Post by Fish Troll on Feb 20, 2007 20:30:57 GMT -5
TAMPA, Fla. -- Brian Bruney celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday, and the right-handed Yankees reliever planned to spend a good amount of time in front of the mirror.
Bruney isn't exceptionally vain, nor was he searching for some deeper meaning. By mimicking his pitching motion repeatedly, Bruney is hoping to improve his control.
"You can do it anywhere. It's like tic-tac-toe," Bruney said.
If the regimen of shadow work does the trick, it could help Bruney stay in the big leagues for several more birthdays to come.
"The minute you get comfortable in this game is the second it will turn around and bite you," Bruney said. "I'm always looking to improve. That's what's going to make me better."
Released by the D-backs last summer, Bruney became one of the nicer surprises of the Yankees' season, joining the club in late August and posting a 0.87 ERA down the stretch.
In 19 games for New York, Bruney limited opponents to a .189 batting average, walked 15 and struck out 25.
While he was satisfied with the performance, Bruney said he needs to earn a spot in the team's 12-man bullpen if he wants to open the season in the Big Apple.
"I don't think they hand out jobs for something you did last year, and they shouldn't," Bruney said. "Coming in, I'm just here to get my work in and perform to the best of my ability."
A former closer for the D-backs who saved 12 games in 2005, Bruney said he simply walked too many batters, issuing 62 free passes in 77 1/3 innings for Arizona.
"I've still got a lot of work to do," Bruney said. "That's always been one of my downfalls -- not a lot of hits, but a lot of walks. Any time you're putting guys on for free, it's not something you want to do."
Bruney isn't exceptionally vain, nor was he searching for some deeper meaning. By mimicking his pitching motion repeatedly, Bruney is hoping to improve his control.
"You can do it anywhere. It's like tic-tac-toe," Bruney said.
If the regimen of shadow work does the trick, it could help Bruney stay in the big leagues for several more birthdays to come.
"The minute you get comfortable in this game is the second it will turn around and bite you," Bruney said. "I'm always looking to improve. That's what's going to make me better."
Released by the D-backs last summer, Bruney became one of the nicer surprises of the Yankees' season, joining the club in late August and posting a 0.87 ERA down the stretch.
In 19 games for New York, Bruney limited opponents to a .189 batting average, walked 15 and struck out 25.
While he was satisfied with the performance, Bruney said he needs to earn a spot in the team's 12-man bullpen if he wants to open the season in the Big Apple.
"I don't think they hand out jobs for something you did last year, and they shouldn't," Bruney said. "Coming in, I'm just here to get my work in and perform to the best of my ability."
A former closer for the D-backs who saved 12 games in 2005, Bruney said he simply walked too many batters, issuing 62 free passes in 77 1/3 innings for Arizona.
"I've still got a lot of work to do," Bruney said. "That's always been one of my downfalls -- not a lot of hits, but a lot of walks. Any time you're putting guys on for free, it's not something you want to do."
