Analyzing dome-field advantage

ST. PETERSBURG -- One of the prevalent themes of the 2008 American League Championship Series is the Rays' apparently impenetrable advantage inside their Tropicana Field.

On their way to the AL East title, the Rays did have an impressive 54-24 home record (a 3-0 series against Toronto at Disney's Wide World of Sports also entered their home record). Included in that is their 8-1 record against the Red Sox, their ALCS foe.

But how big of an edge is playing under a roof on the bigger stage of a postseason series?

Despite some glaring indoors triumphs -- particularly by the 1987 and '91 Minnesota Twins -- historically, it has not been as big an advantage as one might think.

Overall, dome teams sport a home record of 58-52 in postseason games. While five dome teams have gone on to win the World Series, a dozen of them did not even get out of the Division Series.