PHOENIX -- The sound was methodical. After a handful of seconds, the crack of Michael Brantley's bat would shoot through the batting cage at Cleveland's spring complex. Another ball was placed on the tee in front of him, and the noise would reverberate in the tunnel again.
Only Brantley's father, Mickey, was present for this afternoon hitting session a few days before Opening Day. They remained in the cage more than an hour, fine-tuning the swing that the elder Brantley helped design. The father knows that his son's work is not done, either.
"He's worked hard.