Royalty sees a rare weekend of back to back baseball doubleheaders in NYC!‏

Due to some quirks in the Major League Baseball schedule, a rarity occurred over the last weekend of April. The Mets & Yankees were both home. Friday night the Mets played the Miami Marlins at Citi Field while the Yankees hosted the Angels at the same time. With that being said, the King & I wound up going to Citi Field to see the Mets play since we're Met fans.

Official stamp in my 25 Game MLB Pass-Port Book

As for the game we saw, the Mets lead 2-1 until the 8th inning when they got victimized by the long ball as the Marlins hit back to back homers after the first two batters, Giancarlo Stanton & Casey McGehee struck out. ‎Jarrod Saltamacchia & Garrett Jones did the damage to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. The Mets rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning they had the tying run at second base with two out. They got even as Omar Quintanilla delivered a clutch run scoring single. After Eric Young Jr. doubled to put runners on second & third, former Yankee Curtis Granderson came through with the game winning single to right field to give the Mets a dramatic 4-3 victory. 

Saturday afternoon the King ‎& I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Angels at Yankee Stadium. 

Official stamp in my 25 Game Pass-port Book

As for the game we saw, the Angels got on the scoreboard first as Mike Trout hit a solo homer to right center field to give the Angels an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees came back in the bottom of the second inning. They loaded the bases thanks to a hit by pitch, an infield single ‎& a walk after Alfonso Soriano took a third strike for the first out. Then Kelly Johnson flew out to left field for the second out. With catcher John Ryan Murphy batting, Angels' starting pitcher Hector Santiago balked which tied the game at one. It also allowed the base runners to move up to second & third. Then John Ryan Murphy delivered a clutch two out two run single to right center field to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to end the inning. In the top of the fourth inning, the Angels came back as they capitalized on an error & a double to tie the game at three. In the bottom of the fifth inning, John Ryan Murphy hit his first major league home run which wound up being the difference in the game as the Yankees beat the Angels, 4-3. Since Yankees' starting pitcher Vidal Nuno was unable to pitch five innings, he didn't qualify for the victory. As a result, Dellin Betances who pitched two innings of shutout ball in relief picked up his first major league win. 

Official stamp in my 25 Game MLB Pass-Port Book

After the game, the King ‎& I took the subway over to Citi Field for game two of this rare weekend doubleheader. When we got upstairs to the Royal Court in section 515, I got a special visit from a fellow ballpark chaser. I'm referring to Jeff Haines who came from Kansas to visit his daughter Marilyn who's going to graduate school here in NYC.  It was great to meet & greet Jeff who loves reading what I write. With that being said, I'm very grateful. 

Jeff Haines & I at Citi Field

As for the game we saw, the Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly by David Wright & a two run homer by another former Yankee Bobby Abreu. The Marlins got one back in the second inning to make it 3-1. The Mets added a few more runs in the third inning thanks to a double by Lucas Duda to go up by a score of 5-1. The Marlins came back to take the lead, 6-5 as they scored five in the top of the sixth inning. The Mets benefited from a throwing error which allowed them to tie the game at six. It stayed that way until the tenth inning when the Marlins got a lead off game winning homer from Jarrod Saltamacchia to win it, 7-6.

Sunday afternoon the King & I returned to Citi Field for the finale of the three game series between ‎the Mets & the Marlins. 

Official stamp in my 25 Game MLB Pass-port Book

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a stellar start from Dillon Gee who wound up throwing eight shutout innings. The Mets rewarded him with four runs as they beat the Marlins, 4-0. By doing so, they won the series two games to one.

After the game, the King ‎& I went back to the Bronx for our second game of the day thanks to ESPN who decided to show the Yankees & Angels as their Sunday night game that night. As a result, we got to complete a rare weekend of baseball doubleheaders without having to leave the five boroughs. 

Official stamp in my 25 Game MLB Pass-Port Book

As for the game we saw, we got to see Masahiro Tanaka who started for the Yankees. He pitched well as he allowed two runs & he struck out eleven over ‎six & a third innings of work. He was a little wild as he walked four. He left the game trailing to 2-1. The Yankees got him off the hook when Mark Teixeira lead off the bottom of the seventh inning with a homer to tie the game at two. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Yankees took advantage of a few walks, a passed ball & a wild pitch which scored the winning run as the Yankees beat the Angels, 3-2.

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap the return of Robinson Cano to the Bronx.

Thank you for reading ‎& following along. 

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty spent weekend in middle of September watching Mets play Marlins at Citi Field!

On Thursday September 12th after work I came home & I relaxed for a change. By doing so I was able to prepare for the busy weekend I had planned at Citi Field.

Friday night after work I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for some pizza before I returned to Citi Field as the Mets opened a four game weekend series with the Miami Marlins. Thanks to a rain out back in June, the Saturday game was rescheduled as a single admission doubleheader.

When I arrived at Citi Field Friday night I saw my pal Sam Citron who greeted me at the Rotunda entrance. When I got upstairs I was joined by David Sack, Frank Anichiarico, Vincent Ascanio, Charlie O'Reilly, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel who were also present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a rare power surge as Andrew Brown hit a solo homer in the second inning & Lucas Duda added what proved to be the game winner as he hit a three run blast in the sixth inning as the Mets held off the Marlins, 4-3 to take game one. Jonathon Niese picked up the victory despite giving up two solo homers to Giancarlo Stanton, one in the second inning & other in the seventh.
After the game, Bryan Gilligan, the King, Frank Anichiarico & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Saturday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for a rare single admission doubleheader. I arranged to get my Cousin Andy a ticket so he could join me for the twinbill. I met him outside by the Apple. It was great to see him again. We always enjoy each other's company. When we got to our seats upstairs, we had plenty of company as Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Michael Carson & Michael Chin were there as well.
As for the games we saw that day, the Marlins got seven shutout innings from their starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez who shut the Mets down in game one. The Marlins went to win, 3-0. In the night cap, the Mets got a solid pitching performance from Dice K who allowed just one run in seven innings of work as he picked up his first win as a Met. The Mets got back to back home runs from Daniel Murphy & Lucas Duda as they took game two, 3-1.

Sunday afternoon I passed up the possibility of going to see the Giants play the Broncos in the latest Manning Bowl. I remember going to the first one at Giants Stadium when Peyton Manning played for the Indianapolis Colts. This time I decided to take the more affordable way out so I returned to Citi Field for the finale of the Mets and Marlins weekend series.

Besides the King & I, company was few & far between as we had Alan Gimpel & Pat Gorman there for the festivities.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the bottom of the 12th inning when rookie Travis d'Arnaud became a hero as he delivered the game winning hit to give the Mets a 1-0 win over the Marlins. In the process, we got to see Vic Black of the Mets get his first major league win. He pitched a scoreless 12th inning as he got credit for the victory as the Mets won three out of the four games.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/16 in review as I continue to play catch up slowly but surely.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Kurt Smith, author of Ballpark E-Guides at Citi Field!

Kurt Smith & I at Citi Field

Over the last few years, I've had the privilege & honor of meeting & greeting fellow roadtripper Kurt Smith  who happens to be the author of Ballpark E-Guides. He lives in Turnersville, NJ with his family. I've met him a number of times when I've gone to Philadelphia to see a sporting event. If he couldn't make the game I was attending, he's always willing to meet up to have a meal together so we could catch up if he was available to do so depending on his family needs.

This time Kurt decided to come to visit NYC to see the Mets play at Citi Field. In January, he booked a round trip ticket on Megabus which he took from Philadelphia to NYC for a mere $2.50 round trip. Since he bought the ticket so far in advance he was fortunate to get one of their advertised special fares for a dollar each way. Since they add a fifty cent reservation fee to all their transactions the grand total came out to a whopping $2.50. That doesn't even get you a gallon of gas if you drive a car these days he said. What a deal he got for himself. If you're familiar with his website you know this man knows how to get the most bang for his buck. As a result, he decided to start a side business a few years ago to help him make ends meet.

Kurt is a baseball fan and he decided he wanted to put his research skills to better use. By doing so, he has done extensive research to compile the essential information that people like you and I need in order to afford to attend a baseball game these days. Despite the bad economy we currently live in on a daily basis, the cost of living in general is still out of control. With that being said, more people than ever before have to resort to different ways of saving money just to make ends meet like Kurt. Once people have their necessities in order, they usually like to enjoy a luxury once in a while too. If you're a sports fan, you want to take in a live ballgame. In order to do so, I think it would be a wise investment to take advantage of getting a Ballpark E-Guide of your favorite team which can instantly save you money so you can afford to go more often to see them play when the opportunity presents itself.

With that being said, I strongly suggest and recommend that if you read and follow my blog that you take Kurt up on his special offer that he has made available to you. All you have to do is sign up for his weekly newsletter which will be delivered right to your e-mail inbox usually every Friday. A few minutes of your time will go a long way in making your life better in general because he includes other helpful hints that will save you even more. By doing so, you'll get a E-Guide of your choice for free.

Once you realize what a great deal is it you'll probably want to get more especially if you want to make a road trip. If you do, tell Kurt you're a royal reader so he can give you his version of royal treatment.

Kurt decided to revisit Citi Field so he could revise his current E-Guide so it's up to date especially since the Major League All-Star Game will be taking place at Citi Field on July 16th. As a result, anybody who plans to attend a Met game and/or the All-Star Game itself or the other festivities will have access to the 2013 edition. He continues to validate his credibility by doing that.

Please note that Kurt doesn't have E-Guides for all the ballparks just yet. He's done half of them so far. If and when time allows, he hopes to get them all done some day.

As for the game we saw, the Mets won in dramatic fashion as Marlon Byrd got the game winning hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins. What a way for Kurt to head back home.

I want to personally thank Kurt for joining the King and I as well as the rest of the Royal Court that was on hand that day. Among those who were with us on that cold, nasty windy day we're a few regulars in Bryan Gilligan and Vincent Ascanio. We also had Michael Carson who seemed interested in Kurt's E-Guides. In matter of fact, he gave him a business card so he can accommodate his needs & wants in the future.

Stay tuned as I continue to play catch up. I plan to do my w/o 4/8 in review. In addition, I will do some special posts that will recap that memorable weekend we had. Sorry for the delay. I do appreciate your patience.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty returns to Marlins Park along with a special guest, my Uncle Bob!

Prince outside Marlins Park

Three years ago, my Uncle Bob moved from Petaluma, California which is 40 miles north of San Francisco to Delray Beach, Florida.

Back in January 1992, the King and I went to the West Coast on a monster basketball and hockey trip. While we were there we visited my Uncle Bob. On that trip, we took him with us to the Cow Palace where the San Jose Sharks played their first few seasons while their new arena was being built.

We went back to visit him during baseball season on numerous occasions over the years when he lived there. We got to take him to Candlestick Park in 1993 and Pac Bell Park as it was known when it first opened back in 2000 to see the Giants and he also joined us when we went to Oakland to see the Athletics in 1997.

This time we got to visit him in Florida for the first time since he moved there. I arranged to meet him at his condo in Delray Beach which was on the way from Jupiter to Miami. Since we got a fast game that afternoon, we got to his place early enough so he could show us around his residence which overlooks a lake and a golf course.

He hadn't been to the new Marlins Park yet so I told him we'll take him there. It was a honor and privilege to do so.

As for the game we saw, the Miami Marlins fell behind the Washington Nationals, 2-0 early as Jesus Flores drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Ryan Zimmerman added a solo homer. In the bottom of the third inning, newcomer Carlos Lee hit a two run single to tie the game at two. A few batters later, now former Marlin Hanley Ramirez launched a two run homer to break the tie. By doing so, we got to see the sculpture in left center field light up as a Marlin started to fly around and water shot up in the air like it was coming out of a fountain. It was a cool sight to see. Since the ballpark has long dimensions, home runs don't fly out of there like they do at Yankee Stadium so we got to see a rare treat.

The Nationals inched closer as they scored another run in the sixth inning to make it 4-3. The Marlins wound up adding an insurance run in the seventh inning as they went on to win, 5-3 to gain a split of the four series.
After the game, we drove back towards my Uncle's place. Before we got there we stopped off at Steak N Shake and we had a shake. What a great way to wrap up this midsummer's night dream.

After enjoying the shakes we had, we spent the night at my Uncle's place.

We had breakfast Tuesday morning then we headed to the West Palm Beach airport to catch our flight home.

I want to personally thank my Uncle Bob for giving us some royal treatment while we were there.
Stay tuned as I continue by doing my week in review upon our return home to the Big Apple.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the New Marlins Park along with fellow roadtripper Paul Derrick!

Prince at New Marlins Park in Miami

When the Major League Baseball schedule came out in the middle of September 2011, my main priority was to figure out a way to get to Miami so the King and I could see the New Marlins Park. That way we could say we've been to every current MLB park once again.

After thoroughly analyzing the schedule, I decided that July 13th would be the day that made the most sense for us to get there. With that being said, I proceeded to piece together the trip.

Once I finalized the game plan, I was contacted by Paul Derrick who wanted to join us for part of our Stadium Journey. After getting a sample of how we roll last July, he was anxious to come along with us for more. I was thrilled to have him join us. I arranged to meet him at the West Palm Beach airport where he flew to from his home in Houston, Texas on Friday. He landed around 12:30PM. The King and I were there to meet him. On the way to the airport, the King and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Paul had a layover in Atlanta where he said he ate already so he wasn't hungry he told me so I planned accordingly.
Upon arrival, I asked him what he wanted to do. He didn't have anything special in mind before the game. I offered to take him to South Beach if he wanted to go there. He said whatever you want to do is fine. While we were driving down I-95 towards Miami, I noticed a billboard on the highway that was advertising a casino that was not far away. It was near Fort Lauderdale. I asked Paul if that would work for him. He said that's fine. I know the King likes to go to casinos so I decided to get off the highway and check it out. We wound up at the Mardi Gras Casino. Since it was warm outside it turned out to be a good way to stay cool since we had some time to kill before we went to see the New Marlins Park.

It turned out great for Paul who played on a slot machine for a short time. He made some money and he decided not to risk losing it so he quit while he was ahead. I made a few dollars and the King lost some while we killed a few hours there.

After we were done, we got back into the car and off to Miami we went.

I wanted to get to the ballpark early so we could check out the place for ourselves. I had an idea from reading about people who have already been there.

We wound up parking the car on someone's driveway for $10 after we searched the area and that seemed to be the most logical way to go. We were only a few blocks from the park which worked out really well.
When we were walking towards the ballpark we saw a Wendy's restaurant that was located right up the block from where we parked.

We decided to go in and grab a bite. Since I had a hearty breakfast, I wasn't that hungry so it worked out well for me.

When we were done we walked over to the ballpark. Since we didn't have tickets in advance, I went to the box office and I remember my pal Kurt Smith, the author of Ballpark E-Guides saying that they sell $10 tickets the day of the game. I asked the lady at the ticket window and she said we have them. So I proceeded to buy three of them for us. I knew Kurt wouldn't steer me wrong. That was helpful advice. Hopefully in the future he'll get to Miami so he can see the ballpark himself. If and when he does, I know he'll put together an E-Guide so everybody else can benefit from it.

We proceeded to go inside and see the park for ourselves. Since it was warm outside, the retractable roof was closed. The ballpark consisted of all royal blue seats throughout on all the different levels. The exterior of the ball field itself was mainly lime green. They have an aquarium right behind home plate on the inside of the wall so those lucky enough to be able to afford those pricey seats can look at the fish swimming around during breaks in the game. They also have a sculpture out in left center field that lights up when a Marlin player hits a home run. When it does, it has Marlins swimming around in a circle and water shoots out like in a fountain which is really cool and unique to this ballpark.

In addition, on the concourse they have a Bobblehead Museum which has over 600 different bobbleheads in it. If you like collecting them, make sure you stop by and take a look.

Furthermore, they have a club called the Clevelander out in left center field that's next to the sculpture where you can watch the game. You have to have tickets for that area to do so. If not, you can go there after the game when it's open to the public. I tried to do that but it was too crowded and we were pressed for time.
After looking around the concourse on the lower level which wraps around the whole field, I went down to see Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals who were playing the Marlins when we were there. Gio got traded to the Nationals after I decided this would be the best time to get to the new ballpark. It worked out well that they got him. By doing so, I was able to catch up with him. Stay tuned for the special post regarding that experience.

As for the game we saw, we sat in the upper deck behind home plate in section 314 and we watched the first place Nationals beat the Marlins, 5-1. It was the Jordan Zimmermann and Ryan Zimmerman show. Jordan pitched six shutout innings and Ryan added a two run homer which proved to be the difference in the victory.

In the process, the King put on a show with his signature strikeout call for the natives. He usually does his thing for the home team. With that being said, he would do it when a Marlin pitcher struck out a Nationals' batter. Since we had a few Cuban gentlemen sitting by us, he decided to do a Spanish version of the call. It was hilarious as they got a good laugh. So did I for that matter. It was added entertainment for the other Marlin fans who were sitting near us. Despite the loss, it turned out to be a fun night for everyone.

After the game, we got in the car and we drove 300 miles to Ocala, Florida where we stayed the night as we were making our way to Atlanta, Georgia to see the Mets play the Braves Saturday afternoon.

Stay tuned for the special post regarding our visit to Turner Field.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Roadtrippers New and Old in Cleveland at Progressive Field!

Ada Kurinsky

Last year on July 27th when the King and I went to Cleveland to see the Indians play we got to show up and coming roadtripper Paul Derrick the way. It was his first visit to Progressive Field. It turned out to be a very memorable one too. He got a surprise treat and so did we. We all saw Ervin Santana of the Angels pitch a no hitter against the Indians. It was extra special because it was the first one Paul had ever seen.

The King and I unexpectedly returned to Cleveland on August 27th thanks to Hurricane Irene who was bearing down on NYC. The King told me to get him a car rental so we can see some baseball elsewhere. He drove us to Cleveland and we saw the Tribe play again. This time our buddy Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge had the privilege and honor of taking in a ballgame with us for the first time. We met him for the first time briefly at a Cleveland Browns game back on November 14, 2010. Needless to say, Rick had a blast. We saw one of his favorite players, Jim Thome hit a home run as he had returned for a second tour of duty with the Indians. It was a very special moment for him as it brought back fond memories.

This time we made our annual visit to see the Marlins play the Indians on Sunday afternoon. Ironically we saw the Indians play the Marlins back on June 8, 2004 in Cleveland too.

I did tell Rick Morris back on November 20, 2011 when he interviewed me that May 20th we planned to return to the Rock N Roll City. As the day got closer, I got in contact with a gentleman named Keir Kurinsky who started following me on Twitter. He said he was taking his one year old daughter Ada to all eighty one games with him this season. I thought that was rather cool and unique. He said his wife is 100% behind him doing so. I must say he's a very lucky man. His daughter was adorable. As the game got closer, we arranged to meet up. He told me he had two extra tickets available for us. He was kind enough to hook us up and he met us right outside the gate too. We all introduced each other and we proceeded inside the ballpark. It was great to see the royal treatment he received as he saw different employees who recognized him since he's going to all the home games this year.

We started talking and Keir told us that he has traveled around to a number of different ballparks as well. He said he went to Monterrey, Mexico in 1999, Tokyo, Japan in 2000 & San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2001. It was amazing to hear him say that because the King and I told him we were there too.

We proceeded to talk about another guy who we know from Cleveland who went to those places as well. The only difference was this guy went to see the Mets when they played in Monterrey, Mexico in 1996. In addition, this guy saw Major League Baseball in Hawaii in 1997. I'm referring to Mike Trabert aka Mr. Ballpark as he calls himself. The King and I met him when we saw the Mets play in Japan. We've tried to hook up every year since. This time we were hoping to see him at some point at the game. I told him where we were sitting in case he was there. He does share season tickets with a bunch of people. As he's notorious for doing, he came by and he caught us off guard. It was a pleasant surprise to see him again. We got to catch up on our recent travels. He asked us if we've been to the New Marlins Park yet. We said no. We're planning to go there in the middle of July. He didn't know when he was going there yet. I hope we can cross paths when we go there.

Back on September 23, 2000, our pal Andrew Van Cleve met Mr. Ballpark when he was at a doubleheader at Old Milwaukee County Stadium. He ran into this guy who told him about a few guys he met in Japan that see all kinds of games. I asked Mr. Ballpark if he remembered meeting Andrew but he couldn't remember. He said he probably did. It was funny because it took Andrew 10 years to finally track us down. Now we've become really good friends.

The power of sports travel has really improved our lives greatly. The fraternity continues to grow. Now when we go to Cleveland we have more people to see.

As for the game we saw, the Indians fell to the Marlins by a score of 5-3. Ex-Met Jose Reyes did have two hits for his new team.

The Indians threatened in the ninth inning prompting Mr. Ballpark to say and I quote "Mr. Ballpark wants extra innings." That's what I said back in Japan when the Mets played the Cubs as Benny Agbayani delivered the game winning grand slam home run in extra innings to send us home happy. That was such a thrill. This time Mr. Ballpark didn't get his wish.

I want to personally thank Keir Kurinsky for his generosity and company. In addition, I want to thank Mr. Ballpark for taking the time to see us again.

Hope we all can reunite again sooner than later at a ballpark somewhere.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/23 in review

Royal View from Section 420B Row 7 at Yankee Stadium

Since the Mets and Giants got rained out Sunday afternoon, they were forced to play a single admission old school doubleheader Monday starting at 4:10PM.

Since I had to work until 5:30PM, I couldn't get to Citi Field in time to see an official game so I caught the last few innings of the first game that the Mets lost, 6-1.

There was a very sparse gathering for the twin bill. With that being said, I still knew a number of people who were sitting in the area where the King and I sit. Our friends, Frank Anichiarico and Al Linderman were among them. They both like the Giants so they got to take advantage of the opportunity to see two games for the price of one like the good old days. Our pal Mike Jaffee was also in the building. He usually comes to the midweek afternoon games which I'm not able to attend because of work. With that being said, it was nice to see him again.

In addition, Vincent Ascanio and his father Ralph were present and accounted for.

It was a brutally cold night and the Mets play on the field made it feel even worse as they proceeded to lose the second game of the double dip by a score of 7-2. They fell behind 3-0 in the first inning and they couldn't catch up the rest of the night.

Tuesday night I went back to Citi Field as the Mets welcomed back former Met shortstop Jose Reyes who signed to play with the Miami Marlins as a free agent in the off season. The Marlins were visiting for the first time this season.

The Mets showed class as they gave him a video tribute before the game. The Met fans on the other hand, greeted him with a serenade of boos when he came up to lead off the game. The last game he played as a Met didn't sit well in the eyes of many Met fans and it showed. He got a hit and he left the game to preserve his batting title. Now he's playing for the enemy.

Reyes hit a long fly ball that center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis snagged at the wall for the first out of the game. He proceeded to go hit less the rest of the night in his four at bats which really pleased the crowd.

The Mets went on to beat the Marlins, 2-1 as Lucas Duda broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. Lost in the shuffle were the wasted pitching efforts by the Marlins' Josh Johnson who pitched well for six and two thirds innings as he walked one and struck out nine and Johan Santana of the Mets who matched him as he walked two and fanned eleven batters over his six and two thirds innings of work. The Mets failed to hold their 1-0 lead. As a result, Santana got a no decision as did Josh Johnson.

Wednesday night after work I went back to Citi Field for more. This time Jose Reyes after going hit less in three more at bats finally got a hit against his former team in his last at bat as he delivered a single. The Mets wound up getting the last laugh as they beat the Marlins again, 5-1.

Thursday night after work I went home to rest up and recharge the batteries.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx as the Detroit Tigers were making their only visit to the Stadium to play the Yankees. The last time the Tigers came to Yankee Stadium they ended the Yankees' season prematurely in early October.

With Justin Verlander starting for the Tigers, it looked like the Tigers would pick up where they left off. He left the game with a 6-5 lead after six innings but the Tiger bullpen sprung a leak as they blew the lead and the game in the eighth and ninth innings as the Yankees emerged victorious, 7-6.

Saturday afternoon I went back to the Bronx to see game two of the series.

The Tigers rebounded to even the series at a game a piece as rookie Drew Smyly pitched well for six plus innings as he picked up his first Major League win. He allowed a run on two hits as the Tigers beat the Yankees, 7-5. Freddy Garcia of the Yankees got hit hard as the Tigers knocked him out of the game in the second inning. The Yankees stormed back in the ninth inning against Tiger closer Jose Valverde who needed the work but they fell short as Eric Chavez flew out to the warning track in right field to end the game with the tying run on base.

After the game, the King and I were joined by our friend Frank Anichiarico as we went to Donovan's Pub for dinner. We all enjoyed our meals and drinks. As for me, I had a pair of pork chops that were to die for. It was a pleasant surprise that they were listed on the specials that night. I lucked out big time.

Sunday afternoon the King and I returned to Yankee Stadium for the rubber match between the Yankees and the Tigers.

CC Sabathia tamed the Tigers for eight innings as the Yankees won the series behind their ace by a score of 6-2. The Tigers hung around for six innings as they trailed by a run 3-2. The Yankees tacked on some insurance runs in the seventh inning and they added another one in the eighth which cost their closer Mariano Rivera a save opportunity. Instead David Robertson came on to pitch the ninth inning and he retired the Tigers 1, 2, 3 to preserve the win for the Yankees.

With that being said, another week of baseball is in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman