Post-Gazette: Mientkiewicz’s message: ‘Don’t worry about what you don’t have’

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Already, in the two days this 10-year veteran and World Series champion has been in camp, he has gone out of his way to demonstrate that he would embrace the role of being a leader—perhaps be the leader—on the team.

That began Saturday morning, just hours after he reported, when he took the initiative to sit down with All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez for what Mientkiewicz described “a really good conversation” about winning.

“It’s time,” Mientkiewicz recalled in a lengthy, often emotional interview at his Pirate City stall. “I told Freddy it’s time for you to start taking a little bit of a role here. There are too many good players, too many good guys in here. But it’s easy to fall into the rut of losing. It’s time to be a big-leaguer, and winning is what big-leaguers are all about.”

Sanchez’s reaction?

“I was, like, ‘Wow,’ this guy’s awesome.’ It was unreal,” he said. “The things Doug had to say, with all the knowledge he has about things on and off the field ... it was only about 45 minutes or so that we talked, but it was incredible. That attitude he can bring is something we really need.”