Horse Racing -- Santo Domingo's racetrack, Galapagos Hipódromo V Centenario, on Avenida Las Américas, Km 14.5 (tel. 809/687-6060), schedules races Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2pm. You can spend the day here and have lunch at the track's restaurant. Admission is free.

Uno, Dos, Tres Strikes You're Out--Dominicans were crazy about baseball long before their countryman Sammy Sosa set the United States on fire with his home-run race against Mark McGwire. Almost every Major League baseball team has at least one player from the Dominican Republic on its roster these days. Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, and Alphonso Soriano are just a few of the all-star team of players who hail from the Dominican Republic.

If you're here between October and January, you might want to catch a game in the Dominican Republic's Professional Winter League. The Liga de Beisbol stadium (tel. 809/567-6371) is in Santo Domingo; check local newspapers for game times, or ask at your hotel. There are also games at the Tetelo Vargas Stadium in San Pedro de Macoris, known to die-hard sports fans as the "land of shortstops" for the multitude of infielders that call this tiny town home.