I love pitching in front of big crowds and in huge stadiums.

I love pitching in front of big crowds and in huge stadiums.

I've matured a lot as a pitcher. I understand what my strengths are. I've learned that I've got a great sinker, I get a lot of ground balls, and it's easy to get a ground-ball double play.

When you lose velocity off of your fastball, one thing that suffers is your off-speed pitches - the action on your off-speed pitches. Once you lose arm speed, it takes away rotation from your off-speed pitches. The rotation is what gives them the sharpness and the nastiness.

I'm a tough guy, and I like pitching in tough games.

One thing that I learned is this - once a Braves fan, always a Braves fan. No matter what. And as a player, that means more than you could understand.

Ever since I was a little kid, the last thing I wanted to do was lose. I hated losing. I still hate it. I guess you can see that when I'm out there.