On the first thing he'd tell young catchers if he was a minor league catching instructor: "I wouldn't tell them anything. I'd make them ask questions, because the biggest part of the learning experience is in knowing that you need help. If you go through life always being told what to do, you can forget how to learn. Good instruction is important, but so is understanding what it is that you need to do to get better."
On working with pitchers: "Something a lot of people overlook is the importance of having a good rapport with pitchers. You need to understand what is working for them on a given day, and you need to know how they're feeling and what they're thinking. You need to get on the same page with them. That can be hard to do, and game-experience is really the only way to learn. And with some guys, maybe you're never going to be completely on the same page. For some reason, you never get a feel for what they're doing. With other guys, it's there after a few games. Sometimes it’s the first time you catch them."
On why he may not be in sync with a pitcher at a given time: "It could be a few different things, but maybe subconsciously I'm thinking about what I'd be looking for if I was hitting. I’m thinking more like a hitter than a pitcher. Regardless, ultimately it's the pitcher’s decision what to throw."
On pitchers who have been easy for him to work with: "Paul Wilson was easy to catch. He didn't throw overly hard, but he hit his spots. I've also caught Johann Santana, and he was fun to catch. He can throw any pitch for a strike at any time. Another is Pete Harnish. He was smart, and really learned how to trick people later in his career."
On who he's caught that has a lot of movement on his pitches: "Scott Williamson is one. He has that nasty split ball that really dives. Another guy is Craig Hansen, earlier this year. He can be tough to catch because of his velocity and movement. That goes for both his fastball and slider."
On catching Hansen this year: "He's been pounding the zone down here with all three of his pitches. You know he's going to throw strikes. It's been kind of tough in his situation, especially because a lot of guys he's facing have seen him pitch on TV. They have a pretty good idea of what to expect from him."
On if it's harder to hit against pitchers you've never faced before: "The more chances you get against a guy, the more you get to know his patterns. Of course, sometimes it doesn't help because he's someone who will blow you away. Maybe you're facing Charlie Zink, and his knuckleball is moving all over the place. And sometimes a guy just has your number, for whatever the reason. Maybe it's Abe Alvarez, and he has your number just because he does. Jeff Bagwell went something like 0-for-24 against Scott Sullivan in his career. It's not really something you can explain."
On the psychological aspect of hitting: "There's a lot of subconscious in this game, and you have to be able to control that. One negative thought can hurt you. Maybe it's one at-bat, or just one pitch, but you need to re-channel your energy when that happens or you're in trouble."
On how long he plans to stay in the game, and on Trent Durrington suggesting that the South African League would be a good fit for him: "I’ll play for as long as I can. Hey, look at (Ken) Huckaby over there. He's 36. I have a long time to go before I catch up to him. South Africa? I'd rather play in Australia. Durrington is from there, so it has to be good."