ride the pine
Warm the bench
To ride the pine is to sit on the bench during a sporting event rather than play—the pine being the wooden bench where substitutes wait.
The phrase implies being sidelined, whether by the coach's decision or injury: He rode the pine all season as a freshman.
It extends beyond sports to any situation where someone is kept out of the action.
- benchwarmerSeldom-used team member
- bench playerNon-starting team member
- reservesResources held back
- third stringLowest-ranked backup position
- scout teamUnit simulating opponents
underutilized · substitute · sit on · second fiddle · backup · warm the bench · sidelined · take a seat · inactive · rotation · replacement · non-starter · frustration · overlooked · sitting out · disappointment · excluded · dugout