The Real Rock Star Takes Center Stage Tonight... and Tomorrow Night

Bronson Arroyo Talks to Sid and Joe on WFAN About His Avalon Concert Tonight
(He Just Better Be in Tune Tomorrow Night)

"We got a bunch of blue collar guys, Kevin Millar, we got a bunch of just guys that just hang out like we’re college frat boys and we’re definitely a little dirtier than the Yankees..." -- 7.12 Bronson Arroyo on WFAN

WFAN's Sid and Joe: “But that’s the beauty (the hard rock) because Yankees are professionalism and class, and there’s Bernie playing the classical guitar, you guys, to quote your own teammate Johnny Damon are ‘the idiots,’ you’re world champions, you’re going out partying and stuff, and you’re playing rock and roll, it is actually perfect, the difference between the Red Sox and the Yankees, isn’t it?”

Arroyo: “Yeah, without question man. We got a bunch of blue collar guys, Kevin Millar, we got a bunch of just guys that just hang out like we’re college frat boys and we’re definitely a little dirtier than the Yankees so we got David Wells over now which is a perfect fit for the clubhouse and rock and roll’s the thing.”

Sid and Joe: “Did you actually have to live the lifestyle of a Scott Wieland or an Eddie Vedder to pull this thing off? Curt Cobain?”

Arroyo: “I tell you what, if I had to that and try to pull it off man the Yankees are gonna score 15 on me tomorrow night.”

Sid and Joe: “We got the news up here last week Bronson that Curt Schilling was gonna come back, possibly as the closer and the story we got had a couple of guys pretty upset about it in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse, one was Johnny Damon and one was you. Are you really upset if Curt comes back as a closer? I mean if he can come back early to go a couple of innings until he works himself back as a starter, isn’t it better having Curt than not having Curt at all?”

Arroyo: “Yeah, I mean I wasn’t the guy who was upset, I think you got me confused… it was Johnny and Mike Timlin who said some quotes, and maybe even Wakefield. I thought it was a great idea. It keeps me in the rotation if Curt’s in the bullpen for one. And second of all I think any No. 1 starter in the game like him I think you go down and be a great closer so I’m all for it, I think the guy can go down there and pitch for us, help us out until we either get another closer or get Keith Foulke back or he builds up his stamina to the point where he can start for us. You know it wasn’t so much the guys in the clubhouse were completely opposed to it. I think it was thrown on them kind of quick, they were just stating their opinion, they thought he’d be better in the rotation, but that’s Boston man, the media likes to twist things a little bit.”

Sid and Joe: “Yeah, no question about that.”

Sid and Joe: “Has the worm turned (with the Yankees)? After what you guys did last year, after 86 years of Yankee domination, and not winning a championship, to come back from 3-0 last year to beat them in the ALCS, you go on and sweep the World Series, are the Yankees now kind of chasing you? Are you now, the Red Sox, in the heads of the Yankees? You think you got the whammy over them now?

Arroyo: “I’m not sure, we’re kind of neck and neck in this division, the East is so tough. We’ve been playing better obviously than the Yankees for the good part of the year or we wouldn’t be in first place but at any time they got such a great ballclub man, if they get their pitching on track at all man like they should be, they’re gonna be tough. The lineup is probably the toughest lineup in the league to pitch to, and guys like Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez, they just bang the ball around the park year after year so I’m not sure that anybody has the advantage, and Baltimore’s playing great this year as well.”

Sid and Joe: “Bronson, we gotta hear this now, c’mon before we let him go, let’s hear him do a couple of numbers. Whaddya say? Can we pick a song? You got your guitar there Bronson?”

Arroyo: “No I don’t man, I’m actually… I’m trying to save my voice man, I got a… (Bro you’re on radio in New York, you’re in New York here, c’mon! We’re trying to sell the CD, I know Boston is okay, but this is the media capital of the world!) I’m already in a big enough predicament trying to sing a two-hour show tomorrow night (tonight) and having to pitch against the Yankees on Thursday man I don’t that’s ever been done in the history of the game so…”

Sid and Joe: “What are you doing now? You’re doing a show tomorrow? You got a show tomorrow…”

Arroyo: “I got a show tomorrow night for an hour and a half at the Avalon next to the stadium and then we’re gonna try and beat the Yankees on Thursday.”

Sid and Joe: “Now Francona can’t be happy with that. Has Francona said something to you about that or what?”

Arroyo: “Well they told me I was throwing day one, it was supposed to be Clement but what happened was he made the All-Star team so now it’s my call and they’ve known about the concert for a long time so we’ll just have to get ‘er done.”

Sid and Joe: “It’s very simple, if you pitch well on Thursday you can work whenever you want in concerts, if you get blasted, then you’re in trouble.”

Arroyo: “That’s right.”

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