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

Royalty meets up with other roadtrippers at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to wrap up Fourth of July weekend!

After the King, Dave Block aka The Gratitude Guy & I left Wrigley Field Saturday night of Fourth of July weekend, we drove to Indianapolis to spent the night. On the way there, we stopped off at Steak N Shake for dinner in West Lafayette, Indiana which is the home of Purdue University.

Dave Block posing with the shakes

This was Dave Block's first time at Steak N Shake. When we got done eating, he was a satisfied customer. He loved the steak burger & shake he had. I told him it's a great place. He knows I wouldn't steer him wrong. After we ate, I drove us to the Best Western Airport Suites hotel that was located by the Indianapolis airport that Dave arranged to get for us. It wasn't as good as the MainStay Suites in Milwaukee but it did suffice.

Sunday morning we got up and we had breakfast at the hotel before I drove 120 miles to the Queen City of Cincinnati where we were going to see the Reds play the Seattle Mariners at Great American Ballpark that afternoon.

The King, Dave Block, Tim Parks & I 

I parked the car on the street in downtown. Shortly thereafter, I got a message on Facebook from a fellow ballpark chaser named Tim Parks who lives in the area & he has season tickets for the Reds. He's also the founder of a brilliant idea. Stay tuned for a special post that will go into further detail regarding that. In the meantime, he asked me where I was sitting for the game. I told him my friends and I don't have tickets yet. He wrote back to me and said to meet him at the VIP concierge entrance near the main entrance to the ballpark. We showed up there around 12:15PM almost an hour before the game. Tim greeted us and he gave us tickets to the Champions Club in section 227. We were very pleasantly surprised and grateful for his act of kindness to us. He took us up to the Club level and he gave us a guided tour. We were able to get all you can eat food in a special area behind the seating area. I didn't indulge too much since I already had a big breakfast. If I knew Tim was going to be so accommodating I would planned accordingly.

Regardless we were very thankful for his generosity. In addition, we got to see roadtrippers Reachelle Spieker and Patrick Smith who were also at the game. They also benefited from Tim. He gave them tickets for the game too. It was nice to see them as they were continuing their journey to all 30 major league ballparks.

View from Champions Club section 227

As for the game we saw, the Mariners jumped on the Reds early thanks to a few long balls off starter Bronson Arroyo. The second batter of the game, second baseman Nick Franklin hit a solo homer to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. In the third inning, first baseman Justin Smoak hit a two run homer to left field to make it 3-0. The Reds finally broke the shutout in the bottom of the seventh inning when left fielder Chris Heisey hit a run scoring double to make it 3-1. Unfortunately for Tim, his Reds' fell short on this day as the Mariners beat them by that score.

After the game, the King and I drove all the way back home to NYC. We got back at 4AM. As for Dave, he wound up catching a flight home to San Diego. It was nice to see him again. In the process, he picked up a few new ballparks.

Stay tuned for my w/o 7/8 in review.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/7 in review

Andy Pettiitte's Back 

Monday night after work I went home made dinner and I did my laundry. I relaxed briefly after I was done.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a three game series with the first place Tampa Bay Rays.

I went to the 7 Fish Market for dinner with the King. I also went next door to see my pal Jin Kim at the KJY Fruit Market which is always a must since I can get a cold bottle of water for a dollar plus they have plenty of other snacks to choose from.

After we finished eating, the King and I made our royal entry into the Stadium. There's nothing like seeing familiar faces along the way. While everybody's lined up somewhere else to go in, we get to go in nice and quick because we know all the tricks of the trade. Being a friendly person has its advantages when you see other friendly people who are willing to listen.

We continued through the Great Hall and up the elevator as we went to our seats in the royal box if you will in section 420B row 7 which is right behind home plate. We were greeted by our pal Vincent Ascanio who was there.

We got settled in and we observed the game. With James Shields pitching for the Rays, we had high expectations. He came into the game with a 5-0 record. He was facing Ivan Nova who had a 3-1 record for the Yankees.

James Shields didn't pitch his best like he did in Boston on Patriot's Day when he worked into the ninth inning and shut down the Red Sox as the Rays won that day, 1-0. This time he was ordinary allowing three runs in six innings which still qualifies as a quality start which is a big deal these days. He left the game trailing, 3-1. The Rays chipped away at the Yankees lead but they fell short as they left the bases loaded against David Robertson who picked up his first save filling in for Mariano Rivera. Despite pitching awful he managed to prevent the Rays from scoring as the Yankees held on to win, 5-3.

Wednesday night I returned to the Bronx. This time I met up with the King and Vincent Ascanio at Burger King for dinner.

After we ate, we entered the Stadium in our usual way. We proceeded to go to the royal box and we saw game two of the three game set between the Yankees and the Rays.

This time the Rays beat the Yankees, 4-1. The Yankees scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a run scoring single by Robinson Cano.

The Rays didn't score until the ninth inning when the Yankees put David Robertson back in to get another save. This time he loaded the bases and the Rays unloaded them as B.J. Upton hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one and Matt Joyce hit a three run homer to lift the Rays to a 4-1 victory as the Yankees' failed to score in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Thursday night I went to the Court Deli Restaurant for dinner. I had a Corned Beef sandwich and the King asked me to get him a Roast Beef sandwich. So I took it out and I proceeded to see Jin Kim at the KJY Fruit Market for some refreshments and snacks.

After I rounded up all the food, I went into the Stadium for the rubber match of the series. With CC Sabathia starting against David Price of the Rays', I hoped to see a pretty good game.

With that being said, I didn't get what I hoped for. Well CC held up his end of the bargain as he pitched eight solid innings allowing two unearned runs while striking out ten Rays. David Price on the other hand, got lit up for five runs and eleven hits over seven innings.

With David Robertson pitching the last two nights, the Yankees decided to give former Ray closer Rafael Soriano the ball in the ninth inning to seal the deal this time. He gave up an infield hit then he slammed the door shut to preserve the victory for CC as the Yankees won, 5-3.

Friday night after work I went back up to the Bronx to see the Yankees take on the Seattle Mariners. Ironically, the Mariners were the only team I didn't see play in person in 2011. When they came to Yankee Stadium last year I was on a road trip with Paul Derrick from Houston.

Before the game I stopped off at Subway for dinner. After I ate, I proceeded to go into Yankee Stadium. I went up to the royal box and I watched the game.

As for the game I saw, the Yankees fell behind 1-0 as Dustin Ackley lead off the game with a home run off of starter Hiroki Kuroda. The Yankees responded with a run scoring double by Robinson Cano to tie the game at one off of Felix Hernandez, the Mariners' ace. Former Yankee Jesus Montero broke the tie in the top of the sixth when he hit a solo home run. The Yankees came back again thanks to Raul Ibanez who hit a three run home run to make it 4-2 in the bottom half of the sixth. Andruw Jones added a pinch hit two run blast to round out the scoring in the eighth as the Yankees beat the Mariners, 6-2.

Saturday afternoon the King and I took a Chinese bus from Chinatown to Philadelphia.

Stay tuned for the special posts I'm going to do about how we spent our memorable Saturday.

Sunday I went back to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Mariners again. It was a special day indeed not only because it was Mother's Day, it also marked the return of Andy Pettitte to the Major Leagues. After retiring after the 2010 season, Andy decided to return to baseball.

He shined bright early on but he got roughed up for a few two run home runs, one by Justin Smoak and the other by Casper Wells who hit the ball halfway up the right field foul pole to spoil Andy's return. He did pitch into the seventh inning getting an out before departing to a nice ovation from the Yankee faithful.
The Yankees wound up losing the game, 6-2.

After the game I met up with my family as we all got together to have dinner to celebrate Mother's Day. It was great to see them again.

With that another week is in the books.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Gio Gonzalez has an emerged as a solid starter for the Oakland Athletics!

Gio and I at Citi Field

When I first saw Gio pitch for the Reading Phillies in Norwich, Connecticut back in April 2006, I knew he had major league potential.

In May 2009, I saw him signing autographs on the concourse at a table in Sacramento, California before a River Cat game we were at. I got to speak to him for the first time. He had a great attitude. I knew it was only a matter of time before Gio got his chance to prove he's a major leaguer.

After making his debut with the Oakland Athletics in August 2008, he wound up going back down to Sacramento in 2009. As a result, that turned out to be a blessing because I had the privilege of meeting him in person.

Since then, I've kept close tabs on him. He finally got back to the major leagues later in 2009.

In 2010, he proved that he deserved to stay by having a breakout season. He finished his first full season in the majors with a 15-9 record and a 3.23 ERA.

This year Gio built on his 2010 campaign. He started off the season very well.

On June 21st, I got to see him before the game at Citi Field when the Athletics came to play the Mets in an interleague matchup during batting practice. The next night I got to see him pitch in person at the major league level for the first time. After always missing him by a day in Yankee Stadium, Cleveland and Kansas City, my opportunity finally presented itself. Like Gio, I'm a preserver. Gio pitched well for 7 innings but he left the game with the score tied at one. The Mets eventually won in extra innings. Gio didn't disappoint me.
With his performances improving as the season went on, he was selected to be a member of the American League All-Star team. He got to appear late in the game and he recorded a strikeout in his cameo appearance. I was so happy for Gio. He has worked so hard to get where he is today.

After the All-Star break, Gio did hit a bad stretch where he didn't pitch well. That's part of the maturation process. Gio proved it was a fluke because down the stretch, he pitched lights out to finish the season strong.

In matter of fact, the last game of the season he was on the mound in Safeco Field while the Red Sox and Braves were choking their seasons away. My eyes were focused on Gio who was busy dominating the Mariners. Gio continues to fly under the radar screen. It's only a matter of time before he becomes the center of attention.

With that being said, that could happen at the end March 2012 when the Oakland Athletics go to Japan to play the Seattle Mariners to open the season.

Gio compiled an impressive 16-12 record with a 3.12 ERA in 2011. He threw 200 innings and he struck out 202 batters.

The King and I saw the Mets and the Cubs open the season in Tokyo back in March 2000.

I would welcome the opportunity to go back to Japan. I would not only get to see Gio pitch more than likely but we could also see our friend Sean MacDonald who lives there. We didn't meet him until 2003.

I don't know what's going to happen for us in 2012 just yet but I expect Gio to continue to climb the ladder to stardom in the major leagues.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Philadelphia-Baltimore-Bowie Weekend Getaway

Here's the game plan:

Saturday August 21st Mariners at Yankees 1:05PM

                                 Nationals at Phillies 7:05PM

Sunday August 22nd Rangers at Orioles 1:35PM

                                Richmond Flying Squirrels at Bowie Baysox 6:05PM

If you're interested in joining us please let me know.

You want to meet us at a ballpark while we're there please feel free to contact me so we can make happen.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman