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OF Nick Swisher (All Star, World Series Champion)

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Swisher Tries to Rediscover His Home-Run Swing

Since Nick Swisher broke into the majors in 2005, there have been few safer bets to hit 20 homers in all of baseball. In each of his six full seasons, Swisher has belted at least 21, and hit at least 29 three times. So yes, it has bothered him that with April almost through, he has not hit a single home run. "I think the past week, I got caught up in the home run ball, and got frustrated that I haven't hit one yet," Swisher said. In response, Swisher started pressing?and that made matters worse. His average was down to .217 entering Wednesday's game. So he got back to basics, showing up early for extra hitting practice. Swisher has not had a homerless month since May of his first full season, 2005?when he played in only eight games.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704099704576289584169169512.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
 
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Nick Swisher's behind-the-plate struggles continue with Yankees
Published: Monday, May 16, 2011
By Brendan Prunty/The Star-Ledger

NEW YORK ? The personification of Nick Swisher?s struggles came to a head Sunday night in the bottom of the seventh inning.

With two outs and first base open after a double by Alex Rodriguez, Red Sox reliever Daniel Bard opted to intentionally walk Robinson Cano ? in the middle of the at-bat ? to get to Swisher. Even for the most desperate hitter in a slump, the free pass to reach him should?ve served as a bucket of cold water to the face.

Instead Swisher proved the Red Sox?s theory correct. He struck out.

?When a guy punches you out with a 98 mile per hour fastball, sometimes you just have to tip your hat,? Swisher said afterward.

The problem for both Swisher and the Yankees is that the right fielder has been doing a lot of hat-tipping lately. Sunday night in the 7-5 loss to the Red Sox that capped a series sweep at the hands of their archrivals, Swisher once again left the field with more questions than answers. He struck out twice on the night, was walked once and reached base in the first inning on a fielder?s choice.

Hardly a night that would qualify as ?slump-busting.?

?I feel fine,? he said. ?I?m just battling my leg-kick, trying to find a rhythm. Just trying to go up there and battle every at-bat.?

For the better part of this season, however, that?s been an uphill battle.

Since May 1, Swisher is just 9-for-45 with one home run and two RBI to his name. But the problems are deeper, as he?s not finding other ways to get on base. He has walked just eight times over that span, but has struck out 15 times.

His average? Currently sitting at .217. A far cry from where he was at this time last season, sitting just under .300.

Cont..
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http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2011/05/nick_swishers_behind-the-plate.html
 
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Nick Swisher finds his lefty swing
Friday, May 20, 2011
BY PETE CALDERA
The Record
STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK ? Darting around the clubhouse, Nick Swisher was a little more upbeat ? if that was even possible ? prior to Thursday night?s game at Camden Yards. Having struggled with his left-handed swing all spring, Swisher believed he?d reached a ?Eureka!? moment in Baltimore.
NickSwisher.jpg

AP
Nick Swisher follows through on a three-run double during the first inning of Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Prior to that at-bat, Swisher had been in a slump from the left side of the plate. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Confirmation came in his first at-bat, with an opposite-field three-run double to left.

?It?s a good step,? Swisher said Friday afternoon, as the Yankees prepared for their Subway Series opener against the Mets at the Stadium. ?It was a big night more mentally than anything.?

Swisher?s lefty swing, which he rebuilt with hitting coach Kevin Long, had gradually unraveled over the season?s first six weeks. Extra movement had crept back in his stance, with a higher leg kick.

And like a golfer snapping hook shots, Swisher couldn?t keep his head still.

At one point at Camden Yards on Thursday, with reporters and players milling about, Swisher got into his left-handed stance and Long put a hand on Swisher?s head to better demonstrate the desired effect.

Swisher and Long also examined video of the switch-hitter?s better swings during his breakthrough 2010 season, and even manager Joe Girardi got into the act ? offering advice and encouragement as Swisher pantomimed his proper swing.

All this was happening in the visitor?s clubhouse, not in some secluded batting cage.

?I?m a different breed, Bro,? Swisher said of his openness. ?I was in my own world at that point.

?It?s easier for me to talk about it rather than think about it.?

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http://www.northjersey.com/sports/052011_Nick_Swisher_finds_his_lefty_swing_.html
 
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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMBs9F8omPk"]YouTube - ‪Nick Swisher with Adam Neft on 97.1 The Fan.wmv‬‏[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSMhIQ3NEqg"]YouTube - ‪Nick Swisher's Bubble Battle at the MLB Fan Cave‬‏[/ame]
 
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June 15, 2011,
Swisher Finds Himself in Strange Spot
By MARK VIERA
The New York Yankees

With Derek Jeter on the disabled list with a strained right calf, Joe Girardi has been forced to shuffle the Yankees? lineup. He moved Nick Swisher to the leadoff spot Wednesday night for the first time since 2008, when he played for the Chicago White Sox.

That meant that the left-handed-hitting Brett Gardner, who has struggled this season against left-handed pitchers, was not in the lineup against the Texas Rangers lefty Derek Holland. Curtis Granderson batted second.

?You?re not disrupting Granderson and all the other guys,? Girardi said of the lineup. ?It just seemed like a pretty good fit.?

Girardi said that Gardner would not be benched each time the team faced left-handers, adding that it was important to him to give the Gardner, who is aggressive on the basepaths, adequate rest. Gardner, who hit three singles Tuesday as the Yankees? leadoff batter, said he was not bothered by the day off.

But when Girardi told Nick Swisher via text message Wednesday that he would be the Yankees? leadoff hitter against the Rangers, Swisher had to hand his cellphone to his wife to make sure his eyes had not deceived him.

?I?ve never had that speed to do it,? Swisher said of leading off, ?but I guess my style, taking a lot of pitches, working the count, the situation we?re in now, Skip thought I was the best guy for the job. I sent him a text message and said, ?Whatever you need, I?m here for you, man.? ?
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http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/swisher-finds-himself-in-strange-spot/
 
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Swisher slated to return after All-Star break
July, 10, 2011
By Mike Mazzeo

Nick Swisher will miss his second consecutive game on Sunday afternoon with a left quadriceps injury, but the 30-year-old says he?ll be back in the lineup after the All-Star break.

?I feel good (Sunday), but we?ve got three days (of rest) coming up too so I don?t see the point of rushing it,? Swisher said. ?Either way, I?ll just get back after the break.

Swisher, who has been undergoing ?a lot? of treatment on his left quadriceps since he suffered the injury on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Rays trying to dig a ball out of the right field corner in the first inning, wasn?t asked by manager Joe Girardi if he could play.

?I think it was kind of unsaid thing,? Swisher said. ?It was like we?re just gonna take the rest of this time off here. As much as you wouldn?t want that to happen you gotta get better, you gotta get better. Why not take those three days and rest your body and your mind for that second half push?
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http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/ya...swisher-slated-to-return-after-all-star-break
 
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Yankees notes: Swish in tune
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The Record

Swish in tune

Nick Swisher has added "recording artist" to a resume that also includes guest appearances as a sit-com actor. On Aug. 9, Swisher is set to release "Believe," a 12-song CD for kids. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Swish?s Wishes, the outfielder?s charitable foundation dedicated to children with health issues. Bernie Williams and Giants pitcher Barry Zito are billed as special guest guitarists on the project.

Among the children accompanying Swisher on vocals is the granddaughter of baseball commissioner Bud Selig.
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http://www.northjersey.com/sports/126649983_Yankees_notes__Swish_in_tune.html
 
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Nick Swisher is the New York Yankees' unsung hero
Aug. 7, 2011
Written by
Bob Matthews

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox could combine for as many as seven of the top 10 finishers for this season's American League Most Valuable Player.

Nick Swisher probably won't be among them, and that's a shame.

After a slow start this season, he's been very productive and the unsung hero of the Yankees:

MARCH/APRIL ? .226 (19-for-84); 1 HR; 12 RBI

MAY ? .200 (17-for-85); 2 HRs; 6 RBI.

JUNE ? .326 (28-for-86); 7 HRs; 23 RBI.

JULY ? .323 (30-for-93); 4 HRs; 19 RBI.

AUGUST (entering Saturday's game at Boston) ? .278; 0 HRs; 1 RBI.

Swisher never will win a Gold Glove for defense, but he does a decent job in right field. He's not a fast runner, but he runs hard and always hustles.

He also brings spirit, enthusiasm and swagger to a team loaded with very talented but laid-back players.

He's playing for pauper wages ($9 million in 2011 in the final season of a five-year $26.75 million deal he signed in 2008) compared to the salaries of several of his teammates. Relatively speaking, he's a bargain.

The Yankees have an option for 2012 ($10.25 million or a $1 million buyout). The team figures to keep the switch-hitter and likely reward him with a nice contract extension. He's only 30 and unlikely to lose his zest for the game. He doesn't have much speed to lose.

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http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110807/SPORTS0101/108070345
 
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Swisher belts out more than homers
Tue, Aug 16
by Rick Paulas

pg2_g_nicksts_576.jpg

Paul Zimmerman/WireImage
Nick Swisher brought his infectious laugh to the recording studio for charity.

"Just another day in paradise, bro," Nick Swisher says when he answers the phone.

Whenever Swisher talks, he does so with an infectious giddiness that should be investigated by the American Medical Association; five minutes with him releases more serotonin than any antidepressant around. So it's not surprising that when you hear a ballplayer recorded an uplifting album for kids, the player behind the mic has to be Swish.

Swisher's debut album, "Believe", is a 12-song collection of covers. The power-hitting right fielder taking on everything from David Bowie's "Heroes" to Bill Withers' classic "Lean On Me," the only running theme being that, like the singer himself, the songs are positive and easy to sing. "We tried to find songs that a normal human without that much singing talent would be able to do a good job on," says Swisher.

Providing the backing music are professional studio musicians who usually roll with the likes of John Mellencamp and Phil Collins, as well as cameos from fellow ballplayers/guitarists Bernie Williams and Barry Zito. But it's his unique crew back-up singers that has Swisher beaming. "Wait until you hear the way the children sound." On every track, a group of eight- to thirteen-year-old children from the music education program "School of Rock" lend support with backup vocals. With everything else in place, Swisher's job, as he put it, was just warming up his voice and "rocking out from there."

A portion of the album's sales go to Swish's Wishes, a charitable foundation that helps lift the spirits of children dealing with health issues. But with even the most-altruistic efforts, you'd imagine that releasing something so unabashedly positive would result in some gentle ribbing in the Yankees clubhouse. Maybe he was hitting those high notes a little too well? "It's been nothing but positive," says Swisher. "It's shocking, because you know how locker rooms can be."
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http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=6867125

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJmqBNnkrbQ"]Nick Swisher With Rome - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Hartnett: Nick Swisher Making Yankees? Option Call An Easy One
August 19, 2011

Earlier this year, I began to ponder Nick Swisher?s future in pinstripes. The slugger who completed an All-Star worthy 2010 seemed to have been replaced by an entirely different ballplayer.

Swisher?s playoff struggles seeped into his play during early months of the 2011 season. Through the end of May, Swisher only was able to manage 3 home runs and 20 RBIs. Even more worrying was his batting average of .213 and on-base percentage of .335 he carried as June began. The most attractive attributes in Swisher?s game is his ability to draw walks, work pitchers and contribute a fair amount of long balls had diminished.

His OBP was far bellow his usual range of .360-.380 and his power stroke had seemingly vanished. With a $10.25M club option hanging over him, maybe the pressure was beginning to get to the carefree Swisher who cherishes wearing the pinstripes. His lackluster play certainly wasn?t helping his chances of remaining in the Bronx beyond 2011.

If Swisher?s struggles continued into the second half, it would have been very likely that Brian Cashman would have exercised the $1 million buyout rather than the $10.25 million option at season?s end. Thankfully for the Yankees and his own cause, Swisher caught fire in late June. He began driving in RBIs and stringing together multi-hit games. Most importantly, Swisher?s patient approach at the plate returned as his OBP surged over .370.

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http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/08...sher-making-yankees’-option-call-an-easy-one/
 
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