We of “Cardinal Nation” here in St. Louis suffered the loss of relief pitcher Josh Hancock this last weekend. In case you haven’t heard, he was killed when he crashed his SUV full-speed into the back of a tow-truck on the highway. The tow truck was stopped, lights blazing in the dark, assisting a disabled motorist in the left lane. Only a few nights earlier, Mr. Hancock had crashed his car, walking away from that late-night accident unharmed but reporting to the ballpark late the next day due to having overslept.

Hmmmm. Does anyone else see something fishy going on here? Single 29-yr.-old athlete crashing his car late at night . . . . twice in one week.

We in Cardinal Nation are also being cautioned against jumping to any conclusions, even though several witnesses reported seeing the deceased drinking shortly before the accident, including one person who said that he couldn’t put sentences together and a bartender who offered to call him a cab, but he refused to accept that offer. We are being chastised for even mentioning that perhaps this was something more dastardly than a tragic accident.

While I understand that nothing about the circumstances of the accident can change the fact that this is a horrific loss for the team and for Hancock’s family and friends, I can’t imagine that anyone will be remotely surprised when the autopsy results show his blood alcohol content to far exceed the legal limit.

Less than two years ago, someone very close to me was in an eerily similar accident. He was speeding down the highway late at night and rammed into the back of a car stopped because of another accident. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. He suffered cuts and bruises, some seriously wounded pride, a vicious hangover, the aggravation of a totalled vehicle and not a small amount of public humiliation, as he is also a fairly well-known person in our fair city. As he should have, because what he did was insanely stupid. I know all too well what he risked. I know who would have been most harmed by his actions had we not quickly taken my children out of town so they wouldn’t witness any aspect of the media circus. He, being the father of said children, risked our family in ways for which I still probably haven’t completely forgiven him. But he worked hard to turn himself around, and for that I give him full credit. He made a serious error in judgment, and thankfully he learned from his mistake.

Sadly, Josh Hancock won’t have that chance. His young life vanished in one incredibly stupid move. Take the cab, Josh!!! For God’s sake, why didn’t you take the cab???

Because he was impaired. He drank too much to think clearly. (Nope, not starting a rumor, just stating what we all know is going to be proven to be true). But he was a Cardinal, so he got served. He was a Cardinal, so no one said, NO, Josh, you may not drive. Give us your keys, Josh. Dammit, I don’t care if you think you can drive, you can’t even focus your eyes. We’ll take care of your car. No, Mr. Hancock, I’m sorry, we can’t let you leave in your condition unless we see you get in someone else’s car. We served you this alcohol, but we cannot let you drive now that you’ve consumed it.

I’m all about personal responsibility, folks, but c’mon. When are we going to take care of each other when it really matters? How did all these friends and acquaintances and employees of Mike Shannon’s, where he was partying, see him drunk, know he was drunk, and STILL let him get in a car by himself and drive away? Was not one single person there sober enough to say – STOP?

As for all of those so quick to jump to his defense and insist we not besmirch his memory with this talk of drunk driving, I ask you this. Do you really think Josh would mind if we used him as an example? Don’t you bet, if given his druthers, he’d choose to be stopped and stripped of his keys instead of winding up dead? Don’t you think he’d say, “You damned well better use me as example – I know now how stupid it was, and I sure as hell don’t want this to ever happen to anyone else. Hold me up as the ugly picture of what happens when decent people make really lousy choices, and do everything in your power not to let this happen to anyone else’s son or daughter. I’m so, so sorry.”

Let’s pay attention this time.