Oct. 7 Jake Peavy pregame interview

Q. You've had a long career and achieved some things personally, but you've only had the opportunity to make a couple of postseason starts. Is there a conflict now, because I would imagine a part of you, as much as you want to get on the mound, probably doesn't want to have that game happen, because you want your teammates to take care of things tonight. What is that kind of duality like for you?

JAKE PEAVY: Every part of me wants to compete and get out there and have a chance to play tomorrow night. I want that opportunity. But I do not want to play tomorrow night. I want to win this game and our team to win this game as bad as anybody in this building. And that's what I and 24 other guys and a bunch of coaches in that room expect to happen tonight.

Q. How have you been able to manage the time off and keep your arm strong and be prepared for that start tomorrow?

JAKE PEAVY: Just staying as sharp as you can. I really if you guys saw the simulated game, I don't know if you're able to watch that, I took that about as serious as I could take it and felt like I got some good work in. I treated that as much like a game as I could possibly do. You could throw all the bullpens in the world, you can play catch and do those types of things, but you have to simulate getting out there and going full speed.

Just done everything I could possibly do to keep that feel. If you watched Lackey the other day, I think you saw the layoff can affect your feel and command a little bit. But at the end of the day it will be no excuse. I'll get out there and figure out a way to get it done just as John did.

Q. Can you talk about if you do pitch tomorrow what will be your game plan against the rejuvenated Rays team.

JAKE PEAVY: This Rays lineup, they really do a nice job of putting the ball in play and making the most out of the situations, the opportunities they have. They just have such a good mentality as a team. They have a lot of the same mentality that our team has. They grind it out. They just are never out of it. They play good, hard baseball, hard nosed baseball.

As a lineup they're dangerous. It seems like a different guy steps up every different game you watch them and you get prepared, you watch Sean Rodriguez get plugged into the 6th hole in the first game, and it seems weird and you watch him hit a homer. James Loney has had an outstanding year. Evan is starting to swing the bat like we've always seen Evan Longoria. You can't let that middle part of the lineup beat you.

We have a good game plan going into tomorrow night. Going into tonight it's a lot of the same with me and Clay and John. They know what I'll be trying to do and I'll know what they're trying to do tomorrow and tonight. These games, it just comes down to executing, and throwing the ball where it's supposed to be thrown and defending the way we should defend and find a way to scratch a few off Hellickson, if that gets to it.

Q. You've made postseason starts before, but those were both Game 1s. Is it any different to start later in a series?

JAKE PEAVY: I don't think so. I wish I tell you what I've learned, experience means way more than I ever thought it did. You say you need experience. You say you want experience. Until you have experience and understand what experience is, I don't think you can talk about it and appreciate it until you are able to see it firsthand for yourself. And I wish I could go back and know what I know now, be a little bit more under control in between the ears and on the mental side of things than I was back then.

And crazy thing is I'm healthier than I was in either one of those starts, that's a crazy thing. I haven't said a whole lot at this time in my career, but some unfortunate situations led to me being out there a little bit less than what I would have preferred.

I really don't think anything about those starts anymore. I'm excited for this opportunity. It does, I guess, starting a little bit later, I'll be excited to pitch, but there won't be any crazy nerves or any crazy excitement. It will be about staying under control for me and making as many quality pitches as I can make tomorrow night. Like I said, I hope that doesn't happen. I don't expect it to happen. I expect to be on a plane and be back in Boston tomorrow night by game time.

Q. Speaking about that experience, how do you think this group has handled the little bit of layoff after you clinched, and now the travel here and everything in the playoff situation with all the older guys that you do have?

JAKE PEAVY: Yeah, I think that once again that experience goes a long way. These guys could have said, Woe is me. I don't think you heard much about the layoff from the guys. And that was something that we talked about. We're not using any of these excuses. We didn't like sitting for as many days. And I wish they would hurry things up and not have to sit.

When you watch Detroit the way they had to sit and you watch Colorado a few years back when the Boston team went into Colorado, it just looks like a different ballclub when you have to sit for a while.

But I've never seen a group of guys from coaching staff to the front office to the 25 players that we're going to use no excuses. There's no excuse for us not finding a way to win this series, going on, trying to find a way to win the next one. The layoff is tough. Baseball players are used to playing every day, as you guys know, especially on the offensive side of the ball, hitting and seeing pitches and your timing is crucial. We've seen that in times past, but obviously the boys did an outstanding job the first two games.

Q. What's special about this group in terms of camaraderie, chemistry, things that go on those quiet moments in the clubhouse?

JAKE PEAVY: Yeah, I think that's something that you guys don't get a firsthand look at. You do in a lot of ways and you get to be in there a few hours before the game and a few hours after the game, but me, personally, I've never been around a group of guys who truly have one goal and it's been that same it's been that goal and it's been talked about since the day I arrived. We're going to win the World Series and do everything we can possibly do to make that happen.

And you hear guys talk about trying to make a reality, a goal reality, but when you watch the unselfishness, when you watch the way that these guys are able to put everything aside and get prepared to play and really sell out on all facets of the game and even outside the game, to make that a reality, it's something special. I'm so glad to be a part of it.

And like I said, we have a long way to go to achieve the goal that we all have in mind and there will be nothing that will be okay if that goal isn't accomplished with me or with anybody in that clubhouse. It will be a huge, huge disappointment. I'm not looking ahead by any means, but that is our ultimate goal.

And once again, it goes into tonight. Everybody will be sold out on this game tonight. And if something happens and we lose the game, no big deal, we've lost before. This team will not be down, they'll be ready to go tomorrow. And I fully expect if it comes to that, for me to go out there and the rest of the guys, and like I said, joining together as we do every night, playing together as a team who cares and loves each other and loves to win and find a way to get that done.

Q. Can you talk about your Boston experience and how much have you enjoyed pitching and playing for the Red Sox?

JAKE PEAVY: I told Jose Cruz, Jr. just a second ago, this is by my 12th season in the Major Leagues. I've had some incredible experiences, and I couldn't ever think of feeling any more like a family, or like I belonged in San Diego, because that was all I knew. I was raised as a kid, drafted by that organization, and felt so close to everybody there, and played so long there and achieved some cool things. And even in Chicago had some great teams, great teammates, coaching staff and great memories.

But the day I walked in this clubhouse I felt like I was home. I felt like this is where I was meant to be. I belong with this group of players, with this group of coaching staff and front office and with this group of fans. This is where I belong. I'm a Boston Red Sox now. I know I've only been here two months, but I'm as emotionally attached and tied to this group of guys and this fan base and front office coaches and I'll forever be. This is what baseball is about, and I'm honored to play here.

Q. I wanted to ask you about a guy I think you faced in the same game in Ortiz. You've been on the other side for a couple of years. What's it like to pitch against him and then what's it like now to have him on your team?

JAKE PEAVY: David is a game changer. When you watch the attitude that he comes to work with every day, so relaxed, but at the same time so professional. David doesn't get enough credit for being as smart and as prepared as he is to play.

David knows a lot about Alex Cobb. And we went and watched their playing a game and watched him pitch the other night and listening to David Ortiz talk about his pitches and what he's going to do in this situation, everybody knows how talented David is and what he possesses.

When you put that physical talent with the experience, once again, that we talked about, David is so experienced and been pitched every different way you can be pitched by the best in the game, he will full on have a game plan tonight. If it goes as planned, he changes the game with a few swings, as clutch as any player that's played in a long time, flare for the dramatic, as he showed in Game 2. It's awfully nice not to have to get prepared to pitch against him and have him on your team.

Q. Can you tell us the story of the statue, I think you picked it up in San Francisco, and it's become a good luck charm for you guys.

JAKE PEAVY: Yeah, we went through a rough stretch there where we lost 2 of 3 in Toronto. We had to go home for just a weekend series. Things got ugly there Sunday night and we ended up losing the series to the Yankees. The guys who travel with us on a daily basis understand that the travel was ridiculous.

We went out to San Francisco, and things were just kind of it wasn't that same attitude. And the travel had kind of worn us down. I was walking to the field on the day of my start and walked past a smoke shop, a tobacco/liquor store, I guess, something to that effect. And I'm Indian, my heritage is American Indian. And I walked by and saw just in the glass window this fellow looking at me. And I looked at him and he looked at me. And I just kept walking, I took a few more steps, and I kind of looked back and he was still looking at me. And he said, Am I not one of the boys? Look at me, I'm your people. I said, You know what, you are one of the boys. I did a U turn and I went in and asked how much he cost. There was no price tag on him. I told the guy there was a price tag on everything in life.

We did some negotiating, and I carried him on to the ballpark and brought him in. We had some guys banged up at the time. Came up with some elaborate story about how he had some healing spirit, so he started in the training room, getting some guys right. And he made his first appearance that night in San Francisco, or that day, and we ended up losing that game that I pitched.

And we had a serious team talk with him and told him if he didn't show up tomorrow with a little bit better attitude and show us his powers, then we were going to have to lose him on the plane ride to LA. But he showed up in a big way, Douby pitched well that day, and we took him to LA. He showed up for us there in LA, we won that big series, he got on the flight back with us.

His wardrobe has grown. I don't know if you know, but he's holding some cigars in his hand, and those are celebratory cigars, when we do hopefully reach our goal, we're going to smoke those cigars that he's got in the box. But now he's got a couple of jerseys on. He helped Jacoby get back from his injury, because Jacoby has got some Indian in him. They had a good talk. He got Jacoby back for us. He's got a beard now, he grew out a beard to get on the same page as the rest of the guys. There he is, chief. He's going to ride on my Duck Boat if we win the World Series.

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