Is Stan Kasten a genius? Ask $147-million signee Zack Greinke

Think you’re smarter than the average bear? Smartest bear in the den? Smartest bear somebody’s ever met?

You haven’t met Stan Kasten.

Zack Greinke said when he met privately with General Manager Ned Colletti, Manager Don Mattingly and Kasten prior to signing his six-year, $147-milliion contract, he came away dutifully impressed with the Dodgers CEO and part owner.

“I don’t want to make his head too big, but I thought Stan Kasten was like the smartest guy I’ve ever talked to,” Greinke said at his introductory press conference Tuesday.

After the press conference, Greinke said he was impressed with Kasten’s ability to manage several different things at the same time, though he did flash some humor when he allowed perhaps he hadn’t gotten around much.

“Maybe I haven’t met a lot of people,” he said.

Colletti only grinned when I asked if he was ticked Greinke hadn’t thought he was the smartest guy he’d ever met. And to be fair, Greinke made that comment without having yet to talked to The Times’ Dylan Hernandez.

Kasten, of course, is the man Times columnist T.J. Simers refers to as “the Blowhard.” Kasten responded to Simers first calling him that by having a Dodgers jersey made with “Blowhard” inscribed on the back.

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