For me, the play reminded me of something I’d been pondering: Nick Swisher is a Bizarro Paul O’Neill.

I’m not saying he’s anywhere near Paul O’Neill in the Yankee Pantheon, but there are superficial similarities (and of course, vast differences) that make the mirror image clear.

First the similarities:

Both play right field.  Both are from Ohio. Both were acquired from teams in the (now) central divisions of baseball in absolute STEALS. And both have no problem playing hardnosed baseball.

Of course, there are the mirror images. Paul O’Neill was the reluctant superstar; whereas, Nick Swisher seems to have been born to play in the New York market. Swisher might be the most (outwardly) gregarious player in recent Yankee history. The day you would have seen Paulie holding a surfboard campaigning for an ASG shot would be the day pigs fly through frozen hell. Paul O’Neill, statistically, fits into the older prototype of a good hitter. He once hit .357. Nick Swisher fits into the sabermetric view of a good hitter, great OBA, but k’s quite a bit.

But back to the similarities. Both have been embraced by a part of the outfield:  Paul O’Neill and the bulls-eye targets in right field. Nick Swisher and the Bleacher Creatures. (Which by the way, Tim Kurkjian, did NOT start with Swisher. Do your research.)

Both had rather notable sitcom cameos.

Most importantly, both got a ring. (Although O’Neill dominates in that area.)  Here’s hoping Swish sticks around past 2012. Boras is lurking.

He compared me to who?

Another game, another dagger. Most dangerously dynamic offensive Knick in 25+ years.

He's well on his way.

A few brief takeaways:

• His gathering of news stories painting Babe Ruth, pre-World Series wins, paints a completely different picture of the Babe. In many ways, his perception is similar to that of A-Rod, pre-2009. The slugger who just couldn’t get it done, until he did.
• It’s amazing how much politicking went on back then. Between the Yankees and the Giants vying for the good favor of Tammany Hall, to the extreme influence of the baseball commissioners of the day… the smoke-filled backrooms really existed.
• Weintraub does a really good job painting a picture of the day from his various sources. I found some of the minutae a bit much, but all-in-all, it is a story well told.

In many ways, I consider this an unofficial sequel to Mike Vaccaro’s The First Fall Classic. Both are vivid recollections that tell both a story of New York baseball before Yankee dominance and paint portraits of Old New York.

-

The House That Ruth Built

by Robert Weintraub. 432 pages. Little, Brown & Co. $26.99

Here’s the narrative: The Red Sox are a bunch of grinders.

Nevermind the 2nd highest payroll in the league. I wanted to vomit.

All I want is some objectivity, but instead I get a play-by-play guy saying “Who out there can beat them?” Really? Have you watched the last 10 years of Major League Baseball? Anyone can be beaten. It’s a 162 game season. No one saw Halladay/Hamels/Oswalt losing to the Giants, and it happened.

Oh, and the Red Sox lost today. Hmm.

Oh, get a room.

Would the NFL consider the unthinkable and move the draft elsewhere?

(Then again… they could hire scabs.)

Please let them put the ubiquitous rat in front of Radio City.

And you know what, I’m going to take the bait and link to it because I find the hate comical and oddly smart. Yankee hate sells. Boston vendors have figured that out. FOX’s continual ramming of Joe Buck down our throats shows they’ve figured that out. And clearly websites have figured out it makes sense to post anti-Yankees articles, well-written and thought out or not, because people will read it. I imagine seeing an anti-Yankees article causes a Pavlovian response amongst the haters.

So keep it up. There will hopefully always be Yankees blogs to serve as counter-insurgency.

Also, adios Sergio… The next time we play the Brewers, this might be relevant again.

Baltimore Orioles:

• Baseball reason to hate them: I went to A-Rod’s second game back from the hip thing in 2009, in Baltimore. (Or the day after he hit the big HR in his first at-bat) We got pounded. But what struck me was all the “STEROIDS” chants. Really? Make sure your own house is in order, you dirtbags.
• Life reason: LIARS.

FALSE.

Tampa Bay Rays

• Baseball Reason: They have Manny Ramirez. The same Manny Ramirez who has killed the Yankees time and time again with his retard strength.
• Life Reason: I’ve never been to Tampa, but I just assume it sucks. Sure, they have good weather pretty much all the time and all the (ahem) Canadian ballets one can ask for. But you know what else? Their fanbase is a bunch of terrible Johnny-Come-Latelys, Dick Vitale, and creepy retirees like this guy:

I don't know which demandment "Nail Someone Who Looks Like Your Daughter" falls into, but let's just stick to the training, prayers, and vitamins, mmkay?

Toronto Blue Jays

• Baseball Reason: They employ a thief! A THIEF! That damn Juan Rivera stole from Derek Jeter. How dare he! Mariano must have been so ashamed. Hmm, I’ve just been notified that that was RUBEN Rivera. Oops. [/Michael Kay'd] But seriously, Juan Rivera was an Anaheim Angel of Orange County California, and that’s reason enough.
• Life Reason: GO BACK TO “CANADIA” WITH THE REST OF THE CANADIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boston Red Sox…

• Baseball Reason: Too many to count.
• Life Reason: Too many to count. But I can’t wait for Carl Crawford to be blamed when something goes wrong. Because he’s you know… new. Yeah, that’s it. We’ll go with “new.”

I have plenty of bile to go around, and I’ll be here ALL season.

1) Lowered expectations.
2) I know he’s had a good spring, but come on… Bartolo Colon?
3) Let The Jesus develop!
4) I fear the Orioles. (False.)

I see a 92 win season, but I think this about 2012 and beyond. I’d love to be proven wrong.