THERE'S A GREAT old story, recounted in a 1947 New York Times article by Arthur Daley, about Yogi Berra and plate discipline. Trying to shake the second-year player out of a slump, Bucky Harris, the Yankees manager at the time, pulled the notoriously bad-ball hitting future Hall of Famer aside as he prepared to walk to the on-deck circle and offered this advice:
"You aren't thinking enough at the plate. Think before you pick out a ball. Make sure it's good before you swing. Think!"
The story, which Berra later both rebutted and confirmed, ends with the catcher heading back to the dugout after striking out on three straight pitches, mumbling repeatedly:
"How can a guy hit and think at the same time?