New Stars Talk About Life With the Yankees

Steve Greenberg - SportingNews.com

The New York Yankees are the only baseball team that can categorize its stars -- the stratospheric ones (Derek Jeter and A-Rod), the super-duper ones (CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera) and then there's a group of regular ol' stars. In fact, three of those stars were All-Stars earlier this season -- Robinson Cano made the team for the second time, while Nick Swisher and Phil Hughes became first-timers.

"That right there just goes to show you how amazing that is that you can take the time to categorize the players," said Swisher, a second-year Yankee. "Most teams, you don't have to do that. You've got to be pretty fortunate to even be in the conversation here."

The threesome is more than in the conversation. They've been key fixtures in the lineup -- and rotation -- and without them, it's a good chance the Yankees are looking up at Tampa Bay instead of holding them off in the A.L. East.

Swisher is second on the team with 22 home runs. Cano leads the Yankees in hits (143), batting average (.327) and slugging (.558). Hughes is second in wins with 13 and his 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings are best among Yankee starting pitchers.

So they don't mind taking a back seat to some of baseball's best.

"It's baseball heaven, man," Swisher says. "We've all said that before. When you look at the situation, it doesn't matter, man. You know, we're all on the same team. We're all fighting the same battle. And I'm telling you, man, there's no better place to play."

Swisher, Cano and Hughes recently sat down with Sporting News' Steve Greenberg and talked about their celebrity teammates, each other and winning another World Series title.

Here are some excerpts from our Sporting News Conversation.

Cano on Jeter and A-Rod: "They're both good guys. They'll talk to anybody in (the clubhouse). They won't be like, 'Oh, I'm a superstar.' They make jokes with us. If you see the way they treat us in there, you can tell. When the game starts, Jeter is demanding and we'll hear about winning. But in there he's a different guy -- the coolest guy I've ever met and a nice person, too."

Hughes on coming up through the organization: "I just feel blessed to have been drafted by the Yankees. I got a chance to come up and learn from Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, all the guys that were in this rotation. Would I have had that anywhere else? No. I got to learn from the best who have ever played this game. I feel like I benefited greatly from that."

Cano on George Steinbrenner: "He taught us from the moment you signed for rookie ball, all they teach here is 'Win the game; win the championship. The Boss wants to win.' The way they teach you to play the game here, it's all about winning. He changed not only the Yankees; he changed the whole game. Not only Yankees players, but the whole major leagues should miss him."

Swisher on Hughes: "How amazing of a season is he having? And just to be able to see what he accomplished last year, to take that role on as a setup guy in front of the greatest closer of all time, and then to come into a starting role, win the job out of spring and be an All-Star as a starter? I don't understand why that isn't the top thing to talk about."

Hughes on the three of them being Yankees in five years: "It's almost like it's not up to us at this point. I think all of us want to be here; it's just a matter of if we can continue to play well enough to where we're wanted here. I think a lot of guys have power over their teams, but in the N-Y they kind of have the power over you. They're going to get the best guys out there. You've just got to make sure you stay up here so you can be asked to come back."

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