Yankees complete sweep of Phillies in game 1

In the game that they were supposed to lose, the Yankees gave Roy Halladay a good rogering Tuesday night. The man who has been borderline untouchable in the NL Least was welcomed back to the AL by three home runs wth Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, and Mark Teixeira* taking him over the wall.The Phillies may as well forfeit the next two games, because Halladay was the only shot that they had, let's be honest.

*That was not a typo - Mark Teixeira hit a home run off of a quality pitcher.

April 4th Can't Come Quick Enough

I bet that Clay Bucholz is somewhere watching this right now on someone else's laptop...

Is this cool?

I was perusing the Steiner Sports website, and came across this new item. It is a Nick Swisher autographed ball with the inscription "0.00 ERA", paying homage to his one dominant inning in Tampa Bay last year. I get that.

What I can't figure out is whether this is an awesome item to have, or the gayest thing I have ever seen. There is absolutely no gray area on this one. This is either a must-have for my collection, or something that I will be made fun of for the rest of my life for owning. We all love Nick Swisher right now, and I have since the Yankees made the move for him. He's fun to watch, plays his balls off, and is coming off of a great season. Hell, I'd love to get shitfaced with him over any other player on the team right now. But if his 2010 starts off in the shitter, does this item become a paper weight? Help me out here.

Jump in an drop a comment - is this the greatest thing Steiner has ever done, or will this be as memorable as Alvaro Espinoza on the mound??

Holy Makeup Call, Batman

Foot on base. Ball in glove. Nice job by Tim McClelland evening the score after Swisher was picked off at second. Luckily, the Best Player We Have Ever Seen hit another home run and it doesn't fucking matter.

This is fun

Last night the Yankees won their 90th game in grand fashion, thanks to a walk-off home run from The Fowl Balls' man crush Nick Swisher.

This was a significant victory for a number of reasons. First and foremost, with this win, the Yankees eclipsed their win total of a year ago in just 140 games and put the Yankees forty games over .500 for the first time since 2006. It also improved the Yankees to a perfect 16-0 in games that are tied in the seventh inning or later.

The point is that this team knows how to win. Last night Chad Gaudin got the call to start, and was solid. In a tight game, the team was able to overcome a rare Phil Hughes slip-up to scratch out a victory. It's fun to watch a 15-14 slugfest, but the fact that the Yankees can win this type of game is what makes them dangerous. They hit. They pitch. They have improved their defense. They are the best team in baseball. For the first time since The Balls' inception, it feels like there is something special to write about. It's not about who Derek Jeter is banging, or what A-Rod will do next to prove that he is retarded. It's about baseball, winning, and enjoying what has been one hell of a summer.

Legend.

This is a picture of Nick Swisher following through on his 6th home run of the year last night against the Tigers (he later followed with his 7th). We all know that Swish is a career .245 hitter, and that this can't last forever. That being said, Nick Swisher has done a great job of distracting Yankee fans from a start that may have had people running for the exits in past years. Oh, and by the way, I told you.

The Legend of Nick Swisher continues to grow

After murdering the ball at the plate and shutting down the American League Champions on the mound in his first three weeks in New York, Nick Swisher took it to another level yesterday. Swish rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange and his sheer enthusiasm forced the Dow Jones Industrial Average to raise by over 70 points in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. (Photo courtesy of LoHud)

By the way...

We told you.

Feeling nostalgic

As the rest of the blogosphere dittles Nick Swisher's taint (and here too) today, I am taking a different approach. Seeing Swish on the hill last night brought me back to a time when the Yankees actually were terrible, not like today when we bitch about 90-win seasons.

It was August 6, 1991, and the Yankees were losing yet another game, this time a 14-5 ass-raping at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. In a season that would yield just 71 wins and a 5th place finish in the American League East, Manager Stump Merrill ran out of pitchers (and patience). He turned to spectacle-sporting shortstop Alvaro Espinoza to nail the game down. With one out in the ninth, Espinoza recorded outs in the only two batters he faced, and the Yankees headed to the dugout.

Espinoza was a slick fielder whose spinning plays on balls hit up the middle served as the only non-Mattingly-related reason to watch the team that year. Though he didn't hit a lick, it is nice to reminisce about the days when the Yankees' shortstop could move to his left.

So, on this day that will emit doom and gloom over the Yankees after their 15-5 loss to the Ex-Rays last night, let us remember when times were really bad - a time Alvaro Espinoza roamed Yankee Stadium.

Nady to Start in Right Field?

According to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, Joe Girardi took the air out of Nick Swisher. After speaking with his manager and learning that he would not be the team's starting right fielder, the usual energy of Swisher was noticably absent:

"I've been thinking all day about what I wanted to say," Swisher told us after the game, an 8-3 loss to the Phillies. "I'm the type of guy, I want to play every day, there's no doubt about that. I guess we're just going to see how it plays out.

"I love this team. I love the coaches, players, I love it all. I think it's a great spot. But that's the biggest thing: we're going to have to wait and see how it plays out."

It has been no secret that we here at The Fowl Balls have been pushing Swisher since he was acquired from the White Sox, and we disagree with this decision. Swisher is more versatile, more patient at the plate, and a better defender than Nady. I can not help but wonder if Swisher's versatility actually hurt him in the competition this spring. A switch hitter with the ability to play multiple positions is attractive coming off the bench, but not at the cost of running out your best lineup day in and day out.

The one thing that I am enjoying most about Swisher is his honesty. Though he was careful not to blast anyone, he did make his emotions evident. He is a passionate player, but not to the point of being subordinate. When asked how he took the news, he offered the following response:

"I don't know of anyone who would take that the right way, at first," Swisher said. "But I have all the faith in the world that this team is where I want to be. The front office has put together a great team and not only that, but just a great group of guys, and we all get along. So that's the thing: I'm not going to let any of this try to stir things up in any way, because that's just not our style."

Having dealt with players that are completely completely insane and ignorant to what their actions do to the clubhouse (see: Alex Rodriguez) and others that have been robotic in all statements since 1996 (see: Derek Jeter) over the last few years, Swisher looks to be a breath of fresh air. Now all Girardi has to do is find him 500 at bats.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming...

As I mentioned yesterday, I wrote an article about new The Fowl Balls bromance Nick Swisher over at Peter Abrahams blog. Click here to give this masterful piece of literature a look.

Housekeeping

Just a few updates from The Fowl Balls.

- Please be sure to check out our "links" section. We have worked hard to hand select the best blogs and resources on the interhighway.

- Peter Abraham will be running a piece that I wrote about Nick Swisher tomorrow. Be sure to pop over there and give it a look.

- The contest for a free t-shirt will be announced this afternoon.

That is all.

Breaking News: Texeira is a Yankee

Kanekoa Texeira, that is. Apparently, he is a minor league pitcher from the White Sox' minor league system. The main part of the trade is the Yanks acquiring Nick Swisher. So far the cost is minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez, who was not listed in Baseball America's recent list of the top ten Yankees prospects. Even though he is coming off of a dismal offensive year, I like the pick up; Swisher will make a solid defender at first base, can spot in the outfield, and has shown plus power from both sides of the plate. This should also dispell any talk of the team signing Mark Teixeira, allowing them to give enough money to CC Sabathia to buy his own Twinkie factory and still have money left over for Manny Ramirez and another starting pitcher.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3700869

**UPDATE**
This press release is direct from the Yankees, via http://www.yankees.lhblogs.com/

This release from the Yankees

YANKEES ACQUIRE 1B/OF NICK SWISHER AND RHP KANEKOA TEXEIRA FROM THE WHITE SOX IN EXCHANGE FOR INF WILSON BETEMIT AND TWO MINOR LEAGUE PITCHERS

The New York Yankees announced today that they have acquired switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher and right-handed pitcher Kanekoa Texeira from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and right-handed pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez.

Swisher, 27, batted .219 (109-for-497) with 86 runs, 21 doubles, 24 home runs and 69 RBI in 153 games with the White Sox in 2008, leading all American League switch-hitters in home runs and ranking second in RBI. He made 69 starts in center field, 47 starts at first base, 16 starts in left field and 11 starts in right field, combining for a .990 fielding percentage (7E, 675TC), including a .996 mark at first base (2E, 481TC).
The Oakland Athletics’ first pick (16th overall) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Swisher has appeared in 611 career games, batting .244 with 117 doubles, 104 home runs and 324 RBI. Since 2005, his 334 walks are tied for third-most in the American League while his 102 homers are the fourth-most among Major League switch-hitters. He has also recorded at least 20 doubles and 20 homers in each of the last four seasons. Swisher was acquired by Chicago on January 3, 2008, in exchange for left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez, right-handed pitcher Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.

“We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,” said Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.”

Texeira, 22, was 6-3 with 21 saves and a 1.33 ERA in 51 combined relief appearances with Single-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, ranking second among White Sox minor leaguers in saves. He was selected as a Carolina League mid- and postseason All-Star, posting a 3-1 record and a 0.93 ERA with Winston-Salem, while recording 20 saves in 23 opportunities. Over his final 22 appearances with the Single-A club (23.1IP), he did not allow an earned run and held opponents to a .176 batting average (15-for-85).
A native of Maui, Hawai’i, he was originally selected by the White Sox in the 22nd round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and entered 2008 with the organization’s best slider, according to Baseball America. In 113 career minor league appearances, he has a 12-7 record with 40 saves and a 2.24 ERA, striking out 149 batters in 144.1IP.

Betemit hit .265 (50-for-189) with 13 doubles, 6 home runs and 25 RBI in 87 games with the Yankees in 2008, making starts at all four infield positions. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2007, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor.

Marquez was 8-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 19 combined games (18 starts) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the GCL Yankees and Double-A Trenton in 2008, missing nearly two months (June 19 – August 12) with a right shoulder strain. Selected by the Yankees in Compensation Round A (41st overall) of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Marquez led Yankees farmhands in wins (15) and innings pitched (155.1) in 2007 while with Trenton, and owns a career record of 43-40 with a 3.60 ERA.

Nunez, acquired at the 2008 trading deadline from the Washington Nationals in exchange for infielder Alberto Gonzalez, owns a 21-18 record with a 3.26 ERA in 93 career minor league games (64 starts). He appeared in eight games with Double-A Trenton following the acquisition, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA and striking out 26 batters in 19.1IP.