WHY WE LOVE SWISH

When Nick Swisher was traded to the New York Yankees from the White Sox in the winter of 2008, many didn’t really care. He was coming off a terrible season in Chicago when he hit .219 with 24 home runs in 153 games. All Yankee fans were wrapped up with what the pitching situation was going to be. Swisher flew under the radar. The plan for Nick was to have some time at first base and also right field. Then Tex showed up. It looked like Swish may have lost out again and the dark cloud from Chicago was following him. Then something happened. Swish reached back and put everything he had into playing the best he could... he showed his passion, energy and personality and suddenly the dude became Elvis.

Nick Swisher has become larger than life since he arrived in the Bronx, may no mistake. Swish is a Yankee icon based on popularity alone. The last guy that I remember did that was Reggie Jackson. Nick's got the strut, the confidence and the playing ability to shut the door on the other teams day all for alittle taste of pie.

Nick Swisher hit the ground running in Oakland back in 2004 hitting .250 in 20 games. By 2005, he was hitting home runs with 21. While he had the same energy and power there, it wasn't New York. It didn't resinate in Oakland like it does in Gotham. His dirty uniform and focus allowed him to play a great outfield with the A's, and he hit for power there as well, but then when he went to Chicago in 2008, it was like he vanished. It almost seemed that his playing days were winding down, yet, he was still young. His homers were up yet his average was down. So when the White Sox traded him to New York in the winter of 2008, he was just another player.

But now it's different. 2 Bronx years under his belt and Nick Swisher has become, in such a short time, a fan favorite. Everything's big with Swish, the walk off homers, the smile, the fan following he has. WE WANT NICK SWISHER TO HOST SNL is a gigantic campaign on Facebook. Hell, Swisher has the personality for it, it would be amazing. He's done "How I Met Your Mother", why not, right?

So what am I telling you that you don't already know right? Sorry, the dude is the man, we haven't had Nick's energy in the Yankees clubhouse before he arrived. Having him there makes it all electric. It went from IBM to Toys R Us. Swisher is here to stay. As a switch hitter with Posada in the lineup, it gives the Yankees options at the plate. When Nick struggled a bit at the end of 2009, he immediately changed his stance, stopped some movement at the plate and it worked. By 2010 season, his average changed from .249 to .288 and he maintained his 29 home runs 2 years in a row.

So in 2011, I see Nick Swisher breaking his previous Yankee home run record of 29. I predict the Rock Star will drop alittle weight when he arrives to Spring Training, lean and mean. I see Swish alittle more pumped than usual this year and I see him being more of a leader in the clubhouse than a clown. Yes, it's true, fun is great, but leadership and fun is better. You can expect that from Swish in 2011, fo sho ladies and gentlemen... Fo sho.

By the way, check out

WHY WE LOVE GRANDY

WHY WE LOVE TEX

We'll try and profile all the Yanks by opening day. Enjoy.

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