ESPN New York is making a whole to-do over Nick Swisher cursing (shocker!) when asked yet another question about Cliff Lee. Good for Swisher, I say.
Here’s what happened (hat tip to Was Watching for the link.) Swisher overheard Andrew Marchand asking his teammates about Lee. Swisher responded:
With the Yankees facing Texas Rangers starter Colby Lewis in Game 6, Swisher did not take kindly to a reporter asking teammates a couple lockers down about Lee.
You guys are talking about Cliff Lee?” said Swisher out loud in a room full of reporters. “[Expletive], who cares?”
As he walked off, Swisher said, “I can’t wait to hit against his [behind].”
OMG, a ballplayer cursed! Twice! What is the world coming to? What about the children? (And yes, I’m being sarcastic here.)
The story continues:
Later, when asked about saying this out loud with reporters present, Swisher cut off a question when the words “Cliff Lee” were uttered.
“I’m not talking about Cliff Lee,” Swisher said. “I don’t give a [expletive].”
A few points:
* Whenever you hear a writer refer to what “a reporter” said, nine times out of ten, “a reporter” is really the reporter writing the story. I don’t know why sportswriters keep with this silly, passive convention; it does not serve the reader. And indeed, it is the case here; Marchand’s ESPN colleague Wallace Matthews confirms that Marchand was the one to ask the question. Matthews also writes that Swisher was openly tired of the Cliff Lee questions as early as last Saturday.
* As for Swish’s response, what’s the big deal here? Swisher’s response is exactly what I want to hear from him. And I don’t give a bleep that he cursed to reporters, and offended their delicate sense of being (yeah, because we all know that the harshest word any sportswriter will say is “gosh darnit”!) What is Swisher supposed to say? That he’s really, really scared to face Lee, and the Yankees are just terrified? C’mon now.
* Why don’t the reporters worry about Game 6 before raising the OMG! Cliff Lee Is Pitching Game 7 specter? Then again, they raised it after Game 2, so that would be too much to ask for!
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