Really? That's what this is like?

I suppose it all started in 2003 when University of Miami (FL) tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. lost his cool after a game versus the Tennessee Volunteers. In a postgame rant to reporters, Winslow compared a football game to war and claimed "I'm a f---ing soldier!"

There was a lot of outcry regarding the outburst, as the media skewered Winslow for comparing a simple game to a life-and-death matter such as war. Winslow wasn't on the 50-yard line dodging bullets - he was dodging safeties. Just a bit different.

Well yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded star outfielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves for a handful of prospects. This didn't sit well with many Pirates players, some of whom felt that the team was very much still alive for the postseason, despite that they are 6 and a half games out of first in the underachieving NL Central and despite that they are, in fact, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

One of these players, Andy LaRoche, unleashed his feelings about the trade to reporters and must have been speaking from experience, because if he wasn't, may not have the analogy correct.

"There ain't a guy in here who ain't [ticked] off about it," said first baseman Adam LaRoche, according to the report. "It's kind of like being with your platoon in a battle, and guys keep dropping around you. You keep hanging on, hanging on, and you've got to figure: How much longer till you sink?"

So let me get this straight: Losing a player who you'll see on your next trip to Atlanta or their next trip to Pittsburgh is basically the same as your fellow soldiers dying? I understand LaRoche is upset and frustrated, and rightfully so, but there has to be a more appropriate way of conveying your thoughts. Like, say, "It's kind of like being on a Triple-A team, and guys keep moving up to the bigs around you. You keep playing, playing and you've got to figure: How much longer till you move up to the bigs?"

Come to think of it, playing for the Pirates is exactly like being on a Triple-A team. And let's face it - the only way LaRoche and the rest of the Pirates are escaping losing season after losing season is to move up to the bigs. Or in this case, the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox (Jason Bay), New York Yankees (Xavier Nady) or any other team with a legitimate chance of winning at the highest level.

The Pirates organization is synonymous with losing and the problems run much deeper than losing great outfielders. Perhaps LaRoche should recognize that sinking to the bottom of the NL Central is just slightly different than dying on a battlefield.