ABOUT SWISHER: "THE GUY IS A WASHED UP BUM"

"There's not a snowballs chance in hell that we will ever see Swisher in the Bronx again. We shouldn't. The guy is a washed up bum. He's been dead to me for a long time now."
 

Nice huh? It's part of a dialogue between myself and another "Yankees fan." I don't get the hatred here. Those are strong words to have towards another human being that you do not have a personal relationship with and most likely have never even met. It is crazy statements like these that I don't even want to begin to understand.

Fans love Nick Swisher because he is more than just some baseball player on the field that grabs his glove and runs in and out of the dugout and takes his turn in the batting lineup. He's approachable. He is likable and he's a guy you can see yourself having a beer with and just hanging out. He is like you and me, difference is he gets to play a child's game for a living while we don't. He's a down to earth, cool, laid back dude.

Swisher is somewhat iconic for the Yankees. He's not in the same league as a Derek Jeter or a Mariano Rivera but he has that "awe status" that fans remember and love. Sure, he had a falling out with the Yankees just before he left. He said some things that didn't go over well but now there is an opportunity here that can be a win-win scenario for the Yankees. It would bring back a fan favorite, give the Yankees some extra insurance, and give Swisher the chance to make his way back to the Majors.

Clearly the guy who called him a dead bum up above does not understand the dynamics of this game. Mark Teixeira is my guy, that is a well known fact here on BYB. I defend that guy so much you would think I am on his PR team. The fact of the matter is, Tex is fragile and this year more than ever the Yankees needed some more depth. Greg Bird won't be back until next year at the earliest. No offense to Dustin Ackley.....but he just doesn't have a feel for first base. After dropping a routine ball to first Brian Cashman knows that is not going to work. We need another option at first base should the sky come falling down and Tex gets put on the shelf again.

At this stage of the game I only see Swisher getting any substantial opportunities as a backup first basemen. His knee surgeries no longer allow him to be agile enough to be in the outfield and honestly, it can't hurt to let someone who has some experience at first a shot. There is no commitment here. This is beneficial for both Swisher and the Yankees and if things don't work out no one really lost anything. It's all about seizing opportunities and looking for ways to be more efficient. As fans, how can we be upset about our team thinking outside of the box?

So to the guy who is so anti-Swisher I have to ask where is the support for your team?  More important for me to point out here is after very politely telling this man why I disagreed with him and why this was an example of poor fandom, he took down most of his replies on the Facebook post. Anywhere he badmouthed Swisher or was irrationally rude he just conveniently made it disappear. You can erase your comment but their is no delete button that can save you from your comments. You can't take it back, It's out there and others who were on that thread know it too. The evidence is still burned in our brains.

Be happy that the Yankees are thinking proactively. Be happy for second chances for a good guy and hope for the best for the underdog. Don't be THAT guy.


 
   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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