Swisher Helps New Teammates Feel At Home

From Howie Rumberg:

Take a look at the far end of the Yankees’ clubhouse and there are outfielders Curtis Granderson, Randy Winn and Marcus Thames, all laughing.

The reason? Nick Swisher is camped in front of the locker at the end of their row.

...

“Swish is Swish,” said Thames, using an oft-repeated phrase in the clubhouse. “He’s really made us feel comfortable. He’s always smiling. When we get in the outfield doing drills he’s always asking questions. He’s always willing to learn more to make his game better and help us out. ... He’s going to play hard and keep everybody loose.”

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Joe Girardi said he thinks Swisher is a big reason the Yankees have shed their reputation as having a stiff, corporate locker room.

“I think his role in the clubhouse helps that I really do,” Girardi said. “He just enjoys what he does, enjoys being here.”

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“Obviously losing Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, who are great players, and they will be missed very well and we wish them very well, but you got to move on,” he said. “The acquisition of my three guys here Marcus, Randy and Curtis — we have some great faces in here. Good clubhouse guys and they’re going to fit in here just perfect.”

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“You need someone like him on your team. He loves to play the game of baseball,” [former teammate Mark] Ellis said in Phoenix. “For some people he’s over the top. For 162 games or 180 days that we’re together, it can be over the top. But I’d take him as a teammate any day. He’s got a good heart and he’s a good guy. He likes being Swish. He likes being a good baseball player. He loves what he does.”

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“He’s the guy we asked a lot of questions of. He’s the guy we follow around because this is his second time around,” Granderson said. “He’s very talented. He’s a people person. Not everybody can do it.”

I often wonder how valuable a teammate like Swisher truly is. It's something you probably can't measure, but I know I'm happy he's on the Yankees. We saw last year how close they were as a team and it led to good things, and he seems to be starting things off on the right foot for 2010.