Tyler Kepner pens an excellent article on Jorge Posada's interactions with his pitching staff. It's a constant learning experience for Posada:

"My favorite part is knowing that they're comfortable, knowing that, no matter what, they can count on me," Posada said. "What I really enjoy most about catching is the relationship with a pitcher. The most important thing is they can relax when I'm back there and know that I did my job, I did some homework on hitters."

He has to adjust to each personality on the mound:

The hard part, Posada said, is that every pitcher is different. Roger Clemens wanted constant feedback. Orlando Hernández needed Posada to challenge him. Mike Mussina directs his own game, with little interference. Posada adjusts daily, depending on the pitcher.

And the pitchers depend on him for clues to how to work the batters:

Pavano peppers his catcher with questions between innings, asking if he saw the same thing Pavano did from a hitter. Wright, who said he was easy to catch because he throws mostly fastballs, also relies on the catcher to read a batter's clues.

"He's sitting right next to the hitter, so he can see a lot of things I can't necessarily see," Wright said. "And also, being a hitter, he might have a better idea what it means when a guy's moving his feet or his hips."

The piece does a nice job of illustrating a subtlety of the game that's difficult to quantify. It also shows why there's more to a catcher's defense than throwing out base stealers.

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