Basketball: Golden State Warriors
The defending champion Dubs are getting a hard fight from the underdog Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. If they win a do-or-die away game in LA on Friday the 26th, they will conclude the best-of-7 series at home Sunday the 28th. That will be the hottest (and costliest) ticket in town — if you can get one! Taking BART’s Fremont-Warm Springs or Livermore-Dublin-Pleasanton lines to the Coliseum station is an easy and very popular way to get between Berkeley and Oracle Arena. Watch-parties at local establishments are another way to catch both home and away games.
Hockey: San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are moving on to the second round of the postseason, having upset Las Vegas in a wild Game 7. Their next game is on home ice Friday the 26th. The “Shark Tank” is rental-car distance from Berkeley with no easy public-transit links; allow at least two hours for the trip on Bay Area freeways.
Baseball: Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants
After a Cinderella 2018 took the Oakland A’s into the wild-card round of the playoffs, they’re starting the new season with the American League’s fourth-highest figures in homers, led by 2018 MLB home-run champion Khris Davis. This exciting team has a home stand before and during IDSM01. To watch Khris khrush one, take BART’s Fremont-Warm Springs or Livermore-Dublin-Pleasanton lines between Berkeley and the Oakland Coliseum.
The San Francisco Giants are on the road in that timeframe, but if you’re extending your travel into the weekend, keep in mind that they host the New York Yankees in interleague play. BART can get you to within walking distance or a brief taxi or bus ride of Oracle (formerly AT&T) Park, where the Giants play. Or, for a scenic option to San Francisco, you can take a ferry directly to AT&T Park after making your way to Oakland’s Jack London Waterfront by BART or bus.
UC-Berkeley Teams
There’s action right next door with Golden Bears athletics. On Tuesday, April 23, the softball team hosts the University of Nevada at 1 p.m., then baseball hosts Sacramento State University under the lights at 7:30. Softball vs. Arizona and baseball vs. Oregon are featured on the 26th and 27th, along with a track and field meet.