New York, NY (WFAN) -- I want to hate Nick Swisher. He went to Ohio State, I went to Penn State. That Big Ten thing runs strong, you know what I mean? His charm, his friendliness, his zest for life, and all-around great personality aside, I really want to hate him. And then I turn to his bio in the Yankees Media Guide and I find all this stuff:
*Established the Nick Swisher Foundation and "Swish's Wishes" foundation in 2007 to assist children with life-threatening illnesses.
*Organized his first Swish's Wishes Celebrity Cruise in January 2009.
*Hosted Swish's Wishes Days in Chicago in 2008, where kids in need would be his guest to the game and visit with him on the field.
*Was a regular visitor at children's hospitals in Chicago.
*Supports Lynn Sage Cancer Center in Chicago.
*Dyed his goatee pink on Mother's Day to raise awareness for breast cancer and blue on Father's Day to raise awareness for prostate cancer.
*Provides holiday gifts and a party for mentally challenged children at Janet Pomeroy School in San Francisco.
*Supports UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, where he served as the honorary chairman for the 2007 Macy's Tree Lighting Ceremony.
*Has also funded programs at the Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland and frequently reads books to children in the hospital.
*Teamed with Columbia Pictures in 2007 to host a private screening of the movie "Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" for 400 sick and low-income Bay Area children.
*Participates in Strikeouts for Troops, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to our wounded war veterans and their children by providing "comforts of home" while they recover in military hospitals nationwide.
*Toured U.S. bases in Spain, Greece and Italy on a goodwill mission to visit American soldiers and their families stationed abroad.
*Helped fund two programs for children in need at Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation.
*Participated in adopting 25 military families in need and provided Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner as well as Christmas gifts for the children in 2007 and 2008.
*Threw out the first pitch to eight-year-old Adam Bender on 7/1/08 vs. Cleveland… Bender lost his leg to cancer at the age of 1 and was flown from Kentucky to Chicago with his parents, older brother and younger sister by Swisher's foundation to celebrate the one-year anniversary of "Swish's Wishes." Bender plays catcher for his Little League team in Lexington, KY. Swisher provided Bender with a personalized White Sox jersey and a bat autographed by the team.
*In honor of his grandmother, Betty, who lost her battle with cancer in 2005, Nick joined as an ambassador to the EIF Foundation and the Women's Cancer Research Fund.
*Went without a haircut for nearly one year in 2007 as part of the non-profit Pantene Beautiful Lengths program that encourages people to grow, cut and donate their hair to create live hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments… his father, Steve, made the "kindest cut of all" on the field in Oakland on 5/19/07, cutting Nick's hair to be donated to the program.
*Also supports childhood diabetes, prostate and breast cancer, and the Special Olympics.
*Was the Athletics' 2007 Roberto Clemente Award nominee.
After reading all this, I dragged myself over to talk to the guy from that school in Ohio. I asked Nick about all this stuff, and he said, "That's just how I was brought up." I proceeded to visit http://nickswisher.net. That's where I found this message from Swisher about his involvement in charity:
"I love helping people, especially kids. They are so innocent, full of such hope and wonder. The youth of today truly are our future. I plan to use whatever profile I may have while playing this great game of baseball that I love, to make a difference in the lives of others. Whether it's reading a story to a child in the hospital, visiting with our injured troops, growing out my hair so a wig can be made for a woman dealing with hair loss from chemotherapy, or simply making sure I sign as many autographs as I can - well, this is what drives me. This is who I am."
Nick Swisher is becoming one of your favorite players because after one week he's hitting .471 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs. He's becoming one of mine for a completely different reason. Regardless of where he went to school.
Thanks for reading. Send questions and comments to Yankees@wfan.com.
Nice to see some athletes actually put some priorities toward something else than sports.
04/13/2009 10:12AM
Nick Swisher - real role model.
Sweeny (FAN team),
I just wanted to thank you for writing that article about Nick Swisher. I usually like most of the articles that you write, but this one really stood out. Nick's short Yankee career has been an eye opener so far, but this article really shed some light on the person behind the player. It's really refreshing to read about someone who not only cares about the game of baseball but also the lives he can positively effect while playing it (or quite possibly when he's done "playing" it as well).
I've read about a lot of other players who have done a lot of "good will", but Nick is even in a different class (I understand a lot of people / players don't reveal how much (or time) they give to certain charities, which is fine) but of the players I have read about, Nick has been a part of, or donated to, more charities in such a short time than most other professionals (especially since really only becoming a full time baseball player in 2005). I've also read a glowing article written about him from the Oakland area.
I think his quote sums it up best... the fact that he mentions helping a woman out during chemo, or just signing as many autographs as he can.... what a role model not only for professional athletes, but human beings as well.
It would be great if there could be a weekly (or monthly) spot highlighting different players for these types of accomplishments (from the Yankees or other teams).
Regards,
Sal P. (aka The GF)
Nutley, NJ
04/13/2009 12:25PM
WE ARE!
Guess I'll have to let this one Buckeye slide...
At a Penn State football game in 2003, Nate Bump (former Nittany Lion and World Series champ with the Marlins) was honored... a group of us Yankees fans booed him. Looks like baseball allegiance will always outweigh collegiate allegiance.
04/14/2009 10:17AM
Swisher
Fantastic article, Swisher has really started to become one of my favorite players. This is really nice to see.
04/15/2009 6:30AM
Saint Nick
Great Article Sweeny. How refreshing to read a positive off field story about a baseballer. Nick has been making me smile with his great play and his great interviews. Now Nick has touched my heart with the great work he does off the field. It is amazing how quick Nick Swisher has become a crowd favourite. I hope he remains a Yankee for years to come. He's got the tag of 'a real yankee' written all over him. Once again, thanks a lot Sweeny for sharing this info with the fans, Kind regards Trev (Sydney Australia)
04/15/2009 10:20AM
Nicely done
Great job, Sweeny. I knew some of this about Swish, but not most of it. Count me as one of those who was thrilled when the Yanks signed him and refused to trade him away during the off season. I know starting pitching has been a huge issue, but chemistryand heart have been a big problem as well in the clubhouse.. Nick gives us that, and the way he's hitting, what's not to like?? Go Yanks
04/18/2009 4:32PM
heck of a job sweeney
nice article.
05/05/2009 8:35PM
can we have him back?
Great article...awesome to see him doing so well in NYC. Still want him back though... An A's fan.
06/02/2009 2:57PM
AWESOME GUY
He is definitely a class act. He is a great example of of what I baseball player should be. He was definitely one of the coolest Yankee players I've met and I have met many. Keep up the good work & keep true to your heart.
Go back to 1997, the year after the Yankees won their first World Series under Joe Torre, and two of the most talked about players were a couple of kids who were less than two years removed from their big league debuts in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
Welcome to February. It may not feel like it outside, but spring is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers are just two weeks away, and if that’s enough to warm you up right about now then try another pair of socks and some hot tea.
I can’t imagine I’ll ever have the privilege of covering a player like Hideki Matsui again. The word “unique” is thrown around too much, but this was indeed a unique experience, right from Day One.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
