When family and friends go to Everton, they tell me that there's a moment when I get the ball, and fans get to their feet in anticipation. There's so much at stake that people live under permanent pressure.
The fans know what's happened to me over the past couple of years. I lost my family. I pretty much got devastated financially and the fans know that I've had some hard times - and that's the nature of loyal fans. They want to see the people that they love and believe in get back on their feet.
The live events are more interactive for the fans. With TV, you have the cameras there, commercial breaks where the fans can tell there's a down moment. At the live events, it's non-stop. We get to play with the audience; the crowd gets to get involved a little more. It's a very intimate feel.
When you get into competition and get under pressure, and get over that ball and are looking at it, and know you have to hit it, it is having that system to depend on to get that ball to where you want it to be.
I think you gotta have balls to be an Avenged fan sometimes. A lot of our fans get hated on just as much as us. To me Avenged fans aren't just fans of a band, they are fans of everything that surrounds it, like a life style. We live it, you live it. You go to the shows and you can feel it. It's a great experience and people that aren't involved will never understand. So they can stand on the side lines and talk, but we will continue to do just what makes us happy.
The pitch would normally be low, but my ball starts carrying and stays on a sustained plane. Everyone always complains - 'that ball is low' - but then you go back and look at the tape, and it's right there. My catchers tell me, and the hitters tell me, that the ball stays true flight the last five or six feet.
Women call me all the time and tell me, 'You inspired me to get out of a bad situation,' or 'You inspired me to take the reigns for myself and go and do this.' I try to tell people to live their best life, and do what you know you need to do for yourself and your family. You need to be supported.
Family is paramount, I am the baby of the family, I get looked after, everyone spoils me and I couldn't live without them. They are my life, and they keep me grounded. If I get out of line, my mum will tell me off.
The family and friends and the people I surround myself allow me to keep my feet firmly on the floor and not get too big-headed.
I get to go to work and FaceTime my friends and family and go, "Hey, I'm just showing you around my spaceship!" It's great to be able to do that. I'm having a ball!
What makes me feel good is all of the people that rooted for A.I. get a chance to say, 'He did what you never thought he could do. The critics. He did what you never thought he could accomplish.' This is a moment that me and my fans and my family and friends can share together because we always believed in the dream.
Just don't let anything get in the way of what you want to achieve. A lot of people get knocked back by friends, or family, or peer pressure. If you have a talent and want to do something with it, it's down to you. If it's what you really want then go after it and be very selfish... You have to remain committed, you have to stay focused and you have to be selfish.
Sometimes I feel envious when my friends go to parties and I have to go to bed. But my friends always tell me that the parties really aren't that much fun anyway. Whatever I've missed, I've made up for. Most kids don't get to go to the Olympics and win three gold medals. It's definitely been worth it and I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to.
Pressure busts pipes, and pressure can get to some people, and I don't let it get to me. And that's how I don't let it get to me is because, honestly, I just don't believe in it.
I never expected to get the Tom Jones treatment and it amazes me that I do. Strangely it's women who throw their underwear at me when I'm performing live. My male fans tend to be quite shy. My female fans are wild. I never know what to do with all the lingerie that lands at my feet. Maybe I should open a shop.
Friends sometimes ask me, 'When you get the ball what are you thinking?' But you do not have time to think. You have to do it. It's not instinct; that's not the right word, but it's how you feel in this moment. You sense it. It's trained, but it's trained inside you. It makes you faster in the moment.
I have an understanding of how much is at stake in football, how much money is at stake, how much investment there is and what it means to the fans. It's an emotional game. It's a focal point for communities. It's escapism for fans. Sport is a wonderful thing but it is just that: sport. It is my job.