Royalty sees the Mets play the Nationals in DC!‏

After the King & I spent the night at Days Inn in Somerset, PA we got up that morning & we ate breakfast there. When we got done, I drove 185 miles to Nationals Park to see the Washington Nationals play the Mets that Sunday afternoon, May 18th. We wound up parking the car in a ten dollar lot since free parking in DC is few & far between. We didn't want to risk having a problem so we decided to play it safe. We parked the car at 12:45PM. We then walked over to the ballpark. I went to the box office to see what the cheapest tickets they had were. They told me $25 each. Upon hearing that, I walked away. A few minutes later I found some people who had extra tickets. They wanted $20 a ticket. I told them I'll give them $20 for the pair. Thankfully they decided to give in to me. The King ‎& I proceeded to walk into the center field gate. We met up upstairs under the press box in section 312. I saw some empty seats in the last row which was row J. I wound up staying there for the whole game. Shortly thereafter, I got comfortable I heard a guy a few rows down in front of me get my attention.  It was Andy Morgan who follows me on Twitter. His twitter handle is @natsfan37. He was with his wife & young son. A few minutes later he came up to introduce himself. It was nice to meet him. I remember following him because he was a Gio Gonzalez fan. Gio had signed something for his son. We spoke & we exchanged contact information. He said he may try to come up to Citi Field in August when the Nationals come back. I told him to let me know. 
 

View from section 312

As for the game we saw, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead off of Nationals' starter Jordan Zimmerman when catcher Juan Centeno drove in a run with a single in the top of the second inning. The Nationals got even in the bottom half when Ian Desmond hit a solo homer to knot the score at one. The Nationals took the lead for good when Met killer catcher Wilson Ramos drove in a pair of runs with a double in the third inning & two more with a single in the fifth inning off of Mets' starter Zack Wheeler to go up 5-1. The Mets got two back in the top of the sixth but the Nationals added an insurance run in the eighth as they beat the Mets, 6-3. 

Near the end of the game, I got a visit from a fellow roadtripper & ballpark chaser, Ben Fallon who stopped by with his son Declan. We follow each other on twitter also. Ben's twitter handle is @steel6rings. We've met a few times in the last year. I want to thank him for taking time to visit me. He said he would have came by earlier but he got an unexpected upgrade to a suite just before the game started. 

On the way back home, the King & I stopped off at Burger King for a quick dinner in New Jersey on Route 1. We got back home around 11PM. 

Monday morning I returned the car to Avis then I went to work. I wound up driving 1,172 miles safely over the weekend.

Stay tuned for another special post that will highlight the visit to Citi Field by the two teams we saw open the season in Sydney, Australia.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is reuniting with other fellow roadtrippers in Chicago & Milwaukee over the last weekend of June!

Here's the game plan:

The King, our pal Vincent Ascanio & I are flying from LaGuardia Airport Friday morning, June 27th on Southwest Airlines to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We depart at 6:30AM Eastern Time & we land in South Milwaukee at 8AM Central Time. Upon arrival, I'm renting a car from Alamo for the weekend.

We'll be driving to Chicago where we'll be meeting up with some very special people. We're going to spend a few nights in Wrigleyville before we return to Milwaukee on Sunday. We'll be seeing baseball in legendary Wrigley Field & Miller Park. We fly back home Sunday, June 29th at 8:05PM Central Time & we're scheduled to arrive back at LaGuardia Airport at 11:15PM Eastern Time.

Friday June 27th Nationals at Cubs 3:05PM

Saturday, June 28th Nationals at Cubs 12:05PM & 6:15PM Day/Night Doubleheader

Sunday, June 29th Rockies at Brewers 1:10PM
                
If you're interested in going on this unique getaway just let me know so I can arrange to have you join us.

It's going to be a blast so why not come for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees Gio Gonzalez in the bullpen as he warmed up for his 1st start of 2014!‏

Washington Nationals starting lineup

Gio Gonzalez blowing on his hands before his pre game routine

On April 2nd, after work I went to Citi Field to see the Mets host the Washington Nationals. That night my pal Gio Gonzalez was making his first start of the season. With that being said, when I got to Citi Field I went right to the bullpen area so I could be in position to watch Gio get ready for his start. He came out ‎& he did his pre game routine. He had his headphones on while he did so. He stretched, he ran then he did some long tossing. When he got done, he took his headphones off & proceeded to walk into the bullpen so he could finish by warming up on the mound there. As he walked in, I got his attention. He acknowledged me. I gave him plenty of words of wisdom. As he wrote on the jersey that he gave me last September & I quote "To Gary "Best Damn "True" Fan any Baseball player could ever ask for!!" True to those words, I gave him the encouragement he deserves to be the best he can be. I was wearing the jersey proudly. When he got done warming up, he caught me off guard when he threw the ball he warmed up with towards me. Thankfully I saw it coming & I reach out with my bare hand & I caught it. I was so happy. He made my night. He then proceeded to walk back towards the dugout to get ready for the game to start. As for me, I went upstairs to the royal court up in section 515 where I met up with the King, Vincent Ascanio & the rest of the bunch who showed up that night. 

Gio Gonzalez warming up in the bullpen at Citi Field

Gio following on a warm up pitch

Gio talking to his hand & the ball 

Gio pausing between warm up pitches

What he wrote on the jersey he gave me

Ball I caught that Gio used to warm up with

As for the game we saw, Gio got off to a rough start as he gave up a lead off triple to Juan Lagares who eventually scored the game's first run when David Wright drove him in with a sacrifice fly to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. The Nationals went ahead 2-1 in the third inning when Adam LaRoche hit a two run homer. They tacked on a few more in the fifth inning when Ian Desmond hit a solo homer then my boy Gio Gonzalez surprisingly did the same. I couldn't believe it. He apparently couldn't either as he raced home from second base when he realized he did hit a home run. I wound up jumping for joy. The Nationals scored another run later on a wild pitch as they went on to beat the Mets again, 5-1. Gio wound up going six innings. He gave up four hits & just the one run while he walked one & he struck out six to earn his first win of the season. I couldn't have written a better script myself. What a memorable night it was.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about the first weekend of the season which included some special guests.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty catches up with Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field in September!

After I saw my first football game of the new season on Sunday September 8th, I returned to Citi Field for baseball during the week of 9/9 as the Mets played the Washington Nationals then they hosted the Miami Marlins.

Gio Gonzalez warming up in bullpen on 9/9

As a result, I got to see my boy Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals not once, not twice but on three different occasions. Monday night after work I stopped off at Taste of Dolly's for some pizza on my way to the game. When I got to Citi Field I saw my pal Sam Citron who greeted me upon arrival at the Rotunda entrance. I proceeded to go up to the field level then I went out to the bullpen area so I could see Gio warm up since he was pitching that night. I saw him working out in the outfield. He was wearing his head phones & listening to music which is part of his pre game pitching routine. In the meantime, I was charging my phone while I kept my eyes on Gio as he was doing stretching exercises. Once I saw him start walking towards the bullpen, I took out my charger & I went down to get his attention before he started throwing off the bullpen mound. When he came in, I yelled out to him. He looked up & said how are you? I told him, I'm great. I didn't want to distract him since he was zoning in on the task on hand. When he was throwing off the bullpen mound & I blurted out to him to throw strikes. When he got done warming up, I yelled out again before he left the bullpen to head back to the dugout. I said go get 'em Gio.

I proceeded to go upstairs behind home plate in section 515 where the rest of the royal court who were on hand were sitting. Among them we had a special guest as Bob Kelly made another appearance after he came to visit the King & I twice in August. It was a pleasant surprise to see him again. He's a Met fan even though he lives in Virginia Beach. He said he goes to some Nationals games. I told him I enjoy going there when I can fit it into my busy schedule. We also had Alan Gimpel, Michael Abrams, Frank Anichiarico, Martin Caamano & Charlie O'Reilly there with us as well.

As for the game we saw, Gio was my main focal point. He was given a two run lead before he even threw a pitch thanks to Denard Span who hit a home run to lead off the game which was followed by a home run by Ryan Zimmerman. Gio gave up a walk to Daniel Murphy after he got the first out as Eric Young Jr. led off popping up to second base. Gio put it in cruise control as he retired the next 17 Mets. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Zach Lutz pinch hit to lead off. He hit a soft bloop that landed barely on the chalk on the foul line behind first base & short right field. It wound up being the only hit Gio gave up as he dominated the Mets, 9-0. His teammates hit five home runs to back his golden left arm. He wound up walking Lutz who stayed in the game in the ninth inning. Gio wound up going the distance throwing 110 pitches to earn his 10th win of the season. He came within inches of throwing a no hitter. Apparently Gio heard me & he followed what I said to do. Did he ever. We almost saw history. So close yet so far.

Gio Gonzalez & I at Citi Field on 9/10

Tuesday night after work I went straight to Citi Field for game two of the four game series with the Nationals. I went down by the tarp by left field to watch batting practice. I noticed Gio was out in the outfield. I went down to the railing & I got his attention. He acknowledged my presence. I knew when batting practice ended he would come over. In the meantime, I met up with a young man named Tony Wong. He likes to collect baseball cards & get autographs. He remembered seeing me back in April when everybody mobbed me when Gio came over to see me. I told him nobody is better than Gio. He was raving about him too.

Gio came by as expected, he came over to me first & he shook my hand. I asked him if he heard me when I saw him in the bullpen. He said he did. I told him how much I hate Zach Lutz for costing him a place in baseball history. As he always does, he downplayed it. I know deep down it definitely hurt him to come so close. I wound up getting a bunch of pictures he took with me signed. In addition, he signed my scorebook from the gem he threw the night before. He also signed my passport books. I asked him about the jersey. He promised he'll get it for me. He told me to meet him further down between the tarp & the dugout. I waited until game time but Gio didn't come back out.

I stopped off at Blue Smoke to get some ribs for dinner before I went upstairs to sit with the royal court in section 515 again. This time I was joined by Manny Morales, Phil Butleman, Alan Gimpel & Al Linderman.
As for the game we saw, the Nationals continued their power surge as they hit three more home runs as they beat the Mets again, 6-3 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche & former Met Scott Hairston hit one pinch hitting.

Gio Gonzlez & I at Citi Field on 9/11

Wednesday night after work I went right to Citi Field again. This time I was determined to get the jersey from Gio. Once again I saw him after batting practice. While I was waiting for him, I saw another young man named Joe Ceraulo. He told me his father George works at Citi Field. He was telling me great things about Gio. He said & I quote "he's the nicest man in MLB." I couldn't agree more. He took a picture of Gio & I. I returned the favor by taking a picture of him & Gio. When Gio came over he asked me if I was coming to the game tomorrow meaning Thursday afternoon. I told him I can't, I'm working. He told me he'll get you the jersey he promised me. He told me to meet him again between the tarp & the dugout. Since it was 9/11 it was a horrible day. Gio said he was having a rough day when I asked him how he was doing. The team spent some time at Ground Zero.

Me & Gio Gonzalez on 9/11 with the jersey in my hand

Despite being down most of the day, Gio true to his word this time went into the dugout & a little while later he came out with the jersey for me. He had asked me if I wanted it personalized. Of course, I said yes. I told him to write whenever he wanted to on it. When I got it I opened it up & I read what he wrote. It said & I quote "To Gary, Best Damn "True" Fan any Baseball player could ever ask for!!" Then he signed his name. I couldn't thank him enough for getting it for me. He felt the same way. He greatly appreciates all my support that I've given him since I met him for the first time back in May 2009 in Sacramento. I've been wearing the jersey everyday as a tribute to him. It's a size 44 so it helps me keep my weight off.

Here's the back of the jersey Gonzalez #47

I put it on & I went upstairs to sit with the royal court. Before I did, I stopped off & I bought myself a filet mignon steak sandwich from Pat LaFreida's. It was as good as advertised. I'm glad I treated myself to it.
When I finally got settled in section 515, I was joined by Phil Butleman, David Sack, Tommy & Frank Anichiarico.

What Gio wrote on the jersey he gave me 

As for the game we saw, the Nationals once again shutout the Mets, 3-0. Dan Haren threw six shutout innings and four relievers combined to silent the Mets' bats. Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo homer & Anthony Rendon hit a two run double in the eighth inning to put the game away.

Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do that will recap the weekend I had as the Mets played a four game series with the Miami Marlins as I try my best to continue to play catch up.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees Gio Gonzalez as the Washington Nationals return to Citi Field to play the Mets to end June!

Friday night after work I raced out of my office at 5:30PM in Midtown Manhattan so I could go right to Citi Field to catch the end of batting practice. More importantly, my main goal was to see my boy Gio Gonzalez again. When I arrived at the ballpark, I went out to short left field. I noticed Gio with his red glove standing out there. I was all excited. I got myself in position by going all the way down to the first row near where he was standing and I yelled out his name. He looked over and I he acknowledged me. I patiently waited until after batting practice ended. I told me the people around the area that Gio will come over. When it did, Gio started to walk off the field towards the dugout. I proceeded to yell at him again. Once he saw it was me, he backtracked and he came over to me. He shook my hand and we started to talk briefly. I asked him to sign a few pictures for me. One was for a young lady that met Gio at one of his functions that his Foundation did recently. Her name is Neva. I met her on Twitter. She's apparently less fortunate in life than some of us. I told her to e-mail me the picture of her and Gio which she had in her profile picture on Twitter. She listened to me and she did so. When I got it, I printed out in color for her. I didn't make any promises to her. I told her I'll do my very best to get Gio to sign it for her.

Since I'm a persistent person who doesn't except no for answer, I was determined to come through for her. True to my word, I did indeed. When Gio saw the picture of her with him, I asked him if he remembered her. He said he did. I told him she said hello. In addition, another young lady I met on Twitter is also is a big fan of Gio. I told him she said hello too.

Me & Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field

With that being said, Gio made my night complete and then some. First of all, he personally signed a picture I took with him back in April at Citi Field with his bobblehead box that he signed for me. Secondly, he told me he reads my blog and he said and I quote "you travel more than anybody." Thirdly, I asked him about getting a game worn jersey from him. He told me and I quote "I'll get you one, what color do you want." I told him white gets too dirty. I also said I don't care for the red and/or blue alternate ones. I said I want a gray one. I like traditional uniforms. The Nationals' road jersey reminds me of the old Montreal Expos' design before they relocated to our Nation's Capitol back in 2005. It has Washington in script across the front in red and red numbers on the back. Gio said and I quote "I'll personalize it for you." If and when I get it, I plan to wear it proudly to all the games I go to.

I can't wait to arrange to get the jersey from Gio. That's my next mission. I did give him a folder with my contact information again and some pictures of him and I for his own personal collection.

I told him I was coming over the weekend too. Saturday since I had to do my laundry in the morning I got to Citi Field too late to even attempt to see him again.

Gio Gonzalez warming up in the bullpen 

Sunday I knew he was pitching so the only way I could see him was to go out to the bullpen area. I got there in time to see him stretching out in the outfield. He was zoned in at the time. He was listening to music as he got himself ready for the game at hand. Once he took out his ear plugs and he headed towards the bullpen, I got his attention and he acknowledged my presence. I proceeded to watch him warm up in the bullpen. I took some pictures before I went upstairs to my seat in section 516.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with roadtripper David Cordell who came to Citi Field with his family to see the Nationals play!

Nationals Lineup

Saturday afternoon I went to Citi Field to see game two of the three game series with the Washington Nationals which started at 3:05PM thanks to Fox. With that being said, the King and I couldn't possibly see a second game so we went home after the game. We ate dinner and relaxed.

I wound up meeting up with a guy I met in Washington a few times at Nationals Park. The first time we met was last September and then I saw him again on Gio Gonzalez bobblehead doll day. His name is David Cordell. His Twitter handle is @dcinwashington. He's originally from England and but he's taken a liking to the game of baseball. He came up to see the Nationals play on the road with his wife Janice who's originally from Bellmore, Long Island and their son, Sam. It was great to see him again. It was also nice to meet his wife and their son.

As for the game we saw, Gio Gonzalez started for the Nationals. With that being said, I'm glad it worked out that I saw him after batting practice Friday night. When I did see him he was complaining about the weather, he said and I quote "it's too windy." Saturday afternoon was more of the same. As a result, Gio had trouble with his control. He threw a lot of pitches but he was able to get in & out of trouble for the first three innings. He didn't allow a run and he had a 3-0 lead thanks to home runs by Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper. In the fourth inning, Gio got himself into trouble. The Mets batted around as they scored five runs off Gio who walked three including Lucas Duda who had two pitches land behind him. I was sitting with my pal Manny Morales who was there. He was with his buddy Marc Beck who thought Gio was throwing at Duda. I told Marc he wasn't. Gio was just wild. He has a tendency to lose control when he's on the mound. This was one of those times. Gio got through the fourth inning but that was it for him. Thankfully the Nationals got another home run, this one was a three run blast by Adam LaRoche which gave the Nationals a 6-5 lead. I jumped for joy because it got Gio off the hook for the loss. In the seventh inning, John Buck tied the game again at six with a clutch two out double. It was short lived because Bryce Harper led off the top of the eighth inning for the Nationals by breaking the tie as he hit his second homer of the game which gave the Nationals a 7-6 lead. Former Yankees Tyler Clippard & Rafael Soriano held the Mets in check as the Nationals held on to beat the Mets, 7-6.

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap the doubleheader we saw with another special guest on Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Jacob Landis again at Citi Field!

Jacob Landis & I at Citi Field

After I saw Gio Gonzalez, I went out to right field to section 307 where I got to meet up with Jacob Landis who was at the game with his cousin Jack Riddle as they were continuing their quest to see a baseball game in every Major League ballpark this season by riding a bicycle. They're doing so to hit a home run for hearing. You can follow them on Twitter. Their handle is @JacobsRide2013. If you want to donate please feel free to do so.

I knew they were going to be there so I wanted to make sure I stopped by to see them again. They were with a group of people who also suffer from a hearing disability. I told them that I gave Gio their business card and an envelope because Gio always says and I quote "anything for a foundation." Hopefully Gio makes a contribution to this great cause.

After I spoke to Jacob and Jack, I went upstairs to my seat in section 516 so I could watch the rest of the game with the King and the rest of the royal court that were present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, we had two of baseball's rising stars pitching. Stephen Strasburg started for the Nationals and rookie Matt Harvey got the nod for the Mets. On this night, the rookie out pitched the highly touted Nationals star pitcher. The Mets scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning as they took advantage of an error that allowed lead off hitter Jordany Valdespin to get on base. A hit and a wild pitch wound up scoring him. John Buck delivered a clutch two out hit to make it a 2-0 game after the first inning. Strasburg settled down until the sixth inning when he allowed a pair of solo home runs to Ike Davis and Lucas Duda which gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. As a result, Strasburg was done for the evening. He allowed four runs only three were earned but he couldn't match Matt Harvey who departed after seven strong innings allowing a run as Chad Tracy got a run scoring single after a lead off walk and single to start the seventh inning for the Nationals. Harvey was able to pitch out of any further trouble as he gave way to the bullpen. He struck out seven and walked three as he earned the win. The Mets added insurance runs as Ike Davis and Lucas Duda both homered again in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Mets a 7-1 victory.

After the game, the King and I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal with our pals Bryan Gilligan and Frank Anichiarico.

Stay tuned for a few more special posts that will recap the visits I got from other roadtrippers over the weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty catches up with Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field!

When the 2013 Major League Baseball schedule came out back in the middle of September 2012, I marked April 19th down as the next time I would get to see Gio Gonzalez because the Washington Nationals were visiting Citi Field for the weekend. The last time I saw Gio was a few days before the schedule was actually released. As the off season went on, I was counting down the days. Despite being accused of using PED's in late January I was confident that Gio would be cleared of any wrong doing like he wrote on his Twitter account which is @GioGonzalez47. A week or two later, the truth came out that Gio wasn't involved in the scandal. Gio is used to facing adversity in his baseball career. He's been knocked down a number of times as he continues to try & climb up the major league ladder to stardom. With his attitude and his positive outlook, it's only a matter of time before gets there.

After work I went straight to Citi Field so I could be in position to see Gio again after batting practice ended. I went down to the railing in left field. I spotted Gio and I yelled out to him. He heard me and he acknowledged my presence. I waved the box which had his bobblehead doll in it that I got the week before when the King and I went to Nationals Park. I moved over closer to the tarp so it would be easier to speak to him and get another picture together once batting practice was over. There was a bunch of people waiting to try and get autographs. I told them that when batting practice ends all the players are going to run off the field except for Gio. As I predicted, that's exactly what happened.

Me & Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field

It was 6:24PM and Gio came over to me first and he shook my hand and we greeted each other. He wound up signing the box of his bobblehead on both sides which had pictures of him. I wanted him to sign the bobblehead but there wasn't a good place to do so. I was immediately harassed as people of all ages were jumping and climbing all over me trying to get Gio's autograph. The security guard who was there told them to back off once he signed for them. Gio knows how to draw a crowd even on the road. While I was trying my best to get my balance, some people who were by the left field foul pole had some choice words for Gio. I couldn't hear what they were saying to him. I assume it must have been related to the PED story. Gio being the down to earth human being he is was all bend out of shape over the heckling he was receiving. I tried to calm him down. The security guard told him I have your back. Gio has to learn how to tune out those kind of people. His reaction spoke volumes to me. I felt bad for him but it comes with the territory. We live in a cruel crazy world. We're all human beings with feelings regardless if we're gifted with athletic talent.

I couldn't talk to Gio as much as I wanted to because he attracted such a crowd. The last time I saw him in September it was rather empty which made it a pleasure to see him two nights in a row. Gio wound up signing autographs for 19 minutes on this night. He finally walked back to the dugout at 6:43PM. Before he left, I made sure I gave him a business card and an envelope from Jacob Landis who was also at the game as part of his bicycle tour in an attempt to see a baseball game at all 30 MLB ballparks.

Speaking of Jacob, when I got done visiting Gio, I went up to section 307 to see him before I went up to my seat in section 516.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to write about seeing Jacob again.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 2/25 in review

Gio Gonzalez in his first Spring start

Monday night after work I decided to come home to relax and catch up on things in the house after I made myself dinner. I really wanted to join the King and our pal Sean MacDonald who was visiting on business from Singapore. They wound up going to see Seton Hall Pirates basketball at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ but it didn't start until 9PM. I thought it was better for me to just stay home.

By doing so, I got to see a special treat on television. During the day, I saw on Twitter that the Mets were playing the Washington Nationals at 6:10PM. More importantly, my boy Gio Gonzalez was making his first start of the spring. With the accusations of performance enhancing drugs behind him, he set his sights on getting ready to build on the great season he had last year when he went 21-8. In addition, he was tuning up for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He'll be pitching for the United States.

When I knew he was starting the game, I made sure I got home in time to see him. He wound up pitching two innings. He got off to a rough start because his shortstop made an error on the first batter he faced. He proceeded to walk the next batter. Luckily he worked out of the jam and he got the Mets out without allowing a run to score. In the second inning, he got the Mets in order. He looked like the Gio I know and love. He finished his brief outing walking one and striking out three. The Nationals scored a few runs for him so he got credited with the win as they held on to win the game, 6-4.

It was great to see him even if it was just on television. I can't wait to see him again in person at Citi Field when the Nationals come to town in April.

Tuesday night after work I went to Charley's Subs for a pre game meal in Penn Station before I headed upstairs to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers play the Winnipeg Jets. I want to personally thank my pal Alan Gimpel who had an extra ticket and he was kind enough to sell it to me. As a result, I got to see a hockey game at the Garden. Ranger tickets are hard to come by. I wound up sitting upstairs in section 211 row 17 which is right at center ice so I had a great view of the action.

As for the game we saw, the Rangers and Jets played a scoreless first period. In the second period, the Jets broke through as they got a goal from Olli Jokinen with 14:05 left in the period to take a 1-0 lead. A minute and seven seconds later the Jets scored again. This time Evander Kane got the goal to make it 2-0 Jets. The Rangers got on the board with 10:32 to go when Ryan Callahan buried one to slice the Jets' lead in half at 2-1. With 5:12 left in the period, Olli Jokinen lit the lamp again to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. In the third period, with 10:43 to go, the Rangers got within a goal at 3-2 when Taylor Pyatt scored. 20 seconds later, Evander Kane of the Jets answered right back to make it 4-2 with his second goal of the game. The Rangers got back within a goal 53 seconds later when Anton Stralman found the net to get the Rangers within a goal again at 4-3. Despite their hard work the last ten minutes of the game, the Rangers fell short as the Jets held them off, 4-3.

Wednesday after work I went back to the Garden this time to see the Knicks play the Golden State Warriors. Before I went there, I stopped off at Popeye's for dinner.

When I was done I arranged to meet my pal Sean MacDonald outside the Garden so I could give him the ticket I was able to get for him. Since the game was on ESPN, it started at 8PM which gave him more time to get there since he was working. Since I missed seeing him on Monday night, I'm glad he was able to join me again.

We went inside and he got to see the new additions to the Garden since his last visit back in 2008. He was impressed with the new main concourse on the 100 level he said. For his whole take on the transformation please see his blog where he keeps track of his various sports travels. Since he lives abroad, he's done plenty of international traveling. He takes nice pictures and he gives excellent detail on his excursions. Take a look you may learn some things.

As for the game we saw, the Knicks got off to a fast start. They led the Warriors who were playing without former Knick, David Lee who got suspended for a fight that broke out in Indiana the night before. As a result, the Knicks led, 27-18 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Warriors closed the gap to three as the Knicks led, 58-55 at halftime. In the third quarter, both teams scored 26 points so the Knicks continued to lead by three, 84-81. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks held off the Warriors who took a late lead but they collapsed down the stretch as they fell to the Knicks, 109-105.

It was an historic night as the Warriors' Stephen Curry scorched the Knicks for a career high 54 points. He shot 11 for 13 from the behind the three point line to keep the Warriors in the game.

As for the Knicks, they got 35 points from Carmelo Anthony and 16 points from Tyson Chandler who also grabbed a career high 28 rebounds to carry the Knicks to the win.

Friday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn to see the Nets play the Dallas Mavericks at the Barclays Center.

Before the game, I stopped off at McDonald's for dinner.

After I ate, I went inside the arena and I met up with the King by our seats in section 230 row 13.

As for the game we saw, the Mavericks led the Nets, 22-21 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nets out scored the Mavericks by two to take a one point lead, 49-48 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Mavericks pulled away as they took a 77-63 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Nets tried to make a comeback but they came up short as the Mavericks won, 98-90.

Dirk Nowitzki and former Net Vince Carter each scored 20 points to lead the Mavericks. Deron Williams added a game high 24 points in the losing effort for the Nets.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do about our weekend getaway.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Gio Gonzalez Day in his hometown of Hialeah, Florida!

After bouncing around the major leagues from one organization to another, Gio Gonzalez has found his new home in our Nation's Capitol with the Washington Nationals.

Last week he received the Warren Spahn Award for being the best lefty pitcher in the major leagues in Oklahoma City. Now back in his hometown of Hialeah, Florida he is and will always be the toast of the town.

For more details, click on the link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/01/22/gio-gonzalez-to-be-honored-by-hialeah-city-council/    

It's an honor for such a super humble human being. I'm so happy for him. I've had the fortune of meeting Gio on a number of occasions so I know what a special person he truly is just from talking to him.

I want to wish Gio only the best for many more years to come on and off the baseball diamond. We need more good people like him in this world and things would be so much different.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with up and coming roadtrippers at Citizens Bank Park!

Me with the Carruba family, Kristy, Rich and Dylan 

Saturday morning I went out to Avis to pick up a car for the busy weekend I had planned out.

My first stop was Philadelphia where I was going to see the Phillies play the Atlanta Braves in the late afternoon thanks to Fox who decided about 10 days prior to take the game so it started at 4:05PM. Since they did I was put in a difficult position. I already had tickets for the Mets and Yankees who were both home that day at 1:10PM & 1:05PM respectively. I was hoping the Phillie game stayed at 7:05PM. Much to my chagrin it didn't. As a professional, I adjusted accordingly. I decided to take the easy way out if you will.
To make matters worse, the Washington Nationals were also home at 1:05PM that day and my boy Gio Gonzalez was pitching and he if won it would have been his 20th win of the season. As bad as I wanted to go there, I told a lady named Kristy Carruba who I worked with years ago that I would go to the Phillie game instead. She said she had an extra ticket so I told her I'll take it and the price was right so it hard to pass up the opportunity to do so. She was going to Citizens Bank Park with her husband Rich and their eleven year old son Dylan. Kristy arranged for me to meet Rich during the week so I could get the ticket in advance. By doing so, I was able to meet them at the seats upon arrival. We wound up seating in the Hall of Fame level by third base.

They got down there early so they could see the City of Brotherly Love and the ballpark. They were impressed with the ballpark. I personally love going there myself.

Kristy and I were able to catch up and I got to meet Dylan who's a big sports fan for the first time. They're good people and they're big fans of royalty. They read and follow my blog whenever they have time to do so. For that, I'm very grateful.

I got to give them an overview of all the different games and places I've been to over the years. They were dazed and amazed by my accomplishments. As I like to say, hard work pays off in everything you do in life. This is my passion so it's easy to do it with relative ease. I have a rock solid foundation in place that I've built upon over the years.

As for Kristy, she's a big TV watcher. Hence she has her own blog that she started which is called "Watching Way Too Much." If you like watching TV, I strongly suggest you take a look at it and follow along.

Kristy takes her TV watching to the extreme that I take my sports travel to. As for TV, I rarely watch but thanks to Kristy's blog I'm always kept in the loop of what's on TV these days.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies had their ace pitcher Roy Halladay starting. He's had an off year mainly due to an injury he suffered early in the season that caused him to miss some time. With him on the mound, I expected to see a good performance. Unfortunately, Roy didn't have it. He got lit up early and often on this day.

Michael Bourn who came up with the Phillies is now on the Braves. He lead off the game with a walk which is rare for Halladay. It was a bad sign. He got thrown out attempting to steal by Halladay though. It was quite a rundown he got in but he was finally tagged out. Martin Prado the next batter got a single. After a fielder's choice by Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones who's on his farewell tour got a hit. Freddie Freeman followed by hitting a three run homer to give the Braves a 3-0 lead. After the Phillies didn't score in their half of the first inning, the Braves went back to work as they chased Roy Halladay who couldn't get out of the second inning. The Braves added four more runs to take a 7-0 lead after an inning and a half. It was highlighted by Jason Heyward who hit a three run double. For good measure, Chipper Jones added a run scoring double to round out the scoring.

The Phillies broke the shutout in the third inning as they scored a run. In the fourth inning, history was made as Ryan Howard hit a solo homer to cut the deficit to 7-2. More importantly it was his 300th Major League home run.

The Braves added another run late in the eighth inning to sink the Phillies, 8-2. In the process, they put a damper on the Phillies' slim playoff hopes.

I want to personally thank Kristy, Rich and Dylan for their company as well as for the ticket for the game. I had a great time being with them. I look forward to doing it again at a ballpark and/or arena in the future.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with NL Cy Young Candidate Gio Gonzalez again and again at Citi Field!

Me and Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field on 9/11

I got to see Gio Gonzalez pitch again at Citi Field on Monday September 10th for the Washington Nationals as he managed to get through six innings to earn another victory. He struggled with his control on this night. He walked five and he struck out six. The weather may have been a factor since it was very windy.

Thankfully he got the run support he needed to beat the Mets, 5-1. To his credit, he did work himself out of some jams to keep his team in the game so with that being said he deserved the win. It was his major league leading 19th I might add. The way he's pitched throughout the season has him in the running for a possible Cy Young award in the National League. If he finishes strong, I think he could beat the Mets' R.A. Dickey for the honor. We'll wait and see how the rest of the season plays out first. I like the Mets' and R.A. Dickey but it's hard to overlook Gio and what he's done in his first year in the National League with the Nationals.
After work Tuesday night on 9/11 no less I went straight to Citi Field to catch the end of batting practice. More importantly, I was looking to see Gio Gonzalez face to face. When I got to the field level, I looked around to see where Gio was. I spotted him by left field so I proceeded to walk down to get as close to him as I could. I yelled out his name and of course he acknowledged my presence.

When batting practice ended, the Nationals ran off the field to get ready for the game. The only one who came over to sign autographs for the bunch of people who were standing by me was Gio. He's truly one of a kind. I told these people to relax that Gio would come over once batting practice ended. Since I've been fortunate to see him numerous times in the past, I knew I would be right.

Gio came right to me and he shook my hand and we talked. I had him sign my scorebook a few times on the pages of the games I saw him win at Citi Field against the Mets on July 24th and September 10th. He also signed a few pictures of him and I that were taken back in April at Citi Field. He's such a special athlete and person in my eyes. I told him I speak from my heart. I don't lie.

While he continued signing autographs for other people I told him since we follow each other on Twitter that I noticed you had lunch with a former boss of mine if you will. You met up with Mitch Modell from Modell's Sporting Goods on Monday. I told him I used to work for them back in the day. He had nothing but great things to say about Mitch. I knew that was true from my experience of meeting him a number of times myself.
Before I said goodbye to Gio, I got to take another picture with him. Thanks to Gio I had more reason not to forgot this 9/11 in particular. Gio always gives me hope because I always think of his "stay positive" mind set which has taken him to another level in his life as a major league pitcher.

I told Gio I will try to look for him again on Wednesday night.

After work again I went right to Citi Field to see if indeed I could see Gio again.

It was like an instant replay for me as I was able to do so. When I left home in the morning, I got my USA Sports Weekly which was on the steps as I opened the door to go to work. I normally put it inside the door and I look at it later when I get a chance.

This time quite amazingly I noticed the cover had Gio on it. I was in disbelief. I instantly took it with me so I could try to get him to sign it. It referred to him as "Nationals Treasure". He's been that and more since they traded for him a few days before Christmas last December. In retrospect, they gave up a lot in order to get him. Accordingly to an article I saw on that Wednesday on MLB.com just before the 2013 MLB schedule was released, they wrote how both teams have benefited from the trade between the Nationals and the Athletics. I hope and pray they somehow meet up in the World Series in October. That would be a fitting ending to this story line and season. Both teams have played better than expected in the short term since the trade.

As for seeing Gio again, I did indeed. I got his attention upon my arrival during batting practice and I waved the Sports Weekly at him proudly and I yelled out Cy Young.

After batting practice concluded, I saw Gio again. This time he signed the cover with his picture on it as well as a ticket stub I had from the July 24th game when I finally saw him win his first game in the major leagues in person. I saw a second one on Monday night. After being notorious for just missing him pitch by a day the last few years, my luck has changed for the better. I've now seen him four times live. Once last year and three times this year. He's 2-1 with one no decision.

During our conversation, I told him I saw on Twitter that he met former NBA player Kevin Willis. He said he's getting him some nice suits. I told Gio I remember when I met you in Sacramento and I said I was from NYC. You said you were never there. Now he said that he's been here so many times, it's like a second home. I told him you're always welcome here.

In addition, I gave him my contact information again and hopefully he'll contact me in the off season. If not, I plan to look for him again in April when baseball returns.

In the meantime, I will always continue to praise him on and off the field. Trust me he has earned a special place in my heart for many years to come. He deserves the accolades.

Stay tuned for the next installment of my amazing whereabouts. Please bear with me as I've fallen behind due to no spare time.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

MLB.com News Story - Gio deal turns fortunes of both Nats, A's

What a great story about my boy Gio Gonzalez. Click the link below for the details.

The A's radically remade their pitching staff with three major trades over the winter. The Nationals were happy to take advantage, shipping four prospects to Oakland in order to add high-upside but sometimes erratic lefty Gio Gonzalez. It's quite clear that neither side should have any regrets.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120912&content_id=38300618&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/23 in review

Gio Gonzalez up at Bat

After work Monday night I raced over to Citi Field hoping to catch up with Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals since his team was in town to play the Mets who finally returned home after a miserable road trip after the All-Star break. Just like the Mets I had no such luck. Since it rained for a little while late in the afternoon I knew batting practice may have been cancelled. When I got inside Citi Field shortly after 6PM, the field was deserted except for some members of the grounds crew who were getting the field ready for the game.

When I got down to the railing, I heard a guy tell his son that the Yankees just traded for Ichiro Suzuki. I was surprised at first then I realized you can never have enough depth these days. With all the injuries, it makes sense to carry extra bodies. In my eyes, it would have been nice to see Ichiro stay with the Mariners but in this day and age, it's figures he waived his no trade clause so he could have a chance to win.
As for the Yankees, it was a good business decision even if he's old and washed up. He will help sell tickets and merchandise. It was a low risk move for them.

As for me, after I missed out on an opportunity to see Gio again, I went up towards my seat in section 516. Before I went to sit down, I decided to stop off and get something to eat at Blue Smoke where they have pulled pork sandwiches and ribs. I've had the pulled pork in the past which was excellent. This time I decided to try the ribs. They were amazing to say the least. I'm glad I decided to get them.

After I ate, I watched the Mets play the Nationals along with the King, Vincent Ascanio and David Sack who came back from a road trip out in the Midwest. It was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Nationals got a solid performance by starter Jordan Zimmermann who allowed just one run in six innings but he didn't weigh in the decision as the bullpen allowed the Mets to tie the game at two. The Nationals struck early in the first inning. Right after the King wanted to know why Bryce Harper was on the All-Star team, he hit the next pitch into the bullpen to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. He showed him. After the game was tied late, the Nationals needed a tenth inning to overcome the Mets. They did so by scoring six runs to outlast them, 8-2 to keep them in their tail spin.

Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for dinner on my way to Citi Field.

I knew that Gio Gonzalez was starting so I knew I wouldn't be able to see him up close. I wound up going out to the outfield to see him as he was loosening up to get ready for his start. It was payback time for him. His last start was against the Mets in Washington and he got bombed. I expected him to bounce back and pitch well. This time he didn't disappoint me. He pitched seven strong innings allowing a run which was unearned. He retired the side in order in four of the seven innings. It was a Gio like performance that I've become accustomed to reading about.

The Nationals went on to beat the Mets again, 5-2. Gio picked up his 13th win of the season against just five losses. On this night, he out pitched Mets' ace R.A. Dickey who fell to 13-2.

It should be noted this was the first major league game I saw Gio win live in person. If you're an avid reader of my blog you know I always wound up missing him pitch by a day. That's happened numerous times the last three years. Thankfully it didn't happen again this time.

Wednesday night after I work I went home after work to rest up and catch up on things around the house.
Thursday night I got home in time for the release of the 2012-2013 NBA Schedule on NBA TV. I was anxious to see what's in store for my upcoming Fall and Winter. I spent some time laying in some potential local games as well as some possible road trips that I may take.

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx for the first installment of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry there this season. Before I went inside the Stadium, I met the King at the 7 Fish Market for dinner.

After we ate, we walked up the block to go to the game.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees tossed the Red Sox a beating as they won, 10-3. Phil Hughes pitched well for seven innings allowing three runs. The Yankee offense was powered by the long ball as usual. Raul Ibanez and Russell Martin both hit two run homers off starter Aaron Cook who is notorious for throwing ground balls. He got shelled for six runs in four innings. Later in the game, Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach for the Yankees.

Saturday I rented a car and I drove a car full to Baltimore to see the Orioles play. Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that will recap that getaway.

Sunday the King and I went back to Yankee Stadium for the rubber match of the Yankees/ Red Sox series. When we were away Saturday the Red Sox beat the Yankees to even the series at a game a piece.

This time the Red Sox got off to a fast start as they built a 2-0 lead thanks to a hit by Ryan Sweeney. The game stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning when Russell Martin hit a solo home run to pull the Yankees within a run at 2-1. In the eighth inning, Martin delivered again. This time he got a run tying single.

The game stayed tied until the tenth inning when Pedro Ciriaco untied it with a hit to give the Red Sox a 3-2 win. As a result, they won the series over the weekend.

Another week has come and gone.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty returns to Marlins Park along with a special guest, my Uncle Bob!

Prince outside Marlins Park

Three years ago, my Uncle Bob moved from Petaluma, California which is 40 miles north of San Francisco to Delray Beach, Florida.

Back in January 1992, the King and I went to the West Coast on a monster basketball and hockey trip. While we were there we visited my Uncle Bob. On that trip, we took him with us to the Cow Palace where the San Jose Sharks played their first few seasons while their new arena was being built.

We went back to visit him during baseball season on numerous occasions over the years when he lived there. We got to take him to Candlestick Park in 1993 and Pac Bell Park as it was known when it first opened back in 2000 to see the Giants and he also joined us when we went to Oakland to see the Athletics in 1997.

This time we got to visit him in Florida for the first time since he moved there. I arranged to meet him at his condo in Delray Beach which was on the way from Jupiter to Miami. Since we got a fast game that afternoon, we got to his place early enough so he could show us around his residence which overlooks a lake and a golf course.

He hadn't been to the new Marlins Park yet so I told him we'll take him there. It was a honor and privilege to do so.

As for the game we saw, the Miami Marlins fell behind the Washington Nationals, 2-0 early as Jesus Flores drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Ryan Zimmerman added a solo homer. In the bottom of the third inning, newcomer Carlos Lee hit a two run single to tie the game at two. A few batters later, now former Marlin Hanley Ramirez launched a two run homer to break the tie. By doing so, we got to see the sculpture in left center field light up as a Marlin started to fly around and water shot up in the air like it was coming out of a fountain. It was a cool sight to see. Since the ballpark has long dimensions, home runs don't fly out of there like they do at Yankee Stadium so we got to see a rare treat.

The Nationals inched closer as they scored another run in the sixth inning to make it 4-3. The Marlins wound up adding an insurance run in the seventh inning as they went on to win, 5-3 to gain a split of the four series.
After the game, we drove back towards my Uncle's place. Before we got there we stopped off at Steak N Shake and we had a shake. What a great way to wrap up this midsummer's night dream.

After enjoying the shakes we had, we spent the night at my Uncle's place.

We had breakfast Tuesday morning then we headed to the West Palm Beach airport to catch our flight home.

I want to personally thank my Uncle Bob for giving us some royal treatment while we were there.
Stay tuned as I continue by doing my week in review upon our return home to the Big Apple.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty catches up with All-Star pitcher Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals at Marlins Park!

Gio Gonzalez and I at New Marlins Park 

Back in late December when the Washington Nationals announced they traded for my boy Gio Gonzalez, I got all excited. I knew in the middle of July I was planning to see the New Marlins Park and they were scheduled to play the Nationals that weekend.

Since Gio joined the team, I knew I had another chance to see him in person. I got to see him early in the season at Citi Field when the Nationals played the Mets in April.

I told him then I'll see him again in July in Miami. Ironically Gio grew up in nearby Hialeah and he went to high school there back in 2000 and 2001. He pitched a no hitter he told some family and friends who were on hand to see him.

After batting practice, I went over to the area near short right field. After his teammates all ran into the clubhouse, there was Gio coming over to meet & greet me, his family and friends as well as other fans who wanted his autograph and/or a picture with him. As always, Gio made sure he acknowledged everyone. He's such a great guy. He was with us for a good 15 minutes. I don't know many athletes these days that would even give you the time of day.

Despite being bombarded by his family and friends, he still treated everybody else there fairly.

I got to chat with him while he was there. It was great to catch up with him again. I told him I plan to see him again at Citi Field when the Nationals return in a week and a half. I also had the privilege of meeting his mother too. What a nice lady. I made sure I told her that he has a great son. She was wearing an All-Star jersey from Kansas City with his name and number on it.

Of course, Gio was scheduled to pitch Saturday night when we were going to be in Atlanta. I plan to finally see him pitch again at Citi Field when they play the Mets again. It will be payback for him since he got roughed up the other day against them in Washington.

Regardless of how he pitches, he's still my boy win or lose.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the New Marlins Park along with fellow roadtripper Paul Derrick!

Prince at New Marlins Park in Miami

When the Major League Baseball schedule came out in the middle of September 2011, my main priority was to figure out a way to get to Miami so the King and I could see the New Marlins Park. That way we could say we've been to every current MLB park once again.

After thoroughly analyzing the schedule, I decided that July 13th would be the day that made the most sense for us to get there. With that being said, I proceeded to piece together the trip.

Once I finalized the game plan, I was contacted by Paul Derrick who wanted to join us for part of our Stadium Journey. After getting a sample of how we roll last July, he was anxious to come along with us for more. I was thrilled to have him join us. I arranged to meet him at the West Palm Beach airport where he flew to from his home in Houston, Texas on Friday. He landed around 12:30PM. The King and I were there to meet him. On the way to the airport, the King and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Paul had a layover in Atlanta where he said he ate already so he wasn't hungry he told me so I planned accordingly.
Upon arrival, I asked him what he wanted to do. He didn't have anything special in mind before the game. I offered to take him to South Beach if he wanted to go there. He said whatever you want to do is fine. While we were driving down I-95 towards Miami, I noticed a billboard on the highway that was advertising a casino that was not far away. It was near Fort Lauderdale. I asked Paul if that would work for him. He said that's fine. I know the King likes to go to casinos so I decided to get off the highway and check it out. We wound up at the Mardi Gras Casino. Since it was warm outside it turned out to be a good way to stay cool since we had some time to kill before we went to see the New Marlins Park.

It turned out great for Paul who played on a slot machine for a short time. He made some money and he decided not to risk losing it so he quit while he was ahead. I made a few dollars and the King lost some while we killed a few hours there.

After we were done, we got back into the car and off to Miami we went.

I wanted to get to the ballpark early so we could check out the place for ourselves. I had an idea from reading about people who have already been there.

We wound up parking the car on someone's driveway for $10 after we searched the area and that seemed to be the most logical way to go. We were only a few blocks from the park which worked out really well.
When we were walking towards the ballpark we saw a Wendy's restaurant that was located right up the block from where we parked.

We decided to go in and grab a bite. Since I had a hearty breakfast, I wasn't that hungry so it worked out well for me.

When we were done we walked over to the ballpark. Since we didn't have tickets in advance, I went to the box office and I remember my pal Kurt Smith, the author of Ballpark E-Guides saying that they sell $10 tickets the day of the game. I asked the lady at the ticket window and she said we have them. So I proceeded to buy three of them for us. I knew Kurt wouldn't steer me wrong. That was helpful advice. Hopefully in the future he'll get to Miami so he can see the ballpark himself. If and when he does, I know he'll put together an E-Guide so everybody else can benefit from it.

We proceeded to go inside and see the park for ourselves. Since it was warm outside, the retractable roof was closed. The ballpark consisted of all royal blue seats throughout on all the different levels. The exterior of the ball field itself was mainly lime green. They have an aquarium right behind home plate on the inside of the wall so those lucky enough to be able to afford those pricey seats can look at the fish swimming around during breaks in the game. They also have a sculpture out in left center field that lights up when a Marlin player hits a home run. When it does, it has Marlins swimming around in a circle and water shoots out like in a fountain which is really cool and unique to this ballpark.

In addition, on the concourse they have a Bobblehead Museum which has over 600 different bobbleheads in it. If you like collecting them, make sure you stop by and take a look.

Furthermore, they have a club called the Clevelander out in left center field that's next to the sculpture where you can watch the game. You have to have tickets for that area to do so. If not, you can go there after the game when it's open to the public. I tried to do that but it was too crowded and we were pressed for time.
After looking around the concourse on the lower level which wraps around the whole field, I went down to see Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals who were playing the Marlins when we were there. Gio got traded to the Nationals after I decided this would be the best time to get to the new ballpark. It worked out well that they got him. By doing so, I was able to catch up with him. Stay tuned for the special post regarding that experience.

As for the game we saw, we sat in the upper deck behind home plate in section 314 and we watched the first place Nationals beat the Marlins, 5-1. It was the Jordan Zimmermann and Ryan Zimmerman show. Jordan pitched six shutout innings and Ryan added a two run homer which proved to be the difference in the victory.

In the process, the King put on a show with his signature strikeout call for the natives. He usually does his thing for the home team. With that being said, he would do it when a Marlin pitcher struck out a Nationals' batter. Since we had a few Cuban gentlemen sitting by us, he decided to do a Spanish version of the call. It was hilarious as they got a good laugh. So did I for that matter. It was added entertainment for the other Marlin fans who were sitting near us. Despite the loss, it turned out to be a fun night for everyone.

After the game, we got in the car and we drove 300 miles to Ocala, Florida where we stayed the night as we were making our way to Atlanta, Georgia to see the Mets play the Braves Saturday afternoon.

Stay tuned for the special post regarding our visit to Turner Field.

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

Gio Gonzalez is playing in the All-Star Game for the second year in row!

Last year while pitching for the Oakland Athletics, Gio Gonzalez was named to the American League All-Star team. He only faced one batter in the game at Chase Field in Arizona but he got the Cincinnati Reds' Jay Bruce to strike out in his cameo appearance.

In the off season, the Athletics decided not to sign Gio long term. As a result, they traded him to the Washington Nationals for four prospects. The Nationals thought so highly of Gio that they gave him a long term contract with options to keep him in our Nation's Capitol for many years to come.

Gio has responded by showing the Nationals' upper management that they've made a very sound business decision.

Based on the first half of his first season with the first place Nationals, he's shown that he's more than worth the prospects they gave up for him.

After winning 31 games over the last two seasons he played in Oakland, he has 12 wins against 3 losses for the Nationals in a half a season so far.

If he keeps pitching well during the second half of the season, he could finish with at least 20 wins which is a rarity these days.

Yesterday Gio made his last start before the All-Star break. He threw six quality innings as he earned his 12th win. That tied him for the major league lead with R.A. Dickey of the Mets who's having a career year.
With the victory, Gio now has 50 wins at the major league level.

Back in May 2009, I saw Gio at an autograph table while he was spending time in the minor leagues at Sacramento the Athletics' Triple A affiliate after he had a brief stint in the majors. Shortly after that, Gio was recalled by the Athletics and now he's in the major leagues to stay.

He's come along way since then and with that being said, I'm so proud of all his hard work and the positive attitude that he brings to the table. As a result, he's now a rising star at the major league level.

Gio has had bouts with his control in his time at the major league level from time to time. Being a southpaw, it's not surprising. He has cut down the number of walks he's allowed the last few years. This season he continues to minimize the free passes he issues. His strikeout to walk ratio is almost 3 to 1 which is excellent. I hope he continues to built on his success.

Gio has a good track record of staying healthy which is key to his long term success. Over the last two and a half years, he's made all his starts.

This year he's thrown 101 and two thirds innings so far. He ha allowed only 71 hits including just 4 home runs which is impressive to say the least. He has struck out 118 batters which is more than one per inning and he's walked only 42. So if you do the math he has a 2.8 strikeouts to walks ratio. His earned run average is 2.92. That proves his future is very bright.

Time will tell. One thing is for sure Tuesday night he will be representing the National League and the Washington Nationals proudly in the Major League All Star Game Tuesday night in Kansas City. I plan to tune to watch him shine again.

I want to wish Gio only the best of luck in the second half.

Regardless of what happens I'm always behind him. He's such a great guy on and off the field, it's hard not to root for him. If and when you get to meet him sometime, you'll see what I mean.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman