The somber, stoic facade that Josh Beckett displays 100 percent of the time to the Red Sox media -- and, thus, Red Sox Nation -- disappeared Tuesday.
Instead, it was a friendly, chatty Beckett who appeared on WAAF's Hill Man Morning Show Tuesday morning to hype the sixth annual Beckett Bowl, and in the process he let it be known that:
He's happy in Boston,
His back feels good and he'll be able to make his scheduled start Wednesday, and
He's not going to change for the media, who "want you to be who they want you to be instead of just who you are."
Click here to listen to the interview, highlights of which are listed below:
On how hes feeling:
Im good. Just muscle spasms. We traveled in late from New York, and I didnt sleep particularly well. I had a lot of anxiety and stress things going on, exterior distractions. I dont think a lot of it was great for my back. Then going out and pitching on that mound, it was very wet and my back just locked up on me.
Boston Red Sox
On making his start tomorrow:
Oh yeah. I think I could have went today, Jonny Lesters day. He pitched so well last time that it was kind of up to him when he wanted to pitch. He was going to go today on his normal day and Ill go tomorrow.
On whether this season has been harder:
Well I think just this past week regarding trade rumors was different for me, and I alluded to that, I did a little press conference after my start the other day and I alluded to that. Just that week was so much different for me because they were all rumors. They were apparently not being brought up by the Red Sox, because I was hearing from everybody that none of this was true and everything like that, but I still had to answer questions about it, so it was very confusing. Thats where I think the anxiety comes in. Its not so much stress, its more anxiety than anything because youre not real sure how things are going.
On whether he feels hes misunderstood by fans and media:
I think for me, Im just me. I dont pay too much mind to when people have their opinions about it. Im not going to change and I think sometimes thats kind of what the media outlets want you to do here. They want you to be who they want you to be instead of just who you are. Im just me, and I have a really good support group around me. As long as I dont do anything to piss my wife off, Ill be OK.
On players potentially ratting Bobby Valentine out to upper management:
I dont even know. I heard something about the Will Middlebrooks thing, but Im almost positive that Bobby was the one that brought that up to the media. I dont know. Like I said, you cant pay attention to it. Ive got too many other things to do, basically. I dont have time to pay attention to what Joe expletive is writing.
On Curt Schilling saying he would take a swing at a manager for what Valentine said to Middlebrooks and whether hed do the same:
No, not if hes my manager I wouldnt. I think thats easy for Schill to say now that hes not on the team.
On whether hes happy in Boston:
Yeah.
On if the Red Sox have a dysfunctional clubhouse:
No, its the exact opposite. Theres people who want it to be that way, and its not so it makes them mad when they come in there and were laughing and joking and having a good time. They want the perception to be something, and thats what theyre going to write. Theres some very, very good media outlets here and theres some very, very not good ones. The ones that are not good are the ones that want to perception to be what they want it to be no matter what, and thats what theyre going to write.
Theres nothing you can do about it, and thats the way its been here for a long time. I talked to Jim Rice about it a few days ago. Jimmy was obviously not a fan of the media at all when he was here and had a lot of trouble with that and ended up to where he thinks it actually cost him a couple years on the ballot for the Hall of Fame. Thats just the way it is, thats the way its always been here apparently. They talk about Ted Williams had problems with it when he was here.