damgrlyouuggla:

Royals manager Trey Hillman wasn’t going to let the Super Bowl make all the news on Sunday. He had a bulletin of his own: Zack Greinke will start on Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers.

[…]

Greinke was the overwhelming choice as the American League Cy Young Award winner after a 16-8, 2.16-ERA season.

“I’d really be a stupid idiot if I didn’t start him Opening Day, wouldn’t I?” Hillman said.

That sets up a probable pitching matchup of Greinke against Justin Verlander, the Tigers’ ace who tied for the Major League lead with 19 victories.

“Yeah, I would think so,” Hillman said. “That would be a great Opening Day matchup right there.”

Hillman gave Greinke the news after he’d accepted his Cy Young Award recently at the baseball writers’ dinner in New York.

“He was very appreciative,” Hillman said. “And even a little bit nostalgic, which was good to hear. I asked him, ‘I didn’t get to see the award, what did it look like?’ He said, ‘Oh, it’s a plaque, and the cool thing is they’ve probably kept it the same after all these years, and I like stuff like that.’”

Greinke told Hillman he gave the plaque to his parents for safekeeping.

This will be Greinke’s first Opening Day start. Meche had started the past three openers for the Royals. He beat Boston, 7-1, at Kansas City in 2007; had a no-decision in an 11-inning, 5-4 win at Detroit in 2008, and a no-decision in a 4-2 loss at Chicago last year. In the three games, Meche allowed just five earned runs in 20 1/3 innings for a 2.22 ERA.

Meche certainly had no qualms about Greinke having the honor this year.

“He said, ‘I would hope so — the guy won the Cy Young Award’” Hillman related. “And I said, ‘Well, I didn’t want to insult your intelligence, I figured you knew but I just wanted to go ahead and make it official before I was asked the question.’”

Meche sounded relieved.

“He goes, ‘Good, I’m glad we’re doing this early because it drives me nuts when they all ask me about it,’” Hillman said.

Pretty sure February 7th is the earliest anyone’s been officially named Opening Day starter, ahahah. One more reminder that baseball is just around the corner.

FOUR DAYS TILL THE TRUCK LEAVES BOSTON. Ten days till pitchers & catchers report.