I intended to write about home field advantage, and will get to it shortly, but I wonder, did anything look at the weather forecast this week? Region 3 baseball semifinals are today and finals are scheduled Wednesday. There are thunderstorms in the forecast Wednesday and Thursday. I wonder if any of the baseball teams considred playing their region championship games on Tuesday rather than waiting a day?

It could prove as fruitful as home field advantage. Yeah, the bases are still 90 feet and the pitcher has to throw the same distance whether he’s at home or on the road.

But how often has McMinn County played at Red Bank or Soddy-Daisy at Bradley Central? The same could be said for Hixson playing at McMinn Central, which is probably 15 miles east of Athens, or Polk County rivaling Hixson’s trip by traveling to Marion County. The two traveling Class A teams, Arts & Sciences and Silverdale Baptist, get something of a break. Both are playing inside Chattanooga city limits, respectively at Grace Academy and Lookout Valley.

There are subtle differences in every field that add to home field advantage. The home team knows the dips and rolls in the outfield and those outfielders are comfortably with odd fence lines. The infielders know how a ball plays off the grass or the dirt and the guys on the corners have a feel for wether bunt attempts will run true or foul. The baserunners often have an idea how much bounce a wild pitch will take whether it’s in the dirt or off the wall. They know too that the lights in the press box can create a blind spot for players looking toward home plate once the sun goes down.

And finally there is the pitcher’s mound. Every one is different and to be throwing on one’s home mound can make other minor differences add up. The pitcher’s mound at Red Bank, for example, is built to specs, but it can appear that one is throwing downhill and can take some getting used to.

“Our park is kind of quirky the way the fence is, and there isn’t a whole lot of foul territory,” said Red Bank coach Bumper Reese, whose team hosts McMinn County in a Region 3-AAA semifinal tonight.

I don’t think McMinn County has played at Red Bank in at least a couple of years, so it could be quite different for tonight the visiting Cherokees, who’ll be fighting downtown traffic to get to Red Bank. And once they get there, they’ll have to figure out the layout from parking to bathroom facilities to water fountains. They’re little things, but things that keep a team in new surroundings from focusing on the task at hand.

In addition to being one of the most impressive facilities in the area, Bradley Central’s McKenzie Park is also one of the most spacious playing areas. For those who haven’t seen it, the only field that might be deeper is that at McCallie, which measures 405 feet from home plate to the base of the center-field fence.

Polk County is facing the biggest challenge.

The Wildcats, 5-AA runners-up, also will face the traffic and probably will get snarled in that I-24 East logjam on their way to Marion County. Then again, they might miss the traffic because rather than starting at 7 eastern daylight time, their game with the Warriors won’t start until 8 EDT. No big deal, you think? An hour later than a normal start time for most clubs, right?

It is at least three hours later for the Wildcats, whose home field has no lights. Because of travel, most of their games have been late afternoon, anyway. But prior to this weekend, Polk County had been under the lights just twice. They were able to practice at Bradley Friday night and Saturday night, giving them four nights total playing at night.

“I can understand them practicing a couple of nights under the lights, but I would imagine the lights at Bradley are a little better than they are here,” Marion coach Steven Roberts said. “That’s one of the things we hope to address in the next couple of years.”

Polk, though, has another advantage. The Wildats played Marion earlier this year and shut them out, beating them in five-innings on Will Phillips’ no-hitter.

“Phillips and Brandon Bean and better than anybody we have except Justin Bell, and they both throw harder that Bell,” Roberts said. “Phillips throws about 85-86 (mph) and Bean throws a little harder than that.”

All the games today are elimination games – lose and you’re through. The winners advance to play on Wednesday, weather permitting. They are pressure games.

“A lot of people have been bumped off the stage and we’re just happy to still be there. There are good clubs already at home, but we’re just happy to be where we are after a 20-year drought,” Polk County Bill Triplett said.

This is Polk County’s first region appearance since 1988 and Triplett has to hope the Wildcats don’t put too much pressure on themselves because of expectations.

McMinn Central’s Travis Hart tries to keep his players too busy to think about postseason successes or failures.

“I think the kids put pressure on themselves,” he said. “It doesn’t come from the coaches or the community. When we start thinking and get tight around here, we’re in trouble.”

Bradley Central took something of a day off Thursday, the day after the Bears beat McMinn County for the District 5-AAA championship.

“We got them some pizzas after practice. It was pretty relaxed,” Bradley coach Travis Adams said. “We’re just trying to keep our edge and stay sharp. We played in tournaments early in the year where it was game after game after game. I told our guys the approach has to be the same mentally and physically. Consistency is what I’m looking for.”

And, of course, home field advantage.