With over 200 straight sellouts and the diminutive Fenway Park

(capacity 36,298) as their home, the Boston Red Sox are one of

the hottest tickets in Major League baseball (MLB). If you are part

of Red Sox Nation, the innumerable fans who live and die by each

pitch and swing of the bat, and can't get through the turnstiles of

the home park, there is an alternative-road trip!

Many fans have found it to be fairly economical to take a

mini-vacation on the weekend or use a week's worth of summer

leave and follow the team to opponent stadiums. Red Sox players

have noted that they get a lot of support everywhere they go,

and although many of those people are transplants from New

England or natives of that particular region who love their Sox

Red, others are part of a growing group of fans from the Boston

area who can't get enough of their team in the home setting.

Some away venues, such as Yankee Stadium and Citizens

Bank Park in Philadelphia are tough tickets to get, but there are

many stadiums where good seats are still available. Here are a

few places you may want to go to help make the away team feel

like they are at home.

Comerica Park, Detroit

Comerica Park is the home of the Detroit Tigers and it is

one of those venues that, with everything else it offers, also

seems to have a ball game going on somewhere. If you're used to

Fenway and you've never been to a game at a place like

Comerica, you may be overwhelmed by the amenities,

spaciousness and opportunities.

The park is in the center of an urban village that includes

shops, restaurants, offices and many other features. Yes, there is

a Ferris wheel and a pedestrian museum that goes around the

main concourse. Other attractions in the area include various

casinos and the Henry Ford Museum.

The Tigers have not had a good team in a long time and

that means you can get fine seats for just about any game.

Outfield boxes at $25 a seat are not difficult to get if you want to

go and see the Red Sox.

Rogers Centre, Toronto

The Blue Jays have certainly upgraded their team but great

seats are still relatively easy to get. The Rogers Centre has a

retractable roof, the J Force (a team of Hip Hop and Break Dancers

performing for fans), a season-long highest speed pitching cage

contest and a 50/50 drawing every Saturday.

If you're hoping to sing the national anthem at the Rogers

Centre, please note that your audition tape must contain the

American and then the Canadian national anthems. Be sure to

include contact information with your CD or tape and once you

send it in don't contact them; they'll call you if they're interested.

You can buy exceptional field box tickets between home

and first for around $42. Remember that hockey is king in Canada

and baseball is not this country's national pastime. So become an

international traveler, enjoy one of the most beautiful cities in

North America, and catch a three-game series in an open-air

ballpark where there's never a rainout.

Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay

The Trop has plenty of great, cheap seats all season long.

It's called "the ballpark of the 21st century," and about 10 years

ago the venue underwent an $85 million renovation. Like many

newer parks, it has a primary concourse-Centerfield Street-that

features various specialty shops and restaurants. Included in the

area, where you can still watch the game, is MLB's first in-stadium

cigar bar-the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar.

The park is under a dome and, unlike any other domed

field presently in the majors, has artificial turf and all dirt base

paths. All other in-door facilities have only areas around the

bases with dirt and then artificial turf on the rest of the running

area.

Forty-seven dollars will get you a seat on the field level of

the Trop. Not only will you get to see two teams that have

developed a lot of bad blood between them, but you'll get to hear

the Tampa Bay Heckler, Robert Szasz, also know as "The loud

guy."

Szasz goes to every home game dressed in a Devil Rays

shirt and hat and loudly heckles the visiting team, usually hurling

his abuse at one player. He's loud (you can hear him on radio and

television casts), but he's also clean. If you're not up for a close

encounter with Szasz and his booming voice, don't sit near home

plate.

McAfee Coliseum, Oakland

Go west, young fan, go west! If you're California

Dreaming, then Oakland may be the perfect place for you to catch

your Sox. McAfee Coliseum is a multi-use stadium with 50,000

seats! Tailgating is permitted outside the park, something you

can't imagine doing around Fenway.

For a west coast venue, the stadium seems to have a rich

history, including claiming to be the first stadium where "The

Wave" was first performed on October 15, 1981. Fenway fans,

which may be the only group that still performs The Wave, may

find a pilgrimage to the site a life-changing experience (then

again, maybe not). The bay area, including San Francisco, is easily

accessible, making this a great vacation trip.

Oakland teams are built on pitching and fielding. You

should see some fine ballgames at McAfee Park, the home of the

game changing, progressive GM Billy Bean and Money Ball. You

won't be sitting at field level but for $40 a pop you'll be able to

look down on the game from far above.

Turner Field, Atlanta

Want to see one of the best teams in the American League

take on one of the best clubs in the Senior Circuit? You won't get

prime seats like you will in Toronto or Tampa Bay, but you will find

tickets available for Inter-league play between Boston and

Atlanta.

At Turner Field the Braves claim that there are 101 things

to do, including watching a ball game! Other things you can

indulge in include making your own baseball bat (think "The

Natural"), engaging in the non-P.C. "Chop Rally," and taking a

picture with Scooby Doo. (Why would anyone want to watch

Andruw Jones play?) The venue also contains a very fine baseball

museum.

The city of Atlanta possesses a rich cultural heritage,

historic sites and the CNN Center, which includes the news giant,

a shopping mall, convention center and hotel.

For $15 you can find a seat in the upper deck and enjoy a

bird's eye view of the BoSox battle with Atlanta. This is baseball at

its best, with your home team taking on one of the best home

teams in all of baseball.

If you are considering a short jaunt or a longer excursion

to one or more of these out-of-town settings, be sure to buy

tickets ahead of time. Presently, it's fairly easy to purchase seats

for most of these venues, with games that are scheduled later in

the season being plentiful.

It's baseball season-get away, enjoy a different city, and

spread the spirit of Red Sox Nation across the land. With Big Papi,

Manny, Schill and Tech taking the field, you'll feel right at home

and so will they.