 "Photo: Steve Desantis")
"I can't even explain how baseball makes me feel...After my family, there is nothing that I love more than the game of baseball."
At the age of 4, Anthony Bruno found himself with his first love, a baseball. With a big smile and the will to learn, Bruno took the field ready to learn the game he would cherish forever.
His biggest influence in the game was his father. With three kids in the family, he was often running around helping out all three, but Bruno enjoyed his time he had with his father as a child.
"He would wake me up on Saturday or Sunday morning and take me to the field and just rip ground ball after ground ball," Bruno explained. "He didn't show any mercy. At one point I started to wear soccer shin-guards because of how hard he used to hit ground balls at me." Without the love and support of his parents, he believes he wouldn't be where he is today.
In high school Bruno excelled at baseball and was one of the best players around New York City. He was named to All-Queens third baseman and second team all NYC. He does not consider that his claim to fame though.
"My claim to fame though is that my friend, Matt Rizzotti, that I played summer ball with just got drafted last year," Bruno exclaimed. "He hit a game winning homerun off of Joba Chamberlain (New York Yankees) in college. In four years of high school, Rizzotti was 1-8 with three walks against me and that one hit being an infield single."
Growing up he had an abundance of memories, but one special one that came to mind was here at MCLA. In his first career start on the mound, he threw a complete game nine-inning shutout against Endicott.
Not even remembering how he had heard of MCLA, Bruno fell in love with the school when he visited and stayed over night at the college with former players here at the college.
"I got to spend a weekend with Bobby, Gary, Murph, Seamus, Bailey, Dumas, Bellz, and the list goes on. I still keep in touch with those guys all the time."
Over the past three years Bruno has learned how to become a leader. He had the privilege to play with one of MCLA's great, Bobby Howland, who influenced him on the baseball field. Howland was not a vocal captain, but left it all out on the field and that what was Bruno admired the most.
As for this spring, Bruno expects nothing less than a conference championship and looks to the returning veterans to step it up a notch and push it up into another gear.
"I honestly think we can run away with this conference if we can put everything together," Bruno said with excitement in his voice. "We have a great combination of veterans and rookies." He believes this team to be the best team, talent-wise, that he has played on in his four years here and is excited to get the season underway.
What runs through the mind of such an athlete though? What gets his blood flowing and his mind focused for such a game? That answer: "No Leaf Clover" by Metallica. Before Bruno steps off the bus to each game, he has that song blasting through his body to get him psyched and ready for the game. That is not all that Bruno does to get ready for the game. Superstitions, which follow players all throughout the baseball world, also accompany him around the field.
"When I pitch, after I finish my warm-ups and the catcher throws the ball down, I smell my hat," Bruno tells with a smile. "One game in high school, my hat was gross because I used the same hat every year and did not wash it, and I smelt it at the beginning of one game and I struck out the side. I did it every inning after that and I pitched a one-hit shutout. I have done it every time after that."
Whether the superstitions are working or not, Bruno's hard word and dedication has landed him with the possibility of playing professionally overseas in Israel. Working with former General Manager of the Red Sox, Dan Duquette, who is also the director of operations of the league in Israel, invited Bruno to a tryout for the league. Bruno was later contacted and told he they wanted him to play in the league. With great excitement and joy, he spread the news of his possibility to play professional ball to his friends and family.
Bruno still continues to work hard, focus, and pursue the game he fell in love with when he was a child and looks to continue his dream professionally.
"I would go anywhere just to continue playing baseball."
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