Baseball in San Diego

Long a favorite spectator sport in San Diego, where games are rarely rained out, baseball gained even more popularity in 2004 with the opening of PETCO Park, a stunning 42,000-seat facility right in the heart of downtown. In March 2006, the semi-finals and the final game of the first-ever World Baseball Classic, scheduled to be a quadrennial event fielding teams from around the world, took place here. The San Diego Padres (100 Park Blvd., Downtown, 92101. 619/795-5000 or 877/374-2784. www.sandiegopadres.com) slug it out for bragging rights in the National League West from April into October—they won the division in 2005 and 2006. Tickets are usually available on game day, but games with such rivals as the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants often sell out quickly. For an inexpensive day at the ballpark, go for the $7 ($5 on the day of game) park pass and have a picnic on the grass, while watching the play on one of several giant-screen TVs.