You guys won a championship two years ago and you're still bitching about '85? Neg ****ing rep, holmes.

Always good to have another Royals fan on the board.

Welcome.

Well played.

Man, spend nearly the entire post giving y'all credit and still get neg repped, ain't that a bitch.

Neyer in this article (from '04 I think) chronicles the start I saw that convinced me of this kid. Evidently my memory is a little off on the raw numbers, but the point remains. The kid flat knows how to pitch, did when he was still in his teens.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/column...rob&id=1815125

I really couldn't give a large rats ass about the rest of your players, but Greinke's just a blast to watch and a true pleasure for the purists.

**** YES!

Three years ago, I recall David Riske noticed that Greinke's fastball was sitting in low 90s, but once in awhile, he would bring high 90s heat. Riske went up to Greinke in the bullpen and told him, 'don't hold back'. If you have that kind of velocity, you can't leave it on the shelf. Use your entire arsenal to get guys out.

To be fair, what would David Riske know about utilizing high 90's heat?

Greinke's velocity seems to have gone up about 3-4 mph both in terms of top end and 'cruising speed' over the last few seasons. If his mechanics remain sound, he'll be one of the best.

How about Ben Sheets for 3 years or so?

yeah grienke doesn't need to listen to riskie. if it is 98 and it is straight it is still getting hit. I would rather see it around 92 with good movement and location. Unless that location is that one dudes back last year. Then it is ok to dial it up to 98

That's what I'm talking about.

What kind of deal do you think he'll comand?

It's looking like 2 years, $18 million with a player option (possibly vesting) for a 3rd at $10 million.

Any team in baseball with a brain in its head should have signed the guy at those figures. I'm pissed beyond words that STL hasn't.

Brewers' David Riske helped Royals pitcher Zach Greinke through struggles

By Colin Fly, AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX — David Riske spent only a year in Kansas City, but that was enough time to help a painfully shy kid who'd lost his way.

In 2004, Zack Greinke showed he had the talent to pitch - and win - in the major leagues at age 20. But a few years later, his career had become a question mark instead of the exclamation point everyone expected.

After walking out of spring training in 2006 for treatment of a social disorder, Greinke was failing as a starter for the Royals last year and was demoted to the bullpen.

Greinke's troubles reminded Riske of his childhood in suburban Seattle, when his best friend struggled with depression. So Riske, 31, went out of his way to build a bond that helped Greinke turn everything around.

"When you hear about someone like that, especially with that kind of talent, that has a little bit of an issue, it's sad - it really is," Riske said. "I just tried to help him out as much as I could."

Riske signed with Milwaukee in the offseason, but he and Greinke have maintained their friendship. They'll cross paths again later this week, when the Royals and Brewers play a pair of exhibition games in Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday.

Greinke, who may start one of those games, has had a solid spring and is expected to begin the season in the Royals' rotation - signs that his career is back on track.

Some of the credit goes to Riske, who had no idea he'd have such a profound effect.

"He reminded me of one of my best friends growing up who kind of had that depression," Riske said. "And I just felt like I always saw my best friend in him, and I just felt like I could help him out. He's such a great person, too, he's just quiet. He's a really good dude."

Riske's message as a mentor was simple, but Greinke needed to hear it.

"Just come to the park every day ready to do your job instead of just doing it for fun," Greinke said. "You've got to be mentally ready every day, no matter what. That's the main thing he brought."

It worked. Greinke had a 3.54 ERA in 38 appearances pitching out of the bullpen for Kansas City, and the lowly Royals won 25 of those games. When Greinke returned to the rotation, he went 2-2 with a 1.85 ERA in seven starts over August and September.

"I wanted to be that person or that teammate that went out of my way to get him because he doesn't like to talk a lot or whatever, but I went out of my way to talk to him, get him to talk to me and get to know him a little bit," Riske said.

Riske helped Greinke understand how he could fall from being a first-round pick in the 2002 draft to admitting he hated baseball and leaving he team for emergency counseling - and how he could ditch all that baggage by simplifying his approach to the game.

"I just tried to simplify it and say, 'Go out there and be aggressive and go right after people, who cares what happens,"' Riske said. "We really connected. I tried to help him out as much as I could."

As Riske helped Greinke became dominant again, their relationship began rubbing off on the rest of the Royals' relievers.

"Without him in the bullpen, we wouldn't have been anywhere close to what we did," Greinke said. "We probably would have been a lot more like we had been over the last four or five years, a well-below-average bullpen. And I'm pretty confident that just by his help, we'll be able to continue the things he taught."

Now Riske will have a chance to connect with a new bullpen that includes another talented but troubled teammate: Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow, who was hounded by fans as he frittered away leads last season.

Riske plans to help his teammates in the bullpen forget bad outings.

"You've just got to flush the bad ones out. It's easy to say it and it's very hard to do it because we're all competitors," Riske said. "I hate to lose. I hate to fail at anything. It's tough. I always say relievers have the hardest job in the game. You have to be perfect every single time out or else you didn't do your job."

---

AP Sports Writer Andrew Bagnato in Tucson, Ariz., contributed to this report.

The Associated Press

do people seriously care about "rep"?

it seems so childish.

A nice end to a forgettable Monday. Great news! :clap:

DAMN PENZ did you have to ****ing go there?:grr: