Quick trip west leads to fruitful land of professional athletics by B. C. Ledoux, Outpost staff For those of you left unsatisfied by the professional sports scene in Reno, those who yearn for major league sporting action, look to the west. A fruitful land of high-ticket prices and overpaid athletes rests on the other side of the Sierras. No, Reno does not have much to offer along the lines of professional sporting events. However, rest easy fanatics, a relatively easy drive or plane flight can bring you to your fields, courts and rinks of dreams. From Sacramento to San Jose to the Bay Area, there are eight, that is if Al Davis has not moved the Raiders out of Oakland again since I began writing, professional athletic teams with which you can indulge these cravings. For a complete list, click here.   Click on logos for more information. The menu consists of baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer and football. There is always a time during the year when one of these professional sports is taking place in these areas of California. In the early fall you can watch the Giants and A's baseball seasons wind down, or you can watch the 49ers and Raiders football seasons pick-up. The late fall and winter supply the climax of the football season and also give birth to the basketball seasons of the Warriors and Kings and the hockey season of the Sharks. And finally, the spring and summer see the end of the basketball and hockey seasons and greet the baseball and soccer seasons once again. There is no time during the year that a sports fanatic, trapped in the professional sports vacuum of Reno, can not find a live professional event within driving distance. And for those of you who would prefer to take the easy route and fly down (and probably want to eat caviar on a cracker in a luxury box), I can not condone this behavior, but I can tell you airfare is usually reasonable. Usually $80, a week in advance, will get you a round-trip ticket from Reno to the Bay Area. If you insist on doing this, check with the Reno/Tahoe Airport. For the rest of you who just want to rough it, four hours of drive time will bring you to any of these venues. If it is basketball you love, a two-hour trip (with a little extra pressure on the accelerator) will bring you to Arco Arena, the home of the Sacramento Kings. The rest of the stadiums and arenas are anywhere from three and a half to four hours away. I made just such a trip and satisfied my own professional sports itch in April when I ventured to a San Francisco Giants game. I went to see the Giants because I am a long-time fan. It is certainly not because Candlestick Park (oops, I forgot, 3com) usually supplies a atmosphere to watch a game. In fact, unless you like the Giants or a team they are playing, go see the A's because the Oakland Coliseum is a much nicer place to watch a game than Candlestick Park. Candlestick, even in the summer, is usually cold and windy. The Coliseum, however, is usually warm and beautiful. If you do insist on going to Candlestick, do it how I did it. First, get to know someone who has season tickets nine rows back from home plate (because this is a hell of a place to watch the game for free), and second, have the weatherman arrange the most windless warm night in Candlestick Park history. If you don't know someone with season tickets, you can pick some tickets up at the gate for $10 - $25, depending on availability and your desire to be close to the field. Also, without those season tickets, you won't have the VIP parking pass that I had so you are going to have to pay $6 for parking. And if you don't have a close relationship with a weatherman, take a parka and some blankets. If the experience you are going to have sounds second-rate compared to mine, you are correct. It was the best night for a game I have ever seen. However, a live baseball game is always a good time, so I'm sure you will enjoy. A professional sporting event never comes cheap, so expect to open that wallet more than a few times. While at the "Stick" you should have a few of those $5.75 beers, a $4 hotdog, and a $3.50 malt,because you just drove four hours and you deserve it. And if you need to turn around and drive home, don't worry about the beer, it's so watered down you'll be fine. The party I was with decided to spend a small fortune on those pricey suds, because, what is a ball game without some rowdy fans (they were us)? Now, we were rowdy but not the rowdiest, because whenever you go to the ballpark there are always those insane fans that don't even quit yelling when they sip their beer. They cheer the player in the on-deck circle, they cheer the games on the Jumbotron, and they cheer the peanut vender. Everything and everyone gets their mouth flapping. As expected, we sat right behind one of these super-fans. This, however, is great. It is what makes going to the game so much more of an experience than watching on TV. Luckily we had him diagnosed early in the game, he had the "Clap." A fan with the "Clap" is one that claps about everything, "That-a-baby-Kent-way-to-take-infield-warm-ups-Kent. . .Clap-Clap-Clap. . .That-a-baby-Snow-nice-throw-baby. . .Clap, Clap, Clap." This type of fan makes it well worth the four-hour drive. Not only did we have a great baseball game to watch, in which the Giants destroyed the Colorado Rockies, we were constantly entertained by "super-fan." The crowd in general was good-natured and was there to have a good time. It is a good place to take the family or to go with friends. With the exception of waiting in line for the bathrooms, to set the $6 beer free, the night at the ballpark was entirely enjoyable. We stayed at a hotel in Burlingame, about 10 minutes south of the ballpark, which was $100 for a room with two beds. If you go as a family or with a group that doesn't mind sharing a room, it is not too bad for how close it is to the ballpark. Of course, I have made the trip in one day many times, and it is still worth it (as long as you sucker someone else into driving). Traffic is the main problem with making it a one-day trip. You fight it from the parking lot to the east side of the Bay Bridge and beyond. The traffic generally adds half of an hour to an hour to the return trip (if you leave right after the game) so be patient. Staying overnight, however, is a way to avoid that mess and allows you to tour the Bay Area the next day, or to go catch another game. Going during the right time of year might allow you to see more than one sport during your trip. It wouldn't be a bad weekend if you saw a baseball and football game or a basketball and hockey game. Just think of all the "super-fans" that would entertain you. Next time you are feeling unsatisfied with Reno's meager professional sports scene, remember that just down the road a fertile land of professional sports awaits you. There is a plethora of entertaining things to do, see and experience west of Reno. So why not make a weekend out of a trip to Sacramento, San Jose or the Bay Area to see one of the many professional teams. Posted May 7, 1999 Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost TOP Outpost | Metro | Lifestyle | Travel | Dining | Outdoors | Sports Archives | Specials | Links | About us | Mail us