The Heart of the 2009 New York Yankees

On November 13th, 2008 the New York Yankees traded utility man Wilson Betemit and two minor league prospects to the Chicago White Sox for a minor league pitcher and outfielder/first basemen Nick Swisher. The Yankees at the time thought they were trading for someone to fill in their need at first base with the departure of Jason Giambi. After a late off-season move by the Yankees, they signed Mark Teixiera, filling the need at first base. That left Swisher in competition for the starting job in right field with Xavier Nady. After spring training, Joe Girardi named Nady the starting right fielder, leaving Swisher to start the season on the bench.

Swisher's bench time would only last a short time, after a few pinch hit at bats, and few starts in right field and first base, Nady went down with an severe injury meaning that Swisher was now the starting right fielder for the Yankees. From that part of the season on, the Yankees were a different team; they just didn't no it yet. Right away Swisher became a fan favorite, with his signature salute to the bleacher creatures during the roll call. Also his very famous Swish-hawk, and his outgoing personality.

Since 2000, the last time the Yankees had won a world series championship; the Yankees never seemed to put together a team. Granted the put players on the field every year expecting to win, but you could tell they starting to shy away from what made them winners in the late 90's and early 2000's. The teams that won the championships in '96, '98, '99, '00, they were teams; they worked together to achieve the ultimate goal which was winning championships. Guys like Joe Girardi, Jim Leyritz, Chuck Knoblauch, Chad Curtis, Shane Spencer, Scott Brosius there are many more, they were team players. They put the word "team" before individual statistics. From 2002-2008, the Yankees went out and tried to put a juggernaut team together every year and the results stayed the same, losing in the World Series, losing in the playoffs and even in 2008 they missed the playoffs completely, they were basically a mess.

Not saying the 2009 Yankees aren't a juggernaut team, because they did spend a ridiculous amount of money to bring in the likes of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixiera. But when you watched the '09 Yankees there was different something about them, they had a certain swagger, a very Swishelicious swagger.

I have read many articles about how the Yankees in 2009 were a very loose team, having fun, playing as if baseball was a game, and not their jobs. That I feel all started with that November 13th, trade with the White Sox. The Yankees not only got a proven hitter in the major leagues, but they got the old Yankee swag back on that day. Not only did Swisher bring his power bat, his eagle eyes, he brought fun back to the Yankee clubhouse.

One article I read about Swisher was that one of the first days into spring training, he took control of the radio, and the rest was history. If you watched a Yankee game, you couldn't help but notice Swisher at whatever he was doing. Whether it was fooling around in the dugout keeping everyone loose, or talking to the fans out in right field, or even when he was called on to pitch against the Rays, you knew he was there.

During the regular season, Swisher put up good numbers batting .249 29 homeruns and 82 runs batted in also added 97 walks and a very healthy .371 on-base percentage. But those stats aren't what made Swisher important. He was, and still is the heart of the New York Yankees; the fun he brings to the table cannot be match by any numbers that any of the other players on the team put up. It wasn't just Swisher who made the Yankees believe that baseball was fun again, Melky, Cano, Burnett and CC helped but Swisher was the leader.

If I had a vote for the 2009 AL MVP, my vote would have gone to Nick Swisher, because MVP stands for most valuable player, not greatest stat guy. Value can be defined differently, but the value that Swisher has, is immeasurable. Is it up there with Jeter, Posada and Rivera, no...not yet at least. Swisher won't bat .340, hit 50 homeruns in a season, but he will give the team his best effort day in day out and no one can take that away from him. The Yankees as a team might belong to Jeter, but the clubhouse belongs to Swisher.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin

The most heated debate in the hockey world, is who is better Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin. There is no doubt that they are two of the best hockey players, but the debate goes on. Sidney Crosby was drafted in 2005 1st overall, and had more hype surrounding him then any other player before he was drafted. The 2005 draft was the first draft to happen after the 2004 lockout, and it was the first draft to use the newly installed lottery. Leading up to the 2005 draft it was called the "Sidney Crosby sweepstakes." Alexander Ovechkin was drafted 1st overall in the 2004 draft, granted he was drafted 1st overall, but he did not have the hype surrounding him like Crosby did.

Because of the NHL lockout in 2004, both of there rookie years were the same year, 2005. Right away before the year began, the cameras were all on Crosby, and it didn't help that The Great One himself said that if anyone could break his record's it would be his fellow Canadian, Sidney Crosby. But slowly throughout the season, you couldn't help but notice that Ovechkin was all over the highlight reel and putting up ridiculous numbers, just like Crosby. The attention then became who would win the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year).

After the 2005 season it was Ovechkin who received the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year in the NHL after he posted 52 goals and 54 assists, totaling 106 points. Crosby who also had a memorable rookie season finished with 39 goals 63 assists, totaling 102 points. But this would just be the beginning of the rivalry between the two.

During the 2006 season, into both of their second NHL seasons, after getting their feet wet, they both exploded onto the scene, making their names known as the two best players in the NHL and the faces of the game of hockey. Ovechkin's season wasn't as well as his rookie campaign but he still put up great numbers tallying 46 goals and 46 assists, totaling 92 points. But it was Crosby who took center stage that year tallying 36 goals, 84 assists and totaling a ridiculous 120 points. Taking home the Art Ross trophy (most points in the season), the Lester B. Pearson Award as the MVP voted on by the players, and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league MVP.

The Crosby-Ovechkin debate is the most debatable topic in the NHL, and one of the most debatable in all of sports. Some compare this rivalry to the Kobe-LeBron rivalry of the NBA. I believe that this is a better rivalry because Crosby and Ovechkin just flat out don't like each other at all. Ovechkin has been quoted saying that Crosby is a whiner, and Crosby thinks that Ovechkin is a dirty player. Both sides can be seen, because many players claim that Crosby whines if he doesn't get a call, and just by watching Ovechkin play, he goes out of his way to hit someone(hence this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZkPn9kjRFE), after you watch this video, you can Oveckin went right after Malkin, and well Malkin knocked him out.

This rivalry really took a turn to Crosby's side after he was the youngest captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup in 2007 and then the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup in 2008 and also scoring the game winning goal in overtime in the Gold Medal game against the United States, capturing the Gold Medal on home ice. Ovechkin though has more individual trophy's and more top 10 plays on Sportscenter, at the end of the day the only thing that matters, is winning and that seems like the only thing Sid the Kid knows how to do.

The future is bright for these two stars, and it will be exciting to watch.

The End of an Era?

With only one or two days of the regular season left in the NHL, two iconic American born player are possibly calling it quits. These two iconic players were two of the core players that put United States hockey on the same level as countries like Canada and Russia. They have been apart of many memories that have occurred for USA hockey since the 1980 miracle. These two iconic American born players are Mike Modano and Keith Tkachuk. Mike Modano has been rumored to retiring at the end of this season, and after his final game at home in Dallas, the Stars honored Modano, with a video tribute. Modano was seen getting emotional on the bench as both the Dallas Stars and the Anaheim Ducks taped their sticks on the board to applaud Modano. Keith Tkachuk on the other hand has announced that this would be it at the end of the season. Tkachuk was also honored after his final home game in St. Louis. The St. Louis Blues played a video tribute for Tkachuk and Tkachuk took a lap around Scottrade Center with his 3 children.

Mike Modano was originally drafted in 1988, 1st overall by the Minnesota North Stars. At the time he was the 2nd American born player to be taken first overall in the NHL draft. He moved with the team in 1993 to Dallas has stayed the face of the franchise, captaining the team from 2003-2005 and being an alternate captain from 1995-2003 and then again from 2005-to now. Mike Modano just hasn't been the face of the Dallas Stars, but of USA hockey as a whole. Modano owns every major statistical category for American skaters other then goals scored. He is easy considered the greatest American player to ever play the game of hockey. Modano have been a finalist for multiple awards in the NHL. He also is a 7 time NHL all star and owns every major stat for the Dallas/Minnesota franchise. Modano also was on the Dallas team that won the 1999 Stanley Cup.

Keith Tkachuk was also a highly touted American skater, was drafted 19th overall by the Winnipeg Jets, in 1990. Tkachuk have a lot of success in the NHL. He twice scored 50 or more goals in a season and was the fourth player in NHL history to have scored 50 goals and receive over 200 penalty minutes in the same season. This stat alone shows that not only was Tkachuk a goal scorer, but he was also a hard nose player and would sacrifice his body for the better of his team. Tkachuk is currently third on the all time goals list for American born players behind leader Brett Hull and Mike Modano.

Modano and Tkachuk have been apart of 2 of the biggest moments in USA hockey history, behind the 1980 miracle on ice. Modano and Tkachuk were both on the 1996 World Cup, Gold medal team that beat the Canadians in a 3 game series. The Americans lost the first game on home soil, no one expected them to go into Canada and win both games. But just as the Americans have done before in 1960 and 1980 pulling off "miracles" the American boys did just that beating the Canadians twice on there home ice and taking home the 1996 World Cup of hockey. They were also part of the embarrassing finish of 6th place at the Nagano Olympics in 1998 but they came together and rebounded and finished in 2nd in Salt Lake City in 2002 to take home the silver medal in the Winter Olympic, even though they lost to Canada in the gold medal game.

Both Modano and Tkachuk will forever be remember not only for their accomplishments in the NHL , but for what they did to the game in the United States its immeasurable. Modano and Tkachuk together are two of the greatest American born hockey players to ever play the game of hockey, and they have paved the way for players such as Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Dustin Brown and many others.

This year the United States Olympic hockey team finished in 2nd place yet again losing to Canada in an overtime thriller, but because of the road paved before them by players such as Modano and Tkachuk. United States hockey is on the rise again, and that is because of the road paved by players like Modano and Tkachuk. Herb Brooks would be proud and United States hockey fans should be excited for the future, because I am guaranteeing it will be a bright one.