Baseball -- Baseball is the number-one sport in Venezuela. Venezuelans follow the sport with devotion and fervor. It's hard to find pickup games, but if you're in town for the season, you might want to catch a game. The local professional season runs October 20 through January 30 every year. As this is the off-season for U.S. Major League Baseball, some professional and minor-league players play here to stay in shape. There are a couple of professional teams in Caracas, as well as teams in most major cities around the country. The main Caracas team is Los Leones; another popular team (formerly of Caracas, but currently based out of Valencia) is Los Magallanes. The Leones-Magallanes rivalry is quite heated. You can get tickets to most games rather easily for 5,000Bs to 30,000Bs ($2.30-$14). I'd recommend splurging for the more expensive seats, as they often provide protection from the sun, the rain, and the rowdier crowds. Los Leones play at the Estadio Universitario de Caracas (at the university). Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling tel. 0212/762-1211, although you can usually buy tickets the day of the game.
