Six degrees of Nick Swisher

This blog post by Tyler Kepner just blew my mind.  Basically, Kepner connects the signing of Ruben Rivera to the trade for Nick Swisher.

1990 – Yankees sign Rivera from Panama.

1997 – Yankees trade Rivera to Padres in Hideki Irabu deal.

1999 – Yankees trade Irabu to Expos for Jake Westbrook (and others)

2000 – Yankees trade Westbrook to Indians for David Justice

2001 – Yankees trade Justice to Mets for Robin Ventura

2003 – Yankees trade Ventura to Dodgers for Scott Proctor

2007 – Yankees trade Proctor to Dodgers for Wilson Betemit

2008 – Yankees trade Betemit to White Sox in Swisher deal

Absolutely brilliant work by Kepner.

Meanwhile, here are some words from Swisher to make you smile before you go to bed (via Peter Abraham): “I’m loving it,” he said. “It’s like I almost don’t want to wake up. I don’t want to soak it in right now. I want to keep that fire and keep that passion and keep that attitude going right now. I know in this game you’re going to go through ups and downs. But right now it’s going pretty well.”

(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images