Not cool, bro.
Indians first baseman Nick Swisher, known as a grinning, super-stoked-to-be-here presence during his time with the Yankees, got a bit aggressive with retired franchise great Kenny Lofton at a Cleveland fan fest this winter.
The confrontation, described as a “nose-to-nose … verbal battle” in the MLB.com report, stemmed from comments Lofton made questioning whether the 2013 Indians, who lost in the one-game wild-card round of the postseason to the Rays, were a true “playoff” team.
Swisher, on behalf of his Indians teammates, reportedly took exception. And when Lofton — who stole 450 bases and won one pennant in two separate stints with Cleveland — arrived as a guest at the team’s camp this spring, the “cold shoulder” treatment continued.
“That was handled,” Swisher said of the beef with Lofton. “We handled that.”
Lofton, perhaps, is unconvinced, telling MLB.com in a text: “U guys need to put in there on what’s the definition of playoffs and that should answer Swisher’s comments.”
Lofton stands at 6 feet, and played at about 180 pounds. Swisher goes 6 feet, 200. If it was Albert Belle questioning the definition of the playoffs, this might be a different story.