Nick Swisher, All-Star

On a lighter note, our voting paid off!

Nick Swisher is now an All-Star!

The Yankee outfielder Swisher, along with Cincinnati Reds' first baseman Joey Votto were the winners of the All-Star Game Final Vote and will join the AL and NL teams with the 34th final roster spot. Swisher gather 9.8 million votes, narrowly beating out Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis while Votto 13.7 million votes in a landslide victory over Ryan Zimmerman, third baseman for the Washington Nationals.

While both players did their part on the field, it was Swisher who campaigned through the internet, sending constant updates to his 1.2 million twitter followers. Both actions paid off.

"I did my part to earn an All-Star berth. It means a lot to me," Votto said. "I've always wanted to be an All-Star one day. Today I was finally selected."

"I would say I'm relieved," Votto said. "I'm really glad this whole thing is over with. It was kind of taxing on me. I'm excited and I really, really appreciate the fans and their support."

"Things like that that make you feel so good," Swisher said. "People were telling me, everywhere I went. I'm just excited and couldn't be happier for all the support."

"It's been great, man," Swisher said. "All my teammates are happy for me, and that's the greatest thing, especially coming on a fan vote like that. It just goes to show you how important our fans are. They're the reason we are who we are. I can't thank them enough."

"It's just been a blessing to be over here, especially coming off 2008," Swisher said. "My life has just completely turned around, and every day is a good day for me. I love what I do, and to have this opportunity to go represent your team in the All-Star Game, it's a dream come true."

Swisher this season is hitting .307 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI.
Votto this season is hitting .314 with 22 home runs and 60 RBI.

It's the first All-Star selection for both players.

With Swisher, the Yankees now have eight players in the All-Star Game. Swisher joins Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera as the Yankees' All-Star representatives. Crazy.