Visiting LA (Anaheim), San Francisco and New York in mid to late August/September can you please advise of what sports we would be able to see and how easy it is to get tickets - can they be bought at the gate or do we need to pre book. Would love to be able to see Basketball, baseball or football.

I assume you are visiting from outside the US. Aug/Sept is a good time for some professional sports and outside the season for others.

NBA Basketball does not start the season until late Oct/early Nov so that is out.

baseball is right in the heat of the run up to the championship. The places you are visiting all have multiple major league teams. In Southern Calif there are the LA Dodgers, Anaheim Angels and San Diego Padres. In SF Bay area there are the SF Giants and the Oakland Athletics, and in New your are the Yankees and the Mets. You should be able to get tickets to most any of these teams' games w/o much trouble just going to the stadium box office. Especially for weekday games seats should be available.

American Football is just ending the preseason exhibition games and starting the regular games at the time of your visit. Pre-season game tickets are easier to get - many football teams almost sellout just with season ticket holders. No NFL team in LA - San Diego is the closest. Two treams in SF area - 49ers and the raiders. Tickets are ALWAYS available to Raider games - harder to get for 49ers. In New York the NFL teams actually play in New Jersey - the Jets and the Giants.

Could always see a college football game. USC plays Sept 11 against Colorado St. Should reserve tickets ahead of time. UCLA who is the second best team in Los Angeles, might also have a game in your time frame.

for baseball tickets, got to MLB.COM and select the team website. Most teams are not selling single game tickets until later in the spring (they are trying to sign up season ticket holders now).

I would buy in advance - that is what we did when we went to SF 2 summers ago. in SF, choose a day game so you can get the great view of the bay!

Since you are from out of the country, when you say football, do you mean soccer? If so, in the San Jose Bay Area there's the San Jose Earthquakes.

http://www.sjearthquakes.com/index.htm

If you are interested in hockey, the preseason games for the NHL's San Jose Sharks are at the HP Pavilion in Downtown San Jose.

http://www.sj-sharks.com/

As has already been mentioned, the San Jose Bay area baseball teams (Giants and Oakland Atheletics) will be playing as well as the American football teams: one in the Oakland area (Raiders) and the other in the SF area 49er's NFL. football.

Tickets can be hard to come by for the San Francisco Giants. They usually sell out. I would get those in advance on-line. Just go to the team's web site. If you can only see one baseball game, I would pick the Giants. Not because I am a Giants fan but because of Pac Bell stadium in downtown San Francisco. Actually I am an Angels fan. Of course the teams schedule will determine what you can see. If you go to the SF Giants game, I would try to go on Sunday afternoon. It can get very chilly at a night game in San Francisco.

Definately go see a baseball game at Yankee Stadium. I'd suggest you get their early and visit the Monument Park. In terms of getting tickets, use the MLB.com suggestion.

I'd second that a Giants game a PACBELL is a great thing.

Thanks everyone for your reply - I really appreciate the feedback - we are visting from Australia and would love the chance to see whatever sports we can get too.