June 30

2008 Stadium Club #65 - Nick Swisher

On this day in 2008, Nick Swisher became the second White Sox player to homer from both sides of the plate twice in a season.

The first player to accomplish that feat was Jose Valentin, who did that three times during his tenure with the Pale Hose. Nick, who would only play with the White Sox for one season, was considered a mistake trade. The polarizing effect he had on both the clubhouse and the fans made for a quick exit. While top prospects were needed to snag Swisher away from the Oakland Athletics, the return from the New York Yankees was not as great. On the plus side, all three players the Sox got for Nick played with the South Siders at the major league level. On the negative side, all three players (Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez and Jeff Marquez) are all in other organizations.

For as little as Swisher fit in on the White Sox, he did leave a positive aspect. Nick was heavily involved in charity work and made many Sox fans aware of his charity, Swish's Wishes, with helps children with health issues. While entertaining at first, Swisher quickly got under fans' collective skin and "Dirty Thirty" couldn't find much love from a city that loves characters.