It was a mix of old school and new school blending instantly.
The initial greeting that newcomer Nick Swisher received from veteran Jim Thome set an encouraging tone for the White Sox’s mission.
As Swisher dressed in a Sox uniform for the first time and joked that he could get his dark uniform dirty without anyone noticing, Thome subtly grabbed a chair and starting discussing some of the more spacious parks in the American League.
“If you want to hit 35 homers or more in this league, you have to go to the ‘oppo,'” said Swisher, using his slang for the opposite field.
Swisher makes no secret of his free-spirit manner that might rub teammates and opponents the wrong way, but he will be welcomed as long as he hustles and produces in the same manner he did for three full seasons in Oakland.
“I like to have fun with the opportunity you’re given,” Swisher said. “So many people take everything so seriously, and 80 percent of the time I’m laughing and having fun. I have wanted to do this my whole life, and I’ve busted my [tail] to get to where I am, and I’m going to have fun with it because I’m not going to stress every day.”
Arizona outfielder Eric Byrnes, who has been accused of false hustle, defends his former Oakland teammate.
“There’s no hateful bone in that body,” Byrnes said. “He has a great heart. Some of his mannerisms and things he does, it’s not to [upset] the other team. It’s just him doing it for his emotions. He’s going to rub a lot of people the wrong way.
“He might even rub some people the wrong way in the White Sox clubhouse, but ultimately I think he’s going to be very well-liked in Chicago.”
Swisher annoyed the Sox by hitting .305 against them, including a .394 mark in 2007 that included a five-RBI performance May 21 at U.S. Cellular Field.
“When you’re good, I think you have a tendency to hate the guy when he plays against you,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “Everything he did was pretty good against us. The cockiness that he showed people, you look at him after they scored a run, look in the dugout shaking people’s hands in a different way.”
Former Oakland teammate Dan Haren believes Swisher, a first-round pick out of Ohio State in 2002, will be known for his talent as well as his persona.
“There always have been a lot of expectations for him,” Haren said. “He has done a good job handling it. If there were any critics, he always has put it on the line out there. He has missed very few games. He has played through a lot of injuries. That’s one thing I respected a lot about him.
“Some guys, they take a day or two off if they don’t feel good. But he went out there a lot of times not feeling 100 percent and a lot of times when I was pitching he made some plays or got a key hit.”
One of the reasons Thome made a personal visit to Swisher on his arrival was to help acclimate him.
“When you have a guy on the other side who plays as hard as he does, you almost get teed off at him,” Thome said. “He’ll bring that atmosphere and arrogance to our club.
“When I switched teams for the first time (from Cleveland to Philadelphia), I switched leagues and didn’t know many of the pitchers. It’s up to guys like Paul (Konerko), J.D. (Jermaine Dye) and myself to help him.”
A.J. Pierzynski can relate to Swisher’s transition. Pierzynski helped Minnesota frustrate the Sox with his .347 lifetime average against them in 50 games but said he needed the entire spring in 2005 to become acclimated to a new organization.
It helped that pitching coach Don Cooper took Pierzynski to dinner during spring training.
“One thing about this organization is that they do a great job of welcoming guys and making them feel comfortable,” Pierzynski said. “We know about Nick. It seems like he will fit in.
“Any time you don’t like a guy it means he’s doing something to break your heart, so that’s a good thing.”
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mgonzales@tribune.com
