I just want to give you a hug … or pat your head.

With the Super Bowl now over (no comment on the outcome … I’m a Bears fan), baseball is officially next up on the sports calendar. In fact, one week from today — Valentine’s Day — the Cardinals pitchers and catchers will be having their first workout in sunny (it has to be, right?) Jupiter, Fla. A week later, the position players have their first workout. (No comment on anything else that might be associated with the Cardinals spring training, like a certain deadline …)

But one person who won’t be reporting to Jupiter or any other spring training camp is Aaron Miles. Poor Aaron. Our namesake (or is it mascot?) is the one and only Cardinals 2010 free agent who has not yet signed anywhere, as detailed by Brian Walton yesterday.

So that means even Mike MacDougal found a taker for his services, signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers, yet Aaron has no contract at all. Come on, Aaron can pitch way better than MacDougal (or at least he did on Aug. 3)! Maybe Aaron needs to consider showcasing that versatility as a late-inning mop-up pitcher — his agent needs to promote those skills also to all the teams still looking for gritty utility infielders. His career WHIP is 1.00!

For now, though, Aaron won’t be back with the Cards since they’ve signed Nick Punto as the 2011 Designated Scrappy Guy. Then again, we would have said the same thing last year at this time too. So, you (unfortunately) never know just where Aaron will pop up again. Although I do hope he pops up with some team sometime soon. Not every ballplayer out there has this kind of toughness.