The Latest Happenings with the Bengals and the OSBA
Jul 15, 2008
Posted by Ryan Rattos

RIP 2008 OSBA Bloor Jays

Bengals News
A lot to talk about. Let's start with our team. With a 10-5-1 record we are sitting at a decent spot. We knew it would be hard to take first in our division. Especially now, since the Bulls havent lost a game. Our focus is just on playing some good consistent ball. Last year we were too inconsistent, and that was one thing we looked at changing in the offseason. While we are more consistent this year, we still have our times where we dont play at the same level on some weekends, and teams make you pay for that.

We have come out and beat some very good teams thus far (Pirates, Stars, Twins), but also lost to some good ones too (Dodgers, Giants). Thus, I still think there is room for improvement. We have a great group of pitchers, and each game should come down to our hitting. For instance, we put up 25 runs against the Stars and the next week only 6 against the Giants. Credit the Giants pitching, but we could not cash in at crucial points in the game. That being said, I think it will come around. Some guys on the team havent hit their stride yet, and when they do, we should be that much better.

Injuries
The injury bug has hit us again this season. Ireland broke his wrist after tripping and has been out since the beginning of June. He should be back in action by August. Nicol also just found out that he has multiple tears in his rotarot cuff. An appointment with a specialist in August will let him know if he needs surgery, or just rest and rehab. Worst case scenario he may have to miss some of this year, or all of next. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Francis Pallotta
Other sad news is that we lost a long time Bengal in Francis Pallotta this season. He will be missed, especially by the vets on the team. His presence alone gave confidence to every member of the team. He is a great team member and a great friend to us all. We still have a deep team, so until eveyone comes back at full strength, we should be able to hold down the fort.

Rookies
I am pleased to see our rookies doing really well thus far. Andy has given us a solid option in the middle infield and a patient eye at the plate. Jeff gives us a presence of a big human on the mound and at the plate. He is throwing well off the bump and getting us lots of outs. At the plate he looks intimidating, and is starting to heat up with his bat. Amendola has given us a strong arm off the hill, as well as a great defensive player to man almost any position. His bat is starting to catch fire, and his speed is overlooked by most teams because he is a power hitter. These guys will play a vital role in where we go this season.

Our Division
I said at the beginning of the year that we had a great division. I didn't lie. It is great to be a part of it. Every team in our division has a firepowered offense and strong pitching. Having played the Giants since our Junior days, we already knew they were a great team. After sweeping us and the Majors this weekend, the have taken over the 2nd spot in our division. I can't say that I'm surprised. I expect our division to be a dogfight for the rest of the season. Which is why August is a HUGE month for us. Every game in August is against a divisional opponent. Majors, Majors, Giants, Bulls, Bulls. What an end to the season!!! We are very confident in ourselves, but we will have to prove something in August and go after every game extremely focused.

OSBA Stuff
Tournament - It was great to play in the OSBA's first ever wood bat tournament earlier this month. Every team from the OSBA that was there got a taste of wood bat style baseball, and can now consider it for next year.
Bloor Jays Situation - It's too bad that the Jays had to fold. I can guarantee that it is not what anyone wanted to see happen. After all, OSBA is a league for guys who just want to play some good and competitive ball. It's gotta be the hardest for the Jays players who made it out to every game. RIP OSBA Bloor Jays.
Power rankings - Glad to see that the Rankings are being done again! They are fun to read.
West 2 - Also nice to see that this division isn't a 1-team race for first. It's gonna be exciting watching the Stars and Twins fight for the division
East 1 - The Brewers are a pleasant surprise!
East 2 - Looks like it may be a good race between the Dodgers, Pirates and Indians. Glad to see how much the Indians have improved!

Structuring Our Team
Mar 25, 2008
Posted by Ryan Rattos

Making the jump from a player to player/coach was kind of weird.  At first, all I had to do was show up to the game and focus on what I needed to do to put my team in a good position.  Every player has to do that if a team is going to be successful.

Then switching to a player/coach definitely took some adjusting to.  Obviously responsibilities get larger.  But trying to stay focused as a player is what seemed to be the most difficult.  By the end of the year, Greg, Garrett and I seemed to fully adjust to these roles.  We were able to settle into both roles and perform better at both of them as time went on.

This season, we have a year under our belts.  We know a lot more of what to expect from each other and our players.  Adding 5 new guys to the team last year was crucial.  They all brought something valuable to the team.  We had a tough regular season, but everything seemed to click in the playoffs.  Everyone stepped up.  Everyone one made something happen.  Everyone had something to do with every win in the playoffs.  That’s the kind of team that we wanted. 

This season we have added 3 key guys that will hopefully put us over the top and get closer to our goal: 
Jeff St. Denis – Will give us another strong arm.  Last season, we had to rely on 2 pitchers (Menezes and McDermid) to carry us through the playoffs.  This year I think Jeff will be a huge addition to our rotation.  He has great stuff and he will be a very special key to a deep playoff run.

Jonathan Amendola – A glaring weakness we had last year in the playoffs was the inability to get the big hit.  In both 1-0 defeats in the finals, we had our chances, but just couldn’t cash in.  Dola is the kind of guy who can cash in.  His presence in the line up will help the hitters around him.  Just having him in the lineup will help our team’s offensive confidence.  Dola will also help out our pitching staff.  He gives us another solid option to come in and relieve a close game, or start a big one.

Andy St. Denis – Andy will give us a solid option at short stop.  He will be a great luxury to have because we can either start him at short stop and bring in Kevin to pinch run, or bring him in to pinch hit for Kevin if need be.  The bottom line is that he gives us options.  He will also add a solid bat to out lineup, as well as another arm to our pitching staff.

I think the most important thing that these guys bring is depth.  Last season, we got piled on with injuries and couldn’t sustain a high level of play because we were losing out on some of our key guys.  This season, these guys give us options at every position.  We should be able to absorb an injury much better than we did last season, which should lead to a better regular season record.  We’ll see how it pans out.  It should be a fun year.

Correcting myself
Just to clarify, it appears what I heard about Reese Turner and the Messina brothers going to the Giants was just a rumour, and not fact. I still think the Giants are going to be a strong team.

OSBA Divisions
Mar 1, 2008
Posted by Ryan Rattos

A lot can be said about this upcoming season in OSBA. It's our third season in the league and we have adjusted well to playing double headers on Sundays after playing single games during the week in our other league. I am excited for this season to start mainly because of our division. I think our division will be arguably the best in the league. After all, we were the only division to have all four teams reach the playoffs last season. Although we are still relatively new to the league, I cannot fully comment on the Eastern Conference. But I know one thing for sure: in the West, we have the toughest and best division. Let's run through each team:

West Division 1
Burlington - Can't say enough about the Bulls. With a 23-5 regular season record, they are definitely the class of the league. Although every team in OSBA is aiming high, it will very be difficult for any team to accomplish or beat this feat. A solid pitching staff as always, with some potent offense. I can't really comment on their acquisition of Jeff King because I dont know much about him. We'll see as the season goes on. I expect the Bulls to remain at the top of the league in pitching and defense, which is their strong suit.

Bengals - Everyone seemed to count us out last season. We had a ton of injuries all year and thankfully we got all our guys back at the right time. We also got hot at the right time. There will be a lot of pressure on us this season to show that we arent a team that just gets hot and plays well for stretches. We have to find a way to sustain a high level of play. This is where our pickups of Jonathan Amendola and Jeff St. Denis come in. Both are pitchers, whom will add depth to our rotation and both will provide some decent offense. Also, if we can stay healthy, I think we will be in good shape.

Majors - No one knows much about this team with the exception of us and the Giants. Almost pulling out an upset in the playoffs last year against the Stars, I wasnt really surprised at all. I look for the Majors to keep inching their way up the standings this season after beating us for the second spot in the division last season. This team has strong arms in the Pileggi brothers as well as some speed through the order and some pop too.

Giants - With the remoured key acquisitions of Reese Turner, I expect a lot from this Giants team. I see the Giants as being the type of team that may not be flashy but gets the key hit/out when they need it most. Coming off a 2006 SOBA provincial championship and a strong expansion year, the Giants were defeated by a Majors team in some close games. I am definitely going to be keeping my eyes open on these guys all season.

West Division 2
Stars - The Stars are the type of team that seem to execute when needed. When they need a big hit, a big play, or a big pitch, they seem to always get it. I really don't see anything changing with that. They are just a confident bunch of guys who play well together and know what each other likes to do on the field. I look for the Stars to maintain their place in the standings within this division.

Twins - After the amazing series we had against the Twins last season in the first round of the playoffs, I can definitely see this team doing some damage if they stay focused. They have a solid batting order, and pitching staff. I think they key to the Twins success is flawless defense. Although playing at 9th line is not an easy task, I think if the Twins can play solid defense, as they have showed that they can, I think they will give the Stars a good fight for division leader.

Jays - The Jays are literally the beasts of the league. Their entire order can go yard at any point in a ball game. However, their achilles has been their pitching and defense. I'm not sure if they have picked up any pitchers. I expect Peart and Hand to lead these guys offensively as they always have.

Tigers - The true definition of a team with heart. Not many people expect much from the Tigers because they are moreso a family type of team. Coming off an emotional offseason, I look for the Tigers to have one of their best and most inspired seasons of all.

Eastern Conference
As I mentioned, I dont know much about the teams in the east except for a handful:
Whitby - Signing the Ovsonka brothers makes them a defininte contender in the East
Richmond Hill - Always a strong team who can wear any teams pitching out with their patience at the plate. Very strong defense as well
Talons - Can they maintain upon the strong season that they had last year? We'll see.
Pickering - I look for the Pirates to stay hot after what they accomplished last season.
Dodgers - A well-coached team, with a deep pitching squad, I think the Dodgers can maintain what they have done the past 2 seasons and go on a deep playoff run again.

Bengals Top 10 Games (excluding OSBA Games)
Jul 21, 2007
Posted by Ryan Rattos

10. 2001 Season game # 6 vs. Titans. This was my first year on this team. When I came over i was prepared for a 'rebuilding' team. We started this season off 0-3. This game put us back at .500 and from this point on, the Bengals have been a WINNING team.

9. 2001 Brampton tournament. This was the first tournament that we had won, once gregger, JR and myself joined the team. It was an extremely proud moment...the beginning of a dynasty. Mississauga News even put us in the papers.

8. 2001 City Finals vs. Twins. We were facing a dominant older team and we knew it would be a tough game. Although we lost 2 or 3 to 1, it was a great game simply just to play in. This marked our first year in the City Finals.

7. 2002 City Finals vs. A's. This game was a pitcher's duel between Adam and Chad. We had a few chances to win, but coudln't capitalize. A's win 1-0 off a Dutra solo home run. Exciting as hell though...

6. 2005 Oakville tourny. Looking like the tournament would not continue, we were surprised to hear that some guys would have one more chance to win their last ever tournament with the BENGALS. A solid game hitting and defensively. The middle infield was key in this game, especially Cody stealing a few hits away from Oakville in shallow right field. Bengals 5, Oakville 3.

5. 2004 SOBA Semis. Burlington had a great team. Maybe even greater than the one we beat in the '03 SOBA's. This was a tough game, but a triple and eventual run by Brian Horrel helped us beat our SOBA rivals 5-4.

4. 2001 Cities vs. Sheridan. An absolute nail-biter is all i can say. Down 5-1 in the bottom of the 7th...JR and I are on the bench praying that something magical happens...and then it did...Bowen gets beaned to unravel Bengals offense on Sheridan. Late-game heroics by Cody Ireland came in the form of a game winning hit and eventually sent us to the Finals vs the Twins (see above).

3. 2003 MNBA Tourny Final vs. Twins. Justin hits a bomb, and when it looked like the Bengals were down and out, they kept fighting. B-Mac hits a bomb off Justin, who for the first time, could not hold down the Bengals offense. Beating the Twins felt like the kansas city royals beating the new york yankees. the underdog prevailed!

2. 2003 SOBA semis vs. Pickering. These boys were the defending champs and to beat them, would take a team effort. This had to be one of the best defensive games by the entire team. Although JR missed a catch in the first inning, he scored off a Rattos double. (Rattos' consecutive 10 hits for 10 at bats streak came to an end this game.) Pickering made it close when they hit a bomb off Frank in the bottom of the 7th to pull within one run. But the Bengals got through with the W, winning 4-3.

1. 2003 SOBA Finals vs Burlington. This is a definite number one. This was our very first SOBA finals appearance, and victory. Timely hitting from Bengals hitters and phenomenal D by the entire team, especially Cody-Lad propelled an 8-6 victory. This was one of the closet games we have ever played in. We were up by two runs in the bottom of the 7th with 2 out and runners on first and second. Adam had a full count on the batter, so the runners were running on this pitch, and the hit was a high fly to JR. The ball seemed to take forever to come down, but when it did, The BENGALS had their first SOBA victory.

NOTABLE mentions
2002 MNBA tourny vs Vaughan. We won 8-1
2004 Season game against MGX. We won 9-8. I hit my first career home run, RP hits a grand slam and Frank hits one (as always)
2004 SOBA's vs. North Bay. I had game-winning hit to take us to the semi's. Adam pitched a gem. Richie pulled thorugh by hitting a SAC fly and getting JR to 3rd.
2005 Season game vs. Giants. Kibbs hit a game winning grand slam in the bottom of the 7th with a full count
2005 season game vs. White. Down 6-2 and being called the Titans, we clawed our way back a won on a Brando single in the bottom of the 7th.