Bill Conlin: Best worldwide venues feature surf, turf, and sports of all sorts

THEY BUILT IT and in W.P. Kinsella's vision of a better game from a gentler, more forgiving time, Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Black Sox came to the pristine diamond in an Iowa cornfield for a rousing game of baseball. The real world is filled with ballparks and stadiums and arenas and locales that will quicken your pulse, stir your imagination and max out your credit cards. Here, in no particular ranking, are 10 sports venues you must see before you die:

New Wembley Stadium, London

The Eagles played a 1989 exhibition in the original Wembley, a historic but aging stadium that had hosted everything from Olympic Games to vast rock concerts featuring Queen and 1985 Live Aid, England's 1966 World Cup victory over West Germany and events as diverse as greyhound racing and Evel Knievel not quite jumping over 13 double-decker buses.

The Brits have spent 800 million pounds to construct the world's largest retractable-roof stadium - it seats 90,000 and will host the 2012 Olympics. But you'll want to score a low air fare and make it across the pond for the Oct. 25 NFL regular-season clash between the Tampa Bay Bucs and New England Patriots. Tickets range between $216 U.S. and $859 for the 5 p.m. (Eastern time) kickoff.

Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles

I covered my first World Series there in 1966. The home team wore snow white and Dodger Blue. The Orioles wore road grays trimmed with black and orange. The San Gabriels wore a cloak of umber smog. Sandy Koufax, age 30, took a brilliant 27-9 record and 1.73 ERA into Game 2. He shut out the underdog O's for four innings, then gave up three unearned runs. Nobody knew how badly Sandy's arthritic left elbow was throbbing that afternoon, or that he would announce his retirement after the Orioles' sweep. Dodger Stadium has been altered to move the outrageously-priced celebrity seats closer to the action, but Walter O'Malley's masterpiece maintains a timeless aura of SoCal greatness.

Ehukai Beach Park, North Shore, Oahu