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 w/o 12/17 in review

Monday morning after returning from Toronto at 4:30AM, I went to sleep for five hours or so. I got up and I went to Avis to return the car I rented. I wound up driving 1,063 miles safely. After I got done, I went to work for the afternoon.

After work, I went to Charley's Subs in Penn Station for my pre game meal before I went upstairs to Madison Square Garden. It was the return of Linsanity to NYC for one night since Jeremy Lin is now a member of the Houston Rockets. The King and I saw him play in Toronto the day before like I mentioned in my previous post. Lin didn't play well north of the border. I thought he was looking ahead to coming to New York to shine on the big stage. Apparently I was right because he reverted to the form he brought to the Knicks when he made a name for himself last season. He scored 22 points and he handed out 8 assists to lead his new team, the Rockets to a easy 109-96 win over the Knicks. The score wasn't totally indicative of the Rocket dominance on this night. They lead by as many as 27 points early in the fourth quarter. It was nice to experience another installment of Linsanity at the World's Most Famous Arena regardless of the outcome.

The Knicks played without Carmelo Anthony who was recovering from an injury. Chris Copeland picked up the slack by scoring 29 points all in the second half in his absence.

Tuesday night after work I met up with our pal Peter Agnew from Baltimore who was visiting NYC for the holidays. He told me he was coming a few months ago and he said he wanted to see the Barclays Center for the Brooklyn Nets. With that being said, I arranged to get him a ticket so he could join the King and I. I wound up meeting Peter at my office when I got out of work at 5:30PM. We both took the subway to downtown Brooklyn where the Barclays Center is located.

When we got outside we went across the street to the Atlantic Center Mall where we had dinner at AppleBee's since we had some spare time before the game started. As a result, we got to take advantage of their two for $20 dinner deals. Peter got a 7 ounce sirloin steak and I had the riblets. We also got mozzarella sticks as an appetizer and we had vegetables too. It was a hearty and worth wild investment.

After we ate, we walked back over to the arena and we went inside. Peter got to take a quick look around the concourse before we went up to our seats where we met up with the King.

As for the game we saw, the Nets were hosting the Utah Jazz. The Nets got off to a good start as they lead the Jazz, 24-20 after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 13 at halftime, 57-44. In the third quarter, the Jazz made a comeback as they closed the gap to 4, 74-70. In the fourth quarter, the Jazz went ahead late in the game. The Nets blew some golden opportunities to tie or take the lead but time ran out as they came up short as they fell to the Jazz, 92-90.

After the game, Peter took the train with us. He got off in Midtown where he was staying. The King and I said our goodbyes and we headed home. It was nice to see Peter again. Hopefully we'll see him again when we go to Baltimore.

Wednesday at work we had a Christmas party in the office in the afternoon. After I left, I went back to the Garden for the Battle of the Boroughs as the Brooklyn Nets were visiting MSG for the first time since they moved to Brooklyn. The two teams have split their first two meetings at the Barclays Center.

This time the Knicks got Carmelo Anthony back after he missed a few games due to injury. He wound up leading the way with 31 points as the Knicks pulled away from the Nets in the second half to come away with a 100-86 victory.

Thursday night after work my boss took our team out for dinner for the holidays. We had a nice get together. It worked out well since no local teams in the area were home so I didn't have to miss a game to go.
Friday night after work, I went back to MSG. On the way there, I met up with the King for dinner at Popeye's. We had some good fried chicken before we headed to the Garden to see the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls were playing without their superstar point guard Derrick Rose who's still recovering from a knee injury. He should be back soon.

As for the game we saw, the Bulls raced out to a big lead. They lead 30-23 after the first quarter. They went into the locker room at halftime with a 54-39 lead. In the third quarter, they added to their bulge as they lead, 83-61 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks lost their cool. J.R. Smith fouled out of the game with 7:09 left. With 6:45 left in the game, Carmelo Anthony picked up his second technical foul which resulted in an automatic rejection. Head coach Mike Woodson followed Anthony to the locker room with 5:22 to go when he got his second technical. It got worse as Tyson. Chandler and Joakim Noah got double technicals as they were also thrown out of the game. It was an ugly night for the Knicks who got whipped by the Bulls. The Knicks made a run down the stretch to make the score appear more respectable than it really was as the Bulls beat the Knicks, 110-106.

Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of the King and I getting to all the venues in all four major sports which included visits to Vanderbilt Stadium in  November 1998 when the Tennessee Oilers played there and as well as Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois when the Bears played there in November 2002.

When I got up in the morning, I did my laundry. The King and I decided to pass up an opportunity to see a bunch of local college basketball games. Instead we decided to take Metro North up to Bridgeport, Connecticut to see some minor league hockey at the Webster Bank Arena as the Sound Tigers were hosting the Adirondack Phantoms, the Philadelphia Flyers farm club. As a result, I got to meet up with my pal Greg Venuto who joined us. It was great to see him again.

As for the game we saw, it was a touching night because the Sound Tigers' players were wearing jerseys that had the names of the victims who were killed in that horrific scene at Newtown Elementary school on December 14th. In addition, they had a moment of silence to remember those who for no good reason are no longer with us. It was a nice tribute for an unfortunate day that occurred unexpectedly.

As for the game we saw, the Phantoms and Sound Tigers came out swinging at each other. Just 51 seconds into the game, the tempers flared & the gloves were dropped. At 2:07 into the period, another fight broke out as Brett Gallant and Zack Fitzgerald went off for five minutes. Things settled down for the rest of the period as far as fighting went. The Phantoms did get the lone goal of the period when Sean Couturier scored on a bad angle but the puck wound up in the net as Sound Tigers' goalie Anders Nilsson failed to make the save.

Matthew Ford of the Phantoms made it a 2-0 lead as he buried one 7:49 into the second period. At 11:37 of the period, another fight took place as Brett Gallant of the Sound Tigers and Zack Fitzgerald went at it again. Zack Fitzgerald continued to throw punches with his jersey over his head, as a result he got an additional ten minute misconduct for doing so.

In th third period, just 38 seconds in Eric Wellwood of the Phantoms scored while both teams were playing four on four to make it a 3-0 game. The Sound Tigers finally scored with 6:21 left in the game to break the shutout. They scored again 27 seconds later with 5:54 left to get within one at 3-2. Unfortunately for them they couldn't get the equalizer as time ran out.

Sunday afternoon the King and I went out to MetLife Stadium to see the Jets host the Chargers in a battle of two disappointing franchises.

As for the game we saw, the Jets' first drive of the game stalled. They punted the ball to the Chargers. Punt returner Micheal Spurlock ran it back 63 yards for a touchdown with 13:01 left to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead. The Jets got the ball back and they marched down the field 83 yards that ended with a one yard touchdown run with 9:20 left by running back Shonn Greene to tie the game at 7. With 4:13 left, Greene scored again as he ran in from a yard out to give the Jets a 14-7 lead.

In the second quarter, the Chargers got a 51 yard field goal from kicker Nick Novak to pull the Chargers within four at 14-10 with 8:32 left. The score stayed that way at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Chargers took the opening kickoff and they drove 81 yards that culminated with a 37 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Phillip Rivers to wide receiver Danario Alexander with 11:11 left to give the Chargers the lead, 17-14. Phillip Rivers hooked up with tight end Antonio Gates on a 34 yard touchdown pass with 1:34 left to extend the Charger lead to 24-14.

In the fourth quarter, the Chargers got a 27 yard field goal with 14:07 to go from Nick Novak to make it a 27-14 game. The Jets got a 40 yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk to get the Jets within ten, 27-17 with 11:08 left. Unfortunately for the Jets, that's the way it ended as their disappointing season took another step in the wrong direction.

It was a long day for quarterback Greg McElroy who made his first NFL start in place of Mark Sanchez who was benched. He got sacked 11 times which made it difficult for him to succeed.

After witnessing the Jet debacle, I went to the Garden to see the Knicks play the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As for the game I saw, the Knicks trailed the Timberwolves, 29-22 after the first quarter. They were behind at halftime, 55-46. In the third quarter, they sliced into the Timberwolves' lead as they got within two, 73-71 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks hung tough. They finally took a lead late in the game and they held off the Timberwolves, 94-91 when it was all said and done.

Carmelo Anthony led the way again for the Knicks with 33 points while J.R. Smith added 19 to carry them to the victory.

As for the Timberwolves, Nikola Pekovic had 21 points and he ripped down 17 rebounds in the losing effort.

With that another week of sports travel is in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the Washington Wizards play their Home Opener against the Boston Celtics at the Verizon Center!

Prince at Verizon Center

I got up early Saturday morning so I could call Avis up to see if they had any cars available to rent. They said they did on a first come first served basis. I wound up getting a Crown Victoria for the weekend. I took a few buses and a train to get there. I arrived there just after 9AM. On my way there, I saw so many trees that got knocked down as a result of Hurricane Sandy. When I finally arrived at Avis which is located at a gas station, they still had no power and no gas. Despite that, cars were lined up all the way down the block waiting for them to get a supply of fuel. It was unbelievable. Once again, I counted my blessings.

I wound up getting the car with a quarter of a tank of gas. Thankfully I went to pick up the King and away we went. We drove into New Jersey as the remaining gas was dwindling away. We wisely decided to get on the NJ Turnpike for a little while. By doing so, we were able to luckily get gas. It wasn't easy but once again we were blessed. We had a car with a Pennsylvania license plate that ended in an odd number. At Noon in Northern New Jersey that day, they started allowing people to get gas with odd license plates only. We patiently waited on a line on the shoulder of the exit to the rest area for an hour and sixteen minutes starting at 12:07PM before we got our chance to get some gas. While we were waiting a state trooper looked at everybody's plates to make sure they were odd. The car behind me apparently wasn't so they were kicked off the line. We were so fortunate. Five minutes later at 1:28PM we finally got enough to get us to Laurel, Maryland which is located between Baltimore and Washington DC. I knew the gas was a lot cheaper there so we filled up before we continued on to DC.

We originally planned to go to see the University of Delaware play football on the way to DC but Hurricane Sandy spoiled that idea. We ironically past by the stadium area after we stopped off at McDonald's for an early dinner. We saw people heading back to their cars so the King yelled out and asked them who won. A few ladies responded it wasn't us. In other words, the Delaware Blue Hens lost to the visiting Towson Tigers. The King looked it up on his phone and we found out that they lost 34-27 in overtime. It was a long game. It seemed like a blessing in disguise that we couldn't make it.

We continued on as we finally got to DC just before 6PM. We went to see the Wizards play their home opener against the Boston Celtics at the Verizon Center.

Our friend Peter Agnew has season tickets for the Wizards was able to get us a pair of tickets at his season ticket price which worked out well for us. Unfortunately he was away so he couldn't join us. We were grateful for his kindness as always.

As for the game we saw, the Celtics raced out to a 17-2 lead. It appeared that the Wizards were going to get blown away. Surprisingly, the Wizards managed to hang around most of the game. They trailed 26-12 after the first quarter. They got within seven points at halftime, 49-42. After three quarters, they pulled within four at 71-67. In the fourth quarter with three and a half minutes to go, they tied the game at 84 as Jannero Pargo hit a basket. Moments later teammate Kevin Seraphin gave the Wizards their first lead of the game, 86-84. They didn't score again as Paul Pierce buried a three pointer to give the Celtics an 87-86 lead. They added a few throws late as they emerged victorious, 89-86 to spoil the Wizards' home opener.

After the game we drove to Somerset, PA where we spent the night before we continued onward to Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday.

Stay tuned for the special post that will recap the rest of this adventurous getaway.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty entertains special people at Prudential Center for Nets Basketball!

Don Allen, his Grandson Jack and I 

When I was going to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins back on March 31st, I got a call from my good friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore. He asked me if I could help out an old friend of his. I told Peter without hesitation absolutely. He said I'll have my friend Don Allen get in touch with you by e-mail. I told him that sounds like a plan.

With that being said, that Monday I got an e-mail from Don. He told me he wanted to take his 18 year old grandson Jack to some sporting events during the week because he came up from Northern Virginia to visit and he wants to spend some quality time with him.

Peter had told him about the King and I. He said these guys see more sporting events live than anybody he knows. They can guide you along the best.

With that being said, I replied back to Don's initial e-mail he sent me and we got the ball rolling towards making this dream a reality. I gave Don a number of options to choose from. Mind you Don isn't a sports fan so he didn't know exactly what I was talking about. I asked him what teams his grandson Jack liked. He told me he likes the Islanders, the Knicks, the Nets and the Mets.

With that being said, I went to work to figure out a way to accomodate Jack's needs and wants since his grandpa Don was willing to go for the ride and have a great time regardless of where they wound up going to.

I told him tickets shouldn't be hard to find to see these teams play except for the Knicks. Luckily I had a few extra Knick tickets available so I told Don we'll work out a fair deal so you can spend Easter Sunday at Madison Square Garden with your grandson Jack when the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls in the afternoon.
In addition, he said he wanted to go to see the Nets and Mets play since I told him they were home too. We wrote each other back and forth so we could arrange to meet up since I was going to the Net game that Friday night at the Prudential Center after work.

Since it was Good Friday, I got out of work early at 3PM. I told Don I want to go home fast after work and then I could meet him near the Prudential Center for the Net game. He wrote back to me and said unless you have a prior commitment I want to treat you for dinner. I was beside myself to say the least. I gathered myself and I gave him a few options. He said how about we meet up at the Edison Ale House which is right next to the Prudential Center at 5:30PM. I said you got a deal. I'll see you there then. Being such a precise planner, I managed to arrive there right at 5:30PM. I got to meet and greet Don and Jack who were already seated at a table. Before we ordered our food, Don and I conversed. He said he looked at my blog. I was speechless for a moment. He said just from reading it I know you're a sensitive person. I agreed with him. I told him I am especially when it comes to different people's needs and wants. I have a marketing degree and I practice what I preach. I'm an upfront and honest person. That's who I am. He continued to praise me based on my writing ability. I felt so proud.

Meanwhile his grandson Jack was sitting there taking this in. He unfortunately didn't have much to say. I knew he had a problem which made me even that much more willing to bend over backwards to do whatever I needed to in order to make him happy.

After we enjoyed a delicious meal together, we walked out to look for a few tickets for Don and Jack so they could get into the building to see the Nets play the Washington Wizards. After a few minutes, I saw a familiar face, my friend Bob aka Doc as we know him was there. He tried to help me get them tickets. Moments later a security guard by the door said he had some extra tickets. He was so kind to give them to us. I already had one. So now we were all set. Don was totally beside himself watching me in action.
We all went inside. Jack said he wanted to sit downstairs. With Doc's assistance, Jack's request was fulfilled. We wound up sitting 13 rows up from the Net bench in section 10. A royal upgrade indeed.
As for the game we saw, the Nets found a team they could beat as they ran past the Wizards, 110-98.

After the game, I took the Path train back to Lower Manhattan where Don lives part time since he's semi retired he said, he has three different places to call home. One here in Battery Park, another near his daughter, Jack's mom in Northern Virginia and another place in Italy. He was a very interesting gentleman to say the least.

We parted ways for the night but we arranged to meet at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon so Jack could see the Mets play.

Stay tuned for the other special posts I'm going to do about the continuation of that plus the rest of the amazing holiday weekend I enjoyed.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

The Winter Classic Experience

Me in the Crowd at Winter Classic

On January 1, 2008 the NHL decided to stage a unique event that being the Winter Classic in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium which is the home of the Buffalo Bills.

Thanks to my pals Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell who are Sabre season ticket holders, they were able to secure tickets for my friend the King and I to see this unique event.

The experience that day was priceless. Despite not feeling our best, we still braved the elements on this day to see hockey history in the making. With snow falling during the game, the ice needed to be repaired numerous times but that didn't stop the game from being a big hit. A record crowd of 71,000 were on hand to witness it.

The game wound up being decided in a shootout as the Penguins beat the Sabres, 2-1 as Sidney Crosby scored the game winner.

On January 1, 2009 the NHL decided to do another Winter Classic. This time they chose Wrigley Field in Chicago as the site of the event. The Chicago Blackhawks took on their original six rival, the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately I didn't get to witness this one in person. I did watch it on TV with deep regret.
Since the game was at a smaller venue, the ticket prices were rather pricey. That coupled with the fact I live in NYC, it's a long drive to Chicago and mother nature can always play her tricks. In addition, my friend the King who happens to be a Red Wing fan thought he was going to have to work so we decided it was better not to go.

Ironically we met up with Andrew Van Cleve a few years ago when we visited Chicago. He was at that Winter Classic. I wish we knew each other then.

As for the game that day, the Red Wings beat the hometown Blackhawks, 6-4 in the highest scoring Winter Classic game.

On January 1, 2010, the tradition continued. This time the Winter Classic was played at Fenway Park in Boston as the Philadelphia Flyers invaded Beantown to play the Bruins.

Once again the King and I decided to go. We wound up buying tickets at the last minute on Craiglist because we were concerned about the weather.

Thankfully mother nature cooperated. It turned out to be a beautiful winter day. The temperature was a comfortable 36 degrees which made for a wonderful setting. We had the privilege of sitting towards the back of the grandstand near first base which was the corner of the rink. We had the Green Monster staring us right in the face.

As for the game, the Flyers lead 1-0 into the third period. Late in the period, the Bruins evened the score at one. This one was decided in overtime as the Bruins found the net in the extra session as they sent the natives home happy, 2-1. It should be noted their were a number of Flyer fans in attendance as well who had a long ride home after the loss.

As for the King and I, since we didn't have a real rooting interest so we got to enjoy the outcome regardless of who won.

On January 1, 2011, the Winter Classic returned to a bigger venue. This one was played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh which is the home of the Steelers. The Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals.

This game was originally scheduled to start at 1PM like the others. Unfortunately mother nature was up to her tricks again. This time the temperature was in the 40's and rain was expected. With that being said, they decided that with the rain suppose to clear out by the evening, they changed the starting time to 8PM. By doing so, this turned out to be the first Winter Classic in prime time.

As for the King and I, we got to go again. This time our friend Peter Agnew who has season tickets for the Capitals said he didn't want to go. He asked us if we wanted to buy the tickets he was offered. We instantly told him yes.

We wound up sitting in the upper level with other Capital fans. They did a nice job distributing the tickets for this game. It seemed like every other section was divided by each team's fans. By doing that it made for a fair view for everybody who was able to be part of this unique experience. They drew a crowd of 68,000.
As for the game, the hometown Penguins came up short as the Capitals won, 3-1.

This year New Year's Day came out on a Sunday. With that being said, the NHL decided to move their Winter Classic game to Monday, January 2nd instead.

This time they went back to the baseball park setting as they chose to have the Philadelphia Flyers host the game at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies. The Flyers played the New York Rangers in the latest installment of the Classic. The game was scheduled to start at 1PM but since the weather conditions weren't ideal they decided to move the starting time to 3PM.

The King and I once again got to take part in the festivities. We were also joined by our friend Andrew Van Cleve who recently moved to Philadelphia.

The King and I got tickets with the help of season ticket holders that we know. Andrew found a person on Craigslist who sold him a ticket for face value.

Surprisingly it seemed like their were a lot more Flyer fans than Ranger fans at the game. We happened to be sitting around a lot of Flyer fans. There were a lot of people dressed up in their Flyer colors throughout the ballpark.

Don't get me wrong, there were a good number of Ranger fans in the building but with the ticket prices being really pricey I think that prevented some people from going to the game.

The experience is different than seeing a hockey game indoors. The outdoor game makes for a once in a lifetime scenario for those who have some spare money to burn. If you like the game of hockey, I strongly suggest that you go to a Winter Classic so you can see the experience for yourself.

As for the game, the Flyers took a 2-0 lead in the second period after there was no scoring for the first half of the game. The Rangers cut the lead in half at 2-1 after two periods. During the intermission, I ran into a guy I knew from New York who happens to be a big time Ranger fan. He said and I quote "this game isn't over yet." He turned out to be right. The Rangers proceeded to tie the game at two and then they got the eventual game winning goal as the Rangers hung on for the 3-2 victory.

In retrospect, I may regret not going to Wrigley Field in 2009 but I've been to the last three in a row. I hope to be able to keep going to see this unique event year after year. Time will tell.

If you plan to go, please take into account that many of the seats are bad. That's the nature of setting up a rink in a baseball and/or football stadium.

In a baseball stadium, the rink usually runs from across the outfield behind second base.

In a football stadium, the rink is laid across the gridiron between the 20 yard lines.

The bottom line is this experiment is working as the NHL now has a day it can call its own.

In the future, if you like hockey New Year's Day is the day you can see the sport outdoors. Hopefully they'll chose different locations and teams so it's more fair to the rest of the country.

I hope I've given you a reason to see for yourself what the Winter Classic experience is all about.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 12/19 in review

After work Monday night I went to Brooklyn to see some local college basketball. I saw the Terriers of St. Francis take on the Great Danes of the University of Albany. I wasn't alone. I was joined by the King and our court. On this night, the royal court consisted of our friends Phil Butleman, Doc Lombardi and Michael Longo who was with his parents. Michael was rooting on the Great Danes since he just started going to school at Albany in September.

As for the game we saw, the Great Danes raced out to a big lead in the first half. In the second half, the Terriers came roaring back as they took a brief lead with five minutes left in the game. They apparently ran out of gas as the Great Danes turned it back on as they beat the Terriers, 76-64 in front of a packed house on Opening Night.

Tuesday night after work I wound up going bowling with my co-workers as our boss took us out for our Christmas party at Lucky Strike. I hadn't bowled in a very long time. Quite amazingly, the first two balls I threw were strikes then the rust finally showed as I struggled to maintain a consistency the rest of the night. My co-workers were impressed with my form however. Regardless of the results, I had a nice time.

After work I went home Wednesday and Thursday night. I was able to rest up and recharge the batteries.
Friday after work I met up with my friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore who was in NYC visiting. We went to the Prudential Center out in Newark, NJ to see the Devils play the Washington Capitals, who happen to be Peter's team. He has season tickets for the them. It was Peter's first visit to the "Rock". It worked out well that the Capitals were playing that night. I arranged to get Peter a ticket for the game. It was nice to return the favor since Peter also gives the King and I and our friends the royal treatment whenever we go to visit him.

As for the game we saw, the Devils dominated the first two periods of the game as they took a 3-0 lead. The Capitals looked awful. But in the third period they finally woke up. They came back to tie the game at three. The game went into overtime but neither team scored in the extra session. The game was decided by a shootout as the Devils outlasted the Capitals in the skills competition as they emerged victorious, 4-3.

Stay tuned for the special posts I'm going to do about the Battle of NY on Christmas Eve and the return of NBA basketball on Christmas Day.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/7 in review

After enjoying a memorable weekend in Annapolis and Washington DC, I went back to work Monday. I left early so I could go back to the car I rented. I met the King and we drove down to Philadelphia to see the Eagles play the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

We met up with our friend Frankie Centola in Philly who arranged to get us tickets for the game.

As for the game we saw, it was a good one. The Eagles and Bears battled it out but when it was all said and done, the Bears escaped the City of Brotherly Love with a big win, 30-24.

As a result, our friends from Chicago, the Van Cleves were thrilled and relieved that their Bears' rose to the occasion on enemy territory. Nicole, Andrew and Dylan aka the Ultimate Sports Wife, Fan and Baby were there with us in spirit.

After the game, I drove the King to the Post Office at Grand Central Station here in NYC where he started work at 2AM. I then took myself home. I got some sleep then I had to go to Avis and return the car before it was my turn to go back to work.

Tuesday night after work tired and all I went to the Prudential Center in Newark to see the Devils play the Carolina Hurricanes. We wound up seeing a decent game as the Devils came out on top as rookie Adam Henrique scored the game winning goal with 3:19 left in third period to give the Devils the 3-2 decision in regulation time.

Wednesday and Thursday after work, I got to catch up on rest which was much needed after the busy weekend and start to the week I had.

Friday night after work I arranged to meet my Cousin Andy who joined me, the King and our friend Bryan Gilligan for the Devil game against the Washington Capitals. It was great to see him again. He always enjoys our company and the royal treatment we provide.

As for the game we saw, the Devils broke through first as they scored the first goal of the game when rookie Adam Larsson scored his first NHL goal to give them the early lead. The Devils were shut out the rest of the night as the Capitals turned it up a notch. They scored the equalizer late in the second period when their superstar Alex Ovechkin put the biscuit in the basket to tie the game at one.

In the third period, the Capitals' got a shorthanded goal early from Jason Chimera to take the lead for good. They added an insurance goal as they won the first game of the home and home weekend series, 3-1.

Saturday morning I woke up early and I went back to Avis to rent another car for the weekend.

I drove back and I picked up the King and we drove to Princeton, NJ for a college football game as the Yale Bulldogs were visiting the Princeton Tigers.

The King and I had company as we got to see some of the many sports fans we know. I'm talking about Steve Tepperman aka Princeton Steve as we call him. In addition, we also had our pal Pat Gorman there as well as Richie Iannotta who happened to be present too. Last but not least we got to see a guy from Philadelphia we know as Sleepy Bob, who we haven't seen in a very long time. We all enjoyed each other's company.

As for the game we saw, the Yale Bulldogs held on this time as they beat the Princeton Tigers, 33-24 unlike when we saw them lose to Penn last month. The one bright spot for the Tigers was that we got to see history as their true freshman running back Chuck Dibilio ran for 178 yards on the ground and he scored three touchdowns. By doing so, he got himself into the history book as he became the first true freshman player in the history of the Ivy League to rush for over 1,000 yards.

After the game, the King and I drove down to Washington DC so we could the back end of the Devils and Capitals home and home series at the Verizon Center where tickets these days are hard to come by.

Thankfully our good friend Peter Agnew who has Capital season tickets was able to accomodate us. Since he was going to see Notre Dame play Maryland in a college football game at FedEx Field that night, his club seats were available. With that being said, the King and I decided to buy them from him.

It was our first time seeing a game there on the club level. It was a treat as we had a great view of the action. This time the Devils fell behind early 2-0 in the first period. They came back and tied the game at two after two periods. They played a scoreless third period and overtime.
The game was decided by a shootout which lasted four rounds before the Devils outlasted the Capitals, 3-2 to split the weekend series.

After the game, we drove to Aberdeen, Maryland where we spent the night.

Sunday morning we stopped off at the Waffle House for breakfast before we went to Philadelphia to see the Eagles try to keep their season alive. After losing to the Bears Monday night, the Eagles couldn't afford to lose again. This time they were hosting the Arizona Cardinals who I saw a few weeks prior in Baltimore where they blew a 21 point lead as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

This time the Cardinals fell behind by a touchdown early. They fought hard all game long despite their place kicker Jay Feely missing a few field goals. They persevered and when it was all said and done, the Cardinals delivered the knockout punch as they beat the Eagles, 21-17.

After the game, the King and I drove back up to MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands to see the Sunday night game between the Jets and their division rival, the New England Patriots.

The Jets' place kicker Nick Folk followed former Jet Jay Feely's lead as he missed a field goal on the Jets' first drive of the game after they went down the field like it was nothing. That miss set the tone for the evening as it turned out. The Patriots came into the game looking like they were beatable but the Jets couldn't find a way to beat them.

The Jets' hung tough in the first half. The second half proved to be a different story as the Patriots' made the necessary adjustments as they exploited the Jets on their way to a 37-16 triumph over their nemesis who knocked them out of the playoffs back in the middle of January. As a result, it appears the Jets hopes of winning the AFC East are a long shot now at best.

With that another royal week is in the books for the King and I.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/12 in review

After entertaining and enjoying company over the 9/11 weekend, I got back to my normal local routine as I went to Citi Field after work Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night.

As for the games I saw, the Mets played the surging Washington Nationals who recently got their young phenom Stephen Strasburg back after he underwent surgery that kept him out of action for a year. Ironically the King and I saw him last pitch in Philadelphia on August 21, 2010. That was first and only time we've seen him pitch in person. He looked great until he hurt his arm in the 5th inning.

Strasburg pitched in Washington on Sunday so he missed pitching at Citi Field. The Nationals didn't need him as they beat the Mets in the three games I saw them play. They won by the scores of 3-2 Monday and Tuesday night and 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Thankfully I was working Thursday afternoon as the Nationals completed the four game sweep of the Mets.
I went home after work to rest up Thursday night. I wound up with a rare Friday night off due to the odd schedule making. Both the Mets and Yankees were on the road for the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, the King and I were joined by our friends and royalty regulars Manny Morales, Frank Anichiarico and Al Linderman on Saturday as I rented a car from Avis for the weekend and I drove us down to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Before the game, we met up with our pal Peter Agnew who lives in Baltimore and his friend Jim who joined us as well. We all went to one of our favorite places when we go down there, that being Looney's Pub. As usual, the food and service was second to none. Billy the chef cooked us up some great chicken wings and burgers. Manny in particular was raving about it. It was music to my ears. Royalty aims to please not tease. When I write the script, people aren't disappointed with the results.

After we all enjoyed the great meal we headed over to the ballpark. I want to thank Peter for accomodating us all by getting us the tickets. As always, he gave us his version of royal treatment.

I always looking forward to going to Baltimore just so I can meet up with Peter. He's such a good man.
After the game we saw which the Orioles won 6-2, we drove back home. The game was over in the first inning as the Orioles scored five runs off Angels' starter Ervin Santana who the King and I saw throw a no-hitter in Cleveland on July 27th. After getting roughed up in the first inning, Santana settled down but he dug too deep of a hole for himself and his team to dig out of. Zach Britton of the Orioles pitched well for seven innings allowing just three hits and one run to earn the victory.

Sunday the King and I went to MetLife Stadium to see the Jets play the Jacksonville Jaguars. We met up with our friend and royalty regular, Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich who joined us for the Jet game.
The Jets came out like a house on fire as they built an early 9-0 lead early in the first quarter. They went on to cruise to a dominant 32-3 beating of the Jaguars. It was quite a contrast from their subpar opening game performance against the Cowboys which they were very fortunate to win.

After the game, we drove down to Philadelphia to see the Phillies play the Cardinals in Sunday night baseball at Citizens Bank Park.

The Cardinals were trying to keep their playoff hopes alive and they did by beating the Phillies, 5-0 behind Chris Carpenter who threw eight shutout innings to earn the victory for the Redbirds.

After the game, I drove us back home and another week was in the books.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to write about a guy who always makes our visit to Citi Field worth it the moment he greets us when we step foot on the premises.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty starts 2011 with an added surprise!‏





Prince at Youngstown State



Prince at Winter Classic























 

When we were in Columbus, Ohio on New Year's Eve we found out that the Winter Classic in Pittsburgh was moved from 1PM to 8PM due to mother nature. Rain was in the forecast mainly during the afternoon.

As a result, we received a call from our friend, Manny Morales, who informed us that there was a college basketball game at Cleveland State at 2PM.

Shortly thereafter our friends Mike & Alicia Irr from Pittsburgh told us that there was a college basketball game at Youngstown State at 1:05PM.

I quickly figured out the distances of both places and I decided that since we were staying in Washington, Pennsylvania that Youngstown State was the way to go.

By doing so, we got to see a rare Penguin doubleheader.



First we saw the Youngstown State Penguins play the Ramblers from Loyola of Illinois.

When we arrived at the arena, the King and I were already to pay $8.00 to get in the building. The lady said here you go it's free today. She proceeded to give us tickets and we walked in.

What a way to start the New Year. We got to attend another sporting event and the price was right. What a pleasant surprise.

Based on the Penguin's performance, we got our money's worth. The Ramblers wound up blowing away the Penguins, 83-53.

After we got back to the car, I called our friends Mike & Alicia Irr in Pittsburgh who were attending the Winter Classic at Heinz Field too.

We wound up meeting them at McKees Rocks, which is located right outside of downtown Pittsburgh for dinner at Eat' N Park. We passed through Neville Island for the first time in order to get there.

After dinner we made our way over to Heinz Field to see the Washington Capitals take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Thankfully mother nature was cooperative enough that they were able to get the whole game in without any stoppages.

It was rather warm and it did manage to rain a little bit in the third period but the show still went on. 

The NHL did a tremendous marketing job once again making this special event possible. Royalty was happy to be part of it for the third time in four years. We saw the first Winter Classic in Buffalo in 2008. Last year we were in Fenway Park. This year was Heinz Field. Now the question is where will the next one be. We hope it's right in our backyard. We'll have to wait and see.

As for this one, the Capitals and the Penguins put on a nice display of hockey outdoors. The NHL has find a way to get people to watch hockey by having this unique event.

It was a festive atomosphere as the tickets were divided up evenly. It appeared like the fans of each team were sitting together in every other section. In other words, one section had mostly Penguin fans and the next section was mainly Capital fans and so on around the building.

We sat among many Capital fans since our friend Peter Agnew who lives in Baltimore, has season tickets for the Capitals. Back in the summer, the Capitals gave him an opportunity to purchase tickets for this unique event. He decided to pass on going to the game. As a result, he asked us if we wanted to buy the tickets. Needless to say, we gladly said yes. Our only concern was the weather. Luckily it worked out in the end.

I want to thank Peter for taking care of us. Peter and his lovely wife Carmen are good people. We always try to get down to Baltimore and/or Washington D.C. so we can spend some quality time with them. On the other hand, they love to come up to NYC because they're big fans of the Opera. When they do, we always make time to see them.

As for the game we saw, the Capitals wound up winning 3-1 before a crowd of 68,111!

The league's two superstars Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals didn't even score a point.

As a result, other players such as Eric Fehr of the Capitals who scored two goals was the hero. Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves in goal for the Caps. The Penguins only goal was scored by Evgeni Malkin.

It was a bad day and night to be a Penguin.

After the game, we drove back home so we could attend the Jet game against the Bills at the New Meadowlands Stadium at 1PM.

I wound up dropping the King off at 7:15AM. I got home at 7:40AM. Since I was planning to return the car around 10AM I decided not to go to sleep.

I unpacked my stuff, took a shower and I ate breakfast before I returned the car.

After that I took the bus to the subway to the Port Authority Bus Terminal to go to the game.

The Jets decided to rest many of their key players in this one. It seemed more like a preseason game. The Jets went on to whip the Bills, 38-7!

After the game, I went back by LaGuardia Airport to pick up my car that I had left when I went to Chicago the week before.



I got home at 6:45PM. I ate dinner then shortly thereafter I went to sleep so I could catch up.

What a way to start 2011.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Ravens squeak past winless Bills in OT, 37-34!

I'm at the Ravens Nest

After seeing a college football doubleheader in the State of Virginia, I made my way to Baltimore, Maryland to see the Ravens take on the winless Buffalo Bills.

I wound up getting hooked up with a Club seat for the game thanks to my friend Peter Agnew who has season tickets for the Ravens.

It was the first time that I got to enjoy the Club level at M&T Bank Stadium. I normally sit in the upper level when I go there. This was a pleasant surprise and I was very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the game from the middle level.

As for the game, the Ravens Ed Reed made his season debut. He intercepted a few passes.

The winless Bills were trying to get into the win column for the first time this season.

They lead 17-3 in the second quarter. They blew the lead but they managed to get the game into overtime before they eventually lost.

Ray Lewis stripped the ball from the Bills in overtime which helped set up the game winning 38 yard field goal with 10:54 left in overtime by Billy Cundiff to give the Ravens the victory.

At halftime, the Ravens had a ceremony to honor the 10th Anniversary of their Super Bowl XXXV team who beat the Giants 34-7 in Tampa, Florida.

The King and I were there to see that Super Bowl so it was great to be a part of the celebration 10 years later.

They introduced a number of Ravens from that great team.

They included Jonathan Ogden, Peter Boulware, Trent Dilfer, Jamal Lewis and Matt Stover to name a few.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Ravens make a "Bold"in statement in first Monday Night Football game at New Meadowlands Stadium!

I'm in the house

After the Giants played the "first game"  at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Jets opened their regular season by playing the first MNF game there.

The Jets started this game well on defense they brought the pressure early and often but it was Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens who in the end came out on top in this one, 10-9!

The Jets forced turnovers but even when they had great field position they wound up settling for 3 Nick Folk field goals.

That's disappointing for a team with Super Bowl expectations.

The offensive game plan was horrible and way too conservative. I personally think Mark Sanchez is a good quarterback but that's when he's allowed to attempt to succeed. Monday night the Jets forgot to take the training wheels off.

Sanchez wasn't allowed to stretch the field. He threw too many short dink and dunk passes. He has a strong arm unlike Chad Pennington. Let him air it out. He has a potential big playmaker in wide receiver Bralyon Edwards. They need to utilize him. The one time they did, they committed an untimely penalty which nullified the big play.

The "L Train" LaDainlian Tomlinson was running well when he was given the chance to do so. Shonn Greene on the hand, fumbled a few times and they kept him on the sidelines too long. He finally came back in the game ice cold and he proceeded to drop a pass that was thrown to him.

The defense played well for the most part but they were forced to be on the field way too long since the offense couldn't stop sputtering.

I hope this was an aberration and the real Jets will show up to play as a team against the Patriots. We'll wait and see about that.

The team needs to be more disciplined going forward. They committed too many foolish penalities at inopportune times. The were flagged 14 different times for 125 yards. That's inexcusable and totally unacceptable. Rex needs to crack the whip.

The team took many dumb penalites on defense such as defensive holding and pass interference which were critical and gave the Ravens first downs when the defense could have been getting off the field.

Even with Darrelle Revis back on his island, his teammates were exposed all night. In particular, rookie Kyle Wilson and newcomer Antonio Cromartie who had a big interception that he returned for 66 yards to put the Jets in great shape to overcome their deficiencies on this night.

The Ravens in the off season made a bold statement when they traded for Anquan Boldin who played for the Arizona Cardinals. By adding Boldin they now have the depth on offense to spread the field for quarterback Joe Flacco.

Boldin in his Raven debut made his presence felt all night. He wound up with 7 receptions for 110 yards. In the process, he made life miserable for the Jets secondary and he forced them to have to pay close attention to his supporting cast too. It proved too much even for this great Jet defense to handle.

The Ravens now have many weapons in their arsenal. In addition, they recently picked up wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh who was released by the Seattle Seahawks. They join veterans Derrick Mason and tight end Todd Heap who looked like the Todd Heap of 5 years ago according to my friend and Raven fan Peter Agnew who joined me for this game. Heap was a beast. He finished the game with 6 catches of 72 yards.

When the Jets made a last gasp effort to try to overcome their mistakes,  Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis delivered a thunderous hit on Dustin Keller over the middle helping to seal the deal for the Ravens.

Lewis talked a big game beforehand and he backed it up as his team came out with the narrow victory.

Stay tuned all season to see if the Jets can rebound from this false start.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman             

Post game nightmare for those like me who took the NJ Transit train to the Jet game!

Mob of people attempting to get on the train after the Jet game

Everybody in the media will tell you how great it is to see a game at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

I can agree with that to a point.

Let it be know that the media won't tell you the real facts about going to and from the game. When you go to the Meadowlands be prepared for an adventure regardless of your mode of transportation.

That's where yours truly comes in.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Giant game on Sunday afternoon as well as the Jet game on Monday night.

I decided to take the train to the game for the first time on Sunday. I normally take the bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal since I don't have a parking pass and driving there and back is no bargain anyway. In addition, you still have to pay for gas and the ridiculous tolls tool. The train was $10.50 round trip. The bus is $10 round trip. Driving unless that's your only option costs a small fortune plus plenty of aggravation sitting behind the wheel in traffic.

All things considered it wasn't a really bad experience. I managed to get on the train with a minimal delay. I only waited around 20 minutes give or take. The ride from the Stadium to Secauscus Junction was 15 minutes then I had to walk around in a maze and wait to connect with another train that would get me  back to New York Penn Station. After that, I took the NYC subway back to Queens to my car which was parked on the street to get home. It took me around 2 hours from the time I got on line to wait for the train from the stadium to get home.

Monday night was a totally different story as you can see in the picture I took when I was still inside the stadium looking outside.

Yes, I took my time leaving the building. I hate to always be in a rush. After all, I was only going home.

Mind you I still had to wake up early to go to work.

When I saw the mob of people waiting for the train I was absolutely beside myself. I was with my friend Peter Agnew who came up for the weekend from Baltimore. He decided to join me at the game. I wound up meeting him at the seats. He told me he'll go with me after the game since he needed to get back to Secaucus Junction also. Thankfully he did  that way we kept each other company while we waited on line. He's a great guy and we got to talk during and after the game. He said after seeing the hell we had to go through here in the Meadowlands he's very grateful to have the Ravens play next to Camden Yards in downtown Baltimore where the accessibility is night and day. Peter has season tickets for the Ravens on the Club Level.

We finally got outside the stadium and we managed to join the mob scene. Fortunately for us we were able to join the line somewhere in the middle before the barricades were set up. We just kept following people until we were lined up properly. It was a free for all. Once we got in line things seemed to move along. It should be noted a number of people who were behind the barricades started jumping over to cut the line. Some did get stopped but they couldn't possibly have enough security to hold everybody back. There were literally thousands and thousands of people trying to get on the train.

As for the train setup, they have 3 tracks it appears but they weren't that organized to handle this incredible overflow of people. There were people on top of people it was unreal. As the picture tries to show, I wasn't making this up.

Peter and I finally got on the train around 11:25PM after waiting probably 45 minutes or so on the line that we got on. Please note we were able to pass thousands of others in the process. If not, god only knows what time we would have got back to Secaucus Junction where we had to connect with another train. Peter was going to Metropark, NJ where he was spending the night at a hotel with his wife. I was going to New York Penn Station to get the NYC subway back to Queens to get my car so I could  drive myself home. I wound getting home at 1:25AM.

Just think if it's possible to do so, that behind us were thousands of others that needed to get where they had to go. I can only imagine how long it took those people to finally get to their destinations.       

I'm sure nobody in the media was paid to write about this mess.

Their job is sell newspapers and shed a positive light on all situations.

My blog is here to educate, inform and entertain everyday people like myself who have to endure this type of transportation on a daily and nightly basis to go to work and/or play.

Welcome to the 21st century.

If you like to suffer, good for you.

I don't so I'm trying my best to clue you in if you decide to take the train to the game.

Do like I do always know before you go.

I hope you will listen and take my advice.

Remember don't always listen to the media.

When royalty speaks, I strongly suggest you listen.

If you do, I guarantee you'll be forever grateful.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 8/9 in review

Monday night I came home after work to recharge the batteries and to work on my blog.

Tuesday night after work I went to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Rockies. The Mets scored the only run of the game and they beat Cy Young Award candidate, Ubaldo Jimenez, 1-0! Jose Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the only run of the game. Mike Pelfrey pitched well shutting the Rockies out for 7 innings.

Wednesday night we saw a another good game until Met manager Jerry Manuel decided  it was time to over manage. The Mets behind 7 strong innings from Jonathon Niese lead 2-1 going to the 8th inning.

Thanks to Jerry Manuel the game got away as the Rockies scored 5 runs off the lousy Met bullpen. In particular, Manny Acosta who couldn't retire a batter and he gave up 3 runs. Instead of bringing his best relief pitcher, Francisco Rodriguez aka K-Rod, to get 4 outs he let the game slip away.

As a result, K-Rod exploded rightfully so in the clubhouse after the game. I'm happy he did. He wasn't given the opportunity to do his job that being to close the door or at least keep the game close so the Mets could still mount a comeback.

As for the rest of K-Rod explosion,  I totally disagree with his actions. He went overboard and he assaulted his father-in-law. He got arrested for doing so and he was suspended by the Mets without pay for 2 games.

Thursday I was working so I couldn't make the finale of the 3 game series that started at 12:10PM. About a month ago, our friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore asked me if I had an extra ticket for that game. He said he knew somebody who wanted to go and they were hoping to see Citi Field for the first time. I told Peter my ticket is available so I e-mailed his friend, John Marek, and I told him my situation.

John arranged to get the day off from work. I told him I would have a friend of mine meet him so he could get the ticket. I want to thank my friend Phil Butleman for being so accomodating in my absence.

As for John, he wrote me an e-mail afterwards. Here's what he said:

Hey Gary, Thanks again for having Phil meet me at Citi Field with your ticket. Make sure he gives you the $25. No really, I had a great time walking around the concourse before the game and taking in the Hall of Fame Museum afterwards. Not to mention the great performance by Johan Santana during the game. Mike had  10 opportunities to use his vocal chords and he did. The location of the seat was great too. All I had to do was wipe off the rain. Take care, John

That's just another example of giving royal treatment indirectly.

I'm very grateful that a good person was able to buy my ticket and he had a great time. That's priceless to me.

I hope to meet John in person someday. Phil told me he was a nice guy. I figured that since he was referred by Peter.

Friday I went back to Citi Field to see the Mets play their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. If you remember back in late May the Phillies went scoreless in 3 three games at Citi Field. To refresh your memory, here are the details.

The question ths time was will the streak continue? Yes, it did. Thanks to R.A. Dickey who out pitched Cole Hamels in a old time pitcher's duel. The Mets won the game, 1-0! Dickey gave up one hit to Cole Hamels in the sixth inning. What a performance that was!

For the second game in a row, the Mets starting pitcher went the distance. With K-Rod being suspended, the Mets didn't need him thanks to Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey.

More importantly, section 516 row 3 had some familiar faces too. Steve Work,  a Friday night regular, was present and accounted for but for some unknown reason his brother Jon was missing in action. I asked Steve a few times where he was. He said and I quote "I don't know." As I like to say, "it was his loss."

As for Steve & Jon, see the special post.

In addition, Manny Bonilla, the young man who I met a few weeks ago on July 31st was also in the house. I arranged to have him sit right next to me. It was another great time in the stands. His friend Arjun couldn't make it. He was away due to a family emergency. For more details, see this post.

Saturday night I was back at Citi Field to see the Phillies behind their ace pitcher, Roy Halladay shut down the Mets, 4-0! Pat Misch who was called up from Buffalo, the Mets Triple A affiliate was the hard luck loser. 3 of the runs he gave up were due to 2 costly errors. The Phillies finally broke their scoreless streak at Citi Field with 2 outs in the third inning. They went 38 and 2/3 innings without scoring.

More importantly, I had the luxury of seeing Manny Bonilla again and this time his friend Arjun was back in town and present as well at Citi Field. Despite the Mets failures, it was a fun night.

In addition, I was talking to some Phillie fans who were seated in row 4. They came up from Philadelphia to see the game. I told them about my blog and I gave them my business card. I didn't catch all their names but I remember hearing Andy and Brian.

Furthermore, during the game I got to speak to a few Met fans as well they were Dan Maimon and his friend Tim who said he was from Buffalo. I look forward to seeing these guys in the future at Citi Field.

Sunday it was Sunday Night Baseball at Citi Field thanks to ESPN. Luckily, they managed to get the game in without a rain delay. It didn't really rain very hard most of the night but it was annoying to have to sit and watch the game in it.

As for the game, Jose Reyes was the Mets offense. He did hit a solo home run that accounted for all the Mets scoring. He lead off the game hitting a ball to short left field that fell in for a hit. With Reyes' speed he should have had a double or at least he could have looked like he was trying to get one. Yes, the infield was getting muddy at the time but that didn't stop him from trying to steal second base. He got caught. I was so happy that he did for his lack of hustle on the hit.

Mike Pelfrey pitched well again for 7 innings but the Phillies managed to get a few clutch 2 out hits to give them a 3-1 victory. The Phillies took 2 out of 3 from the Mets. With the loss, the Mets fell further behind in the playoff race.

As for company in the stands, for the third straight game my new friend Manny Bonilla was in the building. He told me baseball is his passion. He met the right people to help him achieve his goals. He's a welcome addition. He said he'll be back during the next homestand.



 

                   

Nationals Park on the 4th of July!

Nationals Park

We were in our nation's capital on the Fourth of July.

After getting some sleep in Somerset, Pennsylvania, it was time to go to Washington D.C.

Unfortunately the weather was going to be brutally hot so our good friend Peter Agnew from Baltimore decided he would pass on the opportunity to join us.

We were looking forward to seeing Peter. We'll catch up with him next time we're down South.

As they say the show must go on. Royalty braved the elements and watched the Mets play the Nationals.

After taking an 8-0 lead, the Mets had to hold on to win 9-5! The game took 3 hours and 49 minutes which barely gave us any margin for error since we were planning to go to Bowie, Maryland to see a minor league game luckily it was only 20 miles away.