The Whiff Kid

Why in the world does Phillies slugger Ryan Howard strike out so much? If he cut down on his swing he would still hit his 50-plus home runs a season. Does Howard think it doesn't count if the ball only goes 370-feet for a homer and that he has to hit it 450-feet for it to be counted as a round tripper?
Howard's strikeout totals are astounding. His strikeout numbers, beginning with his half-season in 2005 read like this...100, 181, 199, 199 and 186. He strikes out about 30% of the time. If he could just make a little more contact his numbers would be astronomical.
Here's a good one for you to ponder. In 1941, Ted Williams hit .406. We all know that. He hit 37 homers and struck out...27 times! That same season, Joe DiMaggio hit safely in a record 56-consecutive games. In 621 plate appearances, Joe D belted 30 homers and struck out...13 times! Are you kidding me? In 1,227 plate appearances combined in 1941, Williams and DiMaggio struck out 40 times, or as many as Ryan Howard strikes out in a month.
In 1950, the Phillies were known as the Whiz Kids. The current Phillies have a one man wrecking crew in Ryan Howard, the Whiff Kid. Come on Ryan, put the bat on the ball will ya?