When Zack Greinke paints the strike zone, his pitches are thrown with careful, thoughtful precision and with a melodic mixture of speeds. When Josh Rosen slides out of impending danger in the pocket, his side-to-side lateral movement is virtually impeccable.
They might play different sports, hail from opposite ends of the country and be separated in age by nearly 14 years, but Greinke, the veteran ace for the Diamondbacks, and Rosen, the rookie quarterback for the Cardinals, have something in common.
They were pre-teen tennis protégés, and the time, focus and energy they poured into that sport may have a lot to do with where they are now.