The media has made a point about the importance of home field advantage in the upcoming series against Tampa Bay.  Back when I played, we never worried about home field advantage and I don’t think this Red Sox team will either.

But there are plenty of things that have changed since I played.  The biggest change is that when I played, managers did not stress the importance of match ups.  The Red Sox teams I played on had everyday players and experienced guys like Rico and Yaz who a manager would never let sit for a game because they struggle against a certain pitcher.  There were no role players, no specialist pitchers, and really no scouting reports.  Free agency wasn’t so prevalent so you knew the opponents and didn’t need reports on paper because you knew the opponent in your head.