The Yankees need to stop trying to make Nick Swisher into a thing. This might be an unpopular opinion among the rank-and-file Yankee fans, but it’s time to stop shoving him down our throats. We have had enough. We don’t need him in every single social media post at spring training.
Are there hairless dogs? ? pic.twitter.com/wgIpSBZ5GI
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 23, 2023
Go-to Mario Kart character? ?
Follow us on TikTok for exclusive content all season long! ➡️ https://t.co/elmAnh4US1 pic.twitter.com/5qQ5MQgwTX
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 21, 2023
Swisher, who always shows up at spring training as a guest instructor, manages to find his way into all of these kinds of videos. It’s almost like he knows exactly where the camera is at all times. But these silly social media posts are harmless.
These pale in comparison to the stunt the Yanks pulled in Game 1 of the American League Division Series — sending Swisher out with a flag to wave in center field. There is no need for a gimmick in a big game like that in the first place. Picking Swisher as the guy to do it makes it exponentially more annoying. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole hated it too.
Gerrit Cole said he stayed in the tunnel during the Yankees' pregame festivities shutting off the Yankee Stadium lights:
"I don't wanna be doing that. Walking in with [Nick] Swisher running around. I just got my stuff out of the way early" ? pic.twitter.com/WXUd6iRLUh
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 12, 2022
For what it’s worth, Cole went out and won the game, only allowing one run on four hits in 6.1 innings. Maybe the ace and I are being a little too hard on Swisher. There are reasons for Yankee fans to have fond memories of him. He won a World Series and made an All-Star Game in four seasons in the Bronx. Although he was never all that great in the postseason, he was a solid outfielder.
But for the love of God, enough already. If he wants to come back to spring training and go to Old Timers’ Day, fine. He did enough to be there in those moments but if I see him on the field with a flag or pumping up the crowd on the jumbotron I will blow a gasket.
Would I give back the 2009 World Series if it meant I never had to see Nick Swisher gyrating and making random noises ever again? No. Probably not. OK, before my final answer, how many more times am I going to have to see him in a Yankees social media post?
Full disclosure, I don’t write as much for ESNY as I used to because I’m working more on the commercial side of the business. But I had to dip the pen to hate on Swisher. I honestly can’t believe people like him.
Ozzie Guillen said it best: “I hate Nick Swisher with my heart.”
Yankee fans, how do you feel about @OzzieGuillen right now? Apparently, he’s not a fan of @NickSwisher… pic.twitter.com/Kptz9Sh6ak
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) August 6, 2020
I wrote about that Ozzie Guillen video when it happened in 2020 and played it down the middle. That was a mistake. I need to make sure my hatred is public knowledge going forward. Get Nick Swisher out of my face.
Danny Small can be reached at danny.s@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter sometimes: @dwsmall8.
