*Foot Notes

First, you need tickets. Both the Dodgers and the Angels sell them through their Web sites--www.Dodgers.com and www.Angelsbaseball.com. Dodger tickets are also available at new ticket machines in some Vons and Pavilions supermarkets. Angel tickets cost $6-$22 ([888] 796-4256), and Dodger tickets $6-$16 [(323] 224-1400). Those tickets are OK if you have binoculars, but what about a really good seat?

* A really good seat at the park--that is, behind first or third base and close to the field--can usually be obtained only through ticket scalpers. Field-level tickets (face value $16) to tomorrow’s Dodger game against Colorado were going for $35-$75 each earlier this week at a local Valley ticket broker. On the Internet, www.tickets.com not only sells tickets to events all over the world, but also holds auctions. You can bid online for tickets, and if you win, the tickets will be mailed to you in time for the event.

* Like everything else, a trip to the ballpark is not without its downside: driving and parking. Over the years, many veteran fans develop “fool-proof” shortcuts and strategies--such as “take Scott Avenue from Glendale Boulevard . . . “ or “Squeeze in between the buses in Lot 7 and . . . “--that sometimes rise to the level of urban myth. It’s best just to leave home early.

* You could always go to the game using public transportation, avoiding the parking and driving hassles. The Southern California Assn. of Governments’ Web site, www.scag.ca.gov, features TranStar, a computer program that will chart a course between any two locations in Southern California using available public buses and trains. TranStar detailed a three-hour trip from the West Valley to Dodger Stadium with three transfers for a total fare of $2.85, and a five-hour trek to Edison Field with four transfers for $5.85. These bus routes will work only with day games, because some buses don’t run after 9 p.m.