Royalty sees a few MLB doubleheaders in NYC & Philadelphia in April!‏

The second week of the baseball season was highlighted by a pair of New York Yankees & Philadelphia Phillies back to back doubleheaders on April 12th & April 13th. 

On Saturday April 12th the Yankees played an afternoon game in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium when they hosted their arch rival the Boston Red Sox who are the reigning World Champions. That day the King ‎& I were joined by our pals Bryan Gilligan & William Frank Guthrie. 

View from section 420B row 7 at Yankee Stadium

As for the game we saw, the Yankees used the long ball as they hit five home runs to overpower the Red Sox, 7-4. 

After the game, Bryan drove all of us down to Philadelphia. We went ‎to Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies host the Miami Marlins that night. It was a busy evening in the City of Brotherly Love as the Frozen Four was being played across the street at the Wells Fargo Center. With that being said, my pal & fellow roadtripper Andrew Van Cleve went there. He saw Union College which is located in NY State in Schenectady near Albany beat the University of Minnesota, 7-4.

As for the rest of us we went to see the baseball game. As for the game we saw, the Phillies had an early 4-1 lead after three innings. The Marlins tied the game at four thanks to their slugger Giancarlo Stanton who hit a solo homer in fifth inning & a two run homer in the seventh inning. ‎The game wound up going into extra innings as the Phillies prevailed when shortstop Jimmy Rollins ended the game in the tenth inning with a game winning homer with two out to give the Phillies a 5-4 victory.

Phillies win, 5-4!

After the game, Bryan drove me to Andrew Van Cleve's house where I spent the night. Bryan drove the King ‎& William Frank back home.  Andrew would have put them up too but they decided to go home instead.

As for me, I got to see his kids, Dylan & Micah aka the Ultimate Sports Brothers. I enjoyed seeing them again. I got a good night sleep then I walked to Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies play the Marlins again that afternoon. Andrew decided to take Micah to see the Flyers play the Hurricanes later that afternoon instead. I thanked him for his his hospitality & I said goodbye to him & the kids. 

On my way to the game, I stopped off at Pat's King of Steaks for a signature Philly cheese steak that the City is known for. The line was long but it moved fast. When you go there, you have to know what you want otherwise they'll skip you. I ordered a cheese steak which I sat down & ate. When I got done, I finished walking over to Citizens Bank Park. 

Pat's King of Steaks

Philly cheese steak

I wound up meeting the King & Bryan inside the ballpark since they decided to go home then drive back down. 

View from section 319 at Citizens Bank Park

As for the game we saw, ‎the Phillies fell behind 2-0 & 3-1 before they were able to tie the game at three on a two run double by catcher Wil Nieves in the bottom of the fifth inning. They won the game, 4-3 thanks to a solo home run by Chase Utley in the bottom of the eighth inning.

After the game, Bryan drove the King ‎& I back to the Bronx for the series finale between the Yankees & the World Champion Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won two of the first three.

Me, The King & Ken Liu

Once we got situated in our seats in section 420B row 7‎, shortly thereafter we got a visit from fellow roadtripper Ken Liu who lives in Los Angeles. He was in the Northeast because he was doing training for his new job in the Philadelphia area. It was great to see Ken again. The King & I initially met him when we went to Australia to open the season in late March. Ken decided to go in February. Since he's a Dodger fan it made sense for him to do so.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees fell behind 1-0 in the top of the second inning. They went ahead in the ‎bottom of the third thanks to a two run home run by Carlos Beltran. They tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth to go up, 3-1. Mike Napoli of the Red Sox hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth but the Red Sox couldn't even the score as the Yankees held on to win the game, 3-2 as they took three out of the four games.

Stay tuned as I plan to do some more special posts about the other highlights from the month of April.

Thank you for reading ‎& following along.

Yours truly, 

Gary Herman

‎

Royalty w/o 7/8 in review

Monday morning before I went to work I returned the car I rented from Dollar despite getting only a few hours sleep.

After work, tired and all I still went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a four game series with the Kansas City Royals. Before I went into the Stadium, I stopped off at Burger King for a pre game meal.
When I finally got up to my seat in section 420B, I was greeted by some familiar faces. I'm referring to William Frank Guthrie, Steve Tepperman and Larry Peim who were also there.

As for the game we saw, the Royals got a well pitched game from their starter Jeremy Guthrie who allowed a run over six and two thirds innings to emerge victorious as the Royals beat the Yankees, 5-1. It should be noted there was a 59 minute rain delay during the game too. That just made my night out even longer.

Tuesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two of the series. More importantly, I met up with my Cousin Andy when I got off the train. It was his special day so I arranged to spend the night with him. I took him to the Court Deli Restaurant for dinner then we went into the Stadium. It was great to see him again. We did the same two years ago when Derek Jeter got his 3,000th career hit. What a day that was.
When we got upstairs, we were joined by my pals Al Linderman & William Frank Guthrie who came back for more.

As for the game we saw, the Royals once again beat the Yankees. This time they won, 3-1. The Yankees scored the first run of the game in the first inning but that's all they managed to get. CC Sabathia gave up a few solo homers to David Lough & Billy Butler. He also gave up a run scoring double to Eric Hosmer which accounted for the Royals' offense. CC did go the distance in the losing effort.

Wednesday night after work I went back for more as I saw game three of the series. This time I stopped off at the New Sunflower Chinese restaurant for my pre game meal. I had fried scallops and fries. When I finished I walked over to Yankee Stadium.

This time I was joined by my pals Rich Wolber and Frank Anichiarico.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees got a solid pitching performance from Ivan Nova who went eight strong innings to back the much needed offense that they gave him as Robinson Cano hit a three run homer in the third inning & Lyle Overbay added an opposite field grand slam to left field as the Yankees beat up the Royals, 8-1.

Thursday night after work I went home and I did my laundry as I got ready for the big weekend getaway I had to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore & Aberdeen, Maryland.

Stay tuned for a number of different special posts I'm going to do that will recap it.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/1 in review

Monday morning I was able to leave the car I rented from Dollar for the week on the street near the house thanks to Bryan Gilligan because he left his car there on the right side of the street so I didn't have to worry about moving it because of alternate side parking. With that being said, I took his spot. I got some sleep then I woke up & I went to work with peace of mind.

After work I went to Taste of Dolly's for pizza on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I was exhausted but I still followed my game plan. Upon arrival to the Rotunda when I got off the 7 train, I was greeted by my pal, Sam Citron. It's always a pleasure to see him.

Upon entry, I went upstairs to the promenade level where I was joined by David Sack, Manny Morales, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel & Martin Caamano in section 515. It should be noted the usual regulars were there as well. I'm referring to Ralph & Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan & the King. These guys live at Citi Field so it seems.

As for the game we saw, it was another long one. The Mets wound up winning this one, 5-4 in 13 innings as Josh Satin delivered the game winning hit. I decided to leave after 11 innings because I needed to get some sleep. I'm glad I did. It took them almost an hour to play the last two innings. I got home in time to see the end of the game it was that bad.

Tuesday night after work I went to Checker's for dinner before I returned to Citi Field for more punishment.
This time I sat in section 516 with Phil Butleman, David Sack, Manny Bonilla, Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman and Pat Gorman as well as the usual fixtures.

As for the game we saw, the Mets wound up winning, 8-1. In the process, they handed Diamondbacks' starter Patrick Corbin his first loss of the season. He was 9-0 coming in. This game was actually a fast one it went only 2 hours and 24 minutes. The only problem was there was an hour and 41 minute rain delay that kept us in the ballpark for just over four hours. Another night I lost sleep. I'm glad I stuck it out this time even though I really wanted to leave. The Mets broke a 1-1 tie with seven runs in the seventh inning after the delay to enable them to put the game away.

Wednesday I went to work. I thought I would be getting out early but I didn't know for sure until I got back from lunch at 1PM when I was told we were leaving at 3PM. I was relieved to hear that. As a result, I went home for a while. I got to lay down for an hour or so. I got up and I made myself dinner. I decided to drive the car I rented to Citi Field so I didn't have to be at the mercy of the MTA.

When I got in the car I noticed it said there was a light saying low tire pressure. I decided to stop off at Dollar so I could get that checked out. I had a long weekend trip planned and the last thing I needed was to get stuck. With that being said, I wisely got the problem fixed. It cost me 15 minutes. When I was done, I proceeded to park the car on the street within walking distance from Citi Field on 114th street just before Northern Blvd at 6:55PM. I raced over to the ballpark hoping to see the first pitch around 7:10PM. I did arrive in time in a huff and a puff only to see the tarp was on the field because there was a threat of rain in the area. With that being said, another long night awaited us.

Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets and it was fireworks night after the game. As a result, there was a huge crowd on hand.

We were able to sit in section 516. Amongst those who were there that night were Steve Tepperman, David Sack, Manny Bonilla who was with his sister Vicky and his nephew Gio. It should be noted they were seeing their first baseball game. It was nice to be a part of it with them. We also had additional in house entertainment as the Hooligan's and the 7 Line were present & accounted for in section 513. It was great to hear them when a Diamondback struck out because they love to join the King in his signature strikeout call.

As for the game we saw, It finally started at 9:01PM. A one hour & 51 minute rain delay this time. Matt Harvey didn't pitch great on this night. He shutout the Diamondbacks for the first five innings. Thanks to solo home runs by David Wright and Josh Satin who hit his first major league home run the Mets lead, 2-0. In the sixth inning, Cody Ross hit a three run homer to give the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead. Matt Harvey gave up a lead off walk which was followed by a single & a double to start the seventh inning. That was the end of the night for him. The Met bullpen allowed the two of the three inherited runners to score so Matt Harvey's line looked a lot worse than it appeared. He did walk three & he fanned nine. He wound up taking the loss as the Mets fell to the Diamondbacks, 5-3. The game ended at 12:18AM.

Thursday afternoon the King & I spent our Independence Day back at Citi Field. Upon entry to the ballpark, we got an All-Star gnome.

We went upstairs to section 515 and where we were joined by fellow roadtripper Charlie O'Reilly who was there too. It was great to see him again. We also had our pals William Frank Guthrie, Pat Gorman & David Sack there as well.

As for the game we saw, the Mets & Diamondbacks played another marathon. This time without a rain delay. The game wound up going 15 innings. It lasted five hours and 46 minutes. It finally ended at 6:57PM. The Mets finally succumbed to the snakes, 5-4, as Cliff Pennington delivered the game winning single as the Mets settled for a split of the four game set after they won the first two. They miraculously tied the game not once but twice in the 13th and 14th innings after the Diamondbacks pushed across the go ahead run thanks to Anthony Recker and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, two unlikely sources who both hit solo home runs to prolong the agony for the Mets.

Stay tuned for some special posts that will recap the adventurous holiday weekend the King & I enjoyed.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the Yankees play the Red Sox and also goes to Philadelphia to see more baseball over the weekend!

Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open up a three game weekend series with their division rival, the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Before I went inside, I stopped off at Burger King for a light dinner with my pal Vincent Ascanio who I met there.

The beardless King

After we ate, we went to the Stadium and we met up with our pal William Frank Guthrie who was also there along with our other buddy Pat Gorman. Shortly thereafter, I did a double take. The beardless King was present & accounted for. Wow, what a difference a day makes. He was sitting with our friend Bryan Gilligan at the time.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees got back a few players who were out due to injuries. I'm referring to Mark Teixeira who was making his season debut at first base and former Red Sox Kevin Youkilis who also returned to the line up. After getting swept by the Mets in the Subway Series, the Yankees were hoping to get back on the beam. They had their ace, CC Sabathia on the mound. CC answered the call as he pitched seven and a third innings allowing just one run and he struck out ten. The Yankees got a few run scoring singles in the second inning off Red Sox' starter Jon Lester to take a 2-0 lead. They added another run in the fifth inning as Kevin Youkilis got a clutch two out single to make it 3-0. The Red Sox broke up the shutout in the seventh as Mike Napoli doubled in a run to make it 3-1. The Yankees answered back as Brett Gardner drove in a run to make it 4-1. Mariano Rivera came on in the ninth inning and he closed it out to earn his 19th save of the season and his 628th of his career.

After the game, Bryan drove the King and I to Donovan's Pub in Woodside, Queens so we could have our post game meal together. I contacted the King's brother Charlie and he joined us for the festivities as did our pal Frank Anichiarico. It was so funny because Charlie didn't recognize him at first. Once things settled down, we sat and enjoyed our food and drinks.

Charlie Casiano  & The beardless King

Saturday during the day I was able to clean up the house and then I went out and I did my laundry as well. When I got done, I made dinner for myself. After I ate, I went up to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series between the Yankees and the Red Sox. It was a rare Saturday night game in the Bronx because Fox was doing the game.


When I got up to my seat in section 420B, I saw William Frank Guthrie who was there again. I was pleasantly surprised. I barely made the first pitch due to the horrible service that the MTA provides us on the weekends here in NYC.

As for the game we saw, the Red Sox got even. In the third inning, they got a grand slam from Mike Napoli which capped off a five run outburst which set the tone against starter Phil Hughes. The Yankees broke the shutout in the fourth inning as they got a run courtesy of a sacrifice fly from catcher Chris Stewart to make it 5-1. In the eighth inning, left fielder Daniel Nava hit a three run homer off reliever Adam Warren to make it an 8-1 game. In the ninth inning, the Red Sox tacked on three more including one on a home run from Stephen Drew as they cruised to an 11-1 victory.

Sunday morning the King and I played softball. Our pal Bryan Gilligan met us at the field along with our pal Frank Anichiarico. Bryan then drove us all to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia where the Phillies were hosting the Milwaukee Brewers. Our friend Frankie Centola mailed us four tickets for the game. We wound up meeting up with his brother Nicky who was also there. It was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Phillies jumped on the Brewers in the first inning after they had two outs. Jimmy Rollins doubled, Ryan Howard walked and red hot Domonic Brown hit a three run homer to right field to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead. John Mayberry Jr. followed with a single, catcher Erik Kratz doubled him in to make it 4-0. Third baseman Freddy Galvis then tripled to make it 5-0. Pitcher Cliff Lee flew out to finally end the inning. The Phillies added two more runs in the second inning as Cliff Lee cruised along until the eighth inning when he gave up four hits that were sandwiched by a double play ball. He was taken out after throwing seven and two thirds. He dominated the Brewers as he struck out eleven of them. The Phillies' bullpen managed to hold off a late Brewer surge as the Phillies won the game, 7-5.

After the game, Bryan drove us back to Yankee Stadium for the rubber match between the Yankees and the Red Sox. We got back with time to spare for the scheduled 8:05PM start. Unfortunately due to the threat of rain in the area, the start of the game was delayed. They finally decided to start the game 45 minutes late at 8:50PM. They over reacted because it didn't rain while they covered the field.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when the Red Sox scored the game's first run. Mike Napoli hit into a fielder's choIce that plated the run against Yankees' starter Hiroki Kuroda. In the top of the fifth inning, third baseman Jose Iglesias hit a solo home run to left field to make it 2-0. In the top of the sixth, David Ortiz hit a blast to right centerfield to extend the lead to 3-0. A few batters later, the sky opened up. As a result, the tarp was put back on the field. Since it was almost 11PM at that point I decided to leave so I could get home since I had to go to work in the morning. The King decided to hang around since he had nothing better to do. They wound up resuming the game 37 minutes later. They finished the top of the sixth inning in a matter of minutes he said. Shortly thereafter, the rain returned. With that being said, they decided to call off the game. Since it was official, the Red Sox got a 3-0 rain shortened victory.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty does a Major League doubleheader and sees another roadtripper in the process!

Saturday afternoon the King & I took the subway to Citi Field to see the Mets play game two of their three game set with the Miami Marlins. Upon arrival, we greeted at the Rotunda gate by our pal, Sam Citron. Since Sam told me he plans to work every game this season, I will try my best to see him every time I go to a Met home game. He's such a down to earth human being who has nothing but kind words to say to me about my blog and my writing ability. I owe it to him to always give him the courtesy of a royal hello. As a result, he recognizes other members of the royal court when they come into the ballpark. He fills me in when I see him. He tells me who's inside already. We have a great rapport that continues to grow every game we see each other. He makes seeing the game seem secondary. More importantly, he adds instant credibility to whole royalty experience if you will.

After seeing him again, we went inside and headed up to our seats in section 516. Every game we have a number of regulars who attend. In addition, we have others we know that can only make the weekend games and occasional ones during the week. For example, I'm talking about Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich and William Frank Guthrie who were there. We also had a rare weekend visit from Mike & Sharon Jaffee who showed up. They normally attend the midweek afternoon games when I'm working so I usually don't get to see them too often. Furthermore, we had our pal Manny Morales and his buddy Marc Beck there. They have a Saturday plan in our section. Moreover, we had a visit from our friend Phil Butleman who was on hand with a young man named David Sack who's been coming more often. Since Phil's a Yankee fan he doesn't come to Citi Field that much. He likes to pick his spots.

Besides the King and I, the usual fixtures were present & accounted for. I'm referring to Ralph & Vincent Ascanio as well as Bryan Gilligan who like the King and I are full season ticket holders and they rarely if ever miss a Met home game. Among other regulars, we usually have Pat Gorman and Donald Cohen aka Fuzzy who has the distinction of being called a New York institution. Fuzzy's been going to sporting events on a regular basis long before I was even born. That alone tells you all you need to know about his legacy.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a quality start from their starter Jonathon Niese who gave up two runs in six innings of work. Unfortunately he didn't get a decision in the game because the game was tied up at three after he departed. The Mets rallied to score three runs in the seventh inning and they tacked on another one in the eighth as they went on to beat the Marlins, 7-3.

When the game ended, Bryan Gilligan drove the King and I as well as Vincent Ascanio and Phil Butleman down to Philadelphia so we could all see a second major league game at Citizens Bank Park, which is the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. They were hosting an interleague game against the visiting Kansas City Royals. Upon arrival, I entered the ballpark through the right field gate so I could see Lisa Wilson who is a supervisor that we've gotten to know from going there so often. She's always been so nice to us over the years. She always greets us with a big sincere smile. As a result, we get royal treatment at home and on the road.

In addition, we got an added bonus when we were standing behind section 319 which is where we hang out and hold the royal court if you will. Our pal Chris Coats aka KC Superfan was on hand with his lovely girlfriend, Brittani Murphy who joined him for this road trip. Brittani like Chris is a big Royal fan. In matter of fact, Chris has a streak of seeing over 700 consecutive Royal home games in person. He also sees a number of their road games when he can get the time off from work. He works for the United States Postal Service in Missouri near his hometown of Raytown which isn't far from Kauffman Stadium which is the home of the Royals.

Brittani, Chris & I at Citizens Bank Park

It was great to meet and greet Chris again as well as his better half, Brittani who I met for the first time. They appeared to be very happy together. We got to chat and we caught up since we last saw Chris in November at a Missouri Tiger football game. Chris plans to come back East a few more times this season which was music to my ears. He's going to the All-Star Game at Citi Field in the middle of July as I'll be his personal tour guide. In addition, he said he plans to come back to Citi Field again the first weekend in August with Brittani so they can see their Royals play again on the road. I will see to it that it's a great adventure for both of them. By then, Chris should be a veteran of NYC.

As for the game we saw in Philadelphia, it appeared that the Royals were going to beat the Phillies again. They whipped them on Friday afternoon which was the Phillies' home opener, 13-4. This time the Royals lead, 3-1 going to the bottom of the ninth inning. They brought in their closer Greg Holland to close it out. He was very wild when he came in. He wound up walking the bases loaded before he recorded an out. He then struck out Domonic Brown swinging for the first out of the inning. He proceeded to get John Mayberry Jr. to strike out for the second out as he looked at a third strike. It appeared he was going to get of the jam he created for himself. It wasn't meant to be as pinch hitter Kevin Frandsen batted for catcher Humberto Quintero and he delivered the big blow as he hit the ball in the gap in right center which cleared the bases to give the Phillies an improbable 4-3 come from behind victory. Chris & Brittani were disappointed but they weren't surprised being Royal fans. As for the majority of the near capacity crowd of 39,475 they walked out of the ballpark in total elation as a result.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write another special post that will recap how that Sunday afternoon turned out as another special guest joined us for the festivities.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman