Red Sox Pitcher Gone Rock Star

Bronson Arroyo's Debut Album Features Covers Of '90s Hits

(AP) 
AP: A lot of athletes have released albums that haven't been taken very seriously. How do you avoid that?

Arroyo: I think just listening to the record, having people realize that it's not just a novelty thing, that I'm pretty serious about it. Also the musicians who played on the record are such established musicians ... so I think that brings some credibility to it. And then also, I don't mind getting up in front of people and playing — singing by myself, as raw as it comes, with nobody else helping me out, which shows that you have a little bit of talent.

AP: You play a lot for your teammates on the road. Does your song choice differ depending on whether you guys have won or lost?

Arroyo: Not if I haven't pitched. But if I've pitched and we've lost, and I've pitched bad, my song choice definitely differs. A lot of times I wind up playing songs like (Alice in Chains') “Down in a Hole” that make me scream at the top of my lungs if I want to get frustration out from a bad day.

AP: Do you get requests?

Arroyo: Most of the time from Kevin Millar. He thinks I'm like his personal jukebox. ... “Play me this by Creed, play me Smashing Pumpkins.”

AP: Do you now have permanent job security because you put Theo on the record?

Arroyo: (Laughing) I doubt it because I'm having to sing a show Wednesday night and he's making me pitch Thursday against the Yankees.

AP: The same producer who did Bernie Williams' jazz guitar record did yours. There is, of course, the Sox-Yankees rivalry, but would you guys ever perform or go on tour together?

Arroyo: I personally wouldn't want to. They asked if I wanted Bernie to play at the show and they were thinking about it. I really wasn't a big fan of it — not that I'm not a fan of Bernie Williams. He's a good guy, I like the way he plays the game and stuff. Boston fans — and New York fans are the same — it doesn't matter what you do outside of baseball, they don't forgive or forget that you play in pinstripes and they don't care about your interests off the field. I just didn't think it would be good for us to both to be on stage together because one of us is going to get booed.