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1. boteman Posted: June 13, 2012 at 11:58 AM (#4155571)It's to his grandmother
I'm not sure which is more likely, 9% of the AL hates baseball or 9% of the AL hates the Yankees...
I quite liked Nick Swisher in Oakland, so my current hatred of him is the lukewarm, conscious that it's just because he's a Yankee variety of hate. Rather than the Jeter hate that my psyche has become so dependent on over the years that I've repressed the fact that it's just because he's a Yankee.
In the same poll, Philly was voted most annoying fans and Todd Coffey was voted most out-of-shape player.
More poll results here. Royals third least-favorite team to play for. Awesome work Glass family.
That's the lede for us, but not for New York's CBS station.
He's committed to it in a way that most guys aren't.
I will say this, having listened to him do a weekly spot on a local sports station for several years: he's one of the most entertaining, informative current athletes I've ever heard. He's great.
And yet it's completely unsurprising. The guy goes out of his way to be an ####### as much as possible.
It's to his grandmother
------------------------------------------------
I thought it was his grandfather, but then I haven't heard it explained for over three years, so I'm sure you're right.
A-Rod and Joba I can see, but if you don't appreciate Nick Swisher's obvious enthusiasm for the game, you either hate baseball or just hate the Yankees.
I'm not sure which is more likely, 9% of the AL hates baseball or 9% of the AL hates the Yankees...
I blame it all on the foreign takeover of baseball, because no real American could ever hate the Yankees. They aren't fondly known as "America's Team" for nothing.
Well, maybe an alien quasi-American like Petunia could hate the Yanks, but he's an exception.
I'm waiting for the athlete who has a realistic view of the character of his dead relatives and so points straight down after hitting a home run.
It reminds me of an SI poll in 1999 or so on who players thought would make a good manager someday. The top five was something like Cal Ripken, Mark Grace, Harold Baines, Tony Gwynn, and Tom Prince.
Loved Swisher when he was with the A's; he's one of the few Yankees I can't bring myself to hate.
1) They are conditioned not to express emotion, so Swish is "different" and "goes against" the unwritten code of just seeing the game as a politically correct job.
2) They may be envious that Swish can "get away" with being so lively and expressive.
3) Typical Yankees hate; I don't recall him being hated with the A's.
4) They may believe that someone who is so enthusiastic, down to earth, and actually nice to everyone is a phony.
Haters gonna hate.
You must be a joykiller at parties if you're going to hate on Swish.
I actually see him as an enlightened human being who strives to be positive and an inspiration. Sure you can see he's immature, but he loves the game- genuinely.
Those who hate on him probably suck the energy out of a room or message board thread with their sarcasm and negativity.
Also, wtf was he thinking with that bunt against the Mets last weekend?
Or, to some of the people who have met him and don't just worship him from their La-Z-Boys, he comes across as kind of an #######. Nah, that "haters gonna hate" explanation has gotta be the only possible reason.
If it's indeed manufactured, then he's pretty damn good at faking it, because he shows the same broad grin everywhere he is on the field, both to his grandmother after he reaches base and to his teammates in the outfield and on the bench. That's not the sort of m.o. you'd see from plastic saints like Steve Garvey.
FTFY.
With the exception of a few glimpses here and there, we don't really get to see behind the curtain on what type of people these guys really are. I freely admit that I probably "sports hate" some players who are perfectly likable and friendly and solid people in their daily lives.
That said, I don't like Nick Swisher and I think he's a whiny bum.
Swisher seems like overly excited ######### at the gym to me. Stop screaming after you've hit a new high with your bench press, stop calling me "bro" and please don't start back-slapping everyone in the locker room to tell us all what a great workout you have. Act like you've been there before kid.
The issue with Swisher doesn't appear to be his enthusiasm per se. I can easily see Swisher being the guy who won't leave other people alone. If a baseball game were a party, you would be making moves on someone you're interested in, when Swisher would barge in and try to get you to participate right now in a group sing-a-long to "Red Solo Cup", which just played like 10 minutes ago but he's gonna put it back on. You don't punch him in the face because you know he's just a bit overenthusiastic and means nothing by it, but you still think he needs to be punched in the face.
When the unnamed player says Swisher is always trying to "'bro' it down", and how exhausting it is to be around him, that's what I picture.
Pierzynski...I mean that guy is like the Babe Ruth of this ####.
I'm a big baseball fan and I had no idea. And when I looked her up, I had never heard of her.
Now Brad Penny, I hate that guy.
The overwhelming majority of the players didn't participate. So the A-Rod "rating" is based on 10 players. Few here would probably do as well if their entire workplace were similarly surveyed.
Baloney. I have no doubt I could get more than 10 people in my office to say they think I'm a dink.
Let me just say I love AJ. He was unlikable when on my Twins and has steadily evolved into the Platonic ideal of hateable players. MLB will be a sadder and emptier place without him to boo. It's AJ's world, we are just booing in it.
If I were to guess, I'd say it had to do with the travel. Anytime a team is flying in and out of the city, they have to clear customs, which lengthens the travel day, and can generally just be a big pain in the ass.
EDIT: Also, perceived differences in the taxation rates.
Not really. They have a long way to go before they're as undesirable as Oakland. They really need to take it up a notch before they can be mentioned in the same breath as us. Nobody is close to us in undesirability.
Jesus Christ, we can't win anything.
Joe Dimaggio, Frankie Crosetti and Tony Lazzeri once drove to Spring training from San Francisco to Florida, and the only words they allegedly ever spoke during the entire trip were "your turn to drive" and "pass the ketchup". Those famous "strong, silent" types may be the salt of the Earth underneath their air of mystery, but they make me a lot more appreciative of the Swishers of the world.
Same here. Who? Of course, her fans -- assuming there's more than one, as seems likely, though I know TV viewer numbers aren't what they used to be -- have probably never heard of Swisher.
"Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen, who used to manage Pierzynski in Chicago, was voted the least respected manager, grabbing 36 percent of the votes."
For those who are shocked that he took the top spot from Bobby V, don't be too upset, he came in second:
Who is the least respected manager?
1. Ozzie Guillen (Marlins), 36 percent
2. Bobby Valentine (Red Sox), 14 percent
3. Manny Acta (Indians), 5 percent
He'll probably get a job at ESPN.
Or post on BTF a lot.
Let's hope the archives still don't work.
I hate Canadian customs so much. Paperwork for transfer passengers, really? I can only assume that they have outsourced the ####### thing to Rogers.
Harrumph.
MCoA and Clapper are right. The only statistically significant result in the "hated players" poll is AJ.
Swisher is definitely a "bro". When with the A's, while Giambi was taking limos full of models to the Gold Club and what have you, Swisher would just hang out drinking PBR at Walnut Creek dive bars. He really IS that guy you're all describing.
In addition to everything RJ mentions, the Skydome is a problem, too. They're one of the few teams still not playing on grass and the place is usually half full with crowds that care more about doing the wave or getting a free slice of lousy Pizza Pizza than getting invested in the game.
This is persistent, and unfair.
I would speculate that if any reliever had debuted with a 1221 ERA+ in a pennant race in his first year, he'd have gotten leaguewide attention. Joba today is what I would call "post-hype", and I agree with #42.
Maybe he's a huge dick but it seems weird that he'd be employed by the same team for almost a decade if he was such an ####### toward his teammates.
--Billy Martin
I suspect all the stuff in your first paragraph outweighs everything else. I'm sure the second he stops being an effective performer AJ gets the boot though.
Yeah but you can say the same thing for about 95% of ballplayers in the major leagues.
I'm surprised he's ahead of Eric Wedge, whose rah-rah man management stuff would probably get old in about three seconds. Wedge strikes me as an extremely nice man, but I wouldn't want him to be my boss.
Slumpbusters.
I'm sure Brett Tomko has been teammates with a lot of current National League pitchers.
Alexi Ogando posted a 348 ERA+ in a pennant race his first year and profiles similarly - a reliever you hope can someday start. But there are no "Alexi Rules" or hand-wringing over what will become of Ogando.
I don't think Joba is overrated so much as over-covered for someone who's claim to fame is 24 innings they threw five years ago.
We're in the same place that he was paid attention to too much... in 2007. But I don't think that even the most fervent fanboy thinks that the 2007 Joba is walking through the door anytime soon.
It's not like this is the first time this has been mentioned as well. He's been the winner in assorted polls like this for years, and was also viewed as being a world class jerk when he was with San Fran too.
I dunno, maybe Men's Journal is just making #### up?
I'm not blaming him for anything. Those that are "overrated" rarely have anything to do with "earning" that label. Take Tim Tebow, for example. Its not really his fault he gets so much attention. I'm just saying if Joba was drafted by the Reds, he'd be just another reliever that has been hurt. Its the Yankees, I get it, its a bigger media spotlight.
If 650 players passed entirely on the survey, I'm not sure how much weight you give 34 of 100 haters.
Joba was 21. Alexi was 26.
Where does he ever blame Joba in that post?
Joba was over-covered for a few years, but he is probably not over-rated anymore.
The Guillen, Konerko, AJ led Sox had a rep for this. If you were a rookie or just not part of the "club" (read: either one of the old latin guys or one of the old white guys) you were ostracized in the clubhouse. Maybe that's what happened to Swisher when he played there, or maybe he just had really shitty babip luck that year. Probably a bit of both.
As for AJ specifically, he's almost criminally under rated as far as on-field performance. He's the closest thing you can get to an iron man at catcher. Every year he gives you 130 or so games behind the plate, a 280/320/400 line, and decent defense, factoring in pitch framing and pitch calling as positives and lack of an arm a big negative.
Fangraphs has him at 22.3 WAR for his career. This year he's having a career year, hitting 297/343/528 for a 130rc+.
He might be a dick, but he's a useful dick, and as a Sox fan, he's our useful dick.
So...Cole Hamels, then?
And if he did, he'd be covered with midges, which would be gross.
I don't think Joba is so much overrated as he is overexposed. Nobody thinks he's much more than a decent middle reliever. But everyone is sick of hearing about him.
EDIT: Oh right the trampoline incident! Man, I have a shitty memory.
DOUBLE EDIT: This reminds me of the time in April when I couldn't think of any Washington OF prospects off the top of my head. Or it would if I could remember that far back.
Joba 1221 ERA+ 0.750 WHIP 4.5 H/9 2.3 BB/9 12.8 K/9 5.67 BB/9Alexi 348 ERA+ 1.128 WHIP 6.7 H/9 3.5 BB/9 8.4 K/9 2.44 BB/9
One of these is significantly more impressive than the other, age aside.
Quoted for the awesomeness of comparing Pierzysnki to Caligula.
Not to mention the visual impact. Ogando has good stuff but Joba's stuff looked every bit as incredible as his statline.
I'm a Yankee fan and find Swisher incredibly annoying. It's not just the overly demonstrative stuff, it's just his whole demeanor, how he carries himself. Everything is so exaggerated. He's too twitchy, too smiley. I don't think it's fake, I think it's just how he is, and I can't stand it.
I believe there is another story that when he was with the Twins a pitcher came to him to do prep for a game, and AJ told him to f off because he was busy playing video games.
Maturity is the dimming of our inner light. Swisher's childishness shines brightly.
EDIT: That's a little harsh on a man who takes his craft seriously. Given the opportunity to study with a Joey Barton I'm sure he could lift his game. Even without the benefit of a great role model he almost has the required personality for a Manchester City striker.
No, the difference between the first two in the poll is a factor of 3.4, and it's actually quite impressive to lap the field twice like that.
This sounds like something my wife would say
And did you see that he dared to laugh at himself tonight when he struck out at a 58 ft. breaking ball in the dirt and wound up on first when the pitch got away from the catcher! Swisher's felonious assaults against baseball's dignity just keep on piling up, and I want to know WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE????
Keep in mind, he was so loathed in Chicago that he was benched for the corpse of Ken Griffey Jr. Swisher is a tool. He reminds me of the guy who throws elbows and calls charges in pickup basketball.
Evidently you've never been to Lincoln Park after a Cubs game. While I did appreciate the ASU campus in spring training more, it's pretty freaking fantastic.
I'm going to hazard a guess that some of the hate comes from his guest appearance on those TV shows...
As for Joba, there's pre-2008 Joba and then there's post 2008 Joba....
Swisher seems like that guy.
EXAMPLE 1: A-Rod is cloying and often looks like he's trying too hard to get people to like him, which basically rubs everybody the wrong way because it's not authentic. In addition, his stock went way south after The Slap in the '04 ALCS, particularly in the baseball community because it looked girly and not manly, which is suicidal in the jock world. Lots of other players probably also didn't take kindly to his getting the mega-deal with Texas, so there are lots of reasons other players around the league may not like him.
Of course, A-Rod also came to the Yankees as:
a) a clearly better offensive player than Derek Jeter
b) a vastly better defensive shortstop than Derek Jeter
Yet he was still willing to make the switch to 3B so that Captain No-Range wouldn't get his precious nose out of joint.
Nobody seems to remember that. Remind me, which one is the better teammate to have?
EXAMPLE 2:
Kobe Bryant is, well, not a very likeable person. Ask his wife for character references. We know this. He also has been known at times as a ball hog on the court, which surely rubs teammates the wrong way. Meanwhile, Shaquille Oneal is Mr. Smiley-Face, always laughing and having a good time. Everybody loves Shaq!
Except we forget that Kobe has the hellacious work ethic that continues in the off-season as well as during the season, and that Shaq is one of the laziest players ever with virtually no work ethic whatsoever (as Phil Jackson publicly confirmed on many occasions).
We live in a world where sacrifing personal gain for the chemistry of the team is not valued; neither is working hard to get ahead. We want - no, we demand - instant gratification of everything we desire without having to work for anything.
We want our superstar athletes to be the same way. Form is way more important than function.
I'm climbing down from my soapbox now as I've gotta go puke somewhere.
One was also in just 24 innings.
You obviously need to go to The Land of the Productive Out, which is found wherever managers and announcers congregate.
And did you see him laughing yesterday after failing to catch a flyball? I wanted to pop him right in the grill. HAHAHA I MISSED THE BALL. #### you, Swisher.
Which is why Mr. "Take every clutch shot and miss most of them" Kobe is beloved by Lakers fans.
Personally, I liked Shaq. If he really was that lazy, it's a wonder because he was far more valuable during his career than Kobe has been in his. I also suspect when you are 300lbs you might like to pace your workouts more to reduce wear and tear on your body.
And laziest? Hell, have you ever even heard of Charles Barkley?
Really? Because it gets brought up all the time.
And did you see him laughing yesterday after failing to catch a flyball? I wanted to pop him right in the grill. HAHAHA I MISSED THE BALL. #### you, Swisher.
So I guess it's better to fixate on what you can't do anything about than to try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Makes at least as much sense as screaming at the official scorer about an error call that cost you a hit.
Look, different players have different ways of channeling their emotions and focusing, and what worked for Paul O'Neill or Mickey Mantle doesn't necessarily translate to everyone else. Obviously on balance Swisher's approach has worked for him.
I doubt it's manufactured. A friend of mine told me that he saw Swisher at a restaurant here in NYC a couple months ago. Swisher was with his wife. My friend went up to him and asked him about something stupid (I can't remember what) and Swisher was very engaging, enthusiastic, "bro'd" him up and down, etc. Wasn't even bothered about being approached in the restaurant.
I can imagine he's this enthusiastic in every aspect of his life. And, yes, I would find it quite annoying.
I like Swisher a ton. I can see how he might grate on you if you had to work with him, but as a fan he's one of my favorites.
Or Allen Iverson – often reviled as someone who simply would not practice; then would go out and play like a madman on the court; often reviled as selfish; and then it's also hard to argue that he cost his teams anything by his selfishness, and even perhaps took them a rung above where they belonged by just playing harder than his opponents. This is a complicated issue, because "selfish" and "lazy" take on so many social and moral dimensions. Very few athletes have any success by actually being lazy during competition. Ruben Sierra had a rep as one of the sulkiest and whiniest players, and yet he was always busting his rear end on the field. Lenny Dykstra had appalling training habits and was as dumb as two planks laid end to end, and he too played like his jock was full of fire ants. This is very subjective territory.
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