I'm proud to be a Cardinal.

I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider. Then, I'd pick up the speed of the ball in the first 30 feet of its flight and knew how it would move once it has crossed the plate.

A lot of hitters stay away from the plate, some are close up, some are forward, some are back. The thing about hitting is this: You have to know the strike zone. That’s the most important thing. Hit strikes and put the bat on the ball.

I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider; then, I’d pick up the speed of the ball in the first thirty feet of its flight and knew how it would move once it had crossed the plate.

The one unbreakable rule about hitting is this: if a batter hits well with his own particular stance and swing, think twice – or more – before suggesting a change.

It seemed like I always did some great hitting in Brooklyn. The field there was close to the stands. Every time I started walking to the plate, I could hear the fans say, ‘Here comes that man again. Here comes that man.’

Used to be bats had thick handles and a big barrel. Then they found it’s not the size of the bat that gets home runs – it’s the speed with which you can swing it.

I’m a musician. I play harmonica for relaxation. A good way to relax and entertain people. An excellent way to have fun.

The first principle of contract negotiations is don’t remind them of what you did in the past – tell them what you’re going to do in the future.

What I try to do is never to hurt anybody else and figure if I don’t, then I’m not likely to get hurt myself.