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 w/o 8/26 in review

Monday night after work I went to Taste of Italy's No.2 for pizza where I wound up meeting up with Vinny Ascanio, Frank Anichiarico and David Sack on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game series with their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. When I got to the Rotunda entrance I was greeted by my pal Sam Citron.

Since it was close to game time, I went straight upstairs to section 515 where the rest of the Royal Court was sitting on this night. Besides Vinny, Frank & David, we also had Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel amongst us.

We had a good pitching match up that night as the Phillies had Cliff Lee on the mound while the Mets countered with rookie prospect Zack Wheeler. It turned out to be a good one for a change. The Phillies got a two run triple from Cody Asche in the fourth inning that was the difference in the game as the Phillies got by the Mets, 2-1.

Tuesday night after work I returned to Citi Field for game two of the four game set. Since it was another Citi Tuesday I decided to eat at the ballpark with the $10 gift card I received just for showing my Citi card at the booth out in center field. I was considering going to Shake Shack but as usual the line was forever so I decided to go next door to Blue Smoke for some ribs instead. When I got done I walked back around the ballpark on the field level then I went upstairs behind home plate in section 515 where I caught up with the King, David Sack, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman & Pat Gorman who were also present & accounted on this night.

Eric Schwartzman & I at Citi Field

It should be noted a few innings into the game I got a special visit from a fellow ballpark chaser who lives in Astoria. I'm referring to Eric Schwartzman. He kept me company for a while and we exchanged stories as we watched the game. Ironically he said he went to college with Bob Deal, another ballpark chaser who I happened to see a few days before. I told him that. What a small world it really is. I want to personally thank Eric for spending some of his precious time with me that night. Hopefully we'll catch up again soon.
As for the game we saw, it was a rare fast one. It took only two hours and 19 minutes as Mets' starter Jonathon Niese went the distance throwing a three hit shutout as the Mets beat the Phillies, 5-0.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway & Carvel for my pre game meal & dessert as I returned to Citi Field for game three against the Phillies.

When I got up to section 515 on this night, I was joined by a regular crowd as David Sack, Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman & Alan Gimpel also came back for more. In addition, Martin Caamano showed up as well. Furthermore, we had some added entertainment in section 513 as the Hooligan's were in the house.
As for the game we saw, unlike the night before it was a long one. It took three hours & 32 minutes to play mainly because of Dice K who started for the Mets & to be perfectly honest, he was absolutely awful. The Phillies roughed him up as they went on to beat the Mets, 6-2.

Thursday night after work I came home because I needed to do my laundry. The Mets wrapped up their series with the Phillies in the afternoon. They wound up winning to splitting it two games a piece.

Friday I got out of work early at 3PM thanks to the holiday weekend. As a result, I was able to go home first & I had a bite to eat. Then I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open up a weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. It happened to be Yogi Berra Bobblehead Doll night for the first 18,000 fans so I was fortunate I was able to get there early enough to get one.

Yogi Berra Bobblehead Doll 

Before the game started, they carted Yogi around the warning track and he waved to the fans.

When I got up to my seat in section 420B row 7, my pals Steve Tepperman, Larry Peim & William Frank Guthrie were all sitting nearby. Shortly after the game started, fellow roadtripper Sean MacDonald showed up. He just moved to NYC after spending 15 years in Japan & another year in Singapore. It was great to see him again. I expect to see him more often but not in the near future because he's taking a four month trip to see all 32 NFL stadiums by car. I told him to contact me if and when he needs any of my sound advice along the way.

As for the game we saw, it was fast & scoreless for the first three innings. After that, the rest of the game was dragged on. The Orioles got on the scoreboard first in the top of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead which was short lived as the Yankees answered when Alfonso Soriano hit a two run homer to make it 2-1. The Orioles responded in the top of the fifth inning when they got a long two run homer from Danny Valencia who hit the ball to the back of the Oriole bullpen in left center field. They also got a clutch two out hit from Manny Machado to take a 4-2 lead. In the fifth inning, the Yankees batted around as they score five runs to take the lead for good. They wound up holding off the Orioles by a score of 8-5.

After the game we went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Saturday afternoon the King & I returned to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series between the Yankees & the Orioles. We had William Frank Guthrie, Al Linderman & Michael Abrams there with us.
As for the game we saw, the Yankees got a stellar complete game performance as starter Ivan Nova threw a three hit shutout as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 2-0.

After the game, the King & I took the subway to Coney Island where we saw the Brooklyn Cyclones host the Aberdeen Ironbirds at MCU Park. Ironically as we were walking to the ballpark, a guy asked us if we needed tickets. We said we did & he handed them to us. I shook his hand and thanked him.

When we got inside the park, we had some friends there as Domish, William Frank Guthrie & his wife Beth showed up as did Al Linderman & Michael Abrams.

As for the game we saw, the Ironbirds got seven shutout innings from their starter Sebastian Vader who earned the victory as the Ironbirds won, 7-0. Earlier in the season, we saw Vader throw eight shutout innings. That night he left winning 4-0. The Ironbirds' bullpen blew the game as they wound up winning 5-4 in ten innings.

Sunday afternoon the King & I returned for the finale in the Bronx. Depending on how the game was going I was considering going to Brooklyn again to see the Cyclones play the Ironbirds at 5PM. I hate to leave games early unless I deem it necessary.

As for the game we saw, Andy Pettitte started and he pitched well for six innings. He gave up two hits in the seventh inning & Joe Girardi decided to take him out unnecessarily. He left with a 3-0 lead. The move turned out to back fire on the Yankees as the Orioles wound up exploding for seven runs as they batted around. The King & I were feed up in the middle of the inning. After J.J. Hardy hit a three run homer to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead, we decided to leave so we could get to the Cyclone game on time.

The Yankees wound up losing the game, 7-3. Adam Jones hit a three run homer that we missed. The game took three & a half hours to play. We didn't regret leaving. We hate to be held prisoner.

We wound up taking the subway back to Coney Island and we arrived at MCU Park just in time for the first pitch at 5:01PM.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Cyclones got a run to go up 1-0. The Ironbirds tied it up in the top of the eighth inning when left fielder Connor Bierfeldt hit a solo homer. In the ninth inning, the Ironbirds scored four runs including a three run double by Mike Yastrzemski, the grandson of former Red Sox great, Carl Yastrzemski. The Cyclones made a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning but they fell short as they lost the game, 5-4.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/2, w/o 9/9 & w/o 9/16 week in reviews. I'm trying to catch up slowly but surely. Please bear with me.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 8/19 in review

Monday morning my missing bag finally showed up. The driver called me when I was taking a shower as I prepared to go to work. He left me a voice mail. Luckily I was able to get in touch with him before he left the area. He said he was up the block. Thankfully he was kind enough to come back to the house and he gave me my bag. I couldn't thank him enough for accommodating me.

I then proceeded to go to work after I took a week off to go the West Coast. I had to play catch up in the office all day. After work I came home and I made myself dinner. After I ate, I went around the block and I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I returned to Citi Field as the Mets opened a homestand against the Atlanta Braves. I saw my pal Sam Citron at the Rotunda gate. As always, it was a pleasure to see him.

Me with my Home Run Apple Bank 

Upon entry I got a Home Run Apple Bank which they gave out to the first 25,000 fans. I then proceeded to get my MLB Passport book stamped at the Fan Assistance booth on the field level. Since it was another Citi Tuesday I went out to the Citi booth by center field & I got my $10 gift card for showing my Citibank credit card. I then decided to use it at Blue Smoke where I got four made to order hot smoking Kansas City barbecue ribs. They were outrageous. A person who was nearby where I was eating them said to me and I quote "are they as good as they look". I responded, absolutely. I was a very satisfied customer.

When I got done eating, I went upstairs to section 516 where I was joined by the Royal Court which included the King, Vinny Ascanio, Alan Gimpel, Pat Gorman, David Sack, Michael Carson, Harry Schwartz & Jerry Caffarello.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a nice pitching performance from Zack Wheeler as they beat the Braves, 5-3. It should be noted that Mets rookie Travis d'Arnaud got his first major league hit, a double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Wednesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Toronto Blue Jays. Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I stopped of at Foodtown a few blocks away and I bought myself a ham & swiss sandwich which I ate when I got up to my seat in section 420B row 7 where I met up with the King.

Ichiro's 4,000th Professional Hit

As for the game we saw, we witnessed history for what it's worth as Ichiro Suzuki got a single to left which was his 4,000th professional hit which includes the ones he got while he played in Japan. It should be noted that former Met Jose Reyes got thrown out of the game in the 2nd inning for arguing a called third strike. The game was tied at two until the bottom of the eighth inning when Alfonso Soriano hit a two run homer off Blue Jays' starter & former Met R.A. Dickey who threw a eight inning complete game but he got saddled with the hard luck loss as the Yankees held off the Blue Jays, 4-2.

Thursday night I came home for a rare night off. I was able to rest up and relax.

Friday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for a pre game meal before I returned to Citi Field as the Mets opened a three game weekend series with the Detroit Tigers.

When I got up to section 516 I was joined by Mike Carroll, David Sack, his friend Andrew, Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams, Bill Graven, Michael Carson & Frank Anichiarico aka Duck.

As for the game we saw, Daisuke Matsuzaka aka Dice K made his debut as a Met. He didn't really impress as he gave up five runs in five innings. Torii Hunter hit a solo homer and a run scoring single. Miguel Cabrera hit a three run homer and Austin Jackson hit a solo shot as the Tigers beat the Mets, 6-1.

After the game, there was a post game concert by Third Eye Blind who we saw last year after a Nationals game. So I was looking to it. Much to my chagrin, this performance was awful.

Saturday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for game two of the series between the Mets and the Tigers. Before I went into the ballpark, I met up with fellow ballpark chaser and Tiger fan, Mark Walker who was there too. I gave him some pointers since he was from the Midwest. I wanted him to feel at home here in NYC.

After we spoke briefly, I went inside and I went up to section 516 where I was accompanied by my pals Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Al Linderman, David Sack & Pat Gorman. It was Fiesta Latina Day. As a result, the Mets wore orange Los Mets jerseys.

As for the game we saw, it was a rematch of the All-Star game starters, Max Scherzer for the Tigers and Matt Harvey for the Mets. Max Scherzer threw six shutout innings allowing three hits while he did walk four and he struck out ten. He also got a run scoring double. While Matt Harvey gave up two runs on 13 hits in six and two thirds innings. The Tigers' bullpen shut down the Mets offense over the last three innings as they beat the Mets, 3-0.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub where they were having a grand re opening. Earlier this year, there was a ownership change. Donovan's is now better than ever. It turned out to be a very festive gathering as many of their regular customers over the years were there to celebrate this special occasion.

Tom Seaver Bobblehead Doll Day

Sunday afternoon I returned to Citi Field for the finale of the three game series. It was Tom Seaver Bobblehead Doll Day for the first 25,000 fans. This time I was joined by Alan Gimpel, Frank Anichiarico, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Michael Carson & Martin Caamano.

I did get a special visit from fellow ballpark chaser, Bob Deal who came by for a few innings. He was at the game with friends of his in section 520. I want to personally thank Bob for stopping by. It's always fun to catch up with him.

In addition, after Bob left, another fellow ballpark chaser, Terrence Williams came by to meet me. It was nice of him to do so. He's from Toronto but he said he has friends who live in Brooklyn so he comes down here often to visit. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon.

As for the game we saw, the Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Miguel Cabrera hit a two run homer. In the fourth inning, Travis d'Arnaud hit his first major league home run that gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. It was short lived as the Tigers regained the lead in the sixth inning when Andy Dirks hit a two run homer to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead. The Tigers put the game out of reach with a seven run outburst in the ninth inning as they won the game, 11-3 which gave them a sweep of the three game series.

Stay tuned as I continue to play catch up whenever time allows me to.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/10 in review

Remembering 9/11/01 at Citi Field

Monday night after work I went straight to Citi Field to see the Mets host the first place Washington Nationals who were making their third and final trip to Queens this season.

I was all fired up knowing my boy Gio Gonzalez was scheduled to start the game for the Nationals.

Upon arrival I saw my pal Sam Citron, who was so happy to see me as usual. He was surprised I was so early. The King told me he wanted to use up some money he had on a gift card. With that being said, I was a benefactor. He told me to have dinner on him. So I wisely did. I wound up getting a Brooklyn Cheese Burger and that came with chips and sliced pickles. It was good. More importantly, the price was right.
After I finished eating I went upstairs to our section 516 where I was joined by the King, Frank Anichiarico, Bryan Gilligan, Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike and Vincent Ascanio.

I was looking forward to seeing a great game since Gio was starting even though it was a rather windy and cool evening. As a result, I truly believe that it affected Gio who struggled badly with his control as he managed to get in and out of trouble for six innings. He wound up walking five while striking out six. He only give up one run in the process though. Gio got some help from his teammates namely Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond who each hit two run homers to give him margin for error as the Nationals beat the Mets, 5-1. With that being said, Gio enhanced his chances of winning the National League Cy Young Award which goes to the best pitcher in the league. He picked up his Major League leading 19th victory and his 50th against 28 defeats over the last three seasons and he still has some more starts before this season ends for him.

I'm so proud of Gio. I remember him being sent back to the minor leagues after he had a brief stint in the Major Leagues with the Oakland Athletics back in August and September 2008. In May 2009, I met him in person for the very first time while he was in Triple A in Sacramento. I've followed him closely even since. The rest as they say is history. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know exactly what I mean.
Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about Gio who I had the privilege and honor of seeing again and again at Citi Field before Tuesday and Wednesday's games. Trust me it will be worth the wait. This guy is an incredible human being to say the least.

Tuesday after work, I remembered that horrific day that people like myself in the Northeast had to deal with on this exact day eleven years ago. A day from hell is an understatement. Needless to say, it's my least favorite day of the year.

I treated it as any other day when I was at work. When I got to Citi Field, that changed. I decided to eat at the ballpark since I got there early on purpose so I could try and see Gio. Mission accomplished. When I got done, I went upstairs with the pulled pork sandwich I bought from Blue Smoke. It was delicious. The Mets had a pre game ceremony to remember this unforgettable day.

After the ceremony and National Anthem was played, it was business as usual on the field.

As for the game we saw, R.A. Dickey started for the Mets. He's in the running for the Cy Young award along with Gio. On this night, he pitched well allowing three runs over seven innings. Unfortunately for him the Mets couldn't score so he left the game on the short end of a 3-2 score. The Nationals added insurance runs in the ninth to put the game away as the Nationals won, 5-2.

Wednesday marked the day the 2013 MLB schedule was released. For those of us who live for baseball and planning ahead it was like a kid on Christmas morning.

After work I returned to Citi Field where I got to see Gio again before the game. As I said earlier, stay tuned for further details.

Since I got there early I ate at the ballpark again. This time I had Two Boots pizza which is what I had when we ate at the Caesars Club over the weekend. It was really good.

As for the game we saw, the Nationals were going for the sweep of the Mets who have been awful since the All-Star Break especially at home. The Mets continued their downward spiral as they failed to plate a run as the Nationals beat them again, 2-0. Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond like Monday night were the difference as they both homered again. This time they hit solo shots.

Thursday night after work I came home to relax and recharge my batteries so I could gear up for a busy and surprising start to the weekend that lied ahead of me.

Please stay tuned as I recap the amazing weekend I had as it turned out without leaving the local area. It promises to be a worth while read. Please bear with me as I try to find time to write it.

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