mindful rage

Nick Swisher, Man of Action

In a very ugly loss to Tampa last night, Yankee RF/1B Nick Swisher was called on to pitch the 8th inning.  Despite not having pitched since high school, the crafty lefty managed to retire the side after allowing a walk and a base hit.  He had good velocity, changed arm angles, and even struck out former All-Star Gabe Kapler on a high fastball.

I’m not sure what you can say about Nick Swisher that hasn’t already been said.  The man is versatile, a good influence in the locker room, and swings a mean bat.  When he was called in to pitch, he had already homered once in the game and gotten within a foot or so of at least a double only to be robbed by Carl Crawford on an outstanding jumping catch.  Ever the class act, Swisher doffed his batting helmet to Crawford as he trotted back to the Yankee dugout.

Regardless of how the game resolved itself (poorly is an understatement), Swisher is an asset to this team.  How you place Nady in the field ahead of Swisher on any given day is completely beyond me.  He’s fantastic.

In fact, this is my new idea:  On any day where you need to rest Swisher, do it in the field.  Seriously.  Park his ass on a patio chair in right field with a Mai Tai and a boombox playing Molly Hatchet.  I guarantee this is worth at least six runs versus a replacement player.