Nick Swisher and Yankee Stadium's right-field Bleacher Creatures have enjoyed a warm relationship over four seasons in the Bronx, one that includes Swisher enthusiastically acknowledging cheers with a left-handed salute during "Roll Call" each day.And one more from the Daily News:
But on Sunday, as the Yankees took the field for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, Swisher's heart wasn't quite in it. Stung by jeers he heard from the home crowd during the Yankees' Game 1 loss to the Tigers, Swisher acknowledged that he offered just a lackluster wave when he heard his name chanted.
"That's the last thing that I ever thought would be in this ballpark, that people would get on you that bad," Swisher said after the Yankees lost, 3-0, to fall into a 2-0 deficit in the ALCS. "Especially your home, where your heart is, where you've been battling and grinding all year long. It's just frustrating, man. You never want to be in that spot. It's not like you're trying to go out there and do bad on purpose. It's just tough, man."
... what troubled Swisher were personal jabs and critiques that seem unfair.
"Last night was pretty big," Swisher said. "A lot of people saying a lot of things that I've never heard before. Prime example: I missed that [12th-inning Delmon Young] ball in the lights, and the next thing you know, I'm the reason that [Derek] Jeter got hurt. It's kind of frustrating. They were saying it was my fault."
...
"I'm one of those guys that if you give me a hug, I'll run through a brick wall for you, man," Swisher said. "It just seems right now like there's just a lot of ... it's tough. It's really tough. You want to go out and play for your city, play for your team. Right now, it's just really tough.
"It hurts. Sometimes I'm a sensitive guy and some of the things people say, they get under your skin a little bit. I've been lucky to be here for the past four years, bro. We're not going to go out like this. We're going to go to Detroit and give everything we've got."
“As the game progresses, you’re trying to go up there and get a hit. If you don’t, people let you know about it,” said Swisher, who is batting .154 with one RBI through seven postseason games this October. “It’s a tough spot. Hey man, I guess that’s playing in New York... That’s New York for you.Also, according to a this Newsday article fans serenaded him with: "Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye." after his final plate appearance.
Swisher also went on to suggest that the atmosphere in the Bronx might be hurting the team, calling it "a negative setting."
I'm sure there will be some who side with Swisher here, but it's not going to be me. Grow a sack and I don't know, maybe get a damn hit. Then those boos that hurt you so much might just go away.
A-Rod said it best in his postgame:
“Our fans haven’t had much to cheer about, so you can’t blame them. You have to blame us. If was sitting there I would be perplexed too. We didn’t score any runs. What the hell are we going to cheer about?”