1.   And then the bench players hugged each other as the clock ran out for the Pacers.

2.   And to think three days ago he was being projected as a bench player penalized for a non-existent designated hitter in the National League.

3.   Any bench player you talk to is probably going to say the same thing.

4.   Apparently, the Dodgers intend to use Clark, a left-handed hitter, as a bench player.

5.   Anthony Bonner, another key bench player, is also in the last year of his contract, also putting him on the brink of free agency.

6.   Bench players, he has observed, tend to play better at home.

7.   Bird spent much of this season developing the confidence of his bench players, and it paid off when Davis went to the line.

8.   A mixture of youth and athleticism with age and court smarts has helped the bench players spark crucial runs in the past two games.

9.   After years as a bench player, Wendt seems uncomfortable in the spotlight.

10.   All this despite prolonged injury absences by three starters while relying on a teen-ager as his top bench player.