Every little bit helps.
When Alex Cora was serving as the Houston Astros bench coach during last year’s American League Divisional Series against the Red Sox, he paid close attention to the players he would soon lead as manager.
Under Astros manager A.J. Hinch, Cora pored over scouting reports, looking for holes in the games of the players Houston would eventually vanquish in a 3-1 series win en route to a world championship.
When it came time for Cora to interview for the Sox manager opening shortly after, those tidbits came in handy.
“It gave me a head-start for the interview process.