Royalty w/o 4/22 in review

Taste of Italy No. 2

Monday night after work I came home. I made myself dinner and then went out & I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I stopped off at a restaurant called Taste of Italy No. 2 which is located at 40-05 Junction Blvd in Corona, Queens. It's right off the 7 train which makes it nice & convenient to go to. I want to thank my pal Vincent Ascanio for the royal recommendation. I wound up getting chicken parm and spaghetti which came with three garlic knots for $5.95. They have waitress service too so you can sit down, relax and enjoy your meal. I certainly did. When I got done, I hopped back on the 7 express train one stop to Citi Field where I went to see the Mets open a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chicken Parm and Spaghetti

When I got off the train, I went to see my pal Sam Citron who greeted me with a handshake. As always, it was a pleasure to see him again. I went upstairs to section 515 because that's where the rest of the people I know were sitting on this cold, windy night. Amongst us regulars were our friends Steve Tepperman, Pat Gorman and Martin Caamano who were present and accounted for as well.

In addition, we had some musical entertainment in section 513 as the Hooligan's were at the game too. They always make the game experience more amusing. In fact, they chanted out during the game, Where's the King? He was near me. He said and I quote "they're asking for me." I told him, yes they are. They're also big fans of his signature strikeout call which they join him on. Regardless of the lousy weather, it turned out to be a great night out.

As for the game we saw, the Dodgers got a three run homer from Mark Ellis in the seventh inning which broke a 2-2 tie to make it 5-2. In the eighth inning, they added a few more runs thanks to a two run double by A.J. Ellis. The Mets wound up losing the game, 7-2. The one bright spot for the Mets was that former Brooklyn Cyclone Juan Lagares who was called up from the minor leagues got his first major league hit, a single in the seventh inning.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway and Carvel for my pre game meal before I went to Citi Field for game two of the three game series between the Mets and Dodgers. This time we sat in our usual section 516 up near the top. We had a nice gathering on this night which was also cold & nasty. Thankfully Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets so we had a chance to see a good game.

As for the people who joined us, we had Manny Morales, Charlie Vitanza, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Rich Wolber, Alan Gimpel and Martin Caamano. In addition, we had some special guests who used to show up more often. I'm referring to my good friend James Gabriele who was there with his son Andrew and our pal Mike Klein who came out as well.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey pitched well. He went six innings. He allowed three runs & four hits while he walked just one and he struck out seven. He left the game down 3-2. The Mets rallied to tie the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning thanks to a clutch two out hit by David Wright which got Matt Harvey off the hook for the loss. The game was decided in the tenth inning as the Mets got a game winning grand slam from Jordany Valdespin which gave them a 7-3 win.

Thursday night after work I went up to the Bronx. I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant. I got a roast beef sandwich for dinner. I took it into Yankee Stadium and I ate it. I was joined by the King.

The Yankees were opening a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Thanks to the horrible scheduling the Mets were home over the weekend too at the same time Friday and Sunday.

As for the game we saw, the Blue Jays took an early 3-0 lead thanks to Edwin Encarnacion who hit a two run homer in the first inning and Brett Lawrie who hit a solo shot in the second inning. The Yankees answered back in their half of the second inning as former Blue Jay Vernon Wells hit a solo homer to make it a 3-1 game. In the third inning, Robinson Cano hit a three run homer with two outs to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. They added another run in the fourth inning when Francisco Cervelli hit a rare homer as home run derby continued. The Yankees and Blue Jays didn't score the rest of the way as the Yankees won the game, 5-3.

Friday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for a pre game meal on my to Citi Field as the Mets opened a three game series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Since the Yankees were also home, we had a smaller than usual crew amongst us on this night. Those who were present & accounted for were Pat Gorman, Frank Anichiarico, Alan Gimpel, Martin Caamano and Michael Carson. In addition, the Hooligan's were in the house again too which is also a welcome addition.

As for the game we saw, the Mets and Phillies were scoreless until the sixth inning when the Phillies finally broke through. They roughed up Mets starter Dillon Gee who gave up four straight hits which resulted in four runs before he recorded an out. Michael Young got a run scoring single and Ryan Howard cleared the bases when he hit a home run to center field to give the Phillies all the offensive support they needed as starter Kyle Kendrick pitched a gem. He went the distance as he shutout the Mets on just three hits. He walked one and struck out five as the Phillies took the opener, 4-0.

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

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap the way we made the most of our weekend in NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 6/18 in review

MCU Park - Home of the Brooklyn Cyclones

Monday night after work I met up with the King at Queensboro Plaza which is an express stop during rush hour on the 7 train. We went down to the street to have dinner at Checker's which opened up recently a few blocks from the train station. Our friend Manny Morales told us about it. It's fast food but it was really good. It's nice to know we have another option to eat along the 7 line as we make our way to Citi Field to see the Mets play.

Speaking of the Mets, we saw them open a three game series with the Baltimore Orioles who were visiting Citi Field for the very first time. After getting swept away over the weekend by the Reds, the Mets needed to get back on the winning track. We got to see Vincent Ascanio who's become a regular amongst us at the ballpark.

As for the game we saw, R.A. Dickey was pitching for the Mets. He gave the Mets the jolt they needed. He continued his amazing dominance this season as he dazzled the Orioles with his knuckleball. He allowed just one hit for the second game in a row. In the process, he struck out a career high 13 Orioles as he went the distance as the Mets won the game, 5-0. Mind you the game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Ike Davis hit a grand slam to put the game away for R.A. and the Mets. It was a great team effort.

With all the excitement, the King nearly lost his voice doing his signature strikeout call much to the delight of the people who were sitting by us in section 516. The Hooligan's were there too. They've moved to section 513 this year. They were echoing the King's strikeout call from three sections away. It was really awesome just like R.A. Dickey's pitching performance was that night.

Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for my pre game meal on my way to Citi Field for game two of the series.

On this night, they gave out t-shirts commemorating Johan Santana's no hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 1st to the first 25,000 fans who walked through the gates. Amongst them was our friend Mike Klein who came with his nephew Joe Klein. As always, it was great to see them. Back in the day, Mike was a regular with us. Nowadays he shows up once in a long while so it was a rare treat to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Mets continued to win as they beat the Orioles again by the same score of 5-0. This time Johan Santana threw six shutout innings to pace the Mets to the victory. He got help from Lucas Duda who hit a two run home run in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 3-0 and in the seventh inning, Jordany Valdespin added some insurance for the bullpen as he delivered a two run single to put the game out of reach.

Wednesday after work I went to Subway and Carvel to eat as I made my way to Citi Field. I got off the 7 train at Junction Blvd which is an express stop so I could have my meal. After I ate, I got back on the train and I went to the game.

This time we were joined by our pals Phil Butleman and David Sack. It's always nice to see different familiar faces from night to night.

As for the game we saw, it was scorching hot weather wise as the temperature at game time was 94 degrees. It was brutal to say the least. Dillon Gee started for the Mets this time. He pitched well allowing two runs in seven and a third innings of work. He left the game with the Mets ahead 4-2. He earned the win but it wasn't without a scare from Frank Francisco who allowed a run to score and before he finally got the last out with the bases loaded. The Mets luckily escaped as they swept the series from the Orioles, 4-3.

Thursday night after work I went to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones host the Staten Island Yankees in the Battle of New York on a minor league level. I would like to thank our pal Vincent Ascanio who got the King and I free tickets for the game.

As for the game we saw, it was a sloppy one. The Staten Island Yankees broke the game open as they scored six runs in the seventh inning to beat the Cyclones, 8-1. They capitalized on mistakes which included a botched up a sacrifice bunt and they took advantage of three walks in that inning to go along with three doubles they hit.

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap the latest installment of the Subway Series that took place at Citi Field.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 7/18 in review

Mets win, 6-5 in 10 thanks to Angel Pagan

Monday night I went out to Citi Field after work to see the Mets play the Florida Marlins in a make up game.

The Mets fell behind in this one as Marlins' right fielder Mike Stanton hit a bomb to give the Fish a 2-0 lead. That proved to be the difference as the Marlins won the game, 4-1.

Tuesday night after work I went back to Citi Field to see the St. Louis Cardinals who were making their one & only visit this season.

The King and I were joined by our friend Mike Klein who was there with his nephew Joe Klein. It was great to see them again. We enjoyed each other's company throughout the game.

As for the game we saw, the Mets tagged Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse for four runs as Angel Pagan and Daniel Murphy both hit two run doubles. The Mets went on to deck the Cards, 4-2.

Wednesday night I went back to Citi Field to see the Mets play the Cardinals again. My boy Vincent Ascanio was in the house as well.

The Mets fell behind 4-0 early. They chipped away to slice the lead in half. They wound up tying the game at 4. The Cardinals regained the lead in the top of the eighth inning, 5-4. The Mets came back again to tie the game at 5.

The game went into extra innings. Angel Pagan of the Mets sent the natives home happy when he delivered a game winning home run to give the Mets a dramatic hard fought 6-5 victory.

Thursday night I went home after work to rest up and pack for my big road trip with Paul Derrick who was coming in from Houston, Texas.

Stay tuned for daily updates from the road as Paul will be my guest blogger during our journey.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman