New address, agent for Yankees' Swisher
Nick Swisher, left, guest starring in an episode of the ABC sitcom "Better With You," which stars his wife, Joanna Garcia. Credit: ABC
TAMPA, Fla. - Nick Swisher quite literally has gone Hollywood. The Yankees' rightfielder married television actress Joanna Garcia - she stars on the ABC sitcom "Better With You" - and moved from Arizona to the Los Angeles area during the offseason.
In conjunction with those changes, Swisher switched representation from the Ohio-based Joe Bick to Dan Lozano, who runs his business in Southern California. This shift, however, left some sore feelings.
"I love Joe Bick," Swisher told Newsday after working out at the Yankees' minor-league complex Wednesday. "He's an amazing man. We just kind of grew apart a little bit. No hard feelings either way. It's just business."
Bick, informed of Swisher's comments, said, "Really? That's interesting. I haven't changed."
After seeing Swisher cut many ties with his past, the Yankees' biggest concern has to be that the 30-year-old, coming off arguably his finest major-league season, doesn't forget what gave him such fame in the first place.
"I'm not changing anything," he said. "I'm just trying to build on that."
Energetic as ever, Swisher professed confidence in the Yankees for this season, even though their starting pitching seems suspect after the failure to sign Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte's retirement.
"That guy has earned the right to do that. He's gone out there and given everything he's got over the past, what, 16 years?" Swisher said of Pettitte. "I think he deserves a break. And I know how much his family means to him, and I know how much he's missed out on. He wants to make sure he's there.
"I think that's really admirable. For a guy to step down from something he loves to do to be a family man, kudos to him. That's why he's one of the best in the game."
