Royalty goes to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore for annual visit!

Toyota Corolla

On Thursday morning, August 3rd, I took public transportation to go out to New Hyde Park which is just into Nassau County on Long Island. That's where the local Avis location is that I like to rent from when I get a great deal. I wound up getting a Toyota Corolla for five days. After I got the car, I proceeded to go back home to pick up my bags so I could finally hit the road again. After doing so, I met up with my pal who we affectionately call the King. He was visiting his mother before he went away for the day. After I picked him up, I drove to Staten Island so I could pick up fellow Stampeder & friend of mine, Paul Sanders. Quite amazingly, he finally got to meet the King for the very first time. I arrived at his house at 1:15PM. He got in & we proceeded to drive down to Baltimore, Maryland. We arrived in the neighborhood of Canton-Fells Point at 4:45PM. We wound up having dinner at Looney's Pub which has been a royal tradition thanks to our friend, Peter Agnew who lives a few blocks away from there. We all enjoyed our pre game meal before we headed over to Oriole Park at Camden Yards which as far as I'm concerned is the best of the modern retro ballparks. As for me, I had their grilled stuffed salmon which came with broccoli & I was able to substitute red skin bliss potatoes for the salad which is what it normally comes with it as you can see. It was delicious. After we finished eating, I drove us all there. I want to personally thank Peter for getting us the tickets & a parking pass which came in handy. As I like to say, teamwork makes the dream work.

Looney's Pub

Peter Agnew, The King, Me & Paul Sanders

Grilled Stuffed Salmon with broccoli & red skin bliss potatoes

Since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened up in 1992, I've been fortunate to say I've seen at least one Oriole game there every year. It's been a difficult task the last few years for me to maintain that distinction. This season was no different. After exhausting all my options, I decided that August 3rd would be my best chance to extend the streak & keep my annual tradition in tact. The only thing that could prevent me from doing so was mother nature. She tried her very best to put a damper on my plan. Thankfully despite a few rain delays combining for an hour & 42 minutes worth of wasted time, the Orioles were able to get their game against the Detroit Tigers in. The Orioles fell behind 7-0 early. They fought back but their comeback came up short as the game ended just past midnight. Not what I had I mind with a long drive awaiting me. After the game, the King took a Greyhound bus back home & I wound up driving our friend Peter home. Thankfully he only lives a few miles from the ballpark. By the time I got back by the ballpark it was 12:50AM. Paul & I continued on our way towards Dayton, Ohio where we planned to be Friday night. 

View from Section 340 row 22 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

We wound up driving to Belpre, Ohio which is 320 miles from Baltimore & a short distance from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Paul's brother, Greg lives there. He was kind enough to let Paul & I stay at his house. I was originally planning to arrive there around 4AM. Due to mother nature, we finally pulled onto his driveway at 6:30AM. He was outside waiting for us. I was totally exhausted. We wound up getting some sleep before continuing our the journey to Dayton.

Stay tuned for another special post that will go into further detail on how that day unfolded.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees baseball doubleheader in Reading, PA & Baltimore in June!‏

The King & I drove to Carlisle, PA after we left Cincinnati Sunday night, June 8th. We spent the night at a Travelodge there which put us a little over an hour away from Reading. Since we ate so well at the Champions Club at Great American Ballpark, we didn't need to stop to eat along the way. That worked out well since we had to get to Reading, PA aka Baseballtown early Monday morning for their traditional 9:35AM game at First Energy Stadium. Back in February we stopped by the ballpark which was covered by snow. We knew when June 9th rolled around that we would be back there for that game. True to our word, there we were. I decided to take that day off from work so I could make it. That day the Reading Fightin Phils, the Phillies Double A affiliate in the Eastern League hosted the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the San Francisco Giants farm team. Upon arrival when we got inside in front of the press box, we saw our pal Bryan Gilligan who drove himself there from Westchester, NY where he lives. As always, it was nice to see him again. 

Here I am in February & in June

First pitch 9:36AM

As for the game we saw, the Fightin Phils took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Flying Squirrels answered right back with four in the top of the second inning. They extended their lead to 5-2 with a run in the third inning before the Fightin Phils fought back. They scored two in the bottom of the sixth, they tied it with a run in the seventh ‎& they capped off the comeback with a three run double by right fielder Peter Lavin in the bottom of the eighth as he wound up being the hero as the Fightin Phils went on to defeat the Flying Squirrels, 8-5.

                                                                                        

After the game, the King ‎& I drove towards Baltimore where we saw another baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as the Orioles opened a series with their division rival, the Boston Red Sox. On the way there, we stopped off in Lancaster, PA. By doing so, I got to visit my parents for an hour or so. It worked well since we had some time to kill & it was right on the way. I'm glad I got to spent some precious time with them.  After we said our goodbyes, we continued on to Baltimore. 

On our way to Baltimore we ran into some rush hour traffic which delayed us twenty minutes to a half hour. With that being said, we wound up parking the car on the street in the neighborhood shortly after 5PM. The King & I were hungry so we stopped off at Pickles Pub which is right across the street from the ballpark for dinner. ‎Luckily we were able to get a table since it was jam packed. I had grilled tuna along with some chicken wings. We also had a pitcher of a pale ale beer. It was our first time there. I've heard good things about it. We hope to go back there someday if & when time allows.

When we got done, we walked over to Oriole Park ‎ & we went inside to see the game. We had tickets in advance so it made for an easy entry. Upon arrival, we went up to section 336 which is right behind home plate. We wound up meeting our friend Phil Butleman there. He was supposed to join us for the weekend but he bailed out at the last minute. He took Greyhound down there. We gave him a ride home. It was good to see him again.

View from Section 336

As for the game we saw, it was a quick one for a change. We saw a well pitched game by Orioles' starter Bud Norris who allowed three hits over eight shutout innings. He got some offensive support thanks to the long ball. His teammates supplied the power as Adam Jones hit a solo homer in the first inning, Nick Markakis added a two run blast in the fifth & Ryan Flaherty rounded out the scoring with a solo shot in the seventh inning. They all came against Red Sox starter & loser Jake Peavy who pitched pretty well. The Orioles beat the Red Sox, 4-0 in a mere two hours & twenty one minutes. That's just what I needed since I was getting up early to go back to work that Tuesday morning.

Stay tuned as I fast forward to the end of June when I got to take a break from seeing a sporting event.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to see the battle of the birds!

Sunday afternoon July 14th after I had a great breakfast at Eichenkranz Restaurant, I went to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to see the battle of the birds. The Baltimore Orioles were hosting the Toronto Blue Jays in the last game before the All-Star break. After I parked the car on the street in the neighborhood, I started walking over to the ballpark. It didn't take me long to start sweating. It was a hot day outside.

Upon entry into the ballpark, I got an Oriole hat they gave out. As a result, I was able to wear it to cover my head from the sun. I very rarely wear a hat but I thought it was a wise decision to do so on this day. I proceeded to walk out to the team store out in right field so I could get my MLB passport book stamped & validated for my visit.

My stamp & validation from Camden Yards

Once I was done, I headed upstairs to the upper deck so I could sit behind home plate under the overhang in the shade. When I finally got up there, I was sweating from the heat. Luckily as the day went on it, a breeze started to blow which made it more tolerable.

View from section 336 

As for the game I saw, the Orioles set the tone early after they got the Blue Jays out in the top of the first inning. The Orioles responded with four runs off Josh Johnson who started for the Blue Jays. The outburst included a two run double by first baseman Chris Davis who was wrapping up an amazing first half of the season. He added his league leading 37th home run a few innings later as the Orioles opened up a 6-0 lead. The Blue Jays got two back to make it a 6-2 game. The Orioles extended their lead to 7-2 when center fielder Adam Jones added a solo homer. The Blue Jays tacked on a few more runs late but they fell short as the Orioles beat them, 7-4. Starter Scott Feldman of the Orioles pitched seven and a third innings allowing three runs to earn the victory. Josh Johnson who gave up all seven runs in six innings took the loss.

Thankfully the game was played in a timely fashion for a change. It ended at 4:11PM. As a result, I was able to go to nearby Aberdeen to see a minor league game that was starting at 5:35PM.

Stay tuned for the details of that as my latest adventurous weekend getaway was winding down.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with more special people at Eichenkranz Restaurant in Baltimore!

After spending the night at Knights Inn in Somerset, Pennsylvania Saturday night July 13th, I got up Sunday morning and I drove 185 miles to Baltimore so I could meet up with my friends Peter & Carmen Agnew at the Eichenkranz Restaurant, which is located in the middle of a neighborhood on Fagley Street.

I got there around 11:30AM. Peter & Carmen arrived a little before me so they could hold a table & they told them I was on my way there. That way I was still able to order breakfast. We were waited on by Rose who loves seeing me when I come in. She loves hearing my accent when I place my order.

I sat down and I had bacon and eggs over hard with home fries and pancakes. It was excellent.

More importantly, I got to spend some precious time with Peter & Carmen. I know they love to see me when I'm in town. I was going to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to see the Orioles play the Blue Jays at 1:35PM that afternoon. With that being said, I arranged to go out of my way to meet up with them.

It worked out well as I had just enough time to drive back to the neighborhood near the ballpark where I parked the car.

I want to personally thank Peter & Carmen for joining me. It's always great to see them.

Stay tuned for the special post that will recap the game I saw at Camden Yards that afternoon.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty closes out the month of June with a two city baseball doubleheader!

Back on Sunday June 30th, I rented a car for eight days so I could have it for the Fourth of July weekend getaway I had planned. I wound up getting a royal upgrade when I went to pick up the car. I wound up renting a Hyundai Sonata which was equipped with XM radio from Dollar Rent a Car by LaGuardia Airport. I would have rented from Avis but it was cost effective and more convenient to go to Dollar this time.

By getting the car when I did, I was able to avoid the extra expense of the outrageous holiday weekend pricing. With that being said, it always pays to plan ahead. You snooze, you lose. That's just a word to the wise. Royalty knows the tricks of the trade all year round.

In early June, I found out that the Baltimore Orioles were playing the New York Yankees on Sunday night baseball at 8:05PM. As a result, I decided to rent a car from Dollar a day earlier than I originally planned too. That way I could drive the King and our pal Bryan Gilligan to Baltimore after we all went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Nationals in the afternoon.

As for the Mets/Nationals game, we were joined by my buddy Tolu Robertson who stayed over to see his Nationals play again at Citi Field. After he saw the Mets beat his team Saturday, he was hoping to see them get even on Sunday. Thanks to my pal Gio Gonzalez who started the game, they did indeed. With that being said, stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about Gio. He always warrants & gets plenty of royal treatment on my blog.

Gio Gonzalez vs. Zack Wheeler

As for the game we saw, the Nationals whipped the Mets, 13-2. Zack Wheeler made his first home start for the Mets that day. He looked good in the first inning then the Nationals proceeded to toss him a beating much to delight of Tolu & I because Gio was the benefactor of the much needed offense after a rough beginning.

Since the game was well in hand and Gio was done for the day after he pitched seven strong innings there was no need for us to stay to the bitter end. The score was 10-0 Nationals when we checked out of Citi Field. In retrospect, it turned out to be the right move because we had some pockets of traffic which caused delays as we drove to Baltimore. I did my very best to get us there on time but that wasn't possible given the circumstances. I did drop off Bryan & the King so they could get inside ASAP. They wound up missing a few batters. As for me, I missed the whole first inning. That's the way it goes. You can't win them all. I tell it like it is so there's no need to lie. It is what it is.

As for the game we saw once we got settled in, the Orioles led 4-0. The Yankees sliced the lead in half late in the game. As a result, the Orioles called on their closer Jim Johnson who's been shaky thus far this season after he pitched so well for them last year to close it out. Thankfully for the Oriole fans on hand he was able to seal the deal without too much difficulty. By doing so, the Orioles completed a three game sweep of the Yankees. It should be noted not everyone in the building left happy. There were a good number of Yankee fans present and accounted at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Stay tuned for the special post of my latest encounters with Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees last regular season game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards!

Prince at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

After the King and I spent the night at Days Inn in Somerset, PA, we drove 180 miles to Baltimore, Maryland.

Upon arrival in the vicinity, we arranged to met up with our good friends, Peter and Carmen Agnew at the Eichenkranz Restaurant for breakfast. We got there around 11:15AM. We got to spend some quality time with some special people we're fortunate to know. As always, it was great to catch up with them. The only disappointing part was that my girlfriend Rose who normally waits on us wasn't there because she was on a cruise. Rose loves my accent when I speak. Despite that, we still got great service and food.

After we said our goodbyes to Peter and Carmen, the King and I drove over to the area near Oriole Park at Camden Yards where we parked the car in the neighborhood for free. On the way there, I took note of the increased cost for those who choose to pay to park their cars. With the Orioles having surprising success this season for the first time in fifteen years, the ballpark and surrounding area which includes the Inner Harbor is hopping again. Mind you, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a modern jewel of a ballpark. It was the original once they decided to built these retro style ballparks.

Thankfully I told the King to buy us tickets on Friday night when he was there because I expected a big crowd and I didn't want us to have to hassle with all the front runners who recently jumped on the Orioles bandwagon.

We parked the car around 12:45PM which gave us plenty time to make the 1:35PM first pitch.
The only thing we missed out on was the J.J. Hardy bobblehead doll they gave out to the first 20,000 fans 15 and over upon entry. That was no big deal for us. It's impossible to do everything.

When we went upstairs to the upper deck, we saw our pal Pat Gorman who was in the house to see his beloved Red Sox who were playing the Orioles. The Red Sox have been a big disappointment to say the least. Pat did arrive early enough to get a bobblehead doll though. I was happy for him that he did.
As for the game we saw, the Orioles needed to win to keep the pressure on the Yankees who they were battling for first place. Joe Saunders started for the Orioles, he set the tone early by getting the Red Sox out in order in the top of the first inning. Then in the bottom half of the first, Nate McLouth lead off with a home run to left center to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. After J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis singled, Adam Jones got hit by a pitch that loaded the bases with nobody out. Matt Wieters followed but he hit into a double play that made the score 2-0 Orioles. Veteran Jim Thome was up next and he came through with a big two out that rounded out the scoring as the Orioles lead 3-0 after one inning. The crowd was so fired up.

In the third inning, the Orioles tacked on more runs thanks to a lead off homer by J.J. Hardy who make it 4-0. Before the inning ended, Jim Thome came through with another clutch hit that gave the Orioles a 5-0 cushion.

The Red Sox finally got on the scoreboard as Cody Ross lead off the fourth inning with a homer to make it a 5-1 game. The Orioles answered right back as Chris Davis launched a homer to right center to extend the lead to 6-1. In the seventh inning, the Red Sox added a few more runs as Daniel Nava left the yard to pull the Red Sox within three at 6-3. By doing so, it ultimately set up a save opportunity for Orioles' closer Jim Johnson who came on in the ninth inning in pursuit of his 50th save of the season. Needless to say, he got it by pitching a 1,2,3 ninth inning as the Orioles kept pace with the Yankees who trailed but came back to beat the Blue Jays as they headed into the last three games all tied for first place.

After we left Baltimore, the King and I headed towards home but we made a pit stop in Philadelphia first.
Stay tuned for the wrap up of the rest of our Sunday as we closed out our September to remember in style.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Baltimore to see the Oakland Athletics play the Orioles!

Vincent Ascanio, Me, The King, Peter  Agnew & Frank Anichiarico

Saturday morning I went to Avis to rent a car for the weekend. I called them on my way so I could see if I could get a bigger car than I reserved.

I wound up having them hold a Crown Victoria for me. It worked out well since I had four other people come for the ride.

I got the car and I drove back home to get the King. We arranged to have our friends Al Linderman and Frank Anichiarico meet us there. We told our pal Vincent Ascanio to meet us by the 21st Street subway station in Queensbridge. He called that he was early so I went out and picked him up while we waited for Frank to come by.

It worked out well as Frank showed up at Noon and away we went.

On the way down South we ran into a big thunderstorm just North of Philadelphia on I-95. I thought I was back in Florida it was that bad.

After weathering the storm, we arrived in the Baltimore area around 4:30PM. We arranged to meet up with our friends Peter & Carmen Agnew for dinner at Looney's Pub in Canton/Fell's Point where they live. Since Carmen was going to Church at 5PM she didn't have time to eat with us. She wanted to say hello to us at least. It was great to see her again. She's such a wonderful person. Peter wound up ordering food for her to take out after we were all done eating.

As usual, the food was delicious. We ordered chicken wings which were made to order and they were damn good I must say. I had a piece of broiled orange roughy for dinner. The other guys went with burgers. They were very satisfied customers I might add. I asked them how their food was and I got plenty of positive responses.

Peter introduced us to John who's the manager at that location. I told him we love coming here. Why go somewhere else when you know what you're getting here. After trying plenty of other places, I know Looney's suits our eating and drinking needs best.

After we ate, we drove over to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to see the Orioles play the Oakland Athletics. Peter arranged to get us tickets for the game right behind home plate up near the top in the shade in section 336. He knows that's where we love to sit. Since he has season tickets for the Orioles he was able to exchange some unused tickets so he could accommodate us. That was very kind of him. For that, we were very grateful.

Peter decided to go home and wait for Carmen so she could have her dinner.

As for the game we saw, the Athletics beat up on the Orioles, 6-1.

The star of the game was rookie Yoenis Cespedes, the star from Cuba that the Athletics signed in the off season. I've seen him play briefly on TV a few times. This was the first time I saw him play live. What a thrill he was to watch. He can do it all for the young up and coming Athletics. On this night, he lead the way with his bat hitting a home run. He also hit a stand up triple as he raced around the bases like it was nothing. In addition, he made a great backhanded catch in center field after playing most of the game in left field.

I hope to see him play again but that may not be until next year. The main reason we went to Baltimore this time was because they were playing the Athletics. They come to Yankee Stadium for their only visit in September and the Mets are home at the same time. Since the King has a streak going to every home game at Citi Field except for one that he missed in 2009, he won't be able to see the Athletics play in New York. For that matter, he can't be in two places at the same time. As for me, I plan to be at Citi Field too. If not, I may go to a football game that weekend. We try to see every team play at least one game home or away if possible every year.

In retrospect, it turned out to be a wise decision to go to Baltimore. We got to see Yoenis Cespedes put on a show and we saw the original of the retro ballparks. Camden Yards is still the best of the new ones. It's a modern day Wrigley Field in comparison to the others. Quite amazingly, Oriole Park opened up way back in 1992. Time has literally flown by. I remember going there for the first time. They played the Mets in an exhibition game. This was my 85th game there over the years. I've seen at least one every year. As for the King, he's seen 150+ there including the first official game that opened the ballpark on April 6,1992 when the Orioles hosted the Cleveland Indians.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty reunites with ballpark chaser, Sharon McCard at Citi Field!

Sharon McCard with the King and I

Last August when the King and I went to Baltimore to see the Orioles play at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, we got to meet up with another ballpark chaser while we were there. Her name is Sharon McCard and she happens to be a big Met fan even though she lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania of all places. Ironically my parents have a place there too.

On Saturday afternoon, Sharon showed up at Citi Field for the first time. It was the 25th different ballpark she has been to she said. Some of them she's been to are no longer around. She still has a number of places to get to. She knows when she needs any assistance, royalty is here to help speed up the process.

She wound up driving to Philadelphia where she caught a bus that was taking people to the game. She said she was one of three Met fans that were on the bus. Since the Phillies were playing the Mets, it was an opportunity for their fans to take a road trip to NYC.

As a result, Sharon decided to join them. Even though the Mets lost two of the three games, she picked the right one to attend as it turned out. It must have been a tough ride back for the majority of the people on the bus who saw their Phillies lose.

As for their seats in the ballpark, they were sitting by the home run apple out in centerfield. Wisely she decided to give herself an upgrade. Despite being afraid of heights, she came up to the "royal" box if you will in section 516 row 3 where the King and I sit.

Luckily we had one open seat available for Sharon. She wound up watching most of the game with us. We enjoyed each other's company.

I want to personally thank Sharon for joining us. It was an absolute pleasure to have her.

Hopefully we'll hook up at a ballpark again soon.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman