In a tip of the hat to a team Sports Illustrated won’t feature on the cover again for 16 more years, Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke is on the cover of this week’s issue  – he refused to pose, so this is the best shot they got – under the headline THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL. His flippant reaction? “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.”

And now, a word from the author: “Zack Greinke has been a phenom, and he has been a bust. He has walked away from baseball, and he has come back. He has been a starter and a reliever, a genius and a flake, and even now he’s still only 25 years old.”

Going into tonight’s game – which is likely to be rained out – Greinke is 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He’s permitted one run in 29 innings, and has 36 K’s against 19 hits and six walks. He’s been incredible. Best pitcher in baseball, though?

Well, the Mets have this guy named Johan Santana, who heading into today’s game against Florida, is 3-1 with a 0.70 ERA, two earned runs allowed in 25.2 innings, and 37 K’s against 17 hits and six walks.

And there’s always Tim Lincecum, last year’s Cy Young award winner at the tender age of 24, who was roughed up in his first two starts, but has settled down and given up just one earned run in the last 16 innings.

Felix Hernandez, after a year of issues, seems to be returning to form. He’s only 23. Remember five years ago when he was considered “The Next Doc Gooden?”

And then there’s Halladay and Haren … point is, Greinke might have been the best pitcher in baseball in April, and he’s obviously a tremendous story, what with the depression and quitting and returning, and few can spin a baseball yarn like Posnanski … but Greinke ain’t the best pitcher in baseball. Hell, a better story would be if KC actually made a move on Barry Bonds.

Greinke to appear on this week’s cover of Sports Illustrated (KC Star)