Swisher was recruited as a strong safety by Notre Dame. But, instead he went to Ohio State to play baseball.

SON OF A MAJOR LEAGUER

Nick is the son of Steve Swisher, a 1973 first-round draft pick out of Ohio University and a former Major League all-star catcher. Steve caught for the Cubs and Padres.

When Nick was chosen in the first round of the 2002 draft, the Swishers joined Tom and Ben Grieve and Jeff and Sean Burroughs as father/son first-rounders.

Nick didn't play baseball during summers, instead traveling with his Dad, who by then was a minor league manager.

"I didn't play organized baseball until sixth grade,'' he said. ''Instead, I was with my Dad, taking the 18-hour bus rides. My Dad and I developed a great relationship that way. He's the reason I'm here. He taught me everything I know about baseball. He gave me my work ethic. It's not just about talent anymore; it's about working hard and adapting to your surroundings.''

While tagging along with his father was in the minor leagues, Nick was known to take a nap on the bat rack in the dugout, late in a game. When Nick was 6, Steve managed a minor league team in Waterloo, Iowa. Steve knew no baby sitters there, so he took Nick to games.

"When I had to go to sleep, he needed to know where I was, so I slept right on top of the bat rack,” Nick Swisher said. “My dad’s a great man, he’s my best friend, my idol. But he’s quiet. I’m not quiet. I don’t know what happened.

"The stories I could tell you about being around pro baseball—it's unbelievable," Swisher said. "That's all I know, that's the only thing I know how to do."

OUTGOING PERSONALITY

When Nick was in college, two of his teammates offered him $50 if he could stay quiet for a long bus ride back from Columbus, Ohio.

"It was the hardest thing for me to do. I wanted to just shoot myself," Swisher recalled. "But, I got my 50 bucks, boy!" 

Before the 2004 season, Baseball America rated Nick as the 6th-best player in the A's organization. And in 2005, the magazine moved Swisher all they way up to #1 prospect in the Oakland system.

Swisher is a real baseball rat with a solid work ethic. He is learning to control his intense nature. Overall, his attitude and perpetual motion style is part of what his teammates admire. They also enjoy his humor and fun-loving clubhouse presence.

He is usually the first player in the clubhouse every day, getting there at 1:00 p.m. for a night game. He was like that in high school too. (Editor's note: He wouldn't get along with Joe Maddon, who is not big on players getting to the clubhouse so early.)

Swisher was once known to over-do his pregame workouts. But he learned.

"It's a maturing process," Nick said. "You've got to learn what you can handle and whatyou can't. I'm used to going 110 percent all the time, and sometimes you've got to learn to cut it back a little bit."

On August 14, 2005, Nick went on the bereavement list after learning that his grandmother, Betty Lou, died in West Virginia. Nick has a tattoo of her initials on his left chest.

To this day, wisher points to the sky when he crosses home plate after hitting a home run—a tribute to his grandmother, who died from brain cancer in 2005.

''I'm sure it rubs some people the wrong way,'' he said. ''But it's not meant to be malicious. My grandmother is the one reason why I play so hard. She loved to watch me play. And I can't think of a better way to honor her than by doing that. It's not meant to be a show-off thing."

His grandma, Betty Lorraine Swisher, helped raise him after his parents divorced when he was in eighth grade; he has her initials with angel wings tattooed on his chest. She also was the motivation for his decision to go without a haircut for 10 months, a period that ended in May, 2007, when he cut his long locks and donated them to help make wigs for cancer patients. He's involved in several charities and has established his own foundation.

During the offseason before 2006 spring training, Swisher practied Bikram yoga in a 120-degree room for 90 minutes at a time in an effort to increase his flexibility and focus. Nick says he has noticed less fatigue while lifting weights since starting the program and also says it makes him a quicker outfielder.

Nick also trained with the Ohio State football team the offseason before he hit 35 homers with Oakland in 2006.

During 2006 spring training, Swisher lockered next to Frank Thomas. He continually pumped the veteran for information, listening intently. And big Frank warmed up to the Nick.

"He's quirky, but in a consistent way. His heart's in the right place," Thomas said.

In 2006, Nick was known to play the occasional match of beer pong at the house he shared with pitchers Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, and Huston Street.

According to Wikipedia.com, beer pong is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in one of several cups of beer on the other end.

Before 2007 spring training, Swisher used some unorthodox methods to bulk up to a bodybuilder physique and 220 pounds.

"I worked out in a barn, bro," he said. "No lie, a big-ol' barn. Shoveling stuff, busting up concrete, chopping trees, stuff like that. I call it 'functional training.' I even pushed my truck up a hill a bunch of times."

The unorthodox approach was the brainchild of Swisher's longtime strength coach, Al Johnson, a fellow native of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Knowing that Swisher's high-energy personality craves the stimulation of variety, Johnson wanted to get his client out of the mundane routine of traditional weight-lifting sessions.

"He just said to me one day, 'Let's mix it up, Swish,' and that's what he came up with," Swisher said. "I was all for it." (Mychael Urban-MLB.com-2/18/07)

As the 2008 season got started, Nick began a program with White Sox conditioning director Allen Thomas. Swisher "started circuit training, mixing in cardio work while I'm lifting weights. It has taken my strength and physical appearance to the next level."

Swisher added that with the help of Thomas, he has learned to alter his eating habits so he concentrates on carbohydrates in the morning and protein at night.

"I'm not a bodybuilder, but this is body business," Swisher said. "You have to take care of yourself, especially with the grind we have. You have to do the right thing."  (Mark Gonzales-Chicago Tribune-6/11/08).

Swisher has a charity called "Swishers Wishes." In July 2008, Swisher was touched by the story of a young boy who lost his leg to cancer at the age of one.  Swisher flew the young boy and his parents to a game in Chicago.  The boys name was Adam Bender and he was an 8 year old catcher for his little league team.

Swisher will dye his facial hair at the drop of a charity.

In 2008, he went with a pink goatee on Mother's Day for breast cancer awareness. Then on Father's Day, he died it blue for prostate cancer awareness.

During the 2008 season, after hitting a grand slam home run, Nick pulled off the Captain Morgan pose with teammate Orlando Cabrera in a moment that was totally rehearsed. And they pulled it off perfectly.

Swisher's nickname, "Dirty Thirty," is stamped on most of his bats instead of his name.

Around the batting cage, Swisher can be seen hugging players from both teams and can be heard chattering things like: “Sit in the penalty box!” “Ah, yes!” “Look at this guy!” “You look so good, bro!” “I told you!” “Two minutes!”

Swisher's Sweets (favorites):

Movie: For the Love of the Game

TV Shows: Home Improvement and Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Music: Country

Sports team other than baseball: Chicago Bears

Nick was asked him most memorable game, saying, "My grandmother passed away on August 14, 2005, and a year later on August 14, 2006, I hit a home run. Then on that date in 2007, I hit a triple and a single. I didn't play on that date in 2008."

During the winter before 2010 spring training, Swisher lost 12 pounds. Rather than working out longer or harder, Swisher simply altered his diet, eliminating junk food and sticking to high-protein meals—eggs for breakfast, whole wheat wraps for lunch, yogurt for a snack, and chicken for dinner.

His cheat meal? A Chipotle burrito . . . once a week.

August 9, 2011, Swisher released a full-length, 12-song children's music CD "Believe" through digital outlets, with a portion of the proceeds going to the switch-hitter's "Swish's Wishes" organization.

"I know I'm not a great singer, but I know I'm not a bad singer," Swisher said with a laugh. "I don't want to be 50 years old, sitting in a rocking chair, wishing I would have done something. I'm going to live my life and have a blast doing it."

Swisher spent four hours in a New York recording studio earlier this season to lend his vocals to the tracks, joined by special guests that include Bernie Williams and Barry Zito playing the guitar.

Backup vocals were performed on each song by children ages 8-13, including kids from the nationally acclaimed music education franchise "School Of Rock," as well as 13-year-old Natalie Prieb, granddaughter of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.

"Producer Loren Harriet and all the artists and all the kids that sang on the album, I couldn't thank them enough," Swisher said. "They made that experience for me so amazing. I'm just really proud of the final product."

Swisher said his favorite tracks on the album are the covers of David Bowie's "Heroes," Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" and the final track, "Believe," which features Williams handling the guitar strumming.

During the winter before 2012 spring training, Swisher believes he accomplished a lot  in his visits to a sports psychologist.

Many professional athletes reach out to a sports psychologist when they're dealing with some sort of problem, but Swisher laughed, saying he didn't think there was anything wrong with him before. No, he just wanted to find another way to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

"I think your mind is that one thing that can maybe take you to that next level," he said during 2012 spring training. "I feel like I'm on the brink of that next level, and that's where I want to be. I just figured I'd do that. I've come in here, been a lot more relaxed, a lot more focused and it's really paying off for me so far."

"Relaxed" is hardly the first word that comes to mind when you think of Swisher, and he admits he will still be his usual energetic self once he gets on the field, but he wants to be viewed as more than just a good presence in the clubhouse. He wants to be known as a good ballplayer.

March 6, 2013: "He doesn't just talk the talk. He walks it and he lives it and he believes it. It works. I don't care what people thought of him before. I know how we feel about him here, and that's what's important. I know our guys love him, and I do, too."  (Tribe manager Terry Francona on Swisher)

FAMILY

Febrary 15, 2013: Nick left the Indians' spring training camp following the death of his mother. The funeral was in Columbus, Ohio.

During the offseason before 2011 spring training, Nick married his wife, Joanna Garcia, an actress, who appeared on "Reba," as well as several TV movies on the Lifetime network.

May 22, 2013: Swisher became the new father of a baby girl, Emmerson.

"She is the cutest thing ever, man," Swisher said. "It's crazy, because this game has been my whole life. When that little thing popped out, I didn't know I could love something that much. She don't even know me yet."

Swisher and his wife JoAnna welcomed their first child into the world. It was an incredible moment when the doctor delivered his daughter and handed her to Swisher's wife.

"In that two seconds it took to take her out and put her on her chest, man," Swisher said, "I was crying so much. It was just like this huge wave of emotion just came through and I'm sitting there, looking at her, and the tears were coming, just cruising out."

Following that, there was Nick's concern for all the children of Cleveland. Swisher and his wife, JoAnna, donated $25,000 to the FBI Citizens Academy Foundation for the purchase of child identification kits. The new father said his role as a parent motivated his donation, the day before his daugher was born.

"Being involved with the Child ID program was a no-brainer for me," Swisher said in a press release. "Protecting and helping children is something that's just instinctive—but now that I'm about to be a Dad for the first time, it takes on a whole new meaning. I am proud to be a part of this."

Each identification kit contains an inkless fingerprinting card, a DNA collection envelope and a cut-out wallet card. The fingerprinting process takes about five minutes to perform. Completed kits can provide authorities with vital information in their search for a missing child.

The kits were distributed at the next nights Tigers-Indians game and in the Greater Cleveland area throughout the year.

Swisher's donation came in the same month that three Cleveland women—Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight—were rescued a decade after being kidnapped off the street.  (Jordan Bastian and Mark Emery / MLB.com / 5/23/13)

Nick is of German descent, and an Italian mother, Lillian Marie Malizia, whose grandfather emigrated to the Buffalo area from the town of Oliveri, in Sicily. Swisher's parents divorced when he was 11 years old. He then went to live with his grandparents in Parkersburg, West Virginia, who raised him during his teenage years.

January 6, 2014: The Indians announced that they are beginning a search for a full-time Governor of Brohio, the section of blue-clad fans inspired by  Swisher. What began as a small promotion evolved into an event during each homestand at Progressive Field last summer.

Now, Swisher and the Indians want someone to lead the charge in 2014.

The governor position will be filled via voting on Indians.com by fans, who will make up half of the total vote. Swisher will then have the final say over the remainder of the ballot to determine the winner, who will win tickets to each Friday and Saturday home game in Cleveland this season in Section 117, which was dubbed "Brohio" in honor of Swisher.

Nick Swisher was terrified. Sitting in a helicopter in the middle of war-torn Afghanistan was not exactly where he'd pictured spending his Thanksgiving back in 2010. But there he was, compelled by his desire to express, in person, just how much he appreciated the men and women of the United States' armed forces.

"I'm not going to lie, I can't say I wasn't scared," Swisher said. "To have the honor and privilege to go over there was amazing. It's a trip I'll never forget and something I was proud to say that I did."

Swisher and his wife, Joanna Garcia, stopped at a total of 14 forward operating bases, "pretty much front lines, where the fight takes place," said Swisher. Instead of casual meet-and-greets at well-fortified outposts, Swisher found himself running for his life so that he could visit with soldiers on the edge of a war.

"When you land, you don't just land and walk to the next destination. You land full-geared up, helmets, vest, everything and you run. Finally you get into the safe zone. Everyone's got a gun. And they're saying, 'Mr. Swisher, what're you doing here?'" Swisher said. "[One soldier] said, 'Sir, no one's ever been here before.'"

It was for that journey, along with his involvement in the Wounded Warrior Project and Operation Homefront, that Swisher was nominated for the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award for the second time since it was first given out in 2013.

The award, which goes to one active Major Leaguer, one Hall of Famer, and one Navy Chief Petty Officer, honors those who have achieved successful careers on the field while serving both country and reaching out to the community. 

The award is named in memory of former Indians Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, who served three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  (Shirkey - mlb.com - 7/4/14)

July 2014: The Discovery Channel has a new show airing called "American Muscle," in which trainer Mike Barwis works with athletes on different strength and conditioning techniques. Swisher was on an episode, and the most intriguing part of the episode involves Swisher throwing beer kegs to help improve his baseball swing.

September 4, 2015: After the Braves endured a third double-digit loss within a seven-day span, Nick Swisher was among the veterans who addressed some of the younger players, trying to get the message through to the youngsters, that there is still time to show some pride and make strides that could create both immediate and future benefits.

"We've got to all come together and do this thing together," Swisher said. "That is our fight right now, coming together as a unit and doing this as a unit. You can't do this as individuals. As much as you'd like to do it, you can't be LeBron James -- get the ball every time down the court and just dunk. That's just not going to happen. This [stinks] that it's happened, but I think this is going to help us in the long run so much because nobody likes getting their [butt] kicked." (M Bowman - MLB.com - September 5, 2015)

"Nick gives you, day in and day out, tremendous energy and great at-bats," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Whether he draws a walk, gets a base hit or strikes out, he gives you great at-bats. The encouraging thing is we'll watch him for the rest of this month and have him for one more year. When he goes into this offseason and heals up from those knee surgeries, maybe he comes back (in 2016) and we have an even better player."

Shortly after Swisher joined the Yankees for Spring Training in 2009, he began a daily morning ritual of sharing a cup of coffee with Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry at the ballpark. It was within these conversations that Swisher developed an indelible bond with the Hall of Fame catcher.

Once, when Swisher asked Berra why he kept his bat in constant motion before swinging, the legendary figure provided one of his simple, yet sound responses: "Well Nicky, if I stopped it, I couldn't get it going again."

"That man was so amazing to me," Swisher said. "I had just come over to New York after losing my grandfather. After the time we spent together, I said, 'Hey, Yogi, why don't you just be my adopted grandfather?' He was like, 'You know what Nicky, I'd love that.' From then on, I think there was just a crazy bond with him that I had."

Swisher feels fortunate that he remained in contact with Berra over the past few years and even visited him at his New Jersey home in the winter of 2015.

"I'm from this little town in West Virginia and just a nobody," Swisher said. "Somehow, I ended up being tight with a man like Yogi Berra, a living legend. So I think, just for myself, I tried to soak that up. He could talk to me in a way that would just simplify everything. He was just a very simple man and he loved life. He always had a smile on his face." (Bowman - mlb.com - 9/23/15)

October 15, 2015:  Swisher was the only MLB player with a million followers on Twitter.

TRANSACTIONS

June 2002: The A's chose Nick in the first round, out of Ohio State University.

June 2002: Nick signed with the A's for a bonus of $1.7 million one week after being drafted in the first round. Rich Spark was the scout who signed him. Swisher was excited to sign, saying playing in the Majors had been his dream since he was six years old.

May 11, 2007: Nick and the A's agreed to a five-year, $26.75 million contract with a club option for 2012. His salary was $700,000 for 2007, $3.5 million in 2008, $5.3 million in 2009, $6.75 million in 2010, and $9 million in 2011. The club option is worth $10.25 million, with a $1 million buyout.

He also has a limited no-trade option in which he can designate six teams to where he will not go during the final guaranteed year and the option year.

If Swisher finishes among the top five in the MVP voting in any year through 2011, his club option increases to $12 million.

January 3, 2008: To get Swisher, the White Sox sent LHP Gio Gonzalez, RHP Fautino De Los Santos, and OF Ryan Sweeney to the A's.

November 13, 2008: The Yankees sent INF Wilson Betemit and RHPs Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to the White Sox, acquiring Swisher and RHP Kaneoka Texeira.

October 29, 2011: The Yankees picked up Swisher's $10.25 million option for the 2012 season.

December 23, 2012: Nick agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract with the Indians. The contract also includes a $14 million option for a fifth season, making the potential total value of the contract $70 million.

August 7, 2015: The Braves sent Chris Johnson to the Indians, acquiring CF Michael Bourn, Swisher, and cash.

March 28, 2016: The Braves released Swisher.

April 14, 2016:  Swisher signed a Minor League contract with the Yankees.

July 2, 2016: Nick Swisher opted out of his Minor League contract with the Yankees, announcing on his Facebook page that he will sit out the remainder of the season to spend time with his family. He has not ruled out playing next year.

"After the birth of my second child, I've decided to take a step back and spend the rest of this season full time with my wife and two daughters. Make no mistake, I am not hanging it up," Swisher said. "I love this game with the same amount of passion that I had as a rookie 12 years ago.

"I want to thank the Yankees for giving me the opportunity to return to the organization that I love so much and wish them nothing but success for the rest of 2016. Despite not being at the ballpark every day, I will continue to train on a daily basis and evaluate my options for next season at the appropriate time."Swisher and his wife, JoAnna, welcomed their second daughter, Sailor, earlier this week in Tampa, Fla. They also have a 3-year-old daughter, Emme.

Released by the Braves late in Spring Training, Swisher agreed to a Minor League contract with the Yankees in April. He played first base, left field, right field and designated hitter for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, hitting .255/.297/.377 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 55 games. The Yankees had opportunities to promote Swisher to the Majors, as first basemen Mark Teixeira, Dustin Ackley and Chris Parmelee all sustained injuries, but chose not to.

"I don't think we would have signed him if we didn't want to take a look at him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We just felt some guys were ahead of him at the time, so he was never called. I respect what he did. He had another baby, so go and enjoy that."

"I'm not so sure that this will be it for him," Girardi said. "He was a guy that brought a lot of energy, had some big years for us here. A patient hitter that had power." (B Hoch - MLB.com - July 2, 2016)

Nick, a switch-hitter, has power from both sides of the plate, especially the left. And, he has good bat speed from both sides of the plate that helps to generate that power.

In 2006, Nick made a good adjustment at the plate—practicing the art of hitting to the opposite field.

"Now when I take batting practice, I only hit to left-center or left field," Swisher said. "I'm not trying to do too much and I'm just trying to put the good part of the bat on the ball."

Then he applies what he practices in the game, maintaining his focus and staying inside the ball.

Another change in 2006: He switched to a lighter bat, going from a 34-ounce model to a 30-ounce bat, which allows him to wait better on off-speed pitches.

Nick sometimes jumps on the inside fastball too soon, sitting on the pitch that has given him the most success.

"Most of the inside fastballs he gets end up in the bleachers near first [or third] base," A's manager Ken Macha said. "Once he commits to not pulling the fastball, he will start making good contact. This is something that is not easily learned."

Swisher's biggest problem is still the Major Lague curveball and other offspeed pitches.  (Ryan Quinn-MLB.com-9/19/06)

In September 2006, A's manager Ken Macha offered Nick $50 for every double he hit. "I'm trying to get the guy to hit the ball to the opposite-field gap," Macha explained.

On June 7, 2009, Nick clubbed the 100th home run hit at the new Yankee Stadium.

In April 2010, tired of getting out just in front of every ball he had hit previously in the early season, Nick Swisher made a snap decision that may pay off again as the season unfolds. 

Before his at-bats, he typically swings a 34-ounce bat to get loose before switching over to his gamer, a 31-ounce model that allows him to uncork faster swings.  Apparently, it's sometimes too fast. Which is why he took the heavier bat with him to the batter's box against soft-tossing Rays reliever Andy Sonnanstine.

With the heavier lumber—he had never used a 34-ounce bat during a game—Swisher squared up a ball for the first time all day and hit a home run.  Swisher doubts that he'll use the 34-ounce bat against hard-throwers. But against soft tossers, he didn't rule out the possibility of making the equipment change again.

Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long described as "radical changes" Swisher's swing from 2009 to 2010. Long had pestered Swisher all last season that alterations were necessary to better handle off-speed offerings. But Swisher was only motivated to change by a postseason in which he was killed softly, producing a .128 average with 15 strikeouts in 47 at-bats. Playoff opponents offered limited fastballs and Swisher responded with limited impact.  

Long and Swisher began a pre-season two-week remodeling that extended throughout spring training. Among the modifications to smooth out the swing and get the whole body working sequentially were to have Swisher spread out a little more, move his hands closer to his body, eliminate some leg kick and keep his head steadier. All of that has enabled Swisher to stay back better on offspeed pitches, thus improving his ability to hit for both power and average.

Swisher was very consistent over his four years in New York (2009-2012), posting WAR totals (FanGraphs' version) between 3.2 and 4.1 in each season.

Also, his OBP—his greatest asset as a hitter—is always very high.

June 19, 2014: Walk-off grand slam: Swisher has been a part of six walk-off hits in his 11 seasons in the Majors, including four home runs, but this was his first grand slam to end a ballgame. He is not, however, the only active Indians player to accomplish the feat: Carlos Santana and Jason Giambi can both claim walk-off slams.

August 23, 2015: Swisher homered from both sides of the plate for the 14th time in his career—once again matching Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira  for the most in Major League history.

May 27-June 12, 2014: Nick went on the D.L. Swisher was lost for at least 15 days with a hyperextended left knee.

August 10, 2014: Swisher's right knee was bothering him again to where he needed to be on the D.L.

August 20, 2014: The Indians announced that Swisher was scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees in the afternoon in Los Angeles, with Dr. Neal ElAttrache (also the head physician for the Dodgers) slated to perform the debridement procedures. Swisher is expected to need eight to 10 weeks for recovery, giving him the chance to be at full strength for Spring Training next season.

March 25-May 25, 2015: Nick began the season on the D.L. while making progress in his return from double-knee surgery.

"He understands," Tribe manager Terry Francona said. "He did really well running the bases the last time. It was another step up. We can DH him in minor league games to make up at-bats and gradually increase the intensity.

"It is a little bit of a stretch, even in his own mind that he'd be ready for Opening Day but we haven't really addressed it," Francona added. "We have to get him in baseball shape but because he is in such good shape, that things will come quick for him."

June 14, 2015: Nick was back on the D.L. with inflammation in his left knee.