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I hate striking out, but at the same time, I'm much better at letting them go rather than, earlier in my career, worrying about it so much before the next at-bat against the guy. You grow as you play, and every year, I work to cut them down.

It must be nice for today's hitters when you don't have to worry about being thrown at. It's a whole different deal. When I played, getting knocked down was an accepted part of the game.

But I got a guy on third, I was in a jam the other day in a game, all those situations, when you need a strikeout there, in big spots. But we are very aware of that fact, that these guys put the ball in play.

Basically, hitters fall into a pattern, and once you know what they like, you can set them up for the putout with something else.

Place hitting is, in a sense, glorified bunting. I only take a half swing at the ball, and the weight of the bat rather than my swing is what drives it.

The hits and the misses. I just want to keep the at-bats solid.

In my own case I have frequently faced the pitcher when I had no desire whatever to hit. I wanted to get a base on balls.

Some batters, and good ones too, scoff at the whole theory of place hitting, calling it a myth. They are wrong, however.

It's not just what you do on the pitch, it's what you do off the pitch.