Life isn't always great, but it's all about how we react to things.
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.
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.
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.
I think I was about seven years old, and I remember I was at Moffat Road Baptist Church, where I grew up with all my friends and family and probably didn't understand nearly enough, but I knew enough to understand I wanted to be saved and wanted Jesus to be Lord of my life. What an awesome experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Any city that's worth a dang certainly has a musical heartbeat, a culture, and a scene that can stand on its own.
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.
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.
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.