I wanted to make sure there is no home-field advantage. Even though we might have the chance to host, it's not fair.

When we came up, we were always told go the opposite field no matter what. If you didn't go the opposite field when I first came up, you weren't going to play. It was said you had to force inside pitches to right field to stay in the lineup.

My perception is high school teams don't travel well. I think it's a distinct advantage for us (to host).

From my angle I had no chance to see if it was the correct call. It was frustrating because we were battling and battling for every opportunity to get back in the game.

Hopefully he's still hungry, and he's going to get a chance here. It's up to him to take advantage of it.

I take my father's advice: Make hay while the sun is still shining. Go host if I get the chance. It helps me hone my skills in that arena.