New Sox addition Swisher happy to call Chicago his home

TUCSON, Ariz. -- How excited is Nick Swisher to be with the White Sox?

"I don't know, man," he said, "it's like I'm getting giddy, like a little school kid.''

Not long after reporting to training camp Tuesday, the outgoing outfielder changed into his new uniform and started running in place before joining Jim Thome for some early hitting.

"It's going to be a great year,'' Swisher said. "Just looking around the locker room and seeing the big names, I'm like, 'Man, I'm excited to be a part of this franchise.' ''

Swisher was quite content with his old team -- the Athletics -- so much so that he bought a house in Oakland in late December. Two weeks later, the 27-year-old switch hitter initially was stunned over the trade.

"The first thought that goes through your mind is you did something wrong,'' Swisher said. "I don't know. I thought Oakland was the place for me to be. It was unexpected, but I think in the end (Chicago's) going to be the best place for me.''

The White Sox feel the same way, which is why they were willing to pay a pretty steep price (minor-league pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney) to acquire Swisher.

Not only is the former Ohio State star productive at the plate and versatile with the glove, Swisher brings some needed energy to a team that was ragged in 2007.

"I think that's one of the main reasons we did what we did,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said of the Jan. 3 trade. "I think we need people like that. It's a funny thing, because of the way I used to hate this kid when he played against me. I couldn't stand him.''

Swisher has been known to rankle the opposition with his over-the-top style of play. The son of former major-league catcher Steve Swisher doesn't keep his emotions in check when he's on the field.

If anything, Guillen was jealous of his new outfielder, especially last season.

"Because he was good,'' Guillen admitted. "I like the cockiness, and I think we're missing that. I think we need people with a little flavor on the ballclub.

"I think this kid goes out there and enjoys the game. He wants to win and he wants to beat people. When you're good, I think you have a tendency to hate the guy when he plays against you.

"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.

"He brings a little flavor for the team and I think that's one of the biggest reasons -- besides his on-base percentage and what he brings to the table on the field -- that's one of the biggest reasons we put him on this ballclub.''

Guillen still is trying to find a position for Swisher -- he is likely to play center field, left field and some first base -- but the new addition can expect to be in the lineup every day.

If he continues to perform with the emotion he displayed during his three-plus seasons with Oakland, Swisher is going to build quite a following on the South Side.

"I love playing the game, and if it comes off like that, hey, some people look at it like that,'' Swisher said of his swagger. "Hey, I don't mean to be like that. I'm just out there having fun. For me, this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do. When you get to that point, you want to soak it up for everything it's worth.

"For me, I go out and play the game hard, bring some intensity. I'm not going to come over here and change the way I play the game. I'm coming over here and doing the things I've been doing so I can get better year in and year out.''

With that, Swisher officially started a new chapter with the White Sox.

"As you can tell, I'm pretty shy, it's tough for me to speak to people,'' Swisher joked. "I think it's going to be great. Chicago is a great town. My old man played with the Cubs for all those years and told me about Chicago and what a great town it is. It really is."