On how he'd assess his 2006 season: "I'd say it's gone pretty well. I've been pretty consistent with my starts, giving the team a chance to win every time I take the mound. I haven't been shutting teams out, but I haven't been getting blown out either. I look at myself as a guy who can eat innings and give us an opportunity to win, and I feel I've been doing that."
On what he feels his best pitch has been this year: "Probably my cut fastball, which I started throwing this season. One of the front office guys sent down a DVD of Mark Buehrle, so I could see the weak contact he gets with his cutter and so that I could study how he throws it. It took about a month-and-a -half to figure out the grip and thought-process behind it, but it became an effective pitch for me once I did."
On his cut fastball and slider: "Part of learning the cutter was separating it from my slider, because they're similar pitches. With the cutter I wanted less vertical depth and more speed. It's more of a horizontal pitch. I like to work my slider and cutter off of each other. The cutter helps me open up the outside of the plate to righties, and I use my slider as more of a 2-strike pitch."
On his repertoire and velocity: "My cutter is around 81-83 (mph), while my fastball ranges from 85-88. I'm probably throwing my fastball, cutter, and slider an equal amount. I'm also throwing a change-up, which has been excellent for me this year."
On getting promoted from Wilmington to Portland in early August: "I was very excited to be given the opportunity. I didn't want to think about it while I was in Wilmington, but I knew it was probably going to happen this year. Once I got here, I just focused on keeping the same mental approach. The last thing I wanted to do was overwhelm myself with Double-A-hype and treat it as anything other than just another game."
On his favorite football team, and if he rides a motorcycle: "The Super Bowl was great, and I certainly liked their opener on Monday night. Some people are writing off the Steelers this year, saying that they're not the same team, but I don't buy that. Do I have a motorcycle? No, I don't ride. I think I've learned a lesson from what happened to Ben Roethlisberger, too. Plus, my mom would probably kill me."
On his plans for the off-season, and being a political science major at the University of Virginia: "I'll pretty much be shutting it down and heading to Charlottesville, which is where I'll be living. I had hoped to try to finish up at school, but because we're in the playoffs it's too late for this semester. Do I have any political commentary to offer? Let's just say that I consider myself a moderate democrat, and leave it that that."