JAKE PEAVY

To be called a Cy Young award winner is something I could have never imagined ever happening to me. I'm just always amazed at the blessings that came my way over the years.

Think about the past to learn, but move forward.

When you get to the big leagues, the talent pool is on such a level playing field, you have to find a way to separate yourself from incredibly talented guys. Especially when you go through the injuries that I've had, you come back, and you might not physically be able to do some of the things you used to do.

You take wins where you can get them because they're not easy to come by. You win at the major-league level, and you've done something.

People also think Christians are very passive people, and that drives me crazy as an athlete because if you watch me play and compete, I'm the furthest thing from passive that you'll see on the baseball field. I love to compete, and I love to win.

When it's my last year, I'll probably let people know when that last pitch is thrown and say thanks and walk away.

Jesus means life to me. Jesus is our savior. When I think about Jesus, I think about the sacrifice He made so that we may have eternal life. I can certainly tell you I'm not afraid to die, and I certainly have a peace about my life.

I'm so into the Boss and who he is, and I've read all his books, and I've watched every DVD, and I love every bit of his music: I would hate for, like, something to happen and ruin it for me. You know what I mean?

I got traded in the middle of an injury - my ankle injury - so in '09, I came back and just kind of flukishly had some success. I was far, far from healthy. I came back in 2010 still nursing that ankle injury. Yeah, it was a rough, rough go. My first few years in Chicago were not much fun.

Baseball is my first love, and it's what I know, and it's what I'll do until I can't do it anymore, and I'm still hungry to do that.

I remember, as a kid, my grandfather would grab my temples and say, 'You've got to focus, Jake. You've got to focus.'

I wear my emotions on my sleeve. If I keep that bottled up, it's not going to be good. It's all going to come out at some point in time. I would rather it come out in little bits and pieces than me try to hold it in.

Be aggressive... That's the type of pitcher I am. I go as hard as I can for as long as I can and see where the cards fall.

I've been a part of a couple of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia nights, and watching the Dead's fan base be so passionate reminds me of what Jerry was so much about, making the community a better place.

There's not a ballpark I've ever played in as a visitor or home that has the historic feel and energy that Fenway Park has.

Music runs my life. I can't imagine going a day without it.

In San Diego, I saw Keith Urban perform, and I've seen a lot of acts, and he's better than anybody I've seen.

I can say this: I'm not going to be some guy hanging around and trying to make every last dime in this game. I mean, I'm really going to let the game just decide it for me.

I need to have people doubting me, because that's when you dig deep and find out what you're made of.

Other guys like to go golfing, but music is my hobby.

Singing in public makes me very uncomfortable.

If you talk with a Southern accent, it's perceived as though you are slow. That's not the case. I've met just as many dumb people who talk without an accent as with.

I hope people don't get angry at me when I do start yelling and stuff, because I promise you it's all that competitive energy, and I want to win with every last ounce in me.

Any city that's worth a dang certainly has a musical heartbeat, a culture, and a scene that can stand on its own.

Bochy is my guy. He raised me in the game; I was 20-years-old and as green as any grapes as you've ever seen on a vine. He took care of me, taught me how to be a professional, and taught me how to get my work done.