Royalty goes to Los Angeles to see the Mets play the Dodgers!

Tuesday morning August 13th we woke up after getting a good night sleep. We checked out of the Carson Valley Inn in Minden, Nevada. We bought gas at the Shell station which was right next to the hotel. It was a wise decision because the gas prices in Nevada are a lot cheaper than they in California. Once we filled up we made our way towards Los Angeles which was still about 400 miles away. We left there at 9:50AM.

We drove a few hours on scenic route 395 into California. We stopped off in Bishop, a town along the way. We were told by Tike that there was a place he saw on Yelp. He strongly suggested that we go there. He said he hasn't been there. With that being said, I planned accordingly. Ironically when I went to the team store in Reno to get my minor league pass-port book stamped, I overheard a gentleman say he came from Bishop to see the game. I asked him about this place that Tike told us about. He said it was a must see. He warned me it could be crowded. As we approached the town of Bishop, I did notice a billboard on the side of the road saying that Erick Schlat's Bakkery, home of the original sheepherder bread since 1938 was just up the road. I had the address thanks to Tike and we found it with no problem. We turned in to the parking lot and we waited a minute as a few cars were pulling out. The lot was packed. When we got out of the car and we walked towards the entrance. There was a seating area outside too. It was quite a set up. They have an area for sandwiches where we got on line just in time. The line wasn't terribly long when we did. After we were paying at the end, I noticed the line grew and grew. It was a madhouse. It looked like a bus load just pulled into the parking lot.

Erick Schlat's Bakkery

As for the sandwiches, we all got carved turkey on their famous sheepherder bread. It was a tremendous sandwich to say the least. My sandwich had dark green lettuce which was excellent it should be noted. We sat inside and ate. After we finished I noticed they had a separate pastry area with no one on line so I decided to get a cinnamon twist which was scrumptious. Duck took out some cookies as well. It turned out to be a great stop. Once again I have to thank Tike for telling us about it. If he didn't I probably would have drove right by it.

After we got back in the car, we continued on our way to Los Angeles. We drove on route 395 until we saw the cut off for route 14 which we took until we got to I-5. We did make a quick stop in Lancaster to check out Clear Channel Stadium where the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League play. It was conveniently located right off the highway so I decided to get off & take a look.

It should be noted that the drive we took was amazing as we drove through mountains and cannons on different elevations. It was truly breathtaking.

As we approached the Los Angeles area, we surprisingly didn't run into too much traffic. As a result, we got to Dodger Stadium around 5:30PM. We wound up parking the car on the street just before the entrance to the stadium parking lot. We proceeded to walk over to the stadium.

We didn't have tickets yet so we just went to the box office and bought them. We picked the wrong game to attend though. For whatever reason, this game was deemed a three star one. That meant the ticket prices were higher. We wound up paying $20 for Top of the Park seats in the upper deck. It should be noted that Monday night was a one star game for $8 and Wednesday night was a two star game for $10. We got our money's worth when we walked and they gave us a skull cap. I didn't realize it got that cold in Los Angeles. Apparently it's for fashion purposes. You got to love LA. Honestly speaking, I don't. It's one of my least favorite cities to visit.

Once we went inside the ballpark we were limited to where we could go. We could have gone down to the reserve level below us but that was all. That's the drawback of being in the upper level there. As a whole, Dodger Stadium is a great ballpark. Unlike the majority of today's modern parks, you're there mainly to see a baseball game. We decided to eat there too. By doing so, we had the famous Farmer John Dodger Dogs. It was nice to return there. The last time the King & I were there was in June 2008. As for Duck, it was his first time so it was a treat for him.

View from the Top of the Park 

As for the game we saw, the Dodgers were hosting our New York Mets. It was an intriguing pitching match up as the Mets had their young stud Matt Harvey on the mound against the Dodgers' rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu from South Korea. The Mets drew first blood when Juan Lagares, the second batter of the game hit a solo home run to give the Mets an early 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until the Dodgers finally got to Matt Harvey who escaped trouble as he got the Dodgers to hit into three double plays in the first four innings. In the fifth inning, his luck ran out as shortstop Nick Punto hit a two run double to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. They added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when catcher A.J. Ellis drove in two more with a two out single to make it 4-1. The Mets managed to get one back in the top of the ninth inning off Dodger closer Kenley Jansen but they couldn't get anymore as they fell to the Dodgers, 4-2.

Stay tuned as the journey continued as we made our way to the desert for a mid week doubleheader in the state of Arizona. Please bear with me as I try to find the time to play catch up.

Thank you for reading and 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 meets up with a few ballpark chasers at Citi Field for the White Sox!

Me with Jen Obirek  & Jim Wood at Citi Field

I was wandering around Citi Field before the game on Tuesday night May 7th when the White Sox made their first ever visit to Queens to play the Mets. As I was, I found out someone I follow on Twitter was also at the game thanks to my pal and fellow ballpark chaser Tike Narry who lives in the Bay area. His Twitter handle is @eddiesofficials. Please feel free to follow him on Twitter. He tweeted me with the heads up. I'm referring to Jen Obirek. Her Twitter handle is @keribo1. Please feel free to follow her. She lives in Chicago on the South Side. She likes the White Sox and the Blackhawks. She was at the game which was her first "road" game for the White Sox she said. Ironically she wound up sitting in section 516 row 3 which happens to be where the King & I have our season tickets. We usually don't sit in our seats though. We prefer to sit up near the top of the section so we can have more space. In addition, people we know can sit there with us without a hassle.

On this night, Matt Harvey was pitching a perfect game until there were two outs in the seventh inning. As a result, I decided to stay in the seat I sat in for the whole game. When the game ended, I went down to row 3 and I introduced myself to Jen. She was there with a guy named Jim Wood, who I've seen on the ballpark chasers website. Jim said he was originally from the South Side of Chicago but he now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. He's been to 44 major league ballparks as well as an impressive number of minor league ones too. Jen introduced us. Jim's twitter handle is @BWB2013. Please feel free to follow him too.

I wound up walking out of the ballpark with them. They were taking the 7 train back to Manhattan where they were staying. We got to talk to one another. I gave them my contact information. I couldn't get theirs because my phone died on me. I told them to contact me if they needed any assistance getting around while I was at work.

They said they were coming back for the game Wednesday night May 8th. I told them to come up to section 516 near the top which they did. I was glad to see them because I didn't hear from them all day. I made sure I took down their contact information so we can stay in touch in the future. We got to enjoy the game together. Unlike Tuesday night, this time the White Sox beat the Mets. It worked out well for all of us that both teams won a game. They went home early Thursday morning. We enjoyed each others company. We said our goodbyes and we hope to meet up again down the road.

Stay tuned for another special post that we recap another visit by a special guest as the Pirates came to town for the weekend to play the Mets at Citi Field.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/6 in review

Monday night after work I got to go home and relax for a change. There were no baseball games to attend in the area so I did the next best thing. In other words, I was able to catch up on my blog. I didn't want to fall further behind. As time goes on, I unexpectedly find new things and people to write about. So I need to use my free time wisely.

With that being said, I'm going to summarize the week I had then when I have some spare time I'm going to do some special posts about some people, new and old, I got to meet and greet along the way.
Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for dinner on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a two game series with the Chicago White Sox who quite amazingly were making their first ever visit to Queens to play the Mets.

Upon arrival, I got to see my pal Sam Citron who greeted me by the Rotunda entrance. He told me that a lady came in earlier with her son. He was describing Rebecca Herman who I met at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. She took a picture of him because I saw it on Twitter. Rebecca said and I quote "Sam is a very nice gentleman." That tweet made me feel real good. Shortly thereafter, I saw another tweet that another person that I follow thanks to other people I know was also at the game. I got all excited about the potential tweet and greet. For some reason, my phone decided to act up. As a result, I couldn't get in touch with Rebecca Herman aka The Baseball PHD. She told me she had seats in the Delta Suite with her son, Trevor who's afraid of heights. With that being said, I decided to go upstairs to section 516 so I could get ready for the game.

We had a nice gathering in the Royal Court if you will as the King and I were joined by the usual regulars, Bryan Gilligan and the Ascanios, Ralph & Vincent aka the Kid. In addition, we also had our friends Frank Anichiarico, Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman, Martin Caamano & Charlie Vitanza in attendance.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets. With that being said, we knew we had a chance to see a great game. He was opposed by Hector Santiago who started for the White Sox. As advertised, this match up turned out to be a beauty. Matt Harvey out pitched Hector Santiago but neither one got a decision as the game was decided in extra innings. Matt Harvey in fact was almost perfect for the first nine innings. He allowed an infield hit to shortstop Ruben Tejada who couldn't put enough on the throw to get Alex Rios who barely beat it out at first base with two outs in the seventh inning. He struck out twelve batters too. He was simply amazing. Unfortunately the Mets couldn't score a run off the White Sox pitching for the first nine innings either. Santiago pitched well for seven innings. Matt Lindstrom pitched the eighth. Then Nate Jones came on for ninth and he pitched into the tenth when the Mets finally broke through to ultimately win the game, 1-0 thanks to a game winning pinch hit by Mike Baxter to make a winner out of reliever Bobby Parnell who pitched a scoreless tenth for the Mets.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway and Carvel for dinner and dessert on my way to Citi Field.
On this night I was joined by Rich Wolber, Phil Butleman, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman and Charlie Vitanza as well as the usual regulars.

It should be noted that the Hooligan's were present & accounted for in section 513. They made their presence felt when they chanted "Where's the King?". He was talking on his cell phone at the time. As a result, they caught him off guard. It was quite a scene.

As for the game we saw, the White Sox finally got a run in Queens. Lead off batter Alejandro De Aza hit a home run to right field to make it 1-0 right off the bat. The Mets tied it in the second inning when Lucas Duda returned the favor hitting a homer to right. In the third inning, the White Sox got four straight hits after the first out which scored three more runs off Mets starter Jeremy Hefner. They tacked on another run in the seventh and the ninth innings while the Mets added one in the eighth and another in the ninth but they fell short as the White Sox won the game, 6-3 to earn a split in the two game set.

Thursday night after work I went to Checker's for my pre game meal on my way back to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

When I got upstairs I was joined by Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, Michael Abrams, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel and Martin Caamano.

As for the game we saw, the Mets and Pirates played a seesaw battle as both teams took turns scoring single runs. The game was tied at two going to the bottom of the ninth inning. The Pirates decided to bring in their new closer this year my pal Jason Grilli in a tie game. He gave up an infield single to Marlon Byrd to start the inning who was then bunted to second by Andrew Brown. With one out, Mike Baxter pinch hit for center fielder Juan Lagares who made a nice catch to end the top of the ninth. Baxter became a hero as he delivered the game winning hit to give the Mets a 3-2 victory. Since it came against Jason it was bittersweet for me because I want to see him to do well every time he pitches.

Friday night after work I went back to Citi Field to see game two of the series with the Pirates. I wasn't hungry so I decided to go straight to Citi Field in hopes of seeing Jason Grilli after batting practice ended. Unfortunately I heard Jason went in by the time I arrived. I was surprised but being in a new role this year, he has other responsibilities.

After I struck out, I went upstairs so I could get ready for the game. I had some company. The King, Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio as usual were already there. In addition, our pals Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman and Alan Gimpel were there too.

As for the game we saw, the Pirates took a 6-0 lead midway through the game. Catcher Anthony Recker hit a solo homer to break the shutout to make it 6-1. The Pirates added another run in the ninth to go up, 7-1. In the bottom of the ninth inning, former Yankee Jose Contreras came in to finish the game. He couldn't get it done. Instead he wound up setting up a save for my pal Jason Grilli who got Ruben Tejada to fly out to center field to end the game as the Mets came up short as they lost, 7-3.

After the game, Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico, the King and I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Stay tuned for the special posts I plan to write about the people I met along the way. In addition, I'm going to do another special post that we recap the weekend as well.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Jacob Landis again at Citi Field!

Jacob Landis & I at Citi Field

After I saw Gio Gonzalez, I went out to right field to section 307 where I got to meet up with Jacob Landis who was at the game with his cousin Jack Riddle as they were continuing their quest to see a baseball game in every Major League ballpark this season by riding a bicycle. They're doing so to hit a home run for hearing. You can follow them on Twitter. Their handle is @JacobsRide2013. If you want to donate please feel free to do so.

I knew they were going to be there so I wanted to make sure I stopped by to see them again. They were with a group of people who also suffer from a hearing disability. I told them that I gave Gio their business card and an envelope because Gio always says and I quote "anything for a foundation." Hopefully Gio makes a contribution to this great cause.

After I spoke to Jacob and Jack, I went upstairs to my seat in section 516 so I could watch the rest of the game with the King and the rest of the royal court that were present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, we had two of baseball's rising stars pitching. Stephen Strasburg started for the Nationals and rookie Matt Harvey got the nod for the Mets. On this night, the rookie out pitched the highly touted Nationals star pitcher. The Mets scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning as they took advantage of an error that allowed lead off hitter Jordany Valdespin to get on base. A hit and a wild pitch wound up scoring him. John Buck delivered a clutch two out hit to make it a 2-0 game after the first inning. Strasburg settled down until the sixth inning when he allowed a pair of solo home runs to Ike Davis and Lucas Duda which gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. As a result, Strasburg was done for the evening. He allowed four runs only three were earned but he couldn't match Matt Harvey who departed after seven strong innings allowing a run as Chad Tracy got a run scoring single after a lead off walk and single to start the seventh inning for the Nationals. Harvey was able to pitch out of any further trouble as he gave way to the bullpen. He struck out seven and walked three as he earned the win. The Mets added insurance runs as Ike Davis and Lucas Duda both homered again in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Mets a 7-1 victory.

After the game, the King and I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal with our pals Bryan Gilligan and Frank Anichiarico.

Stay tuned for a few more special posts that will recap the visits I got from other roadtrippers over the weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman