Royalty w/o 5/6 in review

Monday night after work I got to go home and relax for a change. There were no baseball games to attend in the area so I did the next best thing. In other words, I was able to catch up on my blog. I didn't want to fall further behind. As time goes on, I unexpectedly find new things and people to write about. So I need to use my free time wisely.

With that being said, I'm going to summarize the week I had then when I have some spare time I'm going to do some special posts about some people, new and old, I got to meet and greet along the way.
Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for dinner on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a two game series with the Chicago White Sox who quite amazingly were making their first ever visit to Queens to play the Mets.

Upon arrival, I got to see my pal Sam Citron who greeted me by the Rotunda entrance. He told me that a lady came in earlier with her son. He was describing Rebecca Herman who I met at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. She took a picture of him because I saw it on Twitter. Rebecca said and I quote "Sam is a very nice gentleman." That tweet made me feel real good. Shortly thereafter, I saw another tweet that another person that I follow thanks to other people I know was also at the game. I got all excited about the potential tweet and greet. For some reason, my phone decided to act up. As a result, I couldn't get in touch with Rebecca Herman aka The Baseball PHD. She told me she had seats in the Delta Suite with her son, Trevor who's afraid of heights. With that being said, I decided to go upstairs to section 516 so I could get ready for the game.

We had a nice gathering in the Royal Court if you will as the King and I were joined by the usual regulars, Bryan Gilligan and the Ascanios, Ralph & Vincent aka the Kid. In addition, we also had our friends Frank Anichiarico, Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman, Martin Caamano & Charlie Vitanza in attendance.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets. With that being said, we knew we had a chance to see a great game. He was opposed by Hector Santiago who started for the White Sox. As advertised, this match up turned out to be a beauty. Matt Harvey out pitched Hector Santiago but neither one got a decision as the game was decided in extra innings. Matt Harvey in fact was almost perfect for the first nine innings. He allowed an infield hit to shortstop Ruben Tejada who couldn't put enough on the throw to get Alex Rios who barely beat it out at first base with two outs in the seventh inning. He struck out twelve batters too. He was simply amazing. Unfortunately the Mets couldn't score a run off the White Sox pitching for the first nine innings either. Santiago pitched well for seven innings. Matt Lindstrom pitched the eighth. Then Nate Jones came on for ninth and he pitched into the tenth when the Mets finally broke through to ultimately win the game, 1-0 thanks to a game winning pinch hit by Mike Baxter to make a winner out of reliever Bobby Parnell who pitched a scoreless tenth for the Mets.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway and Carvel for dinner and dessert on my way to Citi Field.
On this night I was joined by Rich Wolber, Phil Butleman, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman and Charlie Vitanza as well as the usual regulars.

It should be noted that the Hooligan's were present & accounted for in section 513. They made their presence felt when they chanted "Where's the King?". He was talking on his cell phone at the time. As a result, they caught him off guard. It was quite a scene.

As for the game we saw, the White Sox finally got a run in Queens. Lead off batter Alejandro De Aza hit a home run to right field to make it 1-0 right off the bat. The Mets tied it in the second inning when Lucas Duda returned the favor hitting a homer to right. In the third inning, the White Sox got four straight hits after the first out which scored three more runs off Mets starter Jeremy Hefner. They tacked on another run in the seventh and the ninth innings while the Mets added one in the eighth and another in the ninth but they fell short as the White Sox won the game, 6-3 to earn a split in the two game set.

Thursday night after work I went to Checker's for my pre game meal on my way back to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

When I got upstairs I was joined by Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, Michael Abrams, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel and Martin Caamano.

As for the game we saw, the Mets and Pirates played a seesaw battle as both teams took turns scoring single runs. The game was tied at two going to the bottom of the ninth inning. The Pirates decided to bring in their new closer this year my pal Jason Grilli in a tie game. He gave up an infield single to Marlon Byrd to start the inning who was then bunted to second by Andrew Brown. With one out, Mike Baxter pinch hit for center fielder Juan Lagares who made a nice catch to end the top of the ninth. Baxter became a hero as he delivered the game winning hit to give the Mets a 3-2 victory. Since it came against Jason it was bittersweet for me because I want to see him to do well every time he pitches.

Friday night after work I went back to Citi Field to see game two of the series with the Pirates. I wasn't hungry so I decided to go straight to Citi Field in hopes of seeing Jason Grilli after batting practice ended. Unfortunately I heard Jason went in by the time I arrived. I was surprised but being in a new role this year, he has other responsibilities.

After I struck out, I went upstairs so I could get ready for the game. I had some company. The King, Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio as usual were already there. In addition, our pals Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman and Alan Gimpel were there too.

As for the game we saw, the Pirates took a 6-0 lead midway through the game. Catcher Anthony Recker hit a solo homer to break the shutout to make it 6-1. The Pirates added another run in the ninth to go up, 7-1. In the bottom of the ninth inning, former Yankee Jose Contreras came in to finish the game. He couldn't get it done. Instead he wound up setting up a save for my pal Jason Grilli who got Ruben Tejada to fly out to center field to end the game as the Mets came up short as they lost, 7-3.

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

Stay tuned for the special posts I plan to write about the people I met along the way. In addition, I'm going to do another special post that we recap the weekend as well.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees another MLB doubleheader and meets another ballpark chaser over Cinco De Mayo weekend!

Saturday morning I got up after I got a good night sleep and I made myself breakfast. When I got done I got ready for another busy day. The King went out to have breakfast with at his mother's house. He told me he'll meet at Yankee Stadium.

The Hermans meet - Gary & Rebecca

I wound up getting to the Stadium a little earlier than I normally would have because during the week I arranged to meet up with another ballpark chaser who was planning to be at the game too. Ironically she has the same last name as me. Her name is Rebecca Herman. She was visiting NYC with her son Trevor. They live in San Diego. I got wind of her excursion on Facebook through the Ballpark Chaser group that I belong to. She said she had seats in section 320B in the Jim Beam Suite. That was perfect because the King and I sit in section 420B which is right above where they were sitting. When I arrived at the Great Hall, I sent her a text message so I could see where she was. They were in the Jim Beam Lounge eating at the time. With that being said, I headed upstairs. When I got nearby, I called her and she came out to meet me. We got to speak briefly because she left her son alone and she didn't want him to think she got lost. She told me she's in the process of writing a baseball book. She said her friend is doing it with her. They have interviewed 18 different managers so far. It sounds like it's going to be a great read. I look forward to staying in touch with her. We follow each on Twitter. Her handle is @TheBaseballPHD. Feel free to follow her too especially if you like baseball. She's a very intelligent person who can teach you a thing or two about baseball and life. Please feel free to read her blog for all the details and pictures about their visit to the Bronx.

After I said goodbye to her, I went to my seat. I got to see our pals Phil Butleman, Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan and Rich Wolber who were in attendance among the announced crowd of 41,349.

Jessica, Luis Nunez & I at Yankee Stadium

In addition, we met up with a few people who came from California to visit. They were Luis and Jessica Nunez. They were Oakland A's fans. Luis is from LA and his wife Jessica is from Oakland. They wound up sitting a few rows behind us. During the game, we started talking to each other. Luis had some time off so they took a vacation to come East for 10 days. They said they were planning to go to Boston and possibly Niagara Falls while they were here. They didn't have a set game plan though. We did exchange contact information so if and when I do get back to the West Coast which should be in the near future, we can hopefully meet up again.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees got a great pitching performance from their starter, Phil Hughes who pitched eight shutout innings. In the process, he struck out nine Athletics. The Yankees gave up a few runs in the ninth inning but they held off the A's to take game two of the series by a score of 4-2.

After the game, Bryan drove the King and I as well as Vincent Ascanio down to Philadelphia for game two of the day. We got to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies with plenty of time to spare. It helped that the Yankee game was nice and crisp. We wound up sitting up in section 419 which is just to the right of home plate. They announced a crowd of 40,091 which was short of a sellout so we had just enough room to sit and relax.

View from Section 419 at Citizens Bank Park 

As for the game we saw, the Phillies were hosting division rival, the Miami Marlins, who are off to a terrible start after they dismantled their team again in the off season. On this night, they sent rookie Jose Fernandez to the mound to pitch against Cole Hamels of the Phillies. It was a great pitchers' duel as Jose Fernandez allowed just one hit and a walk both to Freddy Galvis. He threw seven shutout innings while he struck out nine as he earned his first major league win. He got run support from rookie right fielder Marcell Ozuna who hit his first major league home run to lead off the second inning to make it 1-0. In the third inning, second baseman Chris Valaika added a solo shot to make it 2-0. The Marlins made those runs stand up as they beat the Phillies, 2-0. Cole Hamels went eight strong innings but he was the hard luck loser.

Sunday was Cinco De Mayo, the King and I spent it at Yankee Stadium. We saw the rubber match of the three game set with the Athletics. We were joined by our pals Pat Gorman, Rich Wolber, Larry Peim and Phil Butleman.

As for the game we saw, Andy Pettitte started for the Yankees. He pitched better than he did his last time out against the Astros but he wasn't great. He allowed four runs, three earned in five innings of work. He left the game with the Yankees losing 4-1. The Yankees rallied to tie the game at four as they scored three runs in the sixth inning to get Pettitte off the hook for the loss. The Athletics got a solo homer with one out in the eighth inning as Josh Donaldson hit a ball into the left field stands which turned out to be the game winner as the Athletics won, 5-4. As a result, they left the Bronx taking two out of three.

Stay tuned for my w/o 5/6 in review.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty schedule w/o 5/13

Here's the game plan:

Tuesday May 14th Mariners at Yankees 7:05PM

Wednesday May 15th Mariners at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday May 16th Mariners at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday May 17th Blue Jays at Yankees 7:05PM

Saturday May 18th Blue Jays at Yankees 1:05PM

                               Bowie Baysox at Trenton Thunder 7:05PM

Sunday May 19th Blue Jays at Yankees 1:05PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 5/6 in review. In addition, I plan to finish doing a special post that will recap the weekend of 5/4-5/5.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/29 in review

Monday night after work I went up to the Bronx. I stopped off at Burger King for a pre game meal before I went into Yankee Stadium to see the Houston Astros make their first appearance at the New Stadium. This was their first ever American League game against the Yankees since they just changed leagues this year.
Back on June 11, 2003, we saw them play at the Old Stadium in an interleague match up. They wound up using six pitchers to no hit the Yankees. An injury to starter Roy Oswalt forced him to leave after pitching just one inning. Technically it was a historical night. This was another one.

The King and I were joined by a few regulars, Bryan Gilligan & Vincent Ascanio aka the Kid. We also had our pal Steve Tepperman aka Princeton Steve who made an appearance. He comes to a game every so often. It was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Astros had their hitting shoes on this night like they did when we saw them play in Houston on Opening Night when they beat the Rangers, 8-2. This time they beat up Yankee starter and former Astro Andy Pettitte who got lit up for eight runs in four and a third innings of work. Catcher Carlos Corporan was 4 for 5 with two singles, a double and a home run. He also reached on an error and he drove in four runs to carry the Astros to a 9-1 victory. With that being said, the Astros look like world beaters in our presence. We should see them more often.

Tuesday night after work we did just that. After work, I went back for more. Like any addict, you can't get enough of a good thing. I went to the Court Deli Restaurant and I picked up sandwiches for the King & I for dinner. I walked over to Yankee Stadium and I went inside. I met up with the King in our seats in section 420B row 7 where we enjoyed our meals. This time we were joined by our buddies Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich & Larry Peim who were present & accounted for.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees scored early & often as they gave starter Hiroki Kuroda the run support he needed as he threw seven shutout innings as the Yankees held off the Astros, 7-4. Our Astro luck finally ran out. We knew it was a matter of time.

Wednesday night after work I went back to see the rubber match of this three game series. Before I did so, I went to a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner. I wound up having fried scallops and fries. It was really good. When I was done I went to the Stadium. I did my usual routine. When I got upstairs to our seats, I saw our pals Frank Anichiarico and Manny Morales who both made rare appearances in the Bronx.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees jumped on the Astros early again. They scored four runs in the first three innings. In the third inning, Robinson Cano & Ben Francisco who the King & I met on a one day cruise while we were in Alaska on a real vacation if you will back in July 2001 and again in Hawaii in February 2002 when he played his college baseball at UCLA. The Bruins of UCLA were playing the University of Hawaii while we were there so we got to see him play this time. On this night, Ben delivered a solo homer to make it a 4-0 Yankees. The Astros fought back as they tied the game at four after four innings as they roughed up Yankee starter David Phelps after the Yankees did the same to Astros' starter Erik Bedard. The Yankees scored the go ahead and eventual winning run in the sixth inning as Ichiro Suzuki hit into an inning ending double play but the run scored before the third out was recorded. That was the difference as the Yankees won the game, 5-4. By doing so, they also won the series taking two out of the three games.

Thursday night after work I went home since it was a night off for the local teams. As a result, I was able to come home and make dinner. After I ate, I went around the block and I did my laundry.

Friday night after work I returned to the Bronx as the Yankees were opening a three game series with the Oakland Athletics. I stopped off at Burger King so I could have a light meal to hold me over.
The King and I met up with Bryan Gilligan inside the Stadium.

As for the game we saw, CC Sabathia started for the Yankees. His very first pitch was hit over the fence by Adam Rosales, the Athletics lead off hitter. It gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead. They added another run in the sixth inning to make it 2-0. Starting pitcher A.J. Griffin threw seven shutout innings. He left after giving up a bunt single to Brett Gardner in the bottom of the eighth inning. Reliever Sean Doolittle got the next five outs and closer Grant Balfour recorded the last one as the Athletics blanked the Yankees, 2-0.

After the game, Bryan drove the King and I to Donovan's Pub in Woodside, Queens for our post game meal. Our friend Frank Anichiarico met us there for the festivities.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that will recap how we spent our weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with the Ultimate Sports Family at Citi Field before going to Yankee Stadium for more baseball over weekend in NYC!

Thanks again to the quirky schedule makers, the Mets and Yankees played at home on Saturday, April 27th. The Mets were playing the Philadelphia Phillies at 1:05PM on Fox and the Yankees were scheduled to start at 4:05PM against the Toronto Blue Jays. With that being said, barring a miracle there was no way humanly possible for anybody to see both games start to finish.

Since the King & I and our friend Bryan Gilligan have season tickets for both teams we wanted to see as much as we could of both games that day.

Here's how things turned out for us. We met up at Citi Field and we sat in section 515 on this day. We had a number of people we knew that showed up. I'm referring to our pal Manny Morales who was there with his buddy Marc Beck in section 516 which is where their Saturday plan seats are located. In addition, we had our friends Phil Butleman, David Sack, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman, Bill Graven and a guy we know from going to Islander games named Donovan who made a rare appearance.

Last but definitely not least we got a visit from the Ultimate Sports family, the Van Cleves. Our good friend and fellow roadtripper Andrew brought both of his sons to the game. They are known as the Ultimate Sports Brothers, Dylan & Micah. Thanks to Andrew, these lucky little boys have seen a number of live sporting events already at such a young age. Dylan is almost three years old and Micah is a year and a half. This game was Dylan's 11th MLB park and it was Micah's 2nd. As always, it was great to see them all again.

Andrew, Micah, me, Dylan and the King

As for the game we saw at Citi Field, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Phillies came back with three runs in the third inning as rookie pitcher Jonathan Pettibone got his first major league hit to ignite the comeback. The Mets cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning. The Phillies responded with five more runs in the top of the fifth inning as they hit a few homers, one from Domonic Brown, a three run shot and John Mayberry Jr. added a solo blast after Ryan Howard delivered a run scoring single to break open the game as the Phillies took a 8-2 lead. The Mets got one back in their half of the fifth inning. The Phillies tacked on another run in the top of the seventh inning. After the Phillies batted, the King, Bryan & I decided it was time to leave so we could get to Yankee Stadium. We departed at 3:28PM with the Phillies up , 9-3. The Mets went on to lose, 9-4 as John Buck hit a solo homer in the ninth. It should be noted that Phillies' starter Jonathan Pettibone pitched the first five innings to earn his first major league win.

As for the Yankee game we saw, we arrived there at Yankee Stadium at 4:16PM. We got great service from the MTA which enabled us to get there so fast. As a result, we missed just the top of the first inning as CC Sabathia got the Blue Jays out 1,2,3. We went upstairs to our seats in section 420B and we watched the rest of the game. The Blue Jays went up 3-0 with a run in third and two more in the fourth inning. The Yankees took advantage of a few walks from J.A. Happ to lead off their half of the fourth inning. Travis Hafner made Happ pay by hitting a homer which tied the game at three. In the sixth inning, Brett Lawrie of the Blue Jays hit a solo homer to make it 4-3. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Yankees tied the game again on a run scoring single by former Blue Jay Vernon Wells. Two batters later, Travis Hafner delivered the game winning blow as he hit a two hit triple to give the Yankees the lead for good, 5-4. Apparently Mariano Rivera was overworked so I was surprised he didn't come in to pitch the ninth inning after CC Sabathia went the first eight innings. Instead Joba Chamberlain gave up a few hits but he worked himself out of trouble as the Yankees held on for the 5-4 victory.

After the game, the King and I went home and we had dinner.

Sunday afternoon we returned to Citi Field for the finale of the Mets and Phillies series. We were hoping to see the Mets salvage a game. We were joined by our pals Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman, Alan Gimpel, David Sack & Michael Carson who were present & accounted for as well.

As for the game we saw, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the first inning. The Phillies tied the game at one in top of the fifth inning when left fielder Freddy Galvis hit a solo homer. In the top of the seventh inning, the Mets got the first two Phillies out. Then catcher John Buck failed to catch a foul pop up which proved to be very costly as it extended the inning. The Phillies capitalized as they got four straight hits that led to three runs to make it 4-1. They tacked on another run in the eighth as they went on to sweep the Mets, 5-1.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

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 sees a Major League doubleheader with Dave Block, the Gratitude Guy!

Me & Dave Block Outside Citi Field

Sunday afternoon the King and I went to Citi Field to see the rubber match of the three game set between the Mets and the Nationals. We wound up meeting up with fellow roadtripper, Dave Block who lives in San Diego. He calls himself the Gratitude Guy. I met up with him a few years ago and we've seen each other a number of times since. Dave is always grateful especially when he can spend some time with the King & I.

He told me earlier in the week that he was going to fly into New York early Sunday morning. He wanted to go to see the Met game with us and he also wanted to join us for the Phillie game that we were going to see at Citizens Bank Park that night as the Phillies were hosting the Cardinals. It was going to be his first time there. At first I didn't think we were going to have room in the car for him but since our friends who expressed interest bailed out, it turned out to be a golden opportunity for Dave as we were able to drive him to and from Philadelphia. He was very grateful that it worked for him. I'm glad it did too.

Dave Block, me & The King

As for the game we saw, the Mets got a solo homer from John Buck and a sacrifice fly from Mike Baxter as starter Dillon Gee and four relievers combined to shut out the Nationals, 2-0 as the Mets won the series, two games to one.

As for Dave, I got to introduce him to some of the regulars who were on hand for the game. They included Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio as well as Frank Anichiarico.

In addition, I got a visit from Bob Deal who's another roadtripper I've met on a number of occasions in the past year. He came up to say hello. I introduced him to Dave. We got to catch up on our recent travels. It's always a pleasure to see Bob. He said he plans to come back to Citi Field again in late August when the Mets play the Tigers.    

After the game, the King drove us down to Philadelphia for the Sunday night game as the Phillies were playing the Cardinals. On the way down, we wound up stopping off at McDonald's and we got some food since we were all very hungry. We didn't have a lot of time because it took us a while to get out of New York. As a result, we ate it in the car.

We got tickets thanks to our buddy Frankie Centola who hooked us up. When he comes up to New York, we'll return the favor by taking care of him.

We showed Dave some royal treatment as we said hello to our friend Lisa Wilson who works at the right field gate. We told her we plan to bring the Phillies luck. She always treats us like royalty when we see her.

When we finally got upstairs we stood behind section 319 where we were joined by our pal and fellow roadtripper, Andrew Van Cleve who was by himself. He normally has one of his sons with him. He was able to enjoy the game and our company without having to worry about taking care of his children.

Dave Block & I at Citizens Bank Park

As for the game we saw, the Cardinals scored first as Matt Carpenter, the second batter of the game hit a solo homer to make it 1-0. The Phillies responded with a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead after the first inning. The score stayed that way until the top of the sixth inning when the Cardinals scored a run on a ground out by David Freese to tie the game at two. The Cardinals broke the tie when they took advantage of a two base error and they got a run scoring single from Allen Craig to go up 3-2. The Phillies came right back as they got a pinch hit double by Laynce Nix that tied the game again at three. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies broke it open as Ben Revere got a run scoring single that was followed by a three run homer by Erik Kratz which gave the Phillies the lead for good as they beat the Cardinals 7-3.

On the way back home, we dropped off Andrew who lives nearby then we dropped off Dave at a subway in Queens so he could take a train to JFK airport to catch a flight home early Monday morning.

It was great to see Dave and Andrew again.

Stay tuned for my w/o 4/22 in review as I continue to play catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

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

Nationals Lineup

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Jacob Landis again at Citi Field!

Jacob Landis & I at Citi Field

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty catches up with Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field!

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

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

Me & Gio Gonzalez at Citi Field

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman