Royalty returns to NYC after spending a week on the West Coast in August!

After the King, Duck & I came back from the West Coast on Sunday August 18th, we all went in different directions. Duck went home to rest up & relax. As for the King and I, I will go into further detail as you read on.

I returned the car rental Saturday night to the San Francisco airport around 10PM Pacific Time which meant it was 1AM Eastern Time on Sunday. We then took a redeye flight back to LaGuardia airport after a layover in Chicago O'Hare. I wound up having breakfast at McDonald's at the airport since we had some time to kill. We finally arrived back in NYC around 9:30AM. Shortly thereafter, I got a voice mail from American Airlines that said I needed to go to customer service by the baggage claim area. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me. I went there and they told me my bag got lost in Chicago. For that matter, so did the King's. Duck passed up the opportunity to check his bag with us. It worked out well for him that he didn't. The King & I normally don't check our bags but since we have credit cards with American Airlines, the bag fee is waived so we didn't have to pay. We may want to reconsider next time. Since we were taking public transportation back home, I didn't get too bend out of shape. After all, it was only my dirty laundry LOL. I had everything else I needed with me. More importantly, I was weighed down enough. In that regard, I truly felt blessed that it was missing.

After we had a short discussion, we were given instructions about how we can get our bags back. We then proceeded to take a few buses to get back home. I was really exhausted so when I got home at 11AM, I laid down for an hour. When I got up I took a shower. I got ready & I left the house so I could take the subway to Lower Manhattan. I planned to catch a 2:30PM boat to Staten Island where I went to see the Staten Island Yankees play the Tri City Valley Cats at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. The game was starting at 4PM. It worked out well as I got there with plenty of time to spare. I started looking around for a ticket when I saw my pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich who came along with an extra ticket for me. We shook hands and we spoke briefly before we headed inside the ballpark. He asked where the King was. I told him he decided to go to Brooklyn to see the Cyclones who were also home at 5PM that night. I prefer going to Staten Island and I thought I would get home earlier by doing so. More importantly, I got to take five different modes of transportation that day. That was a new personal record. Back on November 25, 2007, the King & I flew back from Dallas, Texas over Thanksgiving weekend. We took four different modes of transportation that day to get to Giants Stadium just in time for the Giants/Vikings game that Sunday afternoon. As a result, I found a new twist for my craziness. Now I'm finally writing about it.

As for the game I saw, the Staten Island Yankees wound up beating the visiting Valley Cats, 3-2 in 11 innings on a game winning home run by Eric Jagielo. With that being said, I wound up taking the 8PM boat back instead of the 7PM one that I was hoping to make. Tired and all I decided to stick out the game until it was decided.

When I finally got home that night, I barely beat the King back to the house.

What a way to wrap up an amazing week of traveling on the road and when I got back home.

Stay tuned for my week in reviews from the w/o 8/19, 8/26, 9/2 & 9/9. I plan to catch up eventually. Please bear with me.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/15 in review

Wednesday night after I returned to work I took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Baby Bombers at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees were hosting the Batavia Muckdogs. During the day, I got an e-mail from fellow roadtripper, Jim Wood who I met back in May at Citi Field. He told me he was going to be at the game. I told him I'll see him there. It turned out to be a festive occasion for him that night because he was seeing his 100th ballpark. I was thrilled to be part of his personal milestone. There was a small crowd on hand so we had plenty of room to enjoy each other's company as well as the game. We got to catch up on our whereabouts since we met in May. It's always fun to hear someone else's point of view from their travel experiences. Jim said he was working near Philadelphia the day before. When he got done with work, he went to see the Camden Riversharks play in an independent league game before he drove up to Staten Island. After the game he saw with me, he said he was driving to Aberdeen, Maryland to spent the night before he finished driving back home to Raleigh, North Carolina where he now lives.

As for the game we saw, the Muckdogs hung on to beat the Yankees, 8-6. They lead 8-1 after seven innings. They gave up four runs in the eighth and another one in the ninth on a home run by right fielder Yeicok Calderon before they got the next three Yankees out to escape with the victory.

After the game ended, Jim & I said our goodbyes. He went on his way and I was able to catch the 10:30PM boat back to Lower Manhattan.

Thursday night after work I went out to Coney Island on the D train to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at MCU Park. Before I got to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway for a pre game meal. When I got outside the park I ran into my pals Vincent Ascanio & Michael Abrams who were also there. When we got inside, we saw our buddy Domish who was present & accounted for.
Upon entry, I went right to the team store so I could get my new minor league 25 game passport book stamped & validated to prove I was officially there.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones fell behind, 1-0 in the second inning. The Scrappers added another one in the top of the fifth inning to go up 2-0. The Cyclones broke the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fifth as they trailed, 2-1. The Scrappers responded with three more runs in the top of the sixth as they went on to beat the Cyclones, 6-2.

Friday night after work I returned to Citi Field now that the All-Star break was officially over. I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for a few slices of pizza before I was greeted by my pal, Sam Citron at the Rotunda gate as the Mets opened a three game series with division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies who were in town for the weekend.

I proceeded to go up to the Fan Assistance booth behind home plate so I could get my Major League Ballpark Passport book stamped & validated. It was number 6 out of 30 for me as I continue to make the rounds to see all 30 current parks again.

When I finally got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by the King who was back from his latest road trip & his brother Henry who was visiting from Florida. Bryan Gilligan, Vinny Ascanio, David Sack, Alan Gimpel & Michael Carson were also on hand. It was a late arriving crowd mainly because of the post game concert they were having as they announced a gathering of 35,021. The performer was Nas, a rapper from Queens.

As for the game we saw, it was over fast for all intent and purposes as the Phillies scored early and often off Met starter Jeremy Hefner who got beat up. He allowed eight runs in two plus innings as the Phillies lead, 11-0 after three innings. The Mets made an attempt to comeback but they dug too big of a hole for themselves as they wound up losing the game, 13-8.

After the game, the King, his brother Henry, Bryan Gilligan & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. We wound up meeting up with Charlie Casiano & Frank Anichiarico there as well. We were one big happy family. It was a great way to forgot about the awful game we saw.

Saturday morning I got up early so I could do my laundry before I returned to Citi Field for game two of the three game series with the Phillies.

This time I got a visit from a special guest who I met the Saturday before in Pittsburgh at PNC Park. I'm talking about Blair Long who decided to spend his afternoon at the ballpark. His wife Paula was going to join him but it was too hot for her so she wisely decided to stay home. It was nice to see him again.

In addition, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Pat Gorman, Phil Butleman, David Sack & Al Linderman were also present & accounted for that day.

Furthermore, I got a surprise visit from my pal Eddie Pelle, his girlfriend Bethany & his brother John who came up during the game.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies took an early 1-0 lead as shortstop Jimmy Rollins lead off the game with a home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Mets answered back with three runs off Phillies' starter Cole Hamels. The Phillies got a run back in the top of the fifth to get within a run at 3-2. The Mets matched them as David Wright drove in a run to give the Mets a 4-2 cushion. They tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning which proved to be huge as the Phillies got a two run homer in the ninth inning from Chase Utley to get within a run again at 5-4 with two out. The Mets were able to get the final out to escape with the win.

After the game, Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Vincent Ascanio & I to Coney Island where we went to see another baseball game as the Brooklyn Cyclones were hosting the Batavia Muckdogs at MCU Park.

We were joined by our friends Beth & William Frank Guthrie who also spent the night at the ballpark.

As for the game we saw, the Cyclones jumped on the Muckdogs early as they scored the game's only runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Cyclones wound up scoring three times as they survived two rain delays as they defeated the Muckdogs, 3-0.

Sunday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for the rubber match of the three game set between the Mets & Phillies. It was also Dwight Gooden Bobblehead Doll day and Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets against Cliff Lee and the Phillies.

When I got upstairs to section 516, I was joined by Steve Tepperman, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Al Linderman, Alan Gimpel, Michael Carson, Rich Wolber, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman as well as Mike & Joe Klein who were there too.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was on. He threw seven shutout innings & he struck out ten Phillies as the Mets used the long ball to beat Cliff Lee, 5-0. David Wright & Marlon Byrd hit back to back solo homers in the first inning & Juan Lagares added a three run blast in the fourth inning to carry the Mets to the victory.

After the game, I went back home for a little while. I then went out and I met up with my parents who came in from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to visit for dinner. I also got to see my adorable niece Taylor and my handsome nephew Jeremy who they brought with them. It was nice to spend some quality time with the family.

Stay tuned for my w/o 7/22 in review when I find some free time to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 6/24 in review

Monday after work I went down to Lower Manhattan and I took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Staten Island Yankees play the Aberdeen Ironbirds at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. Before I got to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway in the Ferry Terminal to have a pre game meal. When I got there I was greeted by my pal Eddie Pelle who was waiting for his buddy Fredy Sanchez to come off the boat. He did with his girlfriend Kate who he introduced to me while I was finishing up my dinner.

Once I was done, we all walked over to the ballpark. It was their first time there they said. It was nice to spend the special occasion with them. They're good people.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees wound up winning, 3-2 in 13 innings. I missed the last inning because I wanted to make the 11PM boat so I could get home at a reasonable time. I wound up getting home at 12:15AM. Of course the game ended right after the boat pulled out Eddie said. He wound up staying to the end. I hated to leave but I need to get sleep in order to function properly at work.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open up a three game series with the Texas Rangers. Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I stopped off at Burger King for dinner.
When I got to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was greeted by the King. For whatever reason, we didn't have anybody else around that we knew.

As for the game we saw, it was a battle of Japanese pitchers as Yu Darvish of the Rangers started against the Yankees' Hiroki Kuroda. It should be noted this was the first time I saw Yu Darvish pitch live. Since he arrived here in the United States, he's pitched well. On this night, he wasn't anything special in my eyes. He wound up giving up three runs. He didn't get a decision and he threw a lot of pitches. Hiroki Kuroda pitched slightly better but he didn't get a decision either. Ironically the game was decided by fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki who hit a game winning home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 win. I was relieved when he did. I didn't want to see another extra inning game.

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the series. This time I went to the Court Deli Restaurant and I picked up a corned beef sandwich for myself.

When I went inside the Stadium. I headed towards the Bleachers because I arranged to meet up with some fellow roadtrippers out there. I'm referring to Reachelle Spieker and her friend/travel partner Patrick Smith who were in the midst of seeing all 30 major league ballparks over a three month period from May to August. They call it their Stitched In Our Soul Tour aka SIOS. It was a pleasure to meet and greet them. Reachelle is originally from Dallas, Texas. With that being said, she's a huge Ranger fan. She now lives in Southern California. She came dressed for the occasion. She broke out her cowboy boots to show her Texas pride. As for Patrick, he's going to school at Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. He's also a big Ranger fan.

Patrick Smith, me & Reachelle Spieker

As for the game we saw, it turned out to be a great night for them as the Rangers beat the Yankees, 8-5.
Thursday night after work I went back to Staten Island to see the Baby Bombers play again. This time they hosted the Hudson Valley Renegades. Before the game I stopped off at Subway again in the Ferry Terminal and I had a sandwich. When I got to the ballpark I was joined by the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico, Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio and Michael Abrams.

As for the game we saw, the Renegades and the Yankees played a slugfest until mother nature interfered in the 6th inning. With the Renegades up, 10-8 at the time the game was official. Once they put the tarp on the field, we all decided to leave knowing they probably weren't going to resume. This time we made a wise decision. The game was called off. As a result, the Renegades got the rain shortened victory.

Friday night after work I dashed out of the office so I could get to Citi Field as soon as possible. The Mets were playing the Washington Nationals in the first of three games over the weekend. I was determined to see my boy Gio Gonzalez after batting practice. Stay tuned for a special post that will go into further detail about that.

On my way upstairs I got to see Reachelle Spieker and Patrick Smith again as their SIOS Tour continued. This time they were at Citi Field. They said they were much more impressed with the ballpark than they were with Yankee Stadium.

When I finally got to the Royal Court in section 516, I was joined by Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, David Sack, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico & Pat Gorman.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey started and he pitched great for the first seven innings. He struck out eleven Nationals. He left winning the game, 4-0. Manager Terry Collins decided to overmanage with his bullpen and it came back to bite him. They blew the game for the Mets and Matt Harvey who wound up getting a no decision for his stellar performance. The Mets lost, 6-4.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub to forget about the nightmare ending we saw.

Stay tuned for a few special posts about the rest of the weekend and one on Gio Gonzalez. Please bear with me as I try my best to catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 6/17 in review

Opening Night at Richmond County Ballpark

Monday after work I took the Staten Island Ferry from Lower Manhattan to Richmond County Ballpark at St. George, the home of the Staten Island Yankees. They're the single A affiliate of the New York Yankees in the NY-Penn League which is a very low level league. A lot of players who just got drafted go to play in this league and/or similar ones across the country.

It was Opening night as the Baby Yankees were hosting their interborough rivals, the Brooklyn Cyclones who are the Mets' single A farm team.

Before I went over to the ballpark, I stopped off at Subway in the Ferry Terminal. I had my pre game meal there. When I finished I met up with my pal Vincent Ascanio who got me a $10 ticket for the game. We then we went inside to see the game. We were joined by a few familiar faces as Michael Abrams and Rich Wolber were also in attendance.

As for the game we saw, the Staten Island Yankees took advantage of a throwing error by Cyclones' third baseman Anthony Chavez which allowed two runs to score. They managed to make them stand up as they held off the Cyclones, 2-1. James Roche of the Cyclones hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to slice the lead in half. It should be noted that we saw L.J. Mazzilli, son of former Met & Yankee Lee Mazzilli play his first professional game. He was drafted by the Mets out of UCONN. He also got his first professional hit, a single to left center field in the 4th inning.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx in hopes of seeing the Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time in the Bronx since the 1981 World Series. In addition, it marked the return of Don Mattingly to the Bronx. The former Yankee player is now the manager of the Dodgers. Unfortunately mother nature dampened those plans as she decided to rain at the wrong time. I wound up meeting up with Vincent Ascanio again. We went to Burger King to have dinner. While we were eating we found out the game was called off.

After we ate, we headed home. I wound up watching the sixth game of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat on TV.

Wednesday I was working so I couldn't make it to the make up game that afternoon between the Yankees and the Dodgers. The Yankees beat them, 6-4. However after work I did go back up to the Bronx for the regularly scheduled game. Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant and I picked up sandwiches for the King & I. He had roast beef and I had corned beef.

Me & Megabus Matt at Yankee Stadium

When I finally went into the Stadium, I went up to my seat in section 420B row 7 where I was greeted by the King, Vincent Ascanio and a special guest. I'm referring to Matthew Weil aka Megabus Matt who was back in town after taking some exhausting bus rides down south to Atlanta, Tampa & Miami. It was great to see him again as he continued his 25 games in 25 days tour on Megabus. A few days later he finished his journey and he had some spare change left from his $700 budget. Thanks to modern technology, he was able to keep a running account of his expenses. I was happy to see that he achieved his goal. I told him I hope to see him again in August when the King & I go out to the West Coast.

As for the game we saw, the Dodgers came out hitting. They got straight singles of Yankee starter Phil Hughes. They wound up scoring two runs. They added some more as the game went on. Yasiel Puig, the sensational rookie hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to close out the scoring as the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 6-0. Former Met Chris Capuano threw six shutout innings to pick up the victory.

Thursday night after work I returned to Yankee Stadium as the Yankees opened up a four game weekend series with their division rival, the Tampa Bay Rays. Before I went inside, I stopped off at the New Sunflower Chinese restaurant for my pre game meal. I had fried scallops and fries.

As for the game we saw, the Rays smacked around Yankee starter Andy Pettitte. They wound up getting five runs off of him in his six and two thirds innings of work. Evan Longoria was the difference as he hit a sacrifice fly and two home runs. Yunel Escobar also went deep for the Rays as they went on to beat the Yankees, 8-3. on the bright side for the Yankees, rookie Zoilo Amonte who pinch hit for Vernon Wells got his first major league hit. He hit the third base bag with the ball and it caromed into left field.

Friday night after work I went back for game two of the series between the Yankees and the Rays.

As for the game we saw, Zoilo Amonte picked up where he left off Thursday night. He got three more hits which included his first major league home run in the sixth inning. He also came out for a curtain call per the fan's request. Joe Girardi told him to go ahead out of the dugout. The Yankees went on to beat the Rays, 6-2.

After the game, our pal Bryan Gilligan drove the King & I to Donovan's Pub where we had a post game meal. I wound up having roast turkey since they were out of pork chops.

Saturday morning I got up early and I did my laundry before I went back to Yankee Stadium for game three of the four game series between the Yankees and the Rays. We were joined by Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio, Rich Wolber and Pat Gorman this time.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees built a 3-1 lead with their ace CC Sabathia on the mound. Then in the sixth inning, CC got hit around. The Rays took the lead, 5-3 thanks to rookie Wil Myers who hit his first major league home run, a grand slam no less. The Yankees responded in the bottom of the seventh inning as they got a bases loaded walk to David Adams to cut the lead to 5-4. Then Vernon Wells pinch hit and hit a three run double to give the Yankees the lead for good as they went on to beat the Rays, 7-5. In the process, CC Sabathia picked up his 199th career win despite allowing five runs in seven innings of work.

After we left the Bronx, Bryan Gilligan drove the King, Vincent Ascanio and I to MCU Park in Coney Island, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. They were hosting the Aberdeen Ironbirds, the Baltimore Orioles farm club.

We were joined by David Sack, Al Linderman, Michael Abrams & William Frank Guthrie.

As for the game we saw, the Ironbirds got eight shutout innings of three hit ball from their starter Sebastian Vader. He left the game winning, 4-0. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the bullpen imploded and they cost him a victory as the Cyclones rallied to tie the game at four. The game went extra innings but the Ironbirds wound up getting a game winning single from their third baseman Kristopher Richards in the tenth inning to beat the Cyclones, 5-4.

After the game, Bryan wanted to go back to Donovan's Pub for another post game meal. So the King & I decided to join him. This time I ordered chicken parm and spaghetti. It was delicious.

Sunday the King and I back to Yankee Stadium to see the finale of the four game series between the Yankees and the Rays. In addition, it was their 67th annual Oldtimer's Day as they welcomed back Yankee legends from years past.

The King and I got there close to game time so we missed the pre game festivities.

We had our pals Larry Peim and Al Linderman there with us.

As for the game we saw, Ivan Nova made a rare start and he pitched well for the Yankees. He allowed three runs over six and two thirds innings. The Yankee offense only managed to score one run as the Rays beat the Yankees, 3-1. James Loney hit a two run single in the seventh inning that broke a 1-1 tie to give the Rays the victory. As a result, they split the four game series.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/9 in review

Statue of Liberty

With Major League Baseball officially on their All-Star Break, I had to resort to different alternatives to pass time.

Monday night after work I went down to Lower Manhattan to catch the Staten Island Ferry so I could get to the Richmond County Ballpark at St. George, home of the Staten Island Yankees. They were playing the Williamsport Crosscutters.

I met up with my pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich who has season tickets for them. He has a perk of being able to exchange tickets he doesn't use. As a result, he was able to get me a ticket for the game which included all you could eat food and drink. I was grateful that he was willing and able to accommodate me.
As for the game we saw, the Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first inning as their first baseman Saxon Butler hit a three run home run to center field. They gave a run back in the second inning to lead 3-1. They proceeded to tack on more runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to build a 9-1 lead. They wound up giving up three runs in the eighth and that's how it ended as the Yankees beat the Crosscutters, 9-4. It turned out to be a nice relaxing night out.

Tuesday night after work I arranged to meet up with my parents who came into town to visit. We went out to dinner at Romano's in Astoria. They brought my niece Taylor and my nephew Jeremy with them. It was great to see them all again. The kids are getting so big.

After we ate, they took me home. I went in and watched the baseball All-Star game which was being played in Kansas City. The game was over early as the National League scored five runs in the first inning against American League starting pitcher Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants started and pitched the first two innings for the National League. In the third inning, my boy Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals got to pitch. He made me proud as he retired the three batters he faced in order. He struck out Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers and then he got two Yankees out. Curtis Granderson flew out to left field and he got Derek Jeter to ground out to second base.

The National League added some more runs as they went on to win the game, 8-0. It was the third straight year the senior circuit has won the Midsummer Classic. By doing so, the National League team who plays in the World Series will have home field advantage.

Wednesday night after work I came home and I did my laundry and I packed my bags in preparation for the King and I's road trip down South.

Stay tuned for the special posts that will go into detail about our latest getaway.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/11 in review

A Royal view at Citi Field

Thanks to the Major League Baseball All-Star Break, I got some much needed nights off this week.
I went home after work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night.

Wednesday night I went out to Staten Island after work to see the Staten Island Yankees play at Richmond County Ballpark at St. George.
Thanks to our good friend and big of royalty, Rich Wolber aka Staten Island, the King and I got treated royally on this night.

Rich lives on Staten Island and he has season tickets for the Baby Yankees.

With that being said, he was able to hook up the King and I with not only free tickets to the game but with all the food you can eat too. That also included soft drinks.

We got to enjoy burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, popcorn and potato chips along with drinks that consisted of Pepsi products.

I want to thank Rich again for accomodating the King and I. As they say, what comes around goes around. Over the years, we've always helped each other out. It's always better to give than receive but this time it was nice to be on the receiving end for a change.

As for the game we saw, the Baby Yankees beat up the State College Spikes, 9-2 in a rather sloppy played game. The game went fast. It took only 2 hours and 8 minutes but we did have a 59 minute rain delay that held the game up in the second inning. With the victory, the Baby Yankees improved their NY-Penn league best record to 20-4.

Friday night I went to Citi Field to see the Mets take on the Phillies to begin the second half of the season.
The King and I were joined by our pal Vincent Ascanio who was in the house too.

The Mets went into the All-Star Break on a losing streak. That trend continued on Friday night as the first place Phillies whipped the Mets, 7-2 behind starting pitcher Vance Worley.

Saturday afternoon we went back for more. This time the Mets returned the favor and clobbered the Phillies, 11-2. They beat up Cole Hamels in the process.

More importantly, the King and I got a visit from a fellow roadtripper. Stay tuned for the special post that I'm going to do regarding that. In addition, we saw Marc Beck, a big fan of royalty who was in attendance as well.

Sunday afternoon we went back to Citi Field to see the rubber match of the three game set with the Phillies. Vincent Ascanio was back for more too. We also had our friend Frankie Centola and his son Frank Jr. were there with us. They came up from Philadelphia to see the game. We arranged to get them tickets. It was great to see them again.

In addition, we saw another season ticket holder who sits in our section, Eric Sternberg who was on hand for this one. Eric is a good guy and he always enjoys our company. In the past, we usually just said hello to each other. This time we actually carried on a lengthy conversation about what the King and I do. Needless to say, he was impressed and amazed. Before we spoke, he had no idea.

As for the game we saw, the Mets fell behind 8-1 in this one. They fought back but they came up short and lost, 8-5 as the Phillies took the series two games to one.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman