"If you read Zack Greinke's startlingly candid comments in this space Wednesday, it might have occurred to you by now that Milwaukee has not had such a highly skilled pro athlete with such a low tolerance for distractions since maybe Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

And it's completely fine if Greinke has a Brando-type aversion for everything not directly associated with his craft, as long as he gets hitters out.

But let's say you're Doug Melvin or Ron Roenicke. How do you manage such an independent personality?

Roenicke is lucky in that he inherited a talented team with a low-maintenance clubhouse. While some of the stars had no problem last year watching Ken Macha's figurative lifeboat sink, none are Barry Bonds-level divas.

Greinke isn't, either. He takes mental-health medication and is brutally honest in admitting that he likes neither meetings nor more than a smattering of social activity.

Again, nothing wrong with that beyond the reality that the Brewers can't have one set of rules for their Cy Young winner and another for the other 24 players.

"I don't think we'll have to," Melvin said Wednesday. "I think everybody will respect who he is and what he does."

That's a must, because in recent memory, only one team thrived with separate standards. Greinke is the legitimate No. 1 the Brewers have sought since the lease expired on CC Sabathia, but he's not Michael Jordan. Dispensation is always afforded to special talent, but not at the expense of the greater good.

Naturally, Melvin knew exactly what he was getting into when he traded four highly regarded prospects for Greinke and a shortstop in December. He not only read all of Greinke's quotes, he read all the online feedback comments at the end of the column as a way to gauge fan reaction.

"From my standpoint, he does say what his issue is," Melvin said of Greinke's struggles with anxiety. "He has addressed it. I do respect the fact that what he does in the environment that players work in is a daily grind.

"He's found a way to approach his job on a day-to-day basis and whatever he feels like allows him to perform at a high level, he's going to do.

"In his case, I have no problem with him operating on his schedule and when he wants to do things. He wants to maximize his performance. He knows what he has to do."

Roenicke said he is happy to give Greinke let-him-be space. Rightly so, the manager's only concern is whether Greinke's blunt comments upset teammates. Then it becomes the skipper's job to set things right.

For example, in praising the Brewers' balanced roster Tuesday, Greinke mentioned a gifted offense and "four legit starters." He neglected to include Chris Narveson, but not out of malice."