Royal month of July in review‏

The month of July was a cool one weather wise here in NYC. With that being said, you won't hear any complaints from me. I spent the majority of my time in the five boroughs. I got to see a number of baseball games in four of them. I also got to see a post game concert, a soccer match in NJ, a baseball game in the City of Brotherly Love & most importantly I got to meet & greet some special people, new & old along the way.

Here's a recap of the highlights:

 

It all started at Yankee Stadium on the first of the month. The Yankees wound up ‎ losing to the Rays, 2-1 that night. Hiroki Kuroda pitched  eight great innings but he was the tough luck loser. After a rain out in Brooklyn the next night followed by a night off, I went to Citi Field for ten straight days starting on the Fourth of July as the Mets opened a ten game home stand against the Rangers, Braves & Marlins. The Mets wound up winning eight of those games to finish strong at the All-Star break. 

It should noted that on Saturday, July 5th I got to see ballpark chaser Paul Nieuwland who came down from Toronto. He was at Citi Field that night. I met for the first time at Wrigley Field the week before.  In fact, I got him a ticket for that game along with ones for Yankee Stadium that Thursday afternoon. Since I was working, I couldn't go. Paul came to visit NYC with his wife who had never been here before along with their son. They joined him for the Yankee game but they decided to pass on the Met game since they don't really like baseball. Paul wasn't really alone since he got to join the King & I up in the Royal Court in section 515. He came prepared with his MLB Pass-Port book which he got stamped. It was nice to talk with him throughout the game. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon.

 

Huey Lewis & the News at Citi Field

Huey Lewis and the News Live

On July 12th after the Mets beat the Marlins, the King & I stayed after the game for the post game concert which was Huey Lewis and the News. They were popular back in the 80's. They played a number of familiar songs that I recognized. They included Heart of Rock N Roll which started  the show & they finished with Workin for a Livin'. In between, they played Heart & Soul, l Want A New Drug, Jacob's Ladder, Back in Time & Power of Love. In addition, they also included a new song that was released in 2012 called While We're Young. All in all,‎ I was glad we stayed. 

Over the All-Star break, I had a few nights off which was followed by baseball in Brooklyn at MCU Park with my pal David Sack that Wednesday night. That Thursday night I went to Staten Island to see the Baby Bombers play at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. 

On Friday, July 19th, Major League Baseball returned from its break. I went to the Bronx to see the Yankees host the Cincinnati Reds for the three game series. Unfortunately none of the good people I know from Cincinnati were able to make it. The way that weekend turned for the Reds, I'm glad they didn't come. I tried my best to get them a win but my luck ran out. The Yankees swept the series. 

 

 

View from section 226 at Red Bull Arena

However that Saturday night I went out to Harrison, NJ where I met  my pal David Sack who joined me for a soccer match at Red Bull Arena, home of the Red Bulls of the MLS. They played the San Jose Earthquakes that night. We stopped off at Five Guys for dinner. While we were there, we met up with our buddy Steve Tepperman aka Princeton Steve who was going to the game too. When we got inside, David & I sit at midfield in section 226. At halftime, my friend Blair Long who was there with his Paula got my attention. They were sitting lower down in the section. They had a few empty seats next to them so we were able to join them for the second half. It was Blair's first ever soccer game. He was inspired by the World Cup. 

As for the match we saw, the Red Bulls scored first in the 33rd minute. They continued to control the play but they couldn't‎ score again. In the 85th minute, the Earthquakes got even. After having a few extra minutes of extra time, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Regardless of the outcome, we all had a nice time & the game lasted only two hours which was nice for a change.

On Monday, July 21st, the Yankees opened a ‎four game series with the Rangers. That night I got a visit from fellow ballpark chaser Roy Spierer who stopped by to say hello before the game started. It was nice to see him again. As for the game that night, the Yankees lost to the Rangers, 4-2. The next night they played a marathon in the Bronx as the Yankees outlasted the Rangers, 2-1 in 14 innings. That game took 4 hours & 51 minutes.

 

Yankees' Grounds Crew attempting to fix the field

Wednesday night luckily they got an official game with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Yankees were up 2-1 at the time. Then the rain came. Somehow the Yankees' grounds crew did an awful job covering the field. The King & I thought they purposely made the field unplayable because they ran out of pitchers from the long game the night before. They rolled the tarp back to left field not once but twice instead of making sure the infield was covered properly. They were ahead so they didn't care. The Rangers should have protested the game but they didn't. After waiting a few hours they called the game & awarded the Yankees the victory. They were supposed to resume at 10:05PM but they just stood around talking for 20 more minutes before they sent everybody home. ‎That Thursday afternoon was the finale of the series but since I was working, I had to miss it.

Friday July 25th after work I returned to the Bronx as the Yankees opened a three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. When I got up to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was greeted by the Narry family who came to visit from the Bay area. This game was included in a package deal ‎they bought for the weekend because they wanted to see the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in Cooperstown. As a result, the King & I got to see these special people again. It got too crowded by us when the game started so Tike's wife Dawn & their son Patrick decided to go down to their seats on the 200 level with the rest of their group. Tike stayed with us for 5 innings. It was great to see them all again.

 

Kim Ellis & I in section 420B at Yankee Stadium

Shortly after Tike left us I got a visit from a lady named Kim Ellis who was on a similar tour with a different travel company.  She's a St. Louis Cardinal fan. She used to live in St. Louis but she now lives in Los Angeles. She was going to Fenway Park after Cooperstown. She was in the process of finishing up seeing all the current MLB parks. She said she was going to Baltimore & Miami in August then she would be up to date. I thanked her for coming up‎ to say hello. I wished her well. Hopefully our paths will cross again. 

As for the game we saw, the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 6-4 to extend their winning streak over the Blue Jays to 17 ‎at the new Stadium. 

That Saturday morning I went to Avis to rent a car for the day. I drove back home ‎& I picked up the King. We went to Yankee Stadium together. When I got upstairs I met up with my pal Greg Venuto who drove down from Norwalk, Connecticut for the game. He came with his son, Jason. He was also accompanied by his brother Paul who came up from Sarasota, Florida to visit along with his son, Parker. It was a full family gathering as they brought their father with them.

 

Venuto Family - Jason, Parker, Greg, Paul & their father

As for the game we saw, it didn't turn out to their liking. The Yankees wound up losing to the Blue Jays, 6-4 which ended their home dominance. 

After the game, the King & I went down to Philadelphia to see the Phillies play the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park that night. We took our pals Frank Anichiarico aka Duck & Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich with us. As for the game we saw, it was another marathon. The Diamondbacks beat the Phillies, 7-6 in ten innings. The game took four hours & 20 minutes.

Sunday morning I woke up early so I could return the car I rented to Avis. After that‎, I took public transportation back to Yankee Stadium. I barely got their on time due to a delay on the subway. As for the game we saw, the Blue Jays made it two in a row as they beat the Yankees, 5-4.

Monday night July 28th, the Mets returned home to play the Phillies at Citi Field. That night the Mets won, 7-1. Tuesday night I got to see the Narry family again as they returned to the area. They joined us in the Royal Court in section 515. They told us what a wonderful time they had over the weekend in Cooperstown. We were happy to hear the stories. As for the game we saw that night, the Mets laid an egg as they lost, 6-0.

Wednesday afternoon I arranged to get the Narry family tickets on the field level. Since I was working, I couldn't attend. In my absence, Patrick in particular had a ball. After Ryan Howard had flew out to Juan Lagares ‎in center field to end an inning, Lagares threw the ball into the stands & Patrick caught it. He was so happy. I was thrilled when I heard the news.

 

Patrick Narry

After work that day I wound up going to MCU Park to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Auburn Doubledays. Just before the game started, I saw my pal Charlie O'Reilly who was there too. We wound up watching t‎he game together. The Cyclones won, 9-4.

That Thursday night I ended the month of July in Staten Island. After work I took a Ferry ride to Richmond County Bank Ballpark where the Baby Bombers hosted the Lowell Spinners. The Spinners tossed the Yankees a beating by a score of 11-4.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will highlight my adventures in the month of August.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty witnesses the return of Robinson Cano to the Bronx!‏

In the off season, business decisions are made. This past winter the Yankees had to make some moves that forced them to part with one of their home grown players. The Yankees decided that paying Robinson Cano a ridiculous amount of money wasn't worth it for them in the long run. As a result, they let him go. Cano wound up getting 240 million dollars on the open market from the Seattle Mariners. He & his representatives initially told the Yankees he wanted 305 million dollars. Apparently that starting point turned them off. They decided to go in a different direction. As a result, they wound up getting Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann & Masahiro Tanaka instead. I personally thought they did the right thing. I would have liked Cano to have stayed with the Yankees because he came up through their farm system starting out in Staten Island. Unfortunately in this day & age, players rarely play their whole career with one team. He could have been an exception to that rule. However, last summer he hired Roc Nation who's lead by Jay Z to represent him as his new agent. That was the first step towards his ultimate departure. For his sake, I hope he's enjoying life in the Northwest. 

On Tuesday night April 29th, Robinson Cano returned to the Bronx as a member of the Seattle Mariners. After work that night I met the King at Yankee Stadium. I didn't know what to expect when he came up to bat for the first time. I figured it would be a mixed reaction. I was a bit surprised how the fans reacted. They for the most part serenaded him with a chorus of boos. That's New York fans for you. They're known for their fickleness & front running not their knowledge & class. When the Yankees make a splash & over pay for a top free agent on the market it's fine & dandy. Now that the Yankees let Cano go, the fans revolted against him. ‎He did what any other proud American would have done, he capitalized on his opportunity  on the open market. In fairness to the Yankees, they can't keep everyone. They made a business decision & they have to live with it. 

Robinson Cano

As for the game we saw, Robinson Cano wound up going one for five in his return. On the positive side, he did drive in a run with a ground out & he got an infield single. On the other hand, he grounded out another time & he struck out twice. He heard the boos all night long. The Yankees lead 2-0 early but the Mariners wound up getting to Yankee starter CC Sabathia who gave up four runs in five innings of work. ‎The Mariners got a two run double from Corey Hart & a run scoring single from Justin Smoak as they knocked out CC by scoring the four runs in the fifth inning. In addition, catcher Mike Zunino got four hits before he struck out his last time at bat as Robinson Cano & the Mariners got the last laugh on this night as they went on to beat the Yankees, 6-3. 

Wednesday night the game was rained out. With a horrible forecast that called for rain all day & night, they wisely decided to call the game off shortly after 1PM in the afternoon. They didn't reschedule the game the next day. They waited until both teams had a compatible open day which turned out to be June 2nd to make up the game. 

Thursday night May 1st they played ‎game two of their abbreviated series. Since the Baltimore Orioles also got rained out & they decided to play a straight single admission doubleheader the King decided to take a Greyhound bus down there instead. As a result, he skipped the Yankee game. Our friend Frank Anichiarico aka Duck took his place. 

As for me, I went there after work. When I got to me seat in section 420B row 7 I was greeted by my pal Greg Venuto who came down from Connecticut with a friend of his to see the game. While he was waiting for his friend to arrive, he stopped by to say hello to me. As always, it was nice to see him again. 

Greg Venuto & I at Yankee Stadium

Shortly thereafter, I got a visit from a fellow ballpark chaser named Roy Spierer who's a big Yankee fan as well. He came up special to meet & greet me. He was all dressed up in his Yankee gear that included quite a collection of pins which he likes to collect. He lives in New Jersey & has a half season ticket package for the Trenton Thunder which is the Yankees Double A affiliate in the Eastern League he said. He mentioned to me that he may take a road trip to Chicago ‎& Milwaukee in late July. I told him to let me know if he needs any advice. I want to personally thank him for coming by. I hope to see him again in the future. 

Roy Spierer & I at Yankee Stadium

As for the game we saw, the Mariners jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a double by Robinson Cano who once again heard it from the Yankee faithful who were on hand. The Yankees got even fast as Jacoby Ellsbury lead off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to tie the game at one. The Mariners regained the lead, 2-1 in the top of the third inning when Robinson Cano hit into a fielder's choice. In the fourth inning, the Mariners extended their lead to 4-1 on a pair of two out clutch run scoring singles by shortstop Brad Miller & center fielder Michael Saunders. The Yankees got a run in the sixth inning when Brian McCann delivered a run scoring single to make it a 4-2 game but that's the way it ended as Robinson Cano who finished one for four at the plate got the last laugh as the Mariners won again. The Yankees wasted a quality start by Hiroki Kuroda who gave up all four runs but one was unearned. As for the Mariners, they got a better performance from their starter Roenis Elias who went seven strong innings allowing two runs while walking two & striking out ten. 

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap a special day I had at Yankee Stadium on the first Saturday in May.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman