Royalty Tours USA

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 10/29

Here's the game plan:

Thursday November 1st Knicks at Nets 7PM Opening Night First regular season game at Barclays Center (Postponed Due to Hurricane Sandy)

Friday November 2nd Heat at Knicks 8PM Home Opener

Saturday November 3rd Towson Tigers at Delaware Blue Hens 12 Noon

                                      Celtics at Wizards 7PM Home Opener

Sunday November 4th Ravens at Browns 1PM

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 10/22 in review.

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

Friday, October 26, 2012

Royalty realizes a dream for our pal Mike Carroll as we complete our NFL doubleheader in Cincinnati!

Paul Brown Stadium - Home of the Cincinnati Bengals 
After we left Indianapolis we headed towards the Queen city of Cincinnati where we went to Paul Brown Stadium to see the Bengals host AFC North division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the way there, we stopped off at McDonald's to get some dinner to eat in the car because we didn't want to waste time getting to our next game without a hassle.

The main reason for this getaway was to make a dream come true that our pal Mike Carroll had. He's been a Bengal fan since he was very young. He told me in the past that he always wanted to go to Cincinnati to see his Bengals play a home game. I told him I will make it happen someday. That special day was Sunday night at Paul Brown Stadium.

Upon arrival to the Queen city we parked the car on the streets of downtown. We did so around 6:45PM which gave us plenty of time to get to the game that started at 8:20PM.

We didn't have tickets for this game either. As we walked towards the Stadium, tickets were readily available. We decided to wait it out a little while. By doing so, we were able to save some money. Mike got the first ticket for $25. We told him to go ahead inside so he could enjoy the experience. This game was the main reason he came with us. I'm so glad he did. Shortly after he went in, the King and I were able to round up a few more tickets for $20 each. We were surprised how easy it was. Unlike the Colt game, lots of tickets were available. It should be noted there were a number of Steeler fans who came to see the black and gold play as well. Steeler fans have a reputation of traveling well to see their team play home or away.

As for the game we saw, the Steelers took the opening kickoff and they drove into Bengal territory. They wound up settling for a 42 yard field goal by Shaun Suisham which gave them an early 3-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, running back Cedric Peerman of the Bengals ran in from five yards out to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead that capped off a 15 play 80 yard drive that chewed up just over eight minutes.

In the second quarter, the Bengals got a break when they sacked Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethisberger and they forced him to fumble the ball. The Bengals recovered at the Steelers' 8 yard line. The very next play the Bengals extended their lead to 14-3 as quarterback Andy Dalton found wide receiver A.J. Green in the end zone for the touchdown. The Steelers came back as they added a 47 yard field goal to get within eight at 14-6 with 3:11 left in the half. The Bengals were driving to score again before the half came to a close but Andy Dalton made a costly mistake as he had a pass picked off by Steelers' linebacker LaMarr Woodley who returned it 11 yards to the Bengal 29 yard line with 1:23 left in the half. It turned out to be the turning point in the game. The Steelers capitalized on the opportunity as they got a 9 yard touchdown pass to their tight end Heath Miller to pull within two at 14-12. They decided to go for the two point conversion to try and tie up the game. They converted as Heath Miller caught another pass from Ben Roethisberger to even the score at 14 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Bengals got the ball first and they went down the field but their drive stalled. They managed to get a 48 yard field goal from kicker Mike Nugent who gave the Bengals a 17-14 lead. The Steelers answered right back as they got a 42 yard field goal from Shaun Suisham to even the score again at 17 with 8:17 left in the quarter.

The Steelers found the end zone early in the fourth quarter as running back Chris Rainey ran in from 11 yards out to give the Steelers a 24-17 lead with 14:16 left in the game. The drive covered 67 yards in eight plays that put the game away as the Bengals couldn't get any closer much to Mike Carroll's chagrin.
Despite the loss, Mike had a blast he said. With that being said, it was a thrill to show him the way to the 'Nati.

After the game, we went back to the car and we drove back to Columbus where we spent the night before we drove back home all day on Monday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman











Royalty goes to Indianapolis to see the Andrew Luck Era at home against the Browns!

Prince at Lucas Oil Stadium
After we saw a MAC college football doubleheader on Saturday, we drove further West. We stopped off in Columbus, Ohio where we spent the night at Super 8. On the way there, we made a pit stop for dinner at Hardee's. We all indulged by having thick burgers as they call them. We all agreed that they were really good. As for me, I had a Memphis BBQ one that was topped with pulled pork and onion strings. It was excellent. Since I was so hungry, it really hit the spot for me.

When we got done we got back on the road and we continued to the Columbus area. Our pal Mike Carroll was dying to go to a Skyline Chili restaurant. I had told him I would get him to one along the way. Skyline Chili is known in the Cincinnati area for it's classic chili. They had some locations in Columbus as well. With that being said, It worked out beautifully as we got within four miles of the exit for our hotel when I noticed a sign for a Skyline Chili. True to my word, I got off and we went to get him some Chili to fulfill his special request. Mike was in heaven. I never tasted Chili before so I decided to get a three way for myself. It was basically spaghetti mixed with chili that was topped off with shredded cheddar cheese. It tasted really good. I'm glad I gave it a try. Mike was so happy that he made my night. He can now cross off another place off his to do list.

After we got done, I went to get gas for the car then we went to Steak N Shake which was conveniently located across the way for dessert. We got shakes to go. What a way to cap off our hearty dinners.
We got back in the car and we drove to the hotel where we spent the night.

In the morning, we got up and we ate breakfast at the hotel before we continued on to Indianapolis, Indiana which was 184 miles away.

We arrived there around 11:30AM. We parked the car on the street and we walked over to Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts. They were hosting the Cleveland Browns at 1PM.

We didn't have tickets so we had to look for them outside. We didn't think it was going to be a tough ticket. It turned out to be a harder one than we initially thought. We managed to work our magic and we rounded up some single tickets. Mike got the first one on the lower level for $40. We told him to go ahead inside and we'll meet up at some point. The King and I continued to ask people if they had any extra tickets. After a little while, I was able to get an upper level seat for $30. Now we just needed one more between us. Game time was fast approaching, luckily the King was able to talk somebody into taking $30 for another upper level seat. With just enough time to spare, we made our way inside and we got to the upper level just in time for the National Anthem. We did good considering the circumstances. Since it was a rather warm day, the roof was open as was the side panel which allows you to see Bankers Life Fieldhouse which is the home of the Indiana Pacers as well as the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. Ironically the Fever were hosting the championship game against the Minnesota Lynx that night.

As for the game we saw, the Colts took the opening kickoff and they drove 80 yards on 11 plays to score the game's first touchdown to lead 7-0. Their rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck who was the number one pick in the NFL draft, ran in from three yards out. In the process, they used up half of the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Browns responded with an impressive 90 yard 16 play drive that culminated with a 14 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Little who made an acrobatic catch as he was able to keep his feet in bounds as replay showed from rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. Unfortunately kicker Phil Dawson missed the point after touchdown due to a bad snap so he didn't get to kick the ball. The Colts lead, 7-6 with 14:01 left in the half.

The Colts went back to work as they drove down the field again. This time they went 76 yards on 14 plays as they extended their lead to 14-6 as Andrew Luck ran in again. This one was from five yards out. The score remained that way as the teams went into the locker room.

In the third quarter, the Browns took the opening kickoff 80 yards on six plays to pull back with in one at 14-13 as wide receiver Josh Gordon caught a 33 yard touchdown pass from Brandon Weeden with 11:53 left. The Colts added to their lead as kicker Adam Vinateri booted a 38 yard field goal with 3:19 left in the quarter to give the Colts a 17-13 advantage.

The score remained the same the rest of the way as the Colts held off the Browns to come away with the win.

After the game, we drove 110 miles to the Queen city of Cincinnati, Ohio for game two of our NFL doubleheader.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do that we'll recap that adventure.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Thursday, October 25, 2012

Royalty sees more college football at Kent State as part of our MAC doubleheader!

Prince at Dix Stadium for Kent State football
After saying goodbye to our pal Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge, the King, Mike Carroll and I took a short ride to Kent, Ohio where we saw the Golden Flashes of Kent State University play the Broncos of Western Michigan in the second game of our MAC conference doubleheader at Dix Stadium.

We wound up parking in a parking lot area near the stadium then we got on a shuttle bus that took us right to the stadium. We got off the bus right at game time. Since there were people on line at the box office, we decided to ask people who were heading into the stadium if they had any extra tickets. Luckily we find some for $5.00 each. With that being said, we wound up missing the game's first score, a 22 yard run for a touchdown by Kent State's Dri Archer which gave them an early 7-0 lead with 13:36 left in the first quarter. We finally walked in with 12:55 left in the quarter. It was no big deal. In matter of fact, it started raining. Thankfully it wasn't too heavy. We got inside and we sat near the 40 yard line. We got settled in and we enjoyed the rest of the game.

We saw a much better game than the one we witnessed in Akron earlier in the day. The Golden Flashes came in with a 5-1 record and the Broncos were 3-4.

Shortly after we got situated the Broncos got an 81 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Van Tubbergen to wide receiver Jeff Schaffer to tie the game at 7 with 8:48 left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Golden Flashes regained the lead, 10-7 as kicker Freddy Cortez kicked a 46 yard field goal with 14:50 left. They extended their lead to 17-7 as running back Traylon Durham ran in from 19 yards out with 9:22 left in the half. The Broncos got closer as their kicker Andrew Haldeman added a 27 yard field goal to get them within a touchdown at 17-10 with 4:35 left. That's how it remained at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Broncos marched down the field on the first drive of the second half as they tied the game at 17 on a one yard run by Antoin Scriven with 10:52 left. After the Broncos stopped the Golden Flashes, Antoin Scriven repeated the feat with 5:19 left in the third quarter to give the Broncos the lead 24-17. The natives in the stands were in disbelief. With 48 seconds left in the quarter, the Golden Flashes responded to tie the game at 24 as wide receiver Josh Boyle caught a 17 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Spencer Keith.

In the fourth quarter, the Golden Flashes went ahead for good as running back Dri Archer ran in another touchdown this time from ten yards out to give the Golden Flashes a 31-24 lead with 12:35 left. They extended their lead to ten as kicker Freddy Cortez booted a 43 yard field goal with 11:20 to go to make it 34-24. They finished the scoring with 6:32 left in the game as linebacker Luke Batton recovered a fumble and he returned it 83 yards to give the Golden Flashes the 41-24 victory.

Stay tuned as I will recap the rest of the weekend we enjoyed.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman








Royalty meets up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge in Akron, Ohio for Zips football!

The King and I with Rick Morris
Friday night after I rented a Dodge Avenger from Avis I drove back home to pick up the King.

On my way home, I returned a call from our pal Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge who had left me a voice mail when I was still at work. He wanted to finalize our game plan for Saturday in Akron.

Rick said he was going to get to InfoCision Stadium in Akron which is the home of the Zips around 11-11:15AM. I decided to text him with a progress report when we stopped at a rest area on the way. I wound up parking the car around 11:30AM on the street across from the stadium. I got a text from Rick shortly thereafter he said he was by the will call window. We walked around the stadium and we met up with him.

After I picked up the King at home, we drove to the Post Office on 45th Street and Lexington Avenue where we arranged to met our pal Mike Carroll aka Sabre Mike who joined us for the weekend.

Once we met up with Rick outside the stadium, we went to the box office to see what the tickets cost. They had general admission available for $15 each. Since we had some spare time we decided to see if we could find someone who had extra tickets first for less. Patience is a virtue. We waited a little while and we wound up getting a few free tickets and a few others for $5.00 each. Overall we paid $10 for four tickets. Rick was impressed with the way we operate. When you do as much as we do, you need to cut corners whenever possible. It was a team effort. Like I like to say, teamwork makes the dream work.

When we got inside the stadium, we proceeded to go to the upper deck so we could have a nice elevated view of the action. We sat right at mid field. It was a sparse crowd that gathered for the game on a rather cool nasty day.

We saw a game with two teams that were headed in opposite directions. The hometown Zips of the University of Akron came in with a dismal 1-6 record while their opposition, the Huskies of Northern Illinois University were near the top of the MAC conference with a 6-1 mark. It should be noted that Rick Morris' alma mater Ohio University is 7-0 and they're ranked #23. Too bad we didn't get to see them play. I hope to see them play a home game in the future.

As for the game we saw, the teams played to their records. The Huskies raced out to a 13-0 lead before the Zips got on the scoreboard with a touchdown. At least they didn't live up to their nickname. Unfortunately for them, that was the only score they got as the Huskies went on to beat them easily, 37-7. It could have been a lot worse. Their quarterback, Jordan Lynch threw for 223 yards and he ran for another 131 including an amazing 35 yard scamper for a touchdown.

Since we had plans to go to another game nearby at Kent State University, we decided to leave with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter. We hate to leave any game early but it made all the sense to do so.

In retrospect, we didn't see a good game but the company was priceless so it was well worth being there.
I want to personally thank Rick Morris for sharing some of his precious time with us. It was great to see him again.

Stay tuned as the next installment of this latest getaway continued.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman












Royalty w/o 10/15 in review

Prince at Barclays Center 
Monday night after work I went to downtown Brooklyn which is now the new home of entertainment in the five boroughs. A few years ago ground was broken for the Barclays Center which opened its door on September 28th to a Jay Z concert. A number of concerts followed that one. The Harlem Globetrotters played there recently too.

On this night, the Barclays Center hosted its first NBA basketball game as the Brooklyn Nets who relocated from New Jersey played the Washington Wizards in a preseason game.

It was the first time I got to go the arena. It made a nice first impression on me. It's a modern two level building that's filled with club seats and luxury suites. It holds just over 18,000 people for basketball. As for hockey, it will hold only 14,500 they said.

Speaking of hockey, the New York Islanders announced yesterday that they will become a tenant there starting in 2015. They signed a 25 year lease to call the Barclays Center home when their lease at the Nassau Coliseum expires. After they explored other options, they decided that this was their best move. Time will tell.

The Barclays Center is conveniently located in downtown Brooklyn and it has access to eleven different subway lines as well as the Long Island Railroad. With that being said, public transportation is the way to go. Parking in the area is limited and expensive I heard.

I plan to go to the Barclays Center often since the King and I have full season tickets for the Nets. Our seats are located in section 230 row 13 seats 23 & 24. If you get to go to a game, please feel free to stop by and say hello.

The first official game takes place on November 1st as the Brooklyn Nets take on former Hudson River rival, the New York Knicks as the NBA gets started on time this season.

As for the game we saw, the Nets and Wizards played a competitive game against each other. It was a seesaw battle as both teams took turns taking leads. They were tied on a number of occasions as well. When it was all said and done, the Nets emerged victorious, 98-88. Brook Lopez of the Nets and Martell Webster led their respective teams by scoring 18 points each.

After I visit the arena a few more times, I plan to write a special post about it so you know what to expect if and when you get to go there to see it for yourself.

The rest of the week I got to come home after work since there was no baseball to go to in the area. In addition, since the NHL is currently locked out, there's no hockey to attend either.

As a result, I was able to come home, relax and I got to catch up on things. In that regard, the timing was perfect.

Friday after work I went out to Avis to rent a car for the weekend.

Stay tuned for some special posts that I'm going to do that will recap the adventurous weekend we had.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman













Royalty is going to Delaware, Washington DC & Cleveland over the first weekend of November!



Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car Saturday morning November 3rd from Avis for the weekend.

I'll be driving to Delaware then to Washington DC after that I'll be heading to Cleveland before returning home late Sunday night.

Saturday, November 3rd Towson Tigers at Delaware Blue Hens 12 Noon

                                     Celtics at Wizards 7PM

Sunday, October 21st Ravens at Browns 1PM

I hope to meet up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge as well as some other special guests from his media alliance network. If I do, it's definitely going to be a thrill.

If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join me.

It's going to be a blast so why not come for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, October 22, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 10/22

Here's the game plan:

Saturday October 27th Yale Bulldogs at Columbia Lions 12:30PM

                                    Toledo Walleye at Trenton Titans 7:05PM

Sunday October 28th Dolphins at Jets 1PM

Check back to see how it played 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 10/15 in review. In addition, I will do some special posts from the two football doubleheaders I saw.

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

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Royalty w/o 10/8 in review

Yankees win, 3-1 to advance to ALCS 
Monday night after work yes I had to work on Columbus Day. If I didn't maybe I would have considered seriously about going to Baltimore for the first game of the ALDS as the Orioles played the Yankees Sunday night and Monday night.

Instead I went out to MetLife Stadium for Monday Night football as the Jets hosted the Houston Texans. It was a personal milestone for me as I witnessed my 400th NFL football game. On my way there, I stopped off at Charley's Subs for my pre game meal in Penn Station. Then I took the NJ Transit train from there to Secaucus where I connected for the train to the Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium.

I was joined by the King who decided to pass up the baseball game in Baltimore too. We also met up with our friend Al Linderman who was out there as well our pals Larry Peim and the legendary sports radio caller Ira Liberfarb aka Ira from Staten Island. We also saw our friend Dennis Barbera who was kind enough to drive us home so we got back relatively fast.

As for the game we saw, the Jets fell behind early as the Texans scored on their first drive of the game as they got the opening kickoff. They proceeded to drive 85 yards in just under four minutes to take a 7-0 lead. The Jets came back later in the first quarter thanks to a turnover. Cornerback Antonio Croatia of the Jets intercepted a pass in Jet territory. The Jets took advantage as they drove down the field and the drive culminated with a 27 yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland that evened the score at seven.

In the second quarter, the Texans' regained the lead as running back Arian Foster ran in a touchdown from 13 yards out to make it a 14-7 game. Shayne Graham booted a 27 yard field goal as the Texans' padded their lead to ten at 17-7 as they headed into the locker room.

During halftime, the Jets had a ceremony to honor a few players who played back in the 1980's. I'm referring to wide receiver Wesley Walker and defensive end Mark Gastineau who were the latest inductees to the Jets Ring of Honor. It was nice to see them get recognized by the organization. They were two of my favorites back in the day.

In the third quarter, Shayne Graham extended the Texans lead to 20-7 as he kicked a 42 yard field goal. The Jets' got a much needed boost on special teams as their kick returner Joe McKnight took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards from one goal line to the other to bring the Jets back within six at 20-14. The Texans' tacked on another field goal from 22 yards out just before the quarter ended to take a 23-14 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Jets got a field goal from 21 yards out to get back within six at 23-17.

Unfortunately for the Jets, they couldn't get closer as the Texans remained unbeaten on the young season at 5-0. They also finally beat the Jets for the first time in their ten year history. The Jets played hard but they fell short against one of the best teams in the NFL right now.

Tuesday night I came home after work and I got to rest up and relax which was nice after being out so late Monday night.

Wednesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see some postseason baseball which seems to reside there this time of year. Before I headed up there, I went out with some co-workers for some drinks and appetizers. It worked out well as we said goodbye to one of our co-workers who was moving on.

I got off the train in the Bronx just before game time. Luckily I saw a familiar face when I got to the Stadium so I was able to get in with relative ease. With that being said, I was able to get up to my seat with the King in section 420B just before the first pitch was going to be delivered. It came at 7:39PM as Yankees' starter Hiroki Kuroda threw it to Orioles' left fielder Nate McLouth.

In the third inning, the Orioles drew first blood as second baseman Ryan Flaherty hit a home run to give the Orioles an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees answered right back as Derek Jeter hit a ball to right center field that took off it wound up being a run scoring triple. It appeared that center fielder Adam Jones may have been able to catch it but he missed it.

In the fifth inning, the Orioles regained the lead as rookie third baseman Manny Machado hit a homer to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out and nobody on base, Yankee manager Joe Girardi decided to pinch hit for Alex Rodriguez who's been in s slump. It was a bold move. He sent up Raul Ibanez who proceeded to make him look like a genius as he hit a home run into the seats in right center field to tie the game at two.

The game went into extra innings. Both teams failed to score in the tenth and eleventh innings. In the twelveth, the Yankees held the Orioles again. In the bottom half of the inning, Raul Ibanez lead off and he did it again. It was amazing how he hit another homer this time to right field which ended it as the Yankees won, 3-2. The crowd went into a frenzy as the Bronx Bombers took a 2-1 lead in games in this best of five series.

Thursday night after work I went back to the Bronx for game 4 of the ALDS with the Orioles. I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant first so I could pick up a sandwich for dinner that I brought inside. On my way in I had the privilege and honor of meeting up with another sports traveler named Doug Fischer who was there with his friend John. John was running late so while Doug was waiting for him we got to chat. It was great to exchange road trip stories with him. While we were talking, my friends Phil Butleman and Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich passed by. I introduced them to Doug. I plan to stay in touch with Doug so we can meet up again in the future. After we said our goodbyes, I proceeded to go into the Stadium.
I went up to my seat and I ate my dinner. I had a corned beef sandwich and it was so good. After I finished eating, I got ready for the game to start.

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the fifth inning when Nate McLouth of the Orioles hit a homer to give his team a 1-0 lead off of Yankees' Phil Hughes who pitched well. The Yankees evened the score in the bottom of the sixth as Derek Jeter lead off with a double. Ichiro sacrificed him to third. After Mark Teixeira was walked, Robinson Cano grounded out to second but It allowed Derek Jeter to come home to tie the game at one.

For the second night in a row, we got some bonus baseball as they played thirteen innings this time. The result was different too. The Orioles wound up breaking the tie as J.J. Hardy delivered a game winning double that drove in Manny Machado who lead off with a double as the Orioles forced a decisive game five. Since the Nationals forced a game five earlier the Yankees and Orioles were going to meet up at 5:07PM Friday afternoon.

With that being said, in order for me to have a chance to get to the game on time I needed to leave work early.

When I got to work on Friday morning I arranged to get out an hour early. Thanks to the lousy MTA, I didn't get to the game on time. I wound up missing the top of the first inning which went fast. CC Sabathia retired the Orioles in order.

The game remained scoreless again until the bottom of the fifth inning. Mark Teixeira lead off with a single he then stole second base which turned out to be a huge play as Raul Ibanez, the game three hero, got another big hit. This time he singled to right center to make it 1-0 Yankees.

In the sixth inning, the Yankees tacked on another run as Ichiro Suzuki got a run scoring double to make it 2-0. In the seventh inning, they added more insurance as Curtis Granderson hit a fly ball that landed on the porch in right field to make it 3-0.

The Orioles finally broke the shutout in the eighth inning as Lew Ford got a run scoring single. CC Sabathia managed to wiggle out of further trouble as the Yankees held on to win the game, 3-1. By doing so, they moved on to face the Tigers in American League Championship Series after the Tigers eliminated the Oakland Athletics in five games.

Saturday night the King and I went back up to the Bronx to see game one of the ALCS. We took it easy during the day since we didn't know until the last minute that the Yankees would be home.

As for the game we saw, like the games against the Orioles, runs were hard to come by early on. This game was scoreless until the Tigers got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. They got a few run scoring singles from Prince Fielder and Delmon Young to take a 2-0 lead. In the eighth inning, Delmon Young hit a homer to make it 3-0. Avisail Garcia extended the lead to 4-0 with a clutch two out single.

It should be noted that a good number of Yankee fans were long gone by this time. If you've seen Yankee games over the last 17 years you know that no game is over in the Bronx. Even though the odds were stacked against them, the Yankees chipped away in the bottom of the ninth. Russell Martin lead off with a single, Derek Jeter surprisingly struck out in a big spot. Ichiro Suzuki picked up the Captain as he hit his first ever postseason home run to slice the lead in half at 4-2. After Robinson Cano struck out swinging, Mark Teixeira drew a walk after it appeared he was struck out but home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg said a close pitch was a ball in the sequence. As a result, the stage was set again for Raul Ibanez who did it yet again. He hit another game tying two run homer to right center to even the score at four. We went to extra innings for the third time in four games in the Bronx.

This time it took twelve innings to determine a winner. It was a nightmare of an inning in the top of the twelveth. Delmon Young victimized the Yankees again as he drove in his third run of the game with a double that gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead. The worst followed as Jhonny Peralta hit a ball to Derek Jeter at shortstop who went down awkwardly. He wound up fracturing his ankle on the play. As a result, he's done for the postseason. Peralta wound up with a single which advanced Delmon Young to third base. The next batter Andy Dirks got a hit off of reliever David Phelps which plated another run. The Tigers lead 6-4. In the bottom half of the twelveth inning, the Yankees ran out of miracles. They went down in order as the Tigers took game one.

Sunday afternoon the King and I decided to go to see the Jets play Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. We met up with our pal Larry Peim who was leaving early so he could get to the Yankee game too which was starting at 4:07PM. Larry wound up driving the King and I over to the upper East side of Manhattan where we caught the subway to the Stadium. We were very grateful for Larry's kindness.

As for the Jet game, we departed with 10:37 left in the third quarter with the Jets comfortably ahead 21-6. The Jets played well especially running back Shonn Greene who ran wild for a change. The Jets went on and they cruised to a 35-9 victory when it was all said and done.

As for the Yankee game, we wound up missing the top of the first inning. It was another game that remained scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when the Tigers got the game's first run on a fielder's choice by Delmon Young to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

Starter Anibal Sanchez threw seven stellar shutout innings for the Tigers. The Tigers gave reliever Phil Coke who used to pitch for the Yankees some insurance runs as they added two more in the top of the eighth inning as Avisail Garcia and Miguel Cabrera both delivered clutch two out run scoring singles. The Yankees failed to touch Coke who retired them in order to seal the deal as they took a commanding two games to none lead heading back to Motown.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

































Sunday, October 14, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 10/15

Here's the game plan:

Monday October 15th Wizards at Nets 7:30PM Preseason First game at Barclays Center

Saturday October 20th Northern Illinois Huskies at Akron Zips 12 Noon

                                    Western Michigan Broncos at Kent State Golden Flashes 3:30PM

Sunday October 21st Browns at Colts 1PM

                                  Steelers at Bengals 8:20PM

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 10/8 in review.

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

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Royalty sees the Giants play the Browns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon!

View from Section 146 at MetLife Stadium
Sunday afternoon I went out to MetLife Stadium where I met up with my pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich. We went to see the Super Bowl XXXVI Champion Giants play the Cleveland Browns.

It was a cool day with a light rain falling. Thankfully Rich and I sit in section 146 in the back of the section which is under the over hang in the corner of the end zone.

As for the game we saw, the Giants won the toss as they elected to receive. The first play from scrimmage, running back Ahmad Bradshaw carried for two yards then he fumbled and he lost the ball. As a result, the Browns got the ball deep in Giants' territory. Two plays later, rookie Trent Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Alabama scored on a 15 yard touchdown run to give the Browns' a 7-0 lead. The Browns held the Giants then they got the ball back and they scored again to take a 14-0 lead. This time rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden hooked up with rookie Josh Gordon from Baylor on a 62 yard touchdown pass.

The Giants fought back as they got on the score board as Eli Manning found Victor Cruz for a 3 yard pass to get the Giants within a touchdown at 14-7.

In the second quarter, the Browns extended their lead to ten, 17-7 as kicker Phil Dawson split the uprights from 32 yards out. The Giants responded with a field goal of their own as Lawrence Tynes hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 17-10. The Giants came back again as they tied the score at 17 thanks to a 4 yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants continued to exploit the young Browns as they scored another touchdown to go ahead 24-17 as Eli Manning and Victor Cruz connected again from 7 yards. Just before the half, the Giants got a 40 yard field goal from Tynes with just four seconds to go as they headed into the locker room with an improbable ten point lead, 27-17.

After the Browns failed to score on the opening kick off in the second half, the Giants went back to work. Victor Cruz caught his third touchdown pass of the day to give the Giants' a commanding 34-17 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter. The Browns managed to get a 41 yard field goal from Phil Dawson to pull within two touchdowns at 34-20 shortly thereafter.

In the fourth quarter, with 5:49 left in the game, rookie David Wilson from Virginia Tech exploded as he ran in a touchdown from 40 yards out to make the score 41-20 Giants. The Browns added another touchdown as Weeden found Josh Gordon for a 20 yard touchdown pass to make it 41-27. That's the way it ended as the Browns stayed winless after five games.

It should be noted after fumbling on the first play from scrimmage, Ahmad Bradshaw rebounded nicely as he wound up rushing for 200 yards on 30 carries.

As a football fan, it was another exciting game to see live.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman









Royalty goes to see Fordham to play college football against Georgetown!

Fordham Rams Football
Last Saturday afternoon the King and I were joined by our pals Frank Anichiarico and Vincent Ascanio as we all went up to the Bronx to see Fordham Rams football.

The only other time I've been to Fordham was back in November 2008 when I saw a college basketball game at the Rose Hill gym which is located right next to Jack Coffey Field, the home of their football team.
Fordham has a beautiful campus. Thanks to my sports travel network, I met a guy last year named Greg Venuto who went to college at Fordham back in the day. He now lives in Norwalk, Connecticut with his wife and two young kids so it's not easy for him to get out a lot. His weekends have been dedicated to his kids lately. I've had the privilege and honor of meeting him on a few occasions this year. He's a big fan of my blog too. For that, I'm very grateful.

As for the game we saw, it turned out to be a exciting one. Both teams battled it out all afternoon long. Fordham got on the scoreboard first as they kicked a 30 yard field goal thanks to their kicker Patrick Murray who made it 3-0 with 10:46 left in the first quarter. The Hoyas of Georgetown answered the Rams' drive with a touchdown of their own as running back Kevin Macari scored on a 4 yard run to make it 7-3 with 6:42 left. The Rams' responded with a touchdown as Greg Wilson caught a 19 yard touchdown pass as the Rams regained the lead, 10-7 with 3:26 left.

In the second quarter, the Hoyas tied the game at 10 with a 19 yard field goal by their kicker Matt MacZura with 12:07 left. Fordham came by adding a 44 yard field goal with 9:43 left to go back up 13-10. They extended their lead to 16-10 as they added a 43 yard field goal as time expired to end the first half.

In the third quarter, the Rams padded their lead as they scored a touchdown as running back Carlton Koonce ran in from 44 yards out with 11:59 left. The Hoyas came back to get within six points again as they scored a touchdown thanks to Kevin Macari who caught a 2 yard pass with 7:49 left. The Hoyas scored again to go ahead by one, 24-23 as Nick Campanella caught a 5 yard touchdown pass with 5:03 left. Fordham came roaring back as they scored a touchdown on a 25 yard pass to Blake Wayne with 1:25 left. They tied the game at 31 as they went for two and they got it as tight end Dan Light caught a pass for the conversion.

In the fourth quarter, the Rams went back ahead 38-31 as they got another touchdown run from a yard out from Carlton Koonce with 9 minutes to go in the game. It looked like we were going to head to overtime but the Rams' defense were up to the test as they managed to prevent the Hoyas from getting into the end zone from the one yard line. They made an incredible goal line stand as they stopped them four times to preserve the 38-31 victory.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write another special post about the football game I saw on Sunday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman








Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Royalty is going to invade the State of Ohio and Indiana for some football doubleheaders!


Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car Friday night October 19th from Avis for the weekend after work.

I'll be driving out to Ohio and Indiana then I'll be heading back to Cincinnati before returning home late Monday night. If the Nationals get to the NLCS and play a Game 7 I plan to stop in Washington DC too before I come back home.

Saturday, October 20th Northern Illinois Huskies at Akron Zips 12 Noon

                                     Western Michigan Broncos at Kent State Golden Flashes 3:30PM

Sunday, October 21st Browns at Colts 1PM

                                  Steelers at Bengals 8:20PM

I hope to meet up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge as well as some other special guests from his media alliance network. If I do, it's definitely going to be a thrill.

If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join me.

It's going to be a blast so why not come for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Royalty w/o 10/1 in review

Yankees win! 2012 AL East Champions
September was one for me to remember. After the Giants/Eagles game ended, the calendar said it's now October.

October is a month that can be memorable or it can be forgettable. This one I hope is somewhere in between.

With the baseball regular season ending on the third day of the month it's off to a good start.
With that being said, here's how it's started for me.

First of all, since the Yankees and Orioles ended September winning their games, it put them in a tie for first place. The playoff push was on.

As for me, I went to work with less than enough sleep but I managed to get through the day. After work, I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox to close out the regular season at home while the Baltimore Orioles were on the road in Florida, St. Petersburg to be exact where they were playing the Tampa Bay Rays as they call them.

Before I went into Yankee Stadium, I got off the subway and I went to Burger King to have dinner. I enjoyed a few Chicken Parm sandwiches which tasted really good considering it was fast food. Once I was done, I headed over to Yankee Stadium so I could get ready for the playoff like baseball I was going to see.
When I went upstairs to go to my seat, I ran into my pals Phil Butleman and David Sack. It was great to see them again. Phil was back after spending a few weeks out on the West Coast while David was busy going to school. After we spoke, they went to their seats and I went to mine where I met up with the King.
As for the game we saw, it was over early. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and he retired the Red Sox in order in the top of the first which set the tone. The Yankees also went down 1,2,3 in their half of the first.
In the second inning, Red Sox first baseman Mauro Gomez lead off with a double but Sabathia got the next three batters out to leave him stranded.

The Yankees came up and they responded in a monster way. Robinson Cano lead off with a home run to center field to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. After Mark Teixeira struck out looking off of Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz to record the first out, Nick Swisher singled to start the onslaught. Curtis Granderson followed with a two run homer, a high fly ball if you will that just made it to the short porch in right field to extend the lead to 3-0. Russell Martin was up next and he left the yard to make it 4-0. After walks were issued to Eric Chavez and Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki singled to load the bases. Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. With that being said, the Yankees had batted around. Robinson Cano was up again and this time he delivered a two run double to pad the lead, it was now 7-0. I thought for a moment I went to a Monday Night football game. Before this inning finally ended, Mark Teixeira sent a "Tex" message to right to round out the scoring with a two run homer to give the Yankees a commanding 9-0 lead after two innings. Since Roger Clemens wasn't pitching, I felt the lead was safe.

In the end, I was right. The Red Sox broke the shutout in the fourth inning as Daniel Nava lead off with a homer to make it 9-1. The Red Sox added another run in the seventh inning to make it 9-2. The Yankees tacked on another run in the bottom of the eighth when rookie Melky Mesa who was making his big league debut got his first major league hit and run batted in to make it 10-2. That's the way it mercifully ended for the pathetic Red Sox who were playing out the string. CC Sabathia was dominant as he pitched solidly for eight innings to earn his 15th win of the season.

While the Yankees were cruising to an easy victory, the Orioles lost to the Rays which gave the Yankees a one game lead in the battle for first place.

Tuesday night after work I went back for more meaningful October baseball. This time I met the King for dinner at the 7 Fish Market before we went into the Stadium on a misty rainy night. Luckily the game was played through without a delay.

As for the game we saw, the Red Sox got off to a fast start as they lead 1-0 just two batters into the game. A few batters later they scored again to make it 2-0. The Yankees sliced the lead in half as they took advantage of an error by Red Sox third baseman Pedro Ciriaco who made a throwing error on an infield single to put Curtis Granderson in scoring position with two outs. Granderson proceeded to steal third then Eduardo Nunez beat out a grounder to shortstop that plated a run to make it 2-1 Red Sox. It stayed that way until the ninth inning when the Red Sox added an insurance run as James Loney lead off with a homer to make it 3-1 off Yankee closer Rafael Soriano who came on to pitch the ninth inning. The Yankees weren't done just yet. Curtis Granderson lead off the bottom of the ninth with a single. Raul Ibanez was called upon to pinch hit. He came through in the clutch as he lined the ball into the right field porch to tie the game at three. The crowd went crazy.

Meanwhile in Florida, the Orioles just finished beating the Rays and Big Game James Shields who was dominating but was the hard luck loser despite going the distance allowing just two hits one unfortunately was a home run which was the difference as the Rays lost, 1-0. He did set a team record as he struck out 15 Orioles in the process.

Back in the Bronx, we went into extra innings. The Yankees' bullpen held the Red Sox at bay for three innings. In the bottom of the twelveth inning after there were two out, Red Sox reliever Andrew Miller walked Francisco Cervelli after he had him in a 0-2 hole. Curtis Granderson followed with a free pass which set the stage for another dramatic moment as Raul Ibanez came through again. This time he found a hole on the left side of the infield that won the game for the Yankees, 4-3. What a choke by the gutless Red Sox. On the other hand, the Yankees always find a way to win when their backs are to the wall.

Wednesday night after work I went back to the Bronx for the showdown if you will. By winning the first two games of the series against the Red Sox, the Yankees controlled their destiny. Another win and they finish first regardless of what the Orioles did.

Before I went into the Stadium, I went to the Court Deli Restaurant where I picked up a Corned Beef sandwich for dinner. I proceeded to go inside and I went up to my seat and I enjoyed it.
As for the game we saw, it was a battle of two Japanese pitchers. Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Red Sox and his fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda who was on the mound for the Yankees.

The Red Sox drew first blood as they got a run scoring single by Cody Ross in the top of the first inning. The Yankees went down in order in their half of the first. In the second inning, Kuroda worked around a walk he issued to get the Red Sox out without further damage. In the bottom of the second, the Yankees went to work on Dice K as Matsuzaka is nicknamed. After a single, a walk and a strikeout, Curtis Granderson hit a fly ball to the right field porch to make it a 3-1 game. In the third inning, Kuroda survived another walk as he got the Red Sox out again. His counterpart, Dice K continued to play with fire. After recording the first out, he allowed a single to Alex Rodriguez. Robinson Cano came up next and he took him deep to make it 5-1. After a single to Nick Swisher, Dice K was done for the night. Kuroda on the other hand, was able to work around a few walks as well as some hits each inning but he kept the Red Sox in check. His teammates responded as they sensed the celebration was on the way. It was only a matter of time as the Yankees pounded the Red Sox into submission. They whipped them, 14-2 as the Chase for 28 was officially on. Another first place finish for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees by winning avoided playing a possible tie breaker game in Baltimore on Thursday. Actually the Orioles wound up losing to the Rays before the Yankees officially beat the Red Sox so they clinched earlier than expected if you will. It was a formality when it was all said and done.

More October baseball here we come in the Bronx.

In preparation, I got some needed nights off on Thursday night and Friday night after work.
Thursday night I came home, I ate dinner and took it easy.

Friday night I came home, I ate dinner then I went out and I did my laundry.

Stay tuned as I'm going to write some special posts about my local football filled weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman



























Sunday, October 7, 2012

Royalty schedule w/o 10/8

Here's the game plan:

Monday October 8th Texans at Jets 8:30PM

Wednesday October 10th Orioles at Yankees 7:37PM ALDS Game 3

Thursday October 11th Orioles at Yankees 7:37PM ALDS Game 4

Friday October 12th Orioles at Yankees 5:07PM ALDS Game 5

Saturday October 13th Georgia State at Rhode Island 1PM?

                                    Providence Bruins at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 7:05PM

                                    or ALCS Game 1 if Yankees make it

Sunday October 14th Colts at Jets 1PM

ALCS Game 2 if Yankees make it

Check back to see how it played 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 10/1 in review.

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 sees Giants and Eagles on SNF at Lincoln Financial Field on Brian Dawkins night!

Prince at Lincoln Financial Field
After seeing the Baltimore Orioles finish a sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in the afternoon, the King drove us 100 miles north to Philadelphia where we saw the Eagles host their nearby division rival, the Super Bowl XVLI Champion New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field aka the Linc. In addition, it was Brian Dawkins night. The Eagles were retiring the #20 jersey of their legendary free safety at halftime.

Thanks to our pal Frankie Centola who got us a club seat which I wound up using. The King and I went to the box office after we parked the car on the street. The Eagles usually release tickets on the day of the game. We know because we've gotten them that way in the past. With that being said, we got on line around 7PM in hopes of getting another ticket for the King to use. Shortly thereafter, they started selling some tickets a little while later for $70 & $95. The person who was in charge of keeping things under control handed out numbers for most of us that were on line. With that being said, we stood a good chance of getting one he said. Then they closed the curtain at the window for 10-15 minutes. Around 7:45PM, they reopened it and moments later, the King got one for $70. We proceeded to go in. The King decided to sit by himself because he wasn't feeling well otherwise Frankie was going to get him in with us. After the game, we met up at the car. We took Frankie home afterwards before we continued back home. We finally got home at 3AM.

As for the game we saw, the Eagles and Giants battled it out like it was a heavyweight bout. After a scoreless first quarter, the Eagles finally broke through late in the second quarter as quarterback Michael Vick hit wide receiver DeSean Jackson for a 19 yard pass completion that result in a touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. In traditional fashion, the crowd got to sing the Eagles fight song, Fly Eagles Fly. They play it only after the Eagles score a touchdown. It's a great song that fires up the crowd.

Before the half ended the Giants got on the scoreboard thanks to a 25 yard field goal by kicker Lawrence Tynes that made it a 7-3 game at halftime.

During halftime, I stayed in my seat like Dan Baker, the legendary public address announcer told the crowd to do. The Eagles were honoring Brian Dawkins, their free safety who played in Philadelphia from 1996-2008 after being drafted in the second round of the 1996 draft out of Clemson. Upon being released in 2009, Dawkins finished his NFL career in Denver with the Broncos where he played three more years. Number 20 was known for his hard hitting and for making big plays on defense. He played 183 games for the Eagles and he tied the Eagles' all time record with 34 interceptions. He time and time again acknowledged the crowd as he spoke about his time in Philadelphia. In a touching moment, he told the crowd he wanted to hear the Eagles' fight song one more time. The crowd obliged as Brian Dawkins led the charge. He left a lasting impression on the Philly faithful like he did on the opposing receivers he covered in an Eagle uniform. His number 20 jersey won't be worn again by an Eagle. It was officially retired.

After the moving ceremony, the Eagles and Giants resumed their battle.

On the first drive of the second half, the Eagles marched down the field but the Giant defense didn't break as they held the Eagles to a 20 yard field goal by kicker Alex Henery with 9:55 left in the third quarter to extend the Eagle lead to 10-3.

On the Giants' first possession of the second half, they answered right back. They drove down the field and it culminated with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz from Eli Manning which tied the game at 10 with 5:28 to go in the third quarter.

The Eagles fought back again to regain the lead, 13-10 thanks to the leg of Alex Henery who connected from 48 yards out with 2:07 left in the third quarter.

The Eagles started the fourth quarter with a huge play as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted a pass by Eli Manning in the end zone five yards deep. He stupidly didn't take a knee and he attempted to run the ball out of the end zone. He got stopped at the nine yard line where the Eagles started their next drive which ended with another field goal with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter as Alex Henery put one through the uprights from 35 yards out as the Eagles took a 16-10 lead.

Eli Manning known for his fourth quarter heroics decided it was time to work his magic. With 6:45 left in the fourth quarter, he found tight end Bear Pascoe for a 6 yard touchdown pass which gave the Giants' a 17-16 lead.

The Eagles continued to persevere as they came back to retake the lead with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter as Alex Henery hit a 26 yard field goal to give the Eagles a 19-17 lead.

With Eli Manning at the helm, I knew the game was far from over. I saw a 20-19 Giant win coming in my mind. Luckily for the Eagles who got called for a few pass Interferences that put the Giants in field goal range, they got the biggest break when Ramses Barden got called for pass interference which backed the Giants up ten yards to the 36 yard line. As a result, Lawrence Tynes' 54 yard field goal came up short with ten seconds to go as the Eagles held on for the 19-17 victory.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Saturday, October 6, 2012

Royalty sees last regular season game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards!

Prince at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
After the King and I spent the night at Days Inn in Somerset, PA, we drove 180 miles to Baltimore, Maryland.

Upon arrival in the vicinity, we arranged to met up with our good friends, Peter and Carmen Agnew at the Eichenkranz Restaurant for breakfast. We got there around 11:15AM. We got to spend some quality time with some special people we're fortunate to know. As always, it was great to catch up with them. The only disappointing part was that my girlfriend Rose who normally waits on us wasn't there because she was on a cruise. Rose loves my accent when I speak. Despite that, we still got great service and food.

After we said our goodbyes to Peter and Carmen, the King and I drove over to the area near Oriole Park at Camden Yards where we parked the car in the neighborhood for free. On the way there, I took note of the increased cost for those who choose to pay to park their cars. With the Orioles having surprising success this season for the first time in fifteen years, the ballpark and surrounding area which includes the Inner Harbor is hopping again. Mind you, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a modern jewel of a ballpark. It was the original once they decided to built these retro style ballparks.

Thankfully I told the King to buy us tickets on Friday night when he was there because I expected a big crowd and I didn't want us to have to hassle with all the front runners who recently jumped on the Orioles bandwagon.

We parked the car around 12:45PM which gave us plenty time to make the 1:35PM first pitch.
The only thing we missed out on was the J.J. Hardy bobblehead doll they gave out to the first 20,000 fans 15 and over upon entry. That was no big deal for us. It's impossible to do everything.

When we went upstairs to the upper deck, we saw our pal Pat Gorman who was in the house to see his beloved Red Sox who were playing the Orioles. The Red Sox have been a big disappointment to say the least. Pat did arrive early enough to get a bobblehead doll though. I was happy for him that he did.
As for the game we saw, the Orioles needed to win to keep the pressure on the Yankees who they were battling for first place. Joe Saunders started for the Orioles, he set the tone early by getting the Red Sox out in order in the top of the first inning. Then in the bottom half of the first, Nate McLouth lead off with a home run to left center to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. After J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis singled, Adam Jones got hit by a pitch that loaded the bases with nobody out. Matt Wieters followed but he hit into a double play that made the score 2-0 Orioles. Veteran Jim Thome was up next and he came through with a big two out that rounded out the scoring as the Orioles lead 3-0 after one inning. The crowd was so fired up.

In the third inning, the Orioles tacked on more runs thanks to a lead off homer by J.J. Hardy who make it 4-0. Before the inning ended, Jim Thome came through with another clutch hit that gave the Orioles a 5-0 cushion.

The Red Sox finally got on the scoreboard as Cody Ross lead off the fourth inning with a homer to make it a 5-1 game. The Orioles answered right back as Chris Davis launched a homer to right center to extend the lead to 6-1. In the seventh inning, the Red Sox added a few more runs as Daniel Nava left the yard to pull the Red Sox within three at 6-3. By doing so, it ultimately set up a save opportunity for Orioles' closer Jim Johnson who came on in the ninth inning in pursuit of his 50th save of the season. Needless to say, he got it by pitching a 1,2,3 ninth inning as the Orioles kept pace with the Yankees who trailed but came back to beat the Blue Jays as they headed into the last three games all tied for first place.

After we left Baltimore, the King and I headed towards home but we made a pit stop in Philadelphia first.
Stay tuned for the wrap up of the rest of our Sunday as we closed out our September to remember in style.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman











Royalty returns to PNC Park in Pittsburgh before the season comes to a close!

Jason Grilli signed the ball he threw me & my score book
While I had no games in the local area after work Thursday and Friday night, the King rented a car for four days so he could see more baseball before the regular season ended.

He went to Citizens Bank Park Thursday night to see the Phillies play the Nationals after he went to Citi Field for the last Met home game in the afternoon against the Pirates.

Friday night he went to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Red Sox. He took our friends Ralph and Vincent Ascanio with him. He drove them back to Brooklyn where they live.

Saturday morning he woke up and he took me to Pittsburgh. We went to PNC Park to see the Pirates play the Cincinnati Reds at 7:05PM. We spent most of the day driving once we left Queens around 10:30AM. We arrived in Pittsburgh shortly after 6PM which worked out well since we park on the street where meters are in effect until 6PM so we didn't have to put any money in for the rest of the night.

On the way to Pittsburgh, I wrote our pal Manny Morales a text message because he was flying from New York to Pittsburgh. He was going to arrive in the early afternoon. I asked him if he could go to the box office and get the King and I a pair of tickets since we didn't have any yet. Manny said that wouldn't be a problem. Shortly after he wrote that, he wrote me again and he said he had two extra tickets because these people we know who he got tickets for got stuck in Columbus, Ohio. They couldn't get on a Greyhound bus like they planned to in order to get to Pittsburgh on time for the game. So with that being said, Manny said the King and I can use the extra sheets of paper he had for them. It was very nice of him. We were very grateful that everything worked out for us.

Once we parked the car, we got in contact with Manny and he met us outside the left field gate by the Willie Stargell statue. We exchanged pleasantries, he gave us the tickets if you will and we proceeded to go in. Our seats were located in section 310 near the top by first base. I told Manny and the King I'll meet them up at the seats.

In the meantime, I went out to the bullpen area which is located in left center field. I was planning to see Jason Grilli when he and the rest of the relief pitchers made their way out to the bullpen. Just before game time they all came out. I saw Jason leading the charge. I got his attention like I told him I would Tuesday night at Citi Field. I brought the ball he threw me during batting practice and he signed it for me. In addition, he signed my score book from the Tuesday game that he appeared in and threw a 1,2,3 scoreless eighth inning as the Pirates went on to beat the Mets, 10-6. I was very grateful that I had the opportunity to see Jason again. He had a great year for the Pirates in his set up role. I hope they reward him with a nice raise and contract that keeps him in Pittsburgh for a few more years. Regardless I don't see why he won't land on a major league roster in 2013. Wherever he goes, I'll be looking to track him down so we can catch up in the future.

After seeing Jason, I went up to see Manny and the King in section 310.

As for the game we saw, runs were few and far between. In fact, the game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Pirates finally broke through. After a lead off hit by Clint Barmes to left field, Chase d'Arnaud came in to pinch run. It paid off as Reds' relief pitcher Jose Arredondo threw the ball away as he tried to pick him off at first base while pinch hitter Brock Holt was batting for Kyle McPherson who pitched six shutout innings. Holt laid down a nice sacrifice bunt that catcher Dioner Navarro picked up and he threw him out at first base. As a result, Chase d'Arnaud advanced to third base with just one out. The lead off batter Alex Presley delivered a double to left center that gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. After a walk to Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen flew out to center field to end the inning and the threat for more runs.
Jason Grilli came on to pitch the eighth inning in hopes of setting up a save for closer Joel Hanrahan.

Unfortunately Jason had a tough inning. He allowed a lead off double to Ryan Ludwick to start the inning. He moved to third on a bunt by Wilson Valdez with one out. Zack Cozart, the next batter struck out swinging for the second out. Joey Votto was intentionally walked. Didi Gregorious came in to pinch run for Votto. Scott Rolen got a big clutch two out hit to left center that tied the game at one. In all fairness to Jason Grilli, it seemed like he got squeezed a pitch before Rolen came through. Home plate umpire Chris Conroy called a pitch to Rolen a ball on a 2-1 count that made the count 3-1. In my eyes, it looked like a strike. If so, the count would have been 2-2. With that being said, Jason would have had a much chance of pitching out of the jam. After the Reds tied the score, Jason rebounded to struck out Jay Bruce to stop the bleeding. Jason came off the mound fired up in elation as he minimized the damage.

After closer Joel Hanrahan came into a tied game, he escaped a few walks in the top of the ninth inning to keep the game tied at one. In the bottom of the ninth, with one out Andrew McCutchen had a chance to redeem himself since he failed in the seventh to add an insurance run. He did so in dramatic fashion as he hit a game winning homer to right center field to win the game for the Pirates, 2-1 as they raised the Jolly Roger. With that, Manny, the King and I made our way out of the ballpark. The majority of the crowd stayed because they were having a post game concert as well as a spectacular fireworks show which we watched as we walked back to the car.

As a token of appreciation, we drove Manny back to his hotel in nearby Oakland, PA. He was grateful that we gave him a ride. He's been so good to us over the years. That's the least we could do for him. Manny was staying over for the game on Sunday as well.

As for the King and I, we drove to Somerset, PA where we spent the night.

Stay tuned for the next leg of this adventurous getaway.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman














Friday, October 5, 2012

Royalty w/o 9/24 in review

Jason Grilli
Monday morning after driving back from Baltimore I arrived home at 4:30AM. I decided that it didn't make sense to lay down even for a half hour. I decided to unpack from the weekend instead. I got myself together then I ate breakfast and took a shower before I had to go back out to return the Toyota Camry I rented for the weekend from Avis. I wound up driving 519 miles safely over the two days. I got a ride to the subway then I went to work tired and all. I didn't take any energy drinks either. I found enough natural energy that I managed to get through the day. I took a nap during lunch which gave me the boost I really needed to do so.
After work I still went out to Citi Field to see the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates play out the string. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Sam Citron. He always brings out the best in me regardless of how I feel. Like he always says, it's always a pleasure. That is so true. After I said hello and goodbye to him, I decided to go out to the center field food court area to have my dinner since I had some money left on the gift card I had. Quite amazingly, the line at Shake Shack was very short so I decided this was a perfect opportunity for me to go there. I ordered a double and I got a vanilla shake. Wow it was delicious. I can see why the line is so long almost every game no matter how many people actually show up at the ballpark.

After I ate, I made my way around to the other side of the ballpark so I could get to the area where we sit behind home plate to watch the game. I was joined by the King, Vincent Ascanio and Bryan Gilligan. Shortly thereafter, we got a visit from a few special guests. I'm referring to Alvin Pachter and his father who made the trip from Scranton, PA. They like the Pirates and they had to wait all season to see they play at Citi Field. As the saying goes, better late than never. It was great to see them both again. Since their local team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees had their stadium renovated this year they didn't have any games to go to in their own backyard. Hence they didn't get to see a lot of baseball games. However they did go to Pittsburgh a number of times they said though to see their Pirates play at PNC Park.

As for the game we saw, the Mets beat up the Pirates who were in the midst of finishing under .500 again for the 20th straight year. They were playing so well until August came around. All of a sudden, like the Mets they totally fell apart. It's a shame that this happened to them. The Mets got a rare power surge as Ike Davis hit two home runs and he drove in five runs to lead the way as the Mets got a 6-2 victory.

Tuesday night after work I went back to Citi Field for more baseball as the Mets were playing their out last homestand of the season. After I saw Sam again I went inside to see batting practice. My main goal was to see if I could find Jason Grilli. After I looked around the outfield, I spotted him in left center field. I went down near the Party City Party Deck and I got his attention. Moments later, he came towards me and he threw me a batting practice baseball. I caught it. I told him thank you. We chatted for a few minutes. I did tell him I'll see him in Pittsburgh Saturday night at PNC Park. I was so excited to see him. He made my night complete especially since I had a very rough day at work. I told his business partner and friend of mine, JeanAnn Harrison I was on a mission to see him and true to my word I made it happen. She told me he was visiting family while he was in town.

After seeing Jason, I went over to Blue Smoke and I had some Kansas City spare ribs for dinner. They were so good. After I ate, I went up to our perch in the upper deck behind home plate to watch the game. This time I was joined by the usual bunch. In addition, we had our pals Manny Morales, Charlie O'Reilly and Michael Abrams amongst us.

As for the game we saw, the Pirates beat the Mets, 10-6. Jason Grilli came in the eighth inning and he got the Mets out 1,2,3. On a positive note for the Mets, David Wright got a single to right center in the seventh inning which was his 1,418th career hit as a Met. It tied him with Ed Kranepool for the most hits by a Met all time.

Wednesday night after work I went back to Citi Field for the last time this season since they were closing out on Thursday afternoon and I had to work. I wound up starving all day due to religious observance. When I got to Citi Field I made sure I fed myself. I didn't want to eat a lot so I wound up getting a few slices of pizza from Two Boots. They make good brick oven pizza.

After I ate, I got ready for the game. I met up with the King and Vincent Ascanio in the upper deck.
As for the game we saw, the Mets got a solid performance from young Jeremy Hefner who threw seven shutout innings as the Mets beat the Pirates, 6-0. In the process, David Wright entered the Mets' record book by himself as he got an infield single to third base in the third inning. It was his 1,419th career hit. With that hit, he moved into sole possession as the Mets all time hits leader.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner. After I ate, I went around the block and I did my laundry which had been piling up since I was so busy running around.

Friday night after work I went home to rest and relax. I got a text message late in the afternoon at work from my friend and big fan of my blog, Eddie Pelle. He wanted to see me he said. I told him I get out of work at 5:30PM. He told me he'll meet me then. It worked out perfectly as I met him when I got out. He had a personalized autograph of former Colts' quarterback and broadcaster Mark Herrmann for me. He jokingly told him that I'm his long lost cousin. Eddie had a conversation with him when he was at the Indianapolis Colt game against the Jaguars. He told him about my passion for football and my blog. Mark Herrmann seemed very interested. I hope I get to meet him some day myself.

Stay tuned as I'm going to recap my latest weekend getaway with some more special posts. Please bear with me as I try to find time to do them.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman













Thursday, October 4, 2012

Royalty completes NFL Doubleheader in Baltimore for AFC Championship Game rematch with the Ravens and Patriots on SNF!

Prince at M & T Bank Stadium - Home of  Baltimore Ravens
As I walked back to my car, I saw plenty of people sitting in traffic. As for me, I got out with no hassle. I decided to go to McDonald's which was right nearby in a shopping center as I headed back to the highway to take out food as I drove to Baltimore to attempt to get into the Raven game. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but I wanted to give it a shot. As I like to say, you can't succeed if you don't try. With that being said, I wound up parking the car on the street in the neighborhood around 6:30PM. I walked over to M & T Bank Stadium, which is the home of the Baltimore Ravens. Upon arrival, I went right to the box office in hopes of them releasing tickets for the game. Last Thanksgiving night, the King and I did the same thing and we lucked out and got tickets.

This time they opened the window around 7PM and they sold some tickets at different price points. I was around the tenth person on line. When I finally got to the window, they said they were all sold out. The guy in front of me got the last ticket they sold on the lower level for $115. I didn't give up. Instead I walked away and I went near the gate that was up the block and I asked over and over if anybody had an extra ticket. After trying for 20 minutes or so, I lucked out as a lady told me she had an extra ticket. She said it was a $55 ticket and she wanted $55 for it. I instantly told her, you got it. I couldn't thank her enough as I proceeded to go in at 7:45PM which gave me plenty of time to get ready for the opening kickoff. I was jumping for joy when I was inside. The seat was located in section 507 which was near the end zone. I told the lady I may not sit there because I know somebody who sits in section 500 in the last row at mid field. I gathered myself and I headed up to the top to see my pal Nib who I met at the Raven game against the Arizona Cardinals last October 30th. Nib has been at every Raven game since they moved to Baltimore back in 1996. He was joined by his daughter Shannon as well as friends of his who have seats next to his. It was great to see him again. Once the seats filled in around him, I said goodbye. I wound up playing musical chairs as I made my way down. After moving a few times, I lucked out into a few seats in row 11 in section 500. What a view I had. A royal upgrade indeed. Those seats in that section regardless of the row cost $90. I did amazing well outside and inside.

As for the game I saw, the Patriots raced out to an early 13-0 lead after the first quarter. The Ravens like the Redskins earlier in the day came back. They wound up taking a 14-13 lead late in the second quarter as Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco found wide receiever Torrey Smith who played college ball at the University of Maryland for a 25 yard touchdown pass with 9:45 left in the second quarter. It should be noted he was playing with a very heavy heart because his brother got killed Saturday night. Flacco hit Dennis Pitt for the go ahead score with 1:47 left in the half on a 20 yard touchdown pass. The Ravens left too much time on the clock for Tom Brady and the Patriots. As a result, the Patriots regained the lead with just two seconds left in the half as Tom Brady connected with Julian Edelman on a seven yard touchdown pass to give the Patriots a 20-14 lead at the intermission.

On the first drive of the second half, the Ravens got the ball and they scored to take the lead again, 21-20 as Ray Rice formerly of Rutgers scored a touchdown from seven yards out. With 6:48 left in the third quarter, the Patriots responded with another touchdown as former Jet Danny Woodhead ran in from three yards out to make it 27-21. With 14:10 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots extended their lead to nine at 30-21 with a field goal. The Ravens continued to fight back as Torrey Smith, heavy heart and all, caught another touchdown pass this time from five yards out with 4:01 left to get the Ravens within two at 30-28. Unlike the game in January, when the Ravens missed a field goal that would have tied the game, this time rookie kicker Justin Tucker took advantage of his chance to be the hero as he kicked a 27 yard field goal to win the game for the Ravens, 31-30 as time ran out. What a day of football action I saw.

Both games I saw on this day were eerily similar. They were competitive and they were full of action from start to finish. I was thrilled as a football fan to be at both of them.

After the game, I drove home and went to work without getting any sleep.

Stay tuned for further details as well as my w/o 9/24 in review. Please bear with me as I continue to play catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman







Royalty returns to FedEx Field and meets up with a football roadtripper and his family!

Prince at FedEx Field - Home of the Washington Redskins 
After I said goodbye to the Van Cleve family in Philadelphia, I drove 120 miles to Laurel, Maryland which is midway between Baltimore and Washington DC where I spent the night at Knights Inn. The hotel is conveniently located right the exit of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway off Maryland highway 198. I got a good night sleep. After I cleaned up and checked out of the hotel, I decided to have some breakfast at McDonald's which was located right next door.

After I ate, I got back on the highway and I drove to Landover where FedEx Field is located. It's the home of the Washington Redskins who are celebrating their 80th anniversary season. In addition, it was their home opener and it was Robert Griffin the Third aka RGIII's home debut as the Redskin quarterback. I wound up parking the car in a nearby neighborhood on the street for free. It's a nice walk to get to the stadium from there but it's good exercise and it beats sitting in traffic to get out of the parking lot after the game. I parked the car at 10:45AM. I started walking over towards the stadium and I e-mailed my pal and fellow roadtripper, Charles Stephenson  who has Redskin season tickets. He has five altogether so he can accommodate his whole family which includes his wife Betsy and their three young children Grace, Abbey and Charlie. I met Charles for the first time last November at FedEx Field when the Redskins played the San Francisco 49ers. He had an extra ticket that day and he gave it to me. It was really nice of him. I was very grateful. This time he told me all his tickets were accounted for. In a side note, Charles went to New Orleans to see the Redskins open the season which was RGIII's NFL debut. He also went to Heinz Field in week two where he saw my Jets play.

I told him it's not a problem. I'll get one outside the stadium when I get there. He had invited me to tailgate with them before the game. I had a great time last year doing that with him. This time he told me they diverted him from the area he normally parks at for the game. Since I needed a ticket I wanted to secure one before I tried to meet up with them. After trying to get a ticket for a little while, I finally found a guy who was willing to take $30 for a ticket. I met a guy named Jack who was with two young guys, they were probably his sons. He told me to follow them. He had to go to the will call window which was right nearby to get the tickets. It worked out beautifully for me. I told him I'll see them inside. I have a friend who's tailgating and I want to go see him before I go inside. He gave me the ticket and I promised him I would come up to the seat. I got in the building after I spent some quality time with the Stephenson family who feed me well. I had a bratwurst and some steak while I was with them. I want to personally thank them again for their tremendous hospitality. I got to meet Charles' wife Betsy for the first time. I told her how lucky she is to have Charles for her husband. He's such a great guy. He seemed embarrassed but I prefer to tell the truth. That's what I think and I told her so. I'm sure she knows she knows she's truly blessed. After they cleaned up, we all walked over to the stadium and we headed inside. We parted ways and told each other we'll get together again in the future.

As for the game we saw, the Redskins kicked off and they fell behind on the first play from scrimmage as the Cincinnati Bengals called a direct snap to Mohammed Sanu who's a rookie from Rutgers who I saw play at Yankee Stadium in the Pinstripe Bowl back in December. Sanu threw a bomb to wide receiver A.J. Green who ran it in for a 73 yard touchdown to give the Bengals the early 7-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game. I saw it downstairs before I wound up going up to my seat in the upper deck by the 30 yard line in section 429 row 14 with Jack and the two young guys which had a $79 face value. I had a great a view of the action. Shortly thereafter, the Redskins evened the score at seven just four minutes into the first quarter as former Kansas State linebacker Rob Jackson intercepted a pass in the end zone that resulted in a touchdown for the Redskins. Upon doing so, they played the Redskins' fight song, Hail to the Redskins. The Bengals proceeded to score the next 17 unanswered points to take a 24-7 lead in the second quarter. The Redskins added a field goal just before the half to trail 24-10.

The Redskins got the ball first in the second half and they carried the momentum over as they marched down the field to get within a touchdown at 24-17. Later in the quarter with 3:29 left, they got even again at 24. Unfortunately for the natives the Bengals responded by scoring two more touchdowns to take a 38-24 lead. The Redskins got one back to cut the deficit to seven as RGIII ran one in from two yards with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter. The Redskins almost got the onsides kick but it went a yard too short when they recovered the ball. They had one last gasp chance but a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty took away that chance as the ball was knocked down as the Bengals held on to beat the Redskins, 38-31. It was an exciting game to be at. I felt bad for Charles and his family. On the other hand, my Mike Carroll who couldn't join me is a Bengal fan so I was happy to bring him back a victory.

RGIII finished the game with 85 yards rushing on 12 carries. He's a tough guy and I think he has a bright future in the NFL. For the good people I know who live the in the DC area, I hope so. Time will tell.

Stay tuned as I continue to recap my adventurous Sunday as I went to Baltimore for Sunday night football.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman