UnSung Heroes
Mar 3, 2008
Posted by Greg DaCosta

There are many members of our team that our known league wide. Jon Menezes and his right arm were the talk of the playoffs. Francis Pallotta and Cody Ireland known for their power and finesse games respectively, and now Ryan Rattos is the architect of a team that turned a lot of heads. Although the talk is all merited, the Bengals are and have always been built from the ground up. “The trenches” have always been the difference between winning and losing. They don’t always receive the glory, rewards, or recognition that others receive; but their roles are no less important.

Garrett Nicol
Without a doubt, the best baseball brain on the team. He is always thinking one step ahead of the competition. When the Bengals make a decision to change a pitcher, make a defensive replacement, steal a base, or send a runner home; it came from Garrett. My assistant coach of the year nomination was his, because on the field it really is his show. Add that to the fact he is the fiercest competitor on the team with his ability to play any position, and you get an irreplaceable commodity

Brandon Hlynsky
Some people smash balls out of the park, others make dynamic catches in the outfield. Brandon does neither. He does however calmly and collectively reel in any ball hit to him, and drop in base hits consistently at the plate. Arguably the Bengals best overall player, Brandon simply does the job and makes it look easy in the process.

Andrew Costly
Although he was not the most talked about rookie on the team, Costly had an impact on team chemistry on and off the field. His arm behind the plate is a weapon that almost single handily beat the Burlington Bulls in the playoffs where he threw out four base runners in game 2 of their 2 game series. His offence spoke for itself, as his speed was deceptively fast; especially for a catcher. If he plays a whole season this 2008, he will no doubt be a candidate for a gold glove.

Roger Du
When the going gets tough, Roger gets going. His game really picked up at the end of the season; typical for a player coming off of a two year layoff. His off field performance was phenomenal all season long. He was turned to repeatedly to raise the level of intensity and succeeded in doing so. He called us the team of destiny; upsetting the Twins, Stars, and Bulls Roger appeared right. As team captain in 2008, look for Roger to take the team one step further.
 
Other veterans like Kevin O’toole, Jeff Routledge, and Kris Kibsey had up and down seasons in 2008, and will be counted on for key hits, innings pitched, and defensive plays. Good teams have great players, usually in the top and middle of their line-ups. Great teams get contributions beyond one through twelve. Candy Maldonado said it best in 1993, “Trenches trenches”.