I had never been to the playoffs, and it was exciting. The fans went through the roof. They were excited about the whole team. It was great to be traded to a city like Chicago, which was a lot like Boston.

When I started finishing games and coming off the field shaking hands, it was a beautiful thing. I mean, you start seeing that you're an important part of the team.

My career spanned the era when relievers started to become more important

That first year in Chicago was one of the most memorable in my career. Getting traded rejuvenated me, and I had something to prove. I wanted to show them what I could do

When I first came up, the bullpen was pretty much where they put the guys who couldn't start.

I was in good control of my body, and I kept my head still.

Pitching... sometimes I did so poorly, it brought me to tears