Darren O'Donnell continues his journey with a layover in Buffalo before he goes across the Border into Canada!

Please see below for all the details of his progress in this great article that was written about him by Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell of the USRT.

http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n35/play_ball#.Tl9pT41wgQI.facebook

Please feel free to follow him on Twitter @Baseball_Biking and/or on Facebook where he has been chronicling his amazing adventure.

Try to catch him as he's coming down the home stretch with the finish line slated for September 25th in St. Louis.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Bike Rider Darren O'Donnell at Citi Field!

Darren O'Donnell, My Cousin Andy, Me and The King

Last Wednesday night August 10th when the Mets played the San Diego Padres at Citi Field, we had a very special guest in the house.

His name was Darren O'Donnell. Who is he and why is he so special you must be wondering?

Well back in the middle of June, I saw an article on the internet on the TampaBay.com website.  I couldn't believe what I was reading.

The article spoke about a young man who was a mere 24 years old from Bellingham, Washington. For those of you who don't know, Bellingham is practically by the Canadian border. It's about 90 miles North of Seattle on I-5. In other words, it's a long way from New York City as well as parts of the country.

This young man, Darren O'Donnell decided to ride his bike to all the different major league ballparks this season, which in itself is quite a feat.

Most people over the years who have decided to attempt to this kind of journey would either fly, drive, take a bus and/or a train. This is the first time I've ever heard of someone doing with a bike.

It's a rather unique and novel idea to say the least. This isn't something anybody can do. First and foremost, you must know how to ride a bike. I'm not trying to be funny, some people don't know how to. In addition, you have to be in great shape to endure all the obstacles you'll encounter along the way such as riding up and down hills. Furthermore, you have to ride on certain roads. For the most part, you can't take interstate highways like driving a car. On the other hand, you have to deal with weather issues so you have to be prepared to do so.

These were the types of questions I asked Darren when we met him because in my wildest dreams I couldn't picture myself doing what he's doing even if I was capable of doing it.

Needless to say, he blew me away with his amazing ability to attempt to achieve this incredible accomplishment. I know it was true but I still had a hard time believing it.

In matter of fact, he said this was his very first time to New York City. I had offered my assistance to him back in June via e-mail. He like most didn't take advantage of my kindness and my willingness to help out any way I could. I guess it didn't want to impose on me. If I really didn't want to be bothered, I wouldn't have volunteered to help. I always offer my assistance because I like to treat people the way I want to be treated. I know it's a very cruel world out there. I'm an exception to that rule. I wish he would have. That way he could have had an easier time while he was here in NYC getting around.

Luckily he was able to make it to Citi Field on that day. With his odd way of traveling, it's not easy to maintain a set schedule.

With that being said, he was supposed to be at Yankee Stadium on that Tuesday night but for some reason he wasn't able to make it. I was caught by surprise. He said he was going there Thursday afternoon instead. I asked him if he had a ticket for the game yet. He said he might. Between the King and I, we had an extra ticket that we couldn't use so we decided to give it to him. He was very grateful. Instead of the ticket going to waste, we made sure it went to good use.

Darren said he was planning to continue on his trip to Boston once he left the New York City area where he got to spend some quality time with his Uncle Terry who lives in New Rochelle and a good friend of his who lives in Manhattan.

He has visited many people he knows across the country either family or friends. In my case, a perfect stranger.

If you want to meet and greet Darren if and when he comes to or passes through your town or city, please let me know so I can get you in contact with him. He has given me his permission to do so. He's a really nice intelligent young man who can share his adventures with you firsthand.

I told him I know people in many of the cities he still has to visit before he heads back West.

They include Toronto and yes he'll be riding through Buffalo in order to get there so my Buffalo Boys should be able to see him as he passes through within the next week or so.

In addition, he'll be going to Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minnesota and Kansas City before ending his journey in St. Louis in late September.

For further details and his tentative schedule, look him up on Twitter @Baseball_Biking and make sure you follow him. In addition, if you're not following me for some unknown reason please do so @royaltytoursusa.
Furthermore, he's on Facebook. Look for Baseball Biking Tour and you should find him. He does quite amazing put up posts of his excursions with pictures and plenty of detail on there. You can also feel free to comment accordingly. For example, his visit to Citi Field was Day 125.

I strongly suggest that you reach out and give this fellow human being the love and care he deserves. After all, he's an inspiration to all of us in one way, shape or form.

Thank you for taking your precious time to follow and read along.

I personally greatly appreciate it.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys the added entertainment of the Hooligan's and Hooligals at Citi Field!

CitiFSHooligan's in Section 516

Back in the good old days when the King and I went to see the Mets play at Shea Stadium, the place always seemed to rock and occasionally shake from time to time thanks to the people who were in the building.

The King was always notorious for his signature strikeout call which some people liked and others didn't. But like anything else that's just the way it is
.
Nowadays the people who go to a game seem like robots all the time. When the scoreboard says make noise, they make noise.

Citi Field is nothing like Shea was. I know some people think it's such a better place than Shea. That's only true you're a corporate person or somebody who happens to have a lot of money to burn. For us real baseball fans and/or everyday people, that's not the case.

Needless to say, I miss Shea big time. That place was not as bad as people said. The City of New York owned that building and they never properly maintained it. That's why people mainly influenced by the media preferred to call it a "dump".

Shea Stadium held 55,000 people and majority of the seats were in foul territory which meant most of the views weren't bad and they were much more affordable to all walks of life.

Citi Field on the other hand, has many obstructive views or "blind spots" if you will. That's not an opinion that's a true fact. It's sad but true. It only holds 41,000 give or take. A good number of them are horrible seats mainly in the outfield. Fortunately for the King and I we were blessed to have a few of the better seats as we see it at a somewhat reasonable price. In matter of fact, our seats are a bargain compared to many others there.

Furthermore, the Mets had a distinct advantage playing at Shea, where those of us who were old enough witnessed two World Series Championships in miraculous fashion. I was only a year old when they won in 1969 so I can't relate to that. But in 1986, it was an unbelievable feeling to be a Met fan.

With all that being said, I want to point out and acknowledge a special group of people who have been coming to Citi Field a few times a month and they happen to sit in our section 516.

They refer to themselves as the "CitiFSHooligan's". They consist of a bunch of guys who they say are the "Hooligan's and there are some young ladies as well who go by the name "Hooligals". They also wear their own personalized jerseys so they're easy to distinguish amongst the rest of the section.

They like to enjoy the game, get the crowd involved, drink their beer, have lots of fun and be merry.

They have different antics that they roll out as the game goes on. For example, they sing different songs for the Mets when they come up to bat. They have different chants as well for opposing fans. They do everything in good fun which makes for an entertaining night out at the ballpark for everyone who's there.

When they show up at the game, they say and sing I quote "I believe the Mets will win." That doesn't always hold true but it doesn't hurt to believe like the late great Tug McGraw said "Ya Gotta Believe" back in the day.

Their record is 6-3 they said when then show up. Based on my math, that's the equivalent of the 1986 Mets overall record of 108-54. That's a winning percentage of .667. So like Meatloaf sings, "two out of three ain't bad".

Last Tuesday night, they kept us entertained and their belief willed the Mets to an improbable 5-4 win.
Even when the Mets lost a few weeks ago, Christine aka "Bean" one of the Hooligals said and I quote "I try to keep it positive".

We need more people like them on a daily and nightly basis to inject some life into the building.

For some reason, the Mets have had a hard time winning at home.

Don't blame it on the spacious field of play, that's one of the few things they got right with the ballpark in my eyes.

The Mets need to build a team that strives on speed so they can take full advantage of their new home field.
After all, the dimensions are for both teams. It would help if they could add a true power hitter or two so we can see the "Apple" in centerfield go up once or twice a game.

This year and last year the Mets have been like a roller coaster ride with plenty of ups and downs.

I think going forward in 2012 and beyond, they need to take my advice. Hopefully they can find a way to keep Jose Reyes in a Met uniform and hopefully he'll stay on the field so he can spark the Mets resurgence to the glory days here at Citi Field.

Off the field, I think the Mets should set up a special section so people like the "CitiFSHooligan's" can take over and energize the rest of the crowd throughout the game. For further details about them, look for them on Twitter and follow them and while you're at it, you can follow me @royaltytoursusa if you're not already doing so.

Believe it or not, I'm trying to be realistic in my thoughts and ideas, we'll have to wait and see what actually happens in the future.

Met fans, hang in there. I expect to enjoy another World Series Championship before my time is up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty discovers a new way to travel thanks to road tripper, Darren O'Donnell!

Over the years, I've seen many live sporting events home and away. I've taken different modes of transportation such as buses, trains, planes and automobiles.

Earlier today I came across a story on tampabay.com about a person who's doing it a little differently. He's in the midst of going to all 30 major league baseball stadiums over 170 days this season. He's doing it by riding a bike. Yes, you read right.

His name is Darren O'Donnell. He's from Bellingham, Washington which is about 100 miles north of Seattle and just before the Canadian border that goes into British Columbia.

He can be found on Twitter @Baseball_Biking. I'm following him. I suggest that you do too.

In addition, there's a link on his facebook page where he has his planned schedule of games he's attending. Go to facebook.com and search for Baseball Biking Tour.

Due to the nature of his transportation mode, he has the games spaced out so he can have enough time to logistically get from one place to another.

I did get in contact with him and I offered my assistance if and when he needs it. Being a road warrior myself, I can tell what to expect along the way.

I plan to meet and greet him at Citi Field on August 10th when the Mets play the Padres at 7:10PM.

He did his research and he found out that this has been done before. Someone did it in back in 2004 and somebody else did it last year in 2010 he said.

He's a huge baseball fan and he hopes to get into the front office of a major league team someday. He's planning to use this adventure to get his foot in the door.

This is the first time I've ever heard of anybody doing it that way.

He's giving me inspiration to someday give it a try.

His "royal" ride started back on April 8th in Seattle and he's planning to finish it in St. Louis on September 25th.

If he happens to be in your area, I strongly suggest that you try to meet him. I personally can't wait.

He glanced at my blog and he said and I quote "I'm living the dream".

I think he's living a dream. That's quite a way to get around North America.

In life, we all have different needs and wants. The key is to enjoy the ride. The more people you can meet who share a similar interest the better life becomes.

Today, I can honestly say my life got better.

As time goes on, I hope that trend continues.

I love when people think I'm crazy. They make be right but at least I'm having the time of my life.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 1/31 in review

Monday night after work I went to Newark, NJ to see the Nets play the Denver Nuggets.

For some reason, when I see the Nuggets play in person they usually don't play well. This was yet another example. They fell to the Nets, 115-99.

The lone bright spot for the Nuggets was Carmelo Anthony who was showcasing his talent.

Melo as he's known was rumored to be possibly coming to New Jersey in a trade until a few weeks ago when the Nets decided to stop pursuing him.

He scorched them for 37 points and he pulled down 9 rebounds in his cameo appearance.

Needless to say, he heard the boos from the announced crowd of 14,039 which didn't seem nearly that big. Despite the Nets trying their best to discount their more expensive tickets in hope of attracting more people.

The NBA in particular has a propensity to fudge their attendance figures.

As for Melo, the latest rumors have him coming to the Knicks instead. If that happens, I'll see him play regularly at the Garden where the atmosphere is second to none when the team plays well.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Prudential Center to see the Devils host the Ottawa Senators.

It was a nice peaceful evening at the "Rock" as the Devils came away with a 2-1 win.

Wednesday night I was at the Garden as the Knicks played host to the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

The Knicks hung around for the first half. In the second half, the Mavericks went on to pull away and they cruised to a 113-97 victory.

The result was much to the delight of my former co-worker, Justin Huff, who I arranged to get tickets for. I know Justin was a big Jason Kidd fan so I made sure I accommodated his need to see him play live. He was grateful for the opportunity to do so.

That's just another example of how Royalty satisfies others needs and wants.

After having a night off on Thursday, I wound up back in Newark on Friday night as the Devils entertained the Florida Panthers.

Unlike Tuesday's game against the Senators, this game featured more scoring and some unusual breaks.

The Devils got an early goal as the puck took an odd bounce off the side board and they took advantage as Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun was out of position. They  lead 3-2 in the third period when the Panthers got the equalizer with just over 7 minutes left in regulation as Mike Santorelli lit the lamp with a shorthanded goal. The score remained tied at the end of regulation time.

Rostislav Olesz of the Panthers got the game winning goal exactly two minutes into overtime to give the Panthers the extra point as they left Newark with a 4-3 come from behind win.

Saturday I wound up getting an unexpected night off due to the fact I needed to dig my car out of the snow and ice. By the time I finally got it out I was exhausted and sore. I decided to use my brain for a change and I passed up on the Islanders/Senators game at the Nassau Coliseum.

Sunday the King and I had given our Knick tickets to our friend Frankie Centola from Philadelphia who wanted to see his 76ers play at the Garden.

We were going to go to Newark to see the Nets and Pacers instead.

At the last minute, Frankie called us and he said he couldn't make it so he mailed the tickets back to us and we wound up going there.

After the Knicks lost a heartbreaker in Philadelphia on Friday night, they came home and returned the favor in front of a sellout crowd as they went on to beat the 76ers convincingly, 117-103!

Amar'e Stoudemire tied his season high as he poured in 41 points while rookie of the year candidate Landry Fields added a career high 25 points to go along with 10 boards.

As a result, it turned out to be another exciting afternoon at the mecca of basketball.

After the game, the King and I went to our good friend Frank Anichiarico's place to watch the Super Bowl. Frank's lovely wife, Tina did the cooking and provided the hospitality as we watched the Green Bay Packers do what our Jets couldn't do. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Big D, 31-25!

With that being said, another eventful week was in the books.

Just so you know I expanded my followings on Twitter so please feel free to follow @royaltytoursusa. 

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Today is the One Year Anniversary of my Blog‏

First and foremost, I want to thank all my readers and followers for helping to make this happen.

On February 3, 2010 I finally got this off the ground thanks to my friend from Japan, Sean MacDonald. For more details about Sean please check out his website and blog on my blog list.

Sean gave me the final push I needed. In addition, he guided me along to the current format I've been using each week.

I post my weekly schedule so everybody knows my short term game plan.

Just so you know I plan everything I do well in advance. I have excel sheets that I can e-mail to you if you're interested in seeing my bigger picture.

After each week he suggested that I do a week in review post. I thought that was a great idea and I followed through on it in late May 2010.

Furthermore, I do special posts when I deem it necessary to do so.

For example, when I meet someone I met in the past and we reunite again. Also when I come in contact with new found road trippers.

Furthermore, I do posts on upcoming road trips that I have planned.

I even do write ups on some of my favorite restaurants that I've had the honor and privilege of going to in different places home or away.

Most importantly, I always try to acknowledge everybody whose worthy of a mention as long as they don't mind. Some people prefer not to be included. If that's the case, I respect their wishes.

Thanks to my blog I've come in contact with many people who share a similar interest.

As a result, doorways have opened all over the country and even in other parts of the World.

My blog allows me to track stats which started in May 2010. I had zero page views until July 2010 when all of a sudden I become an attraction.

In July, I wound up getting 1,040 page views. In August and September, I had an unusual spike due to the fact I saw information that leaked the 2011 MLB schedule so I did a special post and my page views took off to almost 3,000 each of those months.

In October, things went back down to around 1,100. The same happened in November and December.

In January, I saw a surge to 1,300.

I plan to keep promoting my blog. I use Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth to do so.

I have advertising through Amazon so if you buy from them I would appreciate it if you would go through my site going forward.

In the near future, I plan to add banners for different sites to help promote others.

I try my best to keep it up to date. I also try to make it educational and entertaining for people to check in on what's new in the life of royalty.

As time goes on, I want the page views to continue to rise. With your help I know this will happen.

I'm a team player. I always go out of my way to help others whenever possible.

Life is short. We all have to play hard and help each other enjoy the ride.

By doing so, life will get better for all of us.

I target people who love sports and traveling. Those are my passions.

My blog has a blog list that I created and it keeps growing.

In matter of fact, I recently added a young man named Paul Derrick. Paul lives in Houston, Texas. I've been in contact back and forth with him the last few weeks. He's an up and coming sports traveler. He was so amazed by me he called me his idol when it comes to sports travel. I was speechless when I saw that on his blog list.

Sean Rowland is another young man who has a site on my blog list that the King and I met at Citi Field over the summer who referred to us as the "pioneers of sports travel."

That's just a few examples. I have a number of people who I stay in contact with thanks to my blog.

In January, I got my first interview on Internet TV in the FDH Lounge with a guy named Rick Morris who I met in Cleveland in November. I think it will be just the start of a growing relationship for many years to come.

Rick is a great guy. He was instantly baffled by the King and I. Our travels literally blew him away.

I plan to continue to go into further detail with Rick in the future when time allows.

My blog allowed me to met a guy named Kurt Smith who started a business recently selling baseball ballpark e-guides to help those with inside tips on how to save money so they can afford to attend a baseball game. He only charges $5.00 for each one. In return, you'll save a bundle. His site is also on my blog list.

In addition, my blog enabled me to meet a guy named Andrew Van Cleve who lives up the block from Wrigley Field in Chicago. His website and blog is on my list as well.

Andrew was so impressed he told a guy named Paul Swaney of Stadium Journey about me. Paul contacted me and we did an interview where I told him how I do what I do. It's on my blog for your viewing pleasure.

His site Stadium Journey has grown leaps and bounds over the last year and a half. It has reviews of all the different venues in all different sports.

I've had the privilege of doing some reviews for him too. I did one for the Staten Island Yankees, the Oregon Ducks and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

If you're a newcomer or a seasoned veteran, a stop at Stadium Journey is a great way to start your adventure. As I say, you should know before you go.

I suggest that you take my advice. I subscribe to the 5P's. In other words, prior planning prevents poor performance.

I look forward to enhancing my blog going forward.

If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please feel free to run them by me.

I'm not a genius. I just work hard at when I love to do in life.

Thank you again for spending your precious time on my blog.

I hope to meet and greet as many of you in the future as possible.

As always, if you need any help when it comes to sports travel you know I'm here for you.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman