John Lackey joined the Big Show Thursday afternoon to discuss his addition to the top of the Red Sox rotation. Lackey talked about the possibility of being the third starter behind Josh Beckett and Jon Lester and the prospect of pitching in Boston and at Fenway Park. The righthander also touched upon the Red Sox’ acquisitions of more defensive-minded free agents like Adrian Beltre and Mike Cameron, as well as his impressive history against teams from the American League East.

You add a huge arm to this rotation. Obviously this is a great pitching staff, but why come here?

The chance to win every year. It’s an organization and a front office that are going to give you a chance and give you the pieces to win the whole thing every year. At this point in my career that’s all I really care about, is winning the whole thing.

You were a “one” out there for the Angels. Does it make a difference if you are the two, you are the three?

Honestly, at the beginning of the season I don’t really care. I’ve talked to Tito a little about this already and I told him you can throw me out there my 30 times and you can make a decision once we get to the playoffs.

You had such great success right out of the gate in your rookie year in a big, huge setting. Was that tough to live up to that because you are still learning in that league and still trying to figure out what you need to do?

Honestly, as a rookie when you come in on a team with a bunch of veterans you are just trying not to screw things up. I was trying not to step on peoples’ toes and just handle my business and get the job done and kind of shut up in the corner and let those guys lead the team.

How is it coming into this environment? You’ve been up here before and people up here are wild about their sports. You’ve been to some places were everyone is probably just eating tofu and hanging out, right? It must be exciting to come up to a place that lives and eats baseball.

It is really exciting. I was down at the North End eating some Italian. I was walking out the place and a table full of people stood up and clapped for me and welcomed me to Boston. That kind of stuff is really cool. The intensity of this town and the way they feel about their sports, I mean that’s the way I feel when I’m on the field. It’s going to be fun.

Talk about playing for Scioscia and what you think it’s going to be like playing for Tito.

From observing, I think Scioscia is probably a little more hands on a little more hit and run and bunting and stuff. It seems like, just from across the way, Tito kind of lets you play the game and lets things happen. So we’ll see.

Do you get excited when you hear about them acquiring some of the defensive players? Because there has been some criticism of them that they may be giving up some of the offense to prevent runs.

Sure, it gives you confidence. You can go out there and pound the strike zone and get after people. You don’t worry about walking people; make a pitch and the guy behind you is going to make the play.

How long will it take you to get acclimated to the new catcher?

It won’t take too long. My last couple of years I was dealing with first or second year kind of catchers, so it won’t take too long. I’m pretty easy to get along with so we’ll sit down and I’ll tell him the way I like to go about it. I mean, these guys have been in the league long enough, they know how to call a game. It should be easy.

I wanted to ask you about the division. Do you hate the Yankees yet?

I’m getting there. Everybody is telling me. They’re definitely convincing me for sure.

Now you’re going to pitch probably half your starts against the American League East. Your numbers say you’ve had really good success. 8-3 against Baltimore, 9-2 against Tampa Bay, 5-7 in 16 lifetime starts against the Yankees but with a good ERA. You dominated in the West, but isn’t this going to be tougher?

I think the whole league is aware that the American League East is the best division in baseball, for sure. But I think a challenge like that can be good for you. I enjoy big games, I enjoy playoff kind of atmospheres and that’s how its going to be like pretty much all year long, especially home games. So it’s going to be a great challenge and it’s going to be a lot of fun too.

I read a piece in the paper and they were talking about how affable you were off the mound, but how intense you get when you are out on the mound. How do you turn that switch on and off? How do you focus and just shut everything off and go from one to another.

It’s pretty easy to be honest with you. If me and you were playing some ping pong or pool I would want to kick your butt, don’t get me wrong. If we were in a bar having a beer I’d be getting after you, I just don’t like to lose. But if we’re not competing I’m pretty easy to get along with. We could hang out and have a cold one and talk about whatever.

Do you have to change anything pitching in this ballpark? I’ve seen pitchers come in here and change things up, certain things they do. Not as much lately, I think people have finally figured it out. But for the longest time guys, especially left handed pitchers, were trying to pitch away. Do you have to do anything different and does this park not scare you, but change they way you have to pitch?

Honestly, the last two or three years I have done pretty well when I have come to town here, and it was after I quit doing that kind of stuff. I came here and just said, ‘Screw it, I’m going to get after these dudes and pitch like I’m anywhere else.’ And that seemed to work better than trying to pitch away from the wall or anything else I might have done earlier in my career.

Did it get to you when you were younger when you first came here?

I think that it was more the offense. When I was younger I was pitching against a great team that got me a few times here.

Have you talked to Josh Beckett at all recently?

I really haven’t talked to him. Kind of some text messaging through the trainers, that kind of thing. I talked to him at an all-star game that type of thing, but I haven’t talked to him recently, no.

Who is more intense on the mound, you or him?

That might be a push. We both get after it a little bit.

Two summers ago, I remember you talking to Merloni about this, but you had that near no-hitter there. And that kind of changed things for you at Fenway, didn’t it?

It definitely didn’t hurt. I’ve done pretty well here since then. But it was just one of those things where my knowledge of pitching and my talent were starting to come together after a few years in the league kind of deal.