WHY NICK SWISHER IS RED HOT

(Photo: Getty)
Red Hot Nick Swisher is doing his thing... and I'm thrilled about it. It took a while. Swisher had a very slow start and I was alittle concerned that not having Swisher's bat in the lineup would hurt the Yankees. Luckily, he clicked at the right time and things are happening for the guy. Last night Nick and Eric Chavez did alittle reenactment of the old Oakland days both with 2 RBIs in the Yankees loss. Last night still stings, they should have won that game. This season, Swisher is up to 23 home runs, just shy of his Yankees record of 29 which he had in both 2009 and 2010. His average is up to .261 this year, not great, but respectable considering where he's been this season. His best average was .288 in 2010... his worst was in 2009 when he batted .249. But what's my point? Swisher is about to help my New York Yankees get to the playoffs any way he can, because he has the talent, he's on a hot streak and he has all of us, his popularity and fan base to feed that ego we love so much. And I don't mean ego like Swish is arrogant, he's not, but one thing that makes him tick is the spotlight, and us rooting for our boy is something he craves, bottom line.How can you not like this kid? Energy and talent are a good start. His popularity is a constant fascination with me and we are trying desperately to talk with Swisher for a BYB Exclusive for all of you. We want to know...what makes him tick? We'll get it, it takes time. In the meantime, be sure to check out WE WANT NICK SWISHER TO HOST SNL. It's on Facebook and Beth Hucke runs it. She is currently holding a contest over there in coordination with Bleeding Yankee Blue's Fan of the Week.

Here are the rules: "Have something on that is Yankees related and hold a sign up that either says "Bleeding Yankee Blue or "BYB". Send the pics to WE WANT NICK SWISHER TO HOST SNL by next week and they will put them in an album on their Facebook page for voting. Then, the winning pic will be featured on Bleeding Yankee Blue as fan of the week."(Photo: Getty)
Beth is great and runs a terrific page. It all started for her because she digs Nick Swisher. The guy is just a ray of sunshine. He, Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson roaming the Yankee outfield is something that I'm proud of. I've stated it before, I'd put our outfield of GGS against any outfield in baseball. We have speed, athleticism and power as well as clutch hitting. I wrote WHY GGS IS AOK back in February of this year because I had a good feeling about our guys. Now, yes, it's true, Granderson has slowed down a bit and Nick Swisher got a late start, but everything I said about my guys is true. The outfield is fantastic. Read what I wrote about Swisher for instance:
"Switch hitting and confidence seeping from his pores, this guy knows his job and without a doubt delivers all the time. I would however like him to strike out less. Hopefully Long worked with him on that as well. Now, Swish doesn't run a lick, and we knew that about him when we signed him, but concentrate on that bat. 58 home runs with the Yankees in 2 years and had 171 RBIs. His career home run numbers are 162 home runs in 9 years and every year he averages 20 or more and back in 2006, he even had 35. That's power, plus, over the winter, working with Kevin Long may have revitalized the guy. I expect him to be on a tear this year."

A tear? OK, it's starting now, but not too bad of a prediction. Look, bottom line, if there is one thing I believe in, it's my New York Yankees. Last night's loss was a tough one, but now we must win the next 2 against the Jays. Every year the run to the finish line is tough, and every year, we need to get there. Nick Swisher, while starting late is contributing wonderfully right now. Hopefully this hot streak continues through the playoffs as we complete our Quest of winning number 28 in the Bronx. I can almost taste it, can you?

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