The beauty, of course, is that the line is unrehearsed. Has to be.
Because if Zack Greinke gave any thought to what questions the New York reporters would ask and how he would answer them, it would go against the M.O. he's established since arriving in Kansas City five years ago.
"I don't want to pitch for New York in the playoffs," he told the people there. "I want to pitch for Kansas City in the playoffs."
And as that quote makes its way around Kansas City in today's paper, over the internet and radio waves, Greinke unintentionally gives us all a reminder of why he's the city's most popular athlete.
It's a reinforcement to the sometimes insecure folks back home, that fits nicely with a personal future that's the envy of 29 other teams in baseball.
With Tony Gonzalez now in Atlanta, back for only the occasional charity event, this has become Zack's city.
He'd have to take significantly less money, but if Greinke were to sign with the Royals past the next three seasons on his contract, he would join George Brett, Len Dawson and Derrick Thomas on our city's Mount Rushmore* of sports stars.
* A few people e-mailed in to point out that Tom Watson is on the Mount Rushmore with Brett, Dawson and DT. Maurice Greene might be the biggest snub. If Greinke emerges, who does he knock off? Watson or DT? Brett and Lenny seem pretty secure...
It's easy to envision the Royals adding Zack's number to the side of the team Hall of Fame, a big blue No. 23 retired along with George Brett's 5, Dick Howser's 10 and Frank White's 20.
Zack is building a bond with local fans that will be tough to top, even if the Chiefs rediscover their mojo.
They bring Zackkkkkkk signs to the ballpark for his starts, give him standing ovations when he walks in from the bullpen, and pass his quotes* through cyberspace like giddy schoolkids.
* With the help of this thread on Royals Corner, here's an unofficial top 10:
10. "I could hit me if someone were on base. It wouldn't be easy, but I could do it. If no one were on base, I wouldn't care as much, so I could get me out."
9. Upon hearing then-GM Allard Baird was going to watch him throw: "And you're gonna be impressed,"
8. "I'd say the average person wouldn't eat a Chipotle burrito and still do his running, full speed, like me. That's why they call me special."
7. "I was giving Brian Bannister all the credit for being the best-hitting pitcher on the team, until today. Now, I've got my confidence back. They're throwing me sliders, and it doesn't matter."
6. "For the first month of the season, (Billy Butler) has definitely been an above-average first baseman. That's hard for me to say because I never thought anyone would say that but him and his family."
5. Two years ago, with Alex Gordon struggling, Greinke pulled him into the video room to show him a clip of Greinke hitting his home run. "In case you forgot," Greinke said, "this is what a home run looks like."
4. "Nice effort by the defense. They didn't get tired of running after balls to the wall. I was pretty impressed by that."
3. To Jeremy Affeldt after Affeldt gave up a homer on what he thought was a good pitch. "Really, I went back to the clubhouse and looked at the pitch on video. It was a really bad pitch. Right over the middle of the plate, and you got it up. I mean it was a bad pitch."
Affeldt: "Thanks, Zack."
Zack: "Right down the middle. I could have hit it out."
Affeldt: "Thanks, Zack."
Zack: "Yeah."
2. On making the Sports Illustrated cover: "There's a lot more interesting stuff going on right now. They should have something else on the cover. Playoff basketball or something else. So it's a mistake. They'll probably sell their least amount of magazines in a long time -- except when NASCAR was on the cover."
1. On hoping President Obama would cuss him out at the All-Star game: "Because none of the White Sox guys like me. So I was hoping that he'd recognize me and be like, 'You punk, I hate you.' But he didn't do that."
He is the best pitcher in baseball, at least this season. Being the best at what you do is certainly a good start in winning over a city, but it's not everything. Just ask Mike Schmidt in Philadelphia, or Alex Rodriguez in New York.
There is so much more to it, with Kansas City falling for Zack almost from the beginning, when he debuted as a 20-year-old pitching prodigy, through a compelling battle with social and anxiety issues that remain taboo in sports, and peaking this summer with one of the best seasons for a pitcher in generations.
He is the Royals' depressingly rare homegrown star, a self-described "Wal-Mart guy," who not only embraces Kansas City's laid-back vibe but signed an extension to stay longer.
And even beyond all the baseball stuff, he is the most interesting player on a team that includes one guy who works construction in the offseason, and another who likes to be slapped in the face before games and only recently sold his lions and tigers as a safety precaution for his kids.
His is a story of both rare talent and long odds. We fans tend to fall for athletes with otherworldly ability, or the hard work to compete with the uber-talented.
Greinke and Albert Pujols are the two baseball players who come to mind with both, and Greinke also comes with one of the most compelling backstories in sports. We love athletes who overcome obstacles, and his are issues a lot of us have, or at least know of someone who does.
Kansas City has been with Greinke since the beginning, when it was nothing but sunshine and potential as he won the team's pitcher of the year award as a rookie.
We were with Greinke through the troubles, when he had a 5.80 ERA and led the league in losses the next year.
We were with him through the darkest days, when he walked away from baseball entirely and thought about mowing lawns for a living.
And we've been here this summer, taking in his remarkable ascension as the best pitcher in baseball and presumed Cy Young Award winner.
It's a bond you can't find many places, and his dismissal of New York's temptations just makes it stronger.
If he stays in Kansas City beyond his current contract, Greinke will create the kind of bond that will have highways and buildings named after him.
That's the if nobody around here wants to think about.
Can't have a KC Mount Rushmore without Buck O'Neil. Just my $.02...
Brett
O'Neil
Dawson
Watson
I don't think DT even beats out Frank White.