Cops: Cards' Hancock was drunk at death

[dbackjon]

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk at the time of his fatal accident, and marijuana was found in the sport utility vehicle he was driving.

Police Chief Joe Mokwa also said at a news conference Friday that the 29-year-old Hancock was speaking on a cell phone at about the time of the crash early Sunday on Interstate 64 in St. Louis.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18381071

[dbackjon]

Seems to be part of the Cardinal/St. Louis culture - driving drunk. At least he only killed himself, and no one else, unlike Leonard Little.

[AppGuy04]

Sad to see

[bluehenbillk]

Seems to be part of the Cardinal/St. Louis culture - driving drunk. At least he only killed himself, and no one else, unlike Leonard Little.

Not a Cards fan but a low blow, especially after LaRussa in spring training.

[dbackjon]

Not a Cards fan but a low blow, especially after LaRussa in spring training.

That is exactly what I am talking about. LaRussa drives drunk, gets a slap on the wrist from Cardinal management. Sending a clear signal that drunk driving is no big deal.

[bodoyle]

I don't feel sorry for him anymore. He was an idiot for driving after he drank.

[Marcus Garvey]

That is exactly what I am talking about. LaRussa drives drunk, gets a slap on the wrist from Cardinal management. Sending a clear signal that drunk driving is no big deal.

I'm not condoning how the Cards handled it, but that's pretty typical for any major professional sports franchise. If you're good enough, they'll slap you on the wrist and hope you don't do it again. If no, they'll part ways with you.

I remember when Wil Cordero was arrested by the Cambridge police for beating his wife (he was on the Red Sox then). They simply released him. No offers of counselling, no interventions, etc... You can criticize how the Phils handled Bret Meyers situation in the days immediately following his arrest (and it'd be well deserved criticism), but at least they helped him and his wife out with counseling and what not, as opposed to saying, "seeya!" Although, I wonder if they'd have done that had he been some career scrub...

[AppGuy04]

Although, I wonder if they'd have done that had he been some career scrub...

you already know the answer to that

[GSUhooligan]

The guy called up to replace him is a former Georgia Southern Eagle, Dennis Dove.

[whitey]

So this guy was drunk + speeding (in a construction zone) + possibly high + not wearing a seatbelt + talking on the cell phone.

Pretty much everything you aren't supposed to do while driving. He's lucky he didn't take someone else with him.

Sad.

[Ivytalk]

It's odd that the initial reports of the accident suggested that alcohol was not a factor.xchinscratchx

[AppGuy04]

It's odd that the initial reports of the accident suggested that alcohol was not a factor.xchinscratchx

thats the LaRussa effect

[Gil Dobie]

Seems to be part of the Cardinal/St. Louis culture - driving drunk. At least he only killed himself, and no one else, unlike Leonard Little.

..........and park of the American Culture too.

[Marcus Garvey]

So this guy was drunk + speeding (in a construction zone) + possibly high + not wearing a seatbelt + talking on the cell phone.

Pretty much everything you aren't supposed to do while driving. He's lucky he didn't take someone else with him.

Sad.

The only things it seems this guy wasn't doing was:
A) Having unprotected sex with a prostitute
B) Passing a school bus with it's lights flashing.

[PantherRob82]

too bad. hard to see this kind of stuff happen. someone with the team had to have known.

[ISUMatt]

Darryl Kile had weed in his system too...Its safe to assume now that the Cards have drug problems...

Seriously, you drink, you drive, you gamble...Mr Hancock, I do not feel sorry for you, I just thank God that you didnt take anyone else with you after the worst decision (and last) of your life was made!!

[PantherRob82]

Darryl Kile had weed in his system too...Its safe to assume now that the Cards have drug problems...

Seriously, you drink, you drive, you gamble...Mr Hancock, I do not feel sorry for you, I just thank God that you didnt take anyone else with you after the worst decision (and last) of your life was made!!

brutal, but true.

[bluehenbillk]

Ironic that America's largest brewer owns the team.

[PantherRob82]

I wonder if LaRussa knew, but didn't want to say anythin because of his arrest during spring training.

[CitadelGrad]

Ironic that America's largest brewer owns the team.

Anheuser-Busch sold the team in 1995. And I don't think irony means what you think it means. Irony implies incongruity.

[CitadelGrad]

It's odd that the initial reports of the accident suggested that alcohol was not a factor.xchinscratchx

The initial statement by the chief of police was that no alcohol containers were found in the vehicle. Two days later the police said that he left Mike Shannon's restaurant drunk and that he had refused an offer of a cab ride. He was dead a half hour later.

[Mr. C]

Read an interesting column from one of my old cohorts at the Los Angeles Times, columnist Bill Plaschke that addresses some of the stuff that goes on behind clubhouse doors.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-plaschke4may04,1,1885963.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-mlb-dodger

[PantherRob82]

Read an interesting column from one of my old cohorts at the Los Angeles Times, columnist Bill Plaschke that addresses some of the stuff that goes on behind clubhouse doors.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-plaschke4may04,1,1885963.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-mlb-dodger
I like Plaschke on around the horn.

[Mr. C]

I not actually a big fan of his. He was always a rather dour personality around the Times office. Seemed to be a very moody guy. Don't always see eye to eye with his ideas, either. I always liked the more fun columnist we had at Times, the guys like Mike Downey, Jim Murray, or in some bygone days, Scott Ostler (my favorite columnist, who now works in San Francisco).

[MarkCCU]

Tis a shame he died so young but he was stupid for being drunk, possibly high, driving at night, talking on a phone without a seatbelt.