Zack Greinke.....................

Copy and pasted from another forum.....


"We know Zack Greinke can throw a 95 MPH fastball on the corners at will. We know he can throw a 60 MPH curve that will have a batter frozen like a forgotten Tombstone pizza. We know he can throw a slider that will twist a batter up like a State Fair pretzel. We also now now that he can strike out 10 batters a game, throw complete game shutouts, and field his position with the best of them. So, we know Greinke has the physical talent to be the best pitcher in baseball today, and the greatest Royal pitcher of all time. What we don't know is if he has the mental ability to accomplish these things. 

Zack Greinke has had the luxury of operating under the anonymity of pitching for the KC Royals for his entire career, as if he was put into the witness protection plan for major league pitchers. Neither he or his team ever did anything to warrant national attention, other than a courtesy mention here, or a casual afterthought there, which is perfect for a guy that suffers from SAD (society anxiety disorder). 

Now, suddenly, all of that has changed. Greinke is now that flavor of the month in major league baseball. Everyone is talking about him, and everyone wants a piece of him. The typical professional athlete lives for times like these. They dream of the time when they might be the focal point of attention. They fantasize about their face adorning the cover of national publications. They long for the time when reporters gather around their locker after their last big performance. They imagine how great it would be to perform with 36,000 fans standing and chanting their name. Not Greinke. 

Zack Greinke doesn't like attention, no, Zack Greinke hates attention. In fact, Zack Greinke has a mental condition that causes him to react negatively to attention. And up till now he hasn't had to deal with much. 

Tonight, everyone in baseball will be following Greinke start. Everyone. Royal fans everywhere, national media, baseball brethen, the casual sports fan, old ladies laid up in nursing homes. Everyone! The Royals may have more media at The K tonight than they have had since the 7th game of the `85 World Series. The crowd will be buzzing with every pitch. Fans in the chep seats will be waiting to put up K's with every Greinke strikeout. The "Baseball Tonight" crew will probably lead with the Greinke story, regardless of the results. 

For most egomaniac professional athletes, this would drive and motivate them. But what about Zack? Will he continue to find motivation in the challenges of living up to this new level of expectation? Or will he seek to find refuge from it, as he did 3 years ago? Will he embrace it......or flee from it? Will it take him to a place he has never been before......or a place we hoped he would never return to? 

Baseball, more than any other sport, is a game of mental toughness. In no other sport do players suddenly lose their effectiveness because of sudden mental instability. In baseball, all of a sudden 2nd basemen can't make simple throw to 1st base (Steve Sax), catchers can't make simple return throws to their pitchers (Ray Fosse), and pitchers all of a sudden can't find the strikezone with a road map and compass (Kevin Saucier). And it's all mental. 

Dealing with success can be as difficult as dealing with failure. Being mediocre is the safest place to be. When Greinke went through the 5 - 17 season in 2005, he decided he didn't like playing major league baseball very much. How much will he like baseball if he goes 17 - 5 in 2009? Just as the opposite of love is apathy, not hate; the opposite of failure is anonymity, not failure. Love and hate are closely related, as are success and failure. So if you struggle with one, there is a reasonable chance that you will struggle with the other. 

Throwing 95 MPH fastballs and 60 MPH curveballs on the corners is a rare talent. So is having the concentration to block out all distractions, expectations, attention, adoration, and demands on your time and personal space and perform at a consistently high level as the world watches. We know Zack Greinke has the talent to do one. Tonight we start finding out about his talent to do the other. 

One thing for sure. If Zack Greinke continues to perform at the level he has establish in his first 4 starts, he will have to follow the same advice that the great Joe Lewis once gave his opponent; Max Schmeling: 

"You can run, but you can't hide"

I'm a huge Royal fan, THIS YEAR. I placed a future on them before the season started. It's been fun so far following these guys each day.

They have yet to be swept and continue to take series here and there. I hope then can get healthy and keep on winning.

Their defense is really holding them back right now and I just don't see that changing for the good.

That looks like it was written before his last start when he had the SI Cover unveiled and had the scoreless innings streak.

He was great in that start btw.

nitpicking? no.  He really does have social anxiety disorder.

what a story this would be if he can win the cy young this year

good job..

I believe he signed a long term deal with KC in the off-season.....probably for many of the reasons mentioned in this thread.

 greinke is the best

Bob, thanks for the interesting insight into Greinke -- I guess "so far so good."