11.   Nixon hit three homers Saturday in Detroit, only the fourth time in major league history that a batter hitting ninth has hit three homers in a game.

12.   The batter then has to rest before baking.

13.   The batter might have streaks or be slightly lumpy.

14.   The cake-like batter has more almonds than flour, making for a perfect marriage with the pears.

15.   The batter has to be thin enough not to be gloppy, thick enough to cling to the shellfish or vegetables.

16.   Then the batter has to switch his gaze to the plate and wait the other one- to two-tenths of a second for it to whiz by.

17.   There is nothing in the rules that says the batter has to stop at first.

18.   With aluminum bats, too, he added, batters had a tendency to develop longer swings.

19.   With wood, Cuban batters will have to cut down those swings, getting the head of the bat through the hitting zone faster.

20.   KC batters have the fewest walks and strikeouts in the AL.