Doug Mienkiewicz Is Incrediby Upset

Every year one or two poor veterans ends up stranded on a hopeless baseball team as they try to prove to the world they can still play and prolong their careers. This year, Doug Mientkiewicz took a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, made their roster as a utility man, and is having a respectable year that should ensure that he gets another somewhere in the bigs. But the futility of playing for a team that has lost 19 of their last 26 games has really gotten to him. After last night's listless drubbing at the hands of the Dodgers, he had this to say:

"... It's just embarrassing. It really is. You've got three guys who run balls out right now. It's frustrating. Just frustrating. The whole thing is frustrating."

He motioned with his right arm to the rest of the clubhouse, no players left and only a vacuum humming in the opposite corner.

"I mean, look at this place. It's a ghost town."

Another shake of the head.

"I don't know. What are you going to do? Nothing you can do. Just pick up and try again tomorrow, I guess."

Anyone that's watched the Pirates play in the last month or so would have a hard time disagreeing with Mientkiewicz. I guess Doug's not planning on keeping his locker at PNC Park for much longer. If he wants, the Pirates would probably sign him on for one more year so they can totally crush his spirit and he can join Jeromy Burnitz, Joe Randa, and the host of other veterans who's careers have died with the Pirates in the past ten or so years .