The game wound up going into extra innings and the Yankees eventually won in the 10th inning  after Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon blew the game and relief pitcher Hideki Okajima walked Juan Miranda with the bases loaded with one out to give them the victory.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman