I had an early morning flight back from Oakland Airport to Chicago so I could attend the Chicago Cubs game Tuesday night as they arrived back in town. Their last home game was the one I attended on July 30.
Obtaining TicketRather than worry about finding a ticket for less than $15 (the standing room only [SRO] box office price), I relaxed in our house and bought a SRO ticket for $15 a few minutes before the first pitch. As usual, there were plenty of SRO seats available.
The GameRich …

If you are coming from the suburbs south of San Francisco to a Giants game it may make the most sense to take Caltrain to AT&T Park rather than drive. That is what I did Monday night on the way to game one of the three game series between the Dodgers and Giants.
Obtaining TicketsA main area for buying Giants tickets from scalpers is directly in front of the Caltrain station after getting off the train. I offered $10 for tickets from the scalpers but nobody would accept my …

With Nicole attending her sociology conference in San Francisco, I went to the Sunday afternoon Giants game with my Dad.
Obtaining TicketsWe needed to buy two tickets and again my goal was to find tickets for $10 each. However, I was only offering $15 for two tickets. None of the scalpers would accept my offer until one scalper got creative. He offered us two singles in the upper deck for $15. Since I had sat in the lower level Saturday afternoon and had planned to …

The main event of the soccer doubleheader was between FC Barcelona and Chivas Guadalajara – a match that I attended at Soldier Field on August 3 last year. With Leo Messi and Thierry Henry playing for Barcelona, the first half of the game was exciting even though neither team scored a goal. After all of the star players were removed in the second half both teams scored a goal – Barcelona in the 49th minute and Chivas in the 63rd minute.
During the second half the Mexican fans lighted …

We arrived at Nicole’s presentation about 5 minutes early (if you need a recap click here). Nicole came over and told us she would be presenting second. I wanted her to present first, but since there were four presenters I was not about to complain. My parents and I would only be slightly late to the San Jose Earthquakes game at Candlestick Park. However, the moderator of the session announced that the first presenter did not show up and that Nicole would present first. On …

Something I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post is that the Giants do not always play at 1:05 pm on Saturday afternoons. They usually play at night – meaning this day would not be possible without a scheduled afternoon game.
Nicole and I drove to her conference on Saturday morning. We parked the car around 12:15 pm and I walked over to AT&T Park – about a 20 minute walk from Market St. and 6th St.
Obtaining TicketsAs with any baseball game that is not sold out, cheaper tickets can …

Today is a complicated day for three sporting events – at least two of them are at the same venue. The wife and my original reason for being in San Francisco is for Nicole’s sociology conference – the American Sociological Association’s annual event. She is giving a presentation scheduled for 4:30 pm this afternoon (Saturday) and to be a good husband I thought I would attend.
With the San Francisco Giants game starting at 1:05 pm and a soccer doubleheader at Candlestick Park (Game 1 is between the San …

After relaxing with my parents and grandparents for a few days it was time for some weekday afternoon baseball. The Ultimate Sports Wife and I headed to Oakland to see the Athletics take on the Texas Rangers.
Parking at the Oakland ColiseumWe chose to pay the $17 to park in the official Oakland Coliseum parking lots. However, if you are trying to save a few dollars you can park across the freeway for free. Get off at the 66th Avenue exit and instead of heading towards …

After landing in San Francisco Friday night, my Dad and I were off to watch Venus Williams battle Elena Dementieva in the semi-finals of the Bank of the West Classic Saturday afternoon – the longest running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world.
In the same session, the doubles match featured both Williams sisters playing Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova.
Obtaining TicketsWe needed to buy two tickets for the match. Before we parked I got out of the car to look for tickets on the secondary market while my …