DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cardinals reliever Hancock dies in car accident

I think it's actually kind of sad that we are so wrapped up in the draft that this didn't even get posted...



Cardinals reliever Hancock dies in car accident
April 29, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports




ST. LOUIS -- Josh Hancock, a relief pitcher who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series last season, died early Sunday when his sport utility vehicle slammed into the back of a tow truck.

The Cardinals postponed their home game Sunday night against the Chicago Cubs. It was the second time in less than five years that a St. Louis pitcher died during the season. Darryl Kile was found dead in his hotel room in 2002.

"There's a big hole that's going to be there," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "This is brutal to go through."

Police said the 29-year-old Hancock, who was single, was alone in his 2007 Ford Explorer when the SUV struck the rear of a flatbed tow truck at 12:35 a.m. The tow truck was in the left lane with its lights flashing while assisting another car that had crashed, Police Chief Joe Mokwa said.

Hancock died upon impact, Mokwa said. The driver of the tow truck, whose name was not released by police, was in the truck at the time of the crash but was not injured. Mokwa said the truck driver saw Hancock's SUV swerve just before it hit the tow truck, which weighs about 26,000 pounds.

Mokwa said it appeared Hancock was driving at or just above the speed limit, and there were no alcohol containers in his vehicle.


Josh Hancock joined the Cardinals in spring training last season. (Getty Images)
"We may never know what occurred," Mokwa said. "It appears that he just merely didn't see the tow truck."

The medical examiner's office said an autopsy had been scheduled. Services were scheduled for Thursday in Tupelo, Miss., where Hancock's family lives.

"All of baseball today mourns the tragic and untimely death of St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "He was a fine young pitcher who played an important role on last year's World Series championship team."

The Cardinals will wear patches with Hancock's No. 32 on their sleeves for the rest of the season. The team also planned a memorial for the bullpen, which already features a tribute to Kile.

General manager Walt Jocketty said the Cardinals, who are off Thursday, plan to charter a plane to the funeral. The team begins a three-game series in Milwaukee on Tuesday and returns to St. Louis on Friday.

"Obviously, this is very difficult for all of us, especially those of us who were here five years ago when we lost Darryl Kile," said Jocketty, his eyes red. "There's no way we could have played tonight's game."

La Russa met with players shortly before a news conference Sunday afternoon to provide details of the accident and discuss memories of Hancock. Late in the afternoon, two Cardinals jogged together in the outfield in a nearly empty Busch Stadium.

News of Hancock's death began to circulate around the majors on Sunday morning. Seattle Mariners pitcher Jeff Weaver, who won the World Series clincher for St. Louis in October, got a call from Cardinals reliever Randy Flores.

"I never really had a phone call like that before. It's kind of mind-boggling. Just a few days ago I had talked to him on the phone, touching base again because we were pretty good friends at the time," Weaver said. "We spent a lot of time together. It was just hard to believe."

Weaver said Hancock called him three or four days ago just to chat, and asked if Weaver had received his World Series ring yet.

Hancock was remembered at ballparks around the country. The Cleveland Indians observed a moment of silence before their game against the Baltimore Orioles, with Hancock's picture displayed on a giant scoreboard. There also was a moment of silence for Hancock at Yankee Stadium.

"It's terrible, another terrible event," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, who was the Colorado hitting coach when Kile was a part of the Rockies' staff in 1998 and 1999. "The young man had done so well last fall and had a promising career. It's just terrible."

A Cardinals-Cubs game also was postponed in June 2002 after Kile died in Chicago. The 33-year-old pitcher died of a coronary artery blockage.

Hancock, who pitched three innings of relief in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Cubs, played for four major league clubs. He went 3-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 62 regular-season appearances for the Cardinals last season and pitched in three postseason games. He was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in eight games this season.

Three days before his death, the Cardinals got a scare that some teammates said reminded them of Kile's death -- Hancock overslept and showed up late for a day game in St. Louis. Hancock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he thought the starting time was later and didn't get up until the "20th call" from anxious teammates.

"We were all a little nervous," closer Jason Isringhausen said earlier this week. "We don't care if you're late. That happens. We want to know that you're OK."

Hancock made his offseason home in St. Louis. He was the only player to attend the premiere of a DVD documenting the Cardinals' unlikely run to their 10th World Series championship after winning only 83 regular-season games.

Hancock joined the Cardinals in spring training last season after the Cincinnati Reds released him for violating a weight clause in his contract. He had been a starter the previous year with Cincinnati, but missed 133 games because of groin and elbow injuries. He also pitched for Boston and Philadelphia.

The Reds completed a three-game series in St. Louis on Thursday, and former teammates were shaken by the news.

"It's kind of a little turn in your gut," pitcher Matt Belisle said. "It's one of those reality checks that you never know when your time is."

Relief pitcher Todd Coffey said, "It's shocking. I can't even put it in words how I feel."

In 1997, Hancock helped Auburn reach the College World Series.

"Josh was a part of arguably the best pitching staff and arguably the best team ever to play at Auburn," said Tigers coach Tom Slater, an assistant at the school when Hancock played there.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2006-2007, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

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Rip Hancock

I can only imagine what the Cards are going through, especially there pen.

heard that this morning. thats why they cancelled the game

RIP hancock

good luck to his family and the cardinals

Say LaRussa's presser on ESPN, very sad. They are in my thoughts. (and his family....was single such a shame)

RIP

Sad, sad day for the Cardinals family.

Sad.

very sad, young man had several good years left in baseball and should have had a lifetime to live. R.I.P. Hancock! sad day for his family, friends, and the cards.

Post deleted by stabber53

Sad.

After reading this article, I can't help but wonder if there wasn't something else involved, i.e. alcohol. Doesn't change the outcome, doesn't change the sadness/empathy. And hopefully I'm wrong.

Bottom line is, the guy died, and that's unfortunate, and sad.

Rest in peace, Josh.

This is sad. It's a little like when the Indians lost Olin and Crews all those years ago. I still remember waking up that morning and hearing about it on the news. I think I still have the P.D. from that day put up somewhere actually.

Sometimes I think God does this to remind us that everyone is human.

RIP Hancock.

yea I was thinking the same thing. those flat beds are huge. I find it hard to believe he didn't see it if he was paying attention. You would think traffic wouldn't be in that lane anyhow if an accident occured.

Wow.........it is going to be tough for the Cardinals to get through this!

We often take so much for granted..............RIP Josh Hancock!

Earlier wreck, report of drinking fog Hancock death

ESPN.com news services


The death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock became more complicated on Monday with revelations of an earlier accident and a report of drinking.

Just three days before his death in a freeway wreck, the sport utility vehicle of Hancock was clipped by a semi rig in Sauget, Ill., a St. Louis suburb.

Officers who talked with Hancock moments after the predawn crash last Thursday in Sauget, a village known for its factories and strip clubs, found the 29-year-old reliever to be lucid and not under the influence of alcohol, Police Chief Patrick Delaney said Tuesday.

No sobriety or breath tests were given to Hancock, and no tickets were issued, according to Delaney.

Hancock was killed Sunday in St. Louis when his rental SUV slammed into a flatbed tow truck on Interstate 64. Autopsy results have not been released, and toxicology tests are pending.

In Sauget, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Hancock was at a stop sign about 5:30 a.m Thursday when he inched his vehicle out a bit into the intersection, presumably to see around big trucks and other vehicles that frequently park there, Delaney said.

A passing tractor-trailer unit traveling around the posted speed limit of 45 mph clipped Hancock's vehicle and sheered off the front bumper, the chief said. Neither motorist was injured.

Hancock "was very fortunate," Delaney said. "If he would have inched up another inch and that truck would have hit, it would have been much more serious accident."

The accident happened on Illinois Route 3 off of Yellow Brick Road -- named for its proximity to the Oz nightclub. The intersection is also near a liquor store and small-scale truck stop.

There was no indication Hancock had been drinking or appeared intoxicated, and managers of Oz told police Hancock had not been at that club that night, Delaney said.

"The officers said they felt Josh was not impaired whatsoever," the chief said, noting that Hancock did not get preferential police treatment as a Cardinal because the responding officer -- a female -- "didn't know Josh Hancock from John Doe."

A message left at Lehn's home Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Hancock wanted to drive his vehicle home from the Sauget police station but could not because the accident damaged its radiator. While waiting for a cab that eventually took him home, Delaney said, Hancock told another officer he hated following a Cardinals night game with a daytime one, and that he routinely drove around to make himself tired enough to rest, the chief said.

"He said how he hated -- he used that word -- to play day games after a night game, that he had trouble sleeping and was out driving around," Delaney said.

Hours later, Hancock showed up late at Busch Stadium for the Cardinals' day game against the Cincinnati Reds and insisted he thought the game time was later and had overslept in a new bed.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Monday, however, that a couple in a bar on the night Hancock died overheard the pitcher telling an ESPN radio personality that he "had spent all night drinking," and that's why he was late for the Thursday game.

Baseball analyst Dave Campbell said that Hancock did not say anything like that, but the player did introduce himself that evening at Mike Shannon's Restaurant and Bar and the two talked baseball.

The couple also said that Hancock was served "several drinks" the night he died, but they could not say how much or if he was intoxicated. Campbell told ESPN that he had no sense of the pitcher's condition when he left him at approximately 9:45 p.m. to go to another restaurant.

The customer in the Post-Dispatch article said that Hancock was drinking at least through 10:30 p.m. when the customer left.

Police in St. Louis said Hancock was driving a rental SUV when he fatally crashed into a flatbed tow truck early Sunday. Police chief Joe Mokwa said it appeared Hancock was driving at or just above the speed limit, and there were no alcohol containers in his vehicle.


The Port-Dispatch reported that although preliminary results from an autopsy could be released as early as Tuesday, a toxicology report was expected to take two to six weeks.

A memorial service for Hancock has been set for Thursday in Tupelo, Miss. The Cardinals are chartering a plane that will get them there in time for a lunch with the Hancock family.

A private funeral for the family is being held Wednesday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.



http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2854743

Just a drunk behind the wheel. I feel bad for the family and friends he let down.
At least he didn't kill anyone else while he was at it.

My wife and i were hit head on by somone going left of center 2 years ago. I have no tolerance for people who drink to excess then drive.

I wouldn't be surprised if hancock was an alcoholic. there were reports that he missed the thursday game becuse he went out and got trashed the night before.

He can correct me if I'm wrong.. but I believe his point was that he doesn't deserve any special sympathy because he's a baseball player if he was, in fact, drunk.

And if that's his point, I agree 100%. Pro athlete, politician, joe blow, it's all the same. My point was the ....just a drunk behind the wheel thing and the negative images it portrays.

Further more, at this point in time, no one knows if he was "drunk". This statement we are referring to is based on very little at this time - an article in which someone says he was drinkiing.

I think I was the first to say "i hope he wasn't drinking....", but regardless, a PERSON died, not a DRUNK.

That's just how I feel, though.

I agree with everything you said.. I just wanted to try to clear up what I thought he said. We have never had an argument on this board over a misunderstanding and I didn't want to have our first today..

Police: Hancock was drunk, had marijuana in his car

Associated Press


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.

"Mr. Hancock was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident," Mokwa said.

St. Louis medical examiner Michael Graham said Hancock's blood-alcohol level was 0.157, nearly twice Missouri's legal limit of 0.08.

Mokwa said 8.55 grams of marijuana and a glass pipe used to smoke marijuana were found in the rented Ford Explorer. Toxicology tests to determine if drugs were in his system had not been completed.

An accident reconstruction team determined Hancock was traveling 68 mph in a 55 mph zone when his SUV struck the back of a flatbed tow truck stopped in a driving lane. Mokwa said there was no evidence Hancock tried to stop. He did swerve, but too late to avoid the collision.

Graham said the pitcher died "within seconds" of head injuries. Hancock was not wearing a seat belt, but Graham said the belt would not have prevented his death.

Mokwa said cell phone records showed Hancock was speaking with a female acquaintance at about the time of the accident. Mokwa said the conversation ended abruptly, presumably when the accident occurred.

Hancock, a key bullpen member on the World Series championship team last season, was driving alone. The tow truck driver was not hurt.

Hancock, who pitched three innings of relief in last Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Cubs, left Busch Stadium around 6:30 p.m. and arrived about two hours later at Mike Shannon's, a restaurant and bar owned by the former Cardinals third baseman who now is a team broadcaster. Police said Hancock left Shannon's shortly after midnight.

At 12:34 a.m. Sunday, the tow truck came upon a disabled Geo Prism and stopped behind it with its yellow lights flashing to protect the car, Mokwa said. A few moments later, Hancock's SUV struck the rear of the tow truck.

"If you drink, don't drive," Mokwa said. "Use a taxi. Have a designated driver. Call a friend."

Graham said Hancock had severe chest injuries as well as the fatal head injuries.

"There's nothing at all that could have been done for him," Graham said.

An estimated 500 mourners turned out Thursday for a memorial service for Hancock in Tupelo, Miss., recalling the pitcher as a goodhearted prankster. Among the mourners were Hancock's teammates, coaches, manager Tony La Russa and general manager Walt Jocketty. Hancock was buried Wednesday in rural Itawamba County, Miss.

Hancock made his major league debut in September 2002 and played for four major league clubs. He went 3-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 62 regular-season appearances for the Cardinals last season, leading the bullpen in innings, and pitched in three postseason games.

He was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in eight games this season.

Hancock joined the Cardinals in spring training last season after Cincinnati released him for violating a weight clause in his contract. He also pitched for Boston and Philadelphia.

The Cardinals postponed a home game the day of the accident against Chicago and haven't won since. They were swept in a three-game series in Milwaukee and had a day off Thursday.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press


http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2860122

there are many fortunate dumbasses, he was an unfortunate dumbass.

Yeah, you still feel bad for an untimely death like that, but at the same time, I feel a little less bad now knowing he was drunk, high, and speeding.

When, when, WHEN, will people learn. The guy was rich. Drink and party all you want, but call a cab, hire a limo, hell even hire Hoak away from Miss Daisey. It's crazy to see people throw their lives away when they have the world by the gonads

what a freakin moron. I know they guy's dead, but how could you be that dumb. bad enough he's drunk, and high, but you're going to talk on the phone on top of all that? talk about a triple whammy.

I drink and drive all the time. but I usually keep it my limit of 6- 8 beers.I could drink more but don't feel comfortable getting into the car after 8 beers. but when I am drinking and driving, I'm more cautious than ever. I do no more than 5mph over the speed limit, and I'm constanty looking in my mirror for cops.

I've never got a dui either or ever got in an accident im my 10 years of driving. I did get pulled over one time when I was drinking, but passed the field sobriety test with flying colors.

Let's see... drunk, high, speeding, talking on a cell phone without wearing a seatbelt late at night. The only way I can figure he would've been more dangerous is if he were driving in reverse down the highway. To his family, friends and anyone else feeling his loss - my heartfelt condolences, but this makes it incredibly difficult for me to feel sorry for him as an individual.

He almost gets into a wreck three days before, shows up late to his game (hangover perhaps?) concerns his teammates... and then goes out and does it all over again, this time in a more accelerated style with fatal results. Here's a guy who, even though he's just a reliever, makes more money each year than most of us know what to do with. What is so wrong about getting a cab or a limo if you MUST go out to party and get wasted? Driving when under the influence of one drug, let alone multiples, is horrible judgment no matter how you slice it.

I'm just thankful no one else was hurt in all this, but I'm amazed at the decisions some people make when they seemingly have it all. RIP regardless - I hate to see young people die for any reason.