He wears his socks high, tars up his helmet and shows a Ruthian shuffle around the bases after hitting home runs. And he certainly doesn't cuddle up with an iPad on road trips.

There's nothing cutting-edge about Jim Thome, who broke into pro ball in 1989 -- when Dan Quayle was vice president and "Miami Vice" was in its final season on television.

"I came up when we had those big box cellphones that you plugged into your car," Thome said. "You won't see me with a Twitter account."

He agrees that change is good and modern technology can help players if used properly. In an era when players seem to be in a race to outgadget each other, Thome prefers to sit down with his contemporaries, talk hitting and take a pointer or two into the batting cage or to the plate.

"I'm a 'feeling' hitter," Thome said. "I don't want to say I grew up in the old-school era, but you got a good feeling at the plate and just kept that good feeling."

His approach has worked to the tune of 589 career homers over a 20-year career. He doesn't need to be a video room rat.

Modern technology surrounds him in the clubhouse. Denard Span and Danny Valencia are excited that they have been selected to test a Bloomberg application for their iPads that will enable them to click through a video library of their at-bats to study their mechanics or opposing pitchers. The Twins have a state-of-the-art video room that does that and more.

And several players have opened Twitter accounts. Valencia and Pat Neshek, claimed on waivers near the end of spring training by San Diego, recently had an entertaining exchange that was out on the Twitter universe for all to see. They could have been making fun of Thome, and the 40-year-old slugger wouldn't have known.

When Thome was breaking in, he would look for a veteran and ask him about an opposing pitcher. That's it. When he was with Cleveland, teammate Albert Belle jotted notes about his battles with pitchers.

"I don't remember Albert studying video very much," Thome said. "He got his feel at home plate and knew what a pitcher was going to do to him."

Thome will check video of himself to see where he's setting up in the batter's box and make any necessary adjustments. Other than that, he goes on what he remembers about opposing pitchers -- or picks up from others.

It should be pointed out that Thome has played for three AL Central teams in his career --the Twins, Indians and White Sox -- and there's comfort in being familiar with division foes.

One reason he was attracted to signing with the Twins before last season was that familiarity. He felt out of his element when traded to the Dodgers during the 2009 pennant race, going 4-for-17. Part of it was getting infrequent at-bats because of the lack of a DH. The other was not knowing most of the pitchers.

In his second season with the Twins, Thome can use his mental Rolodex on a daily basis.

Unbalanced schedules? Who needs a computer when you face someone several times a season?

"My theory on it is, information is nice to have," Thome said. "Sometimes too much information clogs the brain. Sometimes you just gotta get a feel. There's no better replacement for experience, than having faced a guy over a very long time."