Time flies really quickly. It feels like only a few months ago that I was traded over here and started my career as a Cub in 2013.
Jake Arrieta
I try to start every day with some sort of vegetable and fruit juice before I eat any kind of solid food. Because that really jump starts your body and digestive system with the high content of micronutrients that your body needs.
I'm extremely hairy. It pretty much connects from the top of my head to my toes with a nice upper body sweater/track jacket type of thing.
I've had some incredible experiences with this organization. I owe a lot to this team and this organization and the ownership. I don't want to see that time come to an end, my time as a Cub.
You rarely see any blowout games.
The preparation is what allows the success to happen naturally.
There's food and supplements that you can take legally that will better your body and help you stay healthy. Shortcuts are something that's always been around all sports, but as a union, we're trying to do the best we can to weed those guys out of the game.
Hamstring flexibility and hip mobility for me are the two most important factors on the field.
With a runner at second base with nobody out, you're trying to punch somebody out. You understand when there are guys in scoring position; hitters like to be aggressive early.
The contract stuff will work itself out. If we keep winning, those kinds of things all work themselves out in time.
That's one the main reasons we live in Austin. The weather is so nice for the majority of the offseason, and it's easy for us to get out and ride bikes and get on some trails, to walk together as a family. Sometimes I'll go out for a trail run. We just like to do things outdoors.
You want to be paid in respect to how your peers are paid.
I've always been in good shape. I just sucked early in my career from a statistical perspective.
You want to be the team that is on the field when the last out is made on the winning side. That's obviously the holy grail in the game that I play, and that's what every player strives for.
There's so many things running through your mind. If you can formulate a game plan that works for you and allows you to block outside distractions and get to what matters, that's how the talent is able to come out.
Being in the same sentence as Bob Gibson, that's incredible.
If two guys want to go see each other, let them be in the middle, let them throw some punches, then break it up.
I let previous instances creep up in my thought process sometimes. I think that's where things go awry, and that's where the walks come in. I'm not giving up many hits, just putting them on base for free.
You really want to try to continue to pile up outs as often as you possibly can. Whether they get a hit or not really doesn't affect the way you continue to approach that lineup, especially with a five-run lead.
When it comes up with my age, I'm like, let's just end the conversation there. That's irrelevant to me. I'll pitch until I'm 40.
There were so many things in Baltimore not many people know about. I had struggles with my pitching coach. A lot of guys did.
I think the beard plays a slight factor to my presence on the mound. It's kind of part of the persona now. Everyone in Chicago embraced it, so I got to keep it. I can't ditch it now.
I want to shoot an elk with a bow. Mind you, I've never hunted in my life. But I feel like if I'm ever going to hunt, it's going to be with a bow. I just feel like a bow requires more skill.
You play your surroundings. You pitch accordingly. Not that I drastically try to change my game plan based on the score or the team or stadium, but you have to take everything into consideration.
I could be 30 pounds heavier if I played football. But I play baseball, and I do Pilates.
The timeline is kind of coming to an end as far as leading up to free agency.
A lot of guys are starting to get away from trying to jerk these heavy weights and throw all these heavy weights around.
I like to get the body temperature up, the heart rate up. I'll do anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes either on a bike, a rower, a StairMaster, or a combination of the three of those. And then I'll normally run through a 20- to 30-minute session either on the Pilates reformer, the Cadillac, or the Pilates chair.
As a kid, you put yourself in those positions. Bases loaded, two outs, you're at the plate. That's kind of the way I envision it as a kid playing whiffle ball or whatever the case was.
I personally don't think guys should get multiple chances when guys fail a steroid test.
I think flexibility in general is something that needs to be reinforced, and not only baseball players but all sports.
I'd like to stay in Chicago, but if they don't want me, somebody will.
We're tested eight, nine times a year - blood tested, urine tested, so I mean, if people think I'm doing something, tell them to increase the testing.
I enjoyed my time in Baltimore. I really did. I learned so much.
What I did before in my career you can pretty much throw out the window. Out of sight, out of mind.
I'm not saying I won't make a mistake throughout the game.
I've made it clear I like Chicago.
I had great teammates. Adam Jones took great care of me. Mike Gonzalez took good care of me.
I care about the integrity of the game.
It is good to kind of put your pride aside for the betterment of the ball club. We are all on board for that, even if you want to go another inning.
I eat plants. I eat lean meat. I work out.
'ACE' is one of the acronyms I've used over the years. It stands for 'Acting cures everything.' You weren't promised to come to the ballpark and feel great on your start day. Basically, how can you put something on display to the opponent that gives the appearance of 'OK, this guy is locked in today,' whether you are or not?
I watch what I eat, and I train properly.
At this point, I'm just grinding through it, trying to establish strikes in the zone with my pitches, using some information the opposition gives me, and kind of moving forward in that regard.
People had lost faith in me in Baltimore, and rightfully so. I knew that was not the guy I was.
What I don't like to see is a lot of chirping and guys just talking crap to each other. If you got something wrong with a guy, go see him.
On the road, we're hitting in the cages during our normal batting practice for our position players.
I've never had anything to hide.
A lot of guys came together quickly as a group, as more than just teammates, as friends. Your family get to know each other, and you become really close, and that's a big part of the team aspect is caring about your teammates off the field, getting to know their kids, their families, their wives.
That's why it's so important to have that gap between your fastball and off-speed pitches: then, when you effectively locate your fastball, it plays at a higher velocity.
