Travel Guide to California

2013 Travel Guide to California

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»CA.PROFESSIONAL SPORTS Take Me Out to the Ball Game by MICHAEL SHAPIRO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL The view from Section 302 at AT&T Park, home of the 2010 and 2012 World Series champion San Francisco Giants during ceremonies to open the National League Division Series, Oct. 6, 2012, above. Major League Baseball begins its season the first week of April (sometimes with a game at the end of March) and wraps up with the World Series at the end of October (sometimes early November). For more on San Francisco, see pages 84-89. Sit up high in Section 302 of the San Francisco Giants ballpark. To your right is the glittering San Francisco Bay with kayaks and sailboats bobbing in McCovey Cove. To your left, the city's towering skyscrapers shimmer as the setting sun lights up the East Bay hills. And directly below you is an emerald baseball field that's home to a team that stunned the baseball world by winning two of the last three World Series with a lineup that may not have had the most natural talent but showed the most heart. Oriented to protect fans from San Francisco's chilly winds and summer fog, AT&T Park is a place where left-handed sluggers can launch home runs over an arcade and into San Francisco Bay. It's a cozy ballpark, where just about any seat provides a good view of the action. The Thrill of the Crowd There's no substitute for the excitement—the rush—of hearing tens of thousands of voices rise to cheer the 72 2 013 travel guide to c al ifo r n i a home team. Even if you're not a fan or don't understand the arcane rules of baseball or football, you can enjoy the high-fives and backslaps that will surely follow success on the field. The Giants are one of 16 major sports teams in California, more than any other state in the country. By major sports we mean Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. But there are sports beyond the Big Four—it can be exhilarating to watch a Nascar auto race or take in a pro soccer game—for years the LA Galaxy had Major League Soccer's biggest star in David Beckham. Another popular baseball club is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who play downtown in Chavez Ravine. Like the Giants, the Dodgers moved from New York to California in 1958, breaking hearts on the East Coast but creating legions of new fans in the West. The Dodgers were the franchise that broke LARRY HABEGGER; KEITH ALLISON; LARRY HABEGGER; ROB MARMION; COURTESY OF THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS; PHOTOWORKS/SHUTTERSTOCK Make friends, cheer for the home team!

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