Cardinals' Hancock was drunk...

[virgo]

....and they found marijuana in his car.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070504/NEWS/70504008/-1/NEWS05

Associated Press

<!-- BODY TEXT OF ARTICLE --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->ST. LOUIS --- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk and talking on his cell phone at the time of his fatal accident, and marijuana was found in the sport utility vehicle he was driving.

Medical examiner Michael Graham said at a news conference Friday that the 29-year-old reliever was dead "within seconds" from head injuries in the crash early Sunday on Interstate 64 in St. Louis. His vehicle hit the back of a tow truck parked on the highway to assist a driver from a previous accident.

"There is nothing at all that could have been done for him," Graham said of the former Auburn University pitcher.

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

Police Chief Joe 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 whether drugs were in his system had not been completed.

[Fish-Bait]

....and they found marijuana in his car.
Betcha' he bought that green leafy substance from huggy-b!:smt118 :smt118

[dream member]

Another person who took their own life....same story....different day. It's truly sad :(

[jmb]

I had read earlier that this was his second wreck in four days.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_505604.html

a portion of the article...

SAUGET, Ill. -- Three days before he was killed in a highway wreck, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was involved in a predawn accident that police treated routinely.

Officers who talked with the 29-year-old reliever moments after the front of his sport utility vehicle was clipped by a tractor-trailer in this village known for its factories and strip clubs found Hancock lucid. He did not appear to be 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, Delaney said. The SUV was too damaged to drive home.

[virgo]

What a way to go out. I have no sympathy for those who drink and drive. None whatsoever.

[Baloo]

What a waste of a talented life! That is sad! I hope that maybe others will learn from him!

[EricStratton]

I don't understand why we needed to know all of this. It was a sad event whether he was drunk or not. A man made a bad decision and suffered the ulitmate consequence. I just thank god I haven't suffered the consequences of a lot of my bad decisions. I really don't understand what good comes out of smearing a dead man, no matter what he did wrong.

[jewelms]

I think its important to know what happened because of all the press it got. Yes, it's tragic, but it could have been prevented. I also think this will give an example for young kids who look up to these men as role models and think they are invincible.

[EricStratton]

I think its important to know what happened because of all the press it got. Yes, it's tragic, but it could have been prevented. I also think this will give an example for young kids who look up to these men as role models and think they are invincible.

I disagree. I don't know where we got this notion that we have a right to know everything about someone just because he/she is a celebrity or a high-paid athlete.

I think it is highly disrespectful to use anyone as an example, after they die. Drinking and driving is dangerous. Yes. But, do we need to trample on this man's grave to get that point across?

I may be in the minority on this issue, but that's okay.

[jewelms]

i don't think anyone is trampling on his grave. I think they are just stating the facts. he was drunk when he died. period. And its not just because he was a celebrity that this was released. Every day, people are killed by drunk drivers and most media outlets report the "no names" too.

[EricStratton]

We wouldn't be discussing this if he weren't a pitcher for the Cardinals.

[Fish-Bait]

We wouldn't be discussing this if he weren't a pitcher for the Cardinals.
I beg to differ ES, if it were anyone it would get discussed somewhere...Just so happens people from all over knew this man. Would it be any different if he was a local and people from all over knew him? I will be the first to admit I talked some smack about it.

[Kitty]

I feel terrible for his family.

The unimaginable anguish they must be experiencing, especially after finding out that alcohol and possibly drugs were involved in this tragedy.

[TheKing]

ya know when i first read this, then subsequently read it as a part of a discussion either here...or somewhere else...cant remember...i was tempted to just outright say 'he was probably drunk'...but didnt out of fear of chastisement

see if i silence myself when my gut is telling me something again

now that ive got that off my chest...

this is a very sad thing no matter the circumstances...i dont think having a discussion about how he wound up dead changes anything

and fishbait...im gonna have to agree with ES on this one...if he wasnt a pitcher for the cards...the only people who would be discussing this or caring would be his family and the odds of it being talked about on message boards across the country is strikingly low

stories like this happen every single day...multiple times a day

[dream member]

Since I've graduated hs in 01...I've lost well over 10 friends to drugs and alchohol. We had 3 deaths in one year...and they didn't even finish school yet! Yey for drugs and alcohol! I'm so tired of it...I feel like I'm becoming so hateful because I'm glad they went alone and didn't take anyone else with them. Not sure if yall remember TJ (Southern student died on 40th and Lincoln)...some drunk guy hit him...like I said...same story...another day. :(

[Fish-Bait]

ya know when i first read this, then subsequently read it as a part of a discussion either here...or somewhere else...cant remember...i was tempted to just outright say 'he was probably drunk'...but didnt out of fear of chastisement

see if i silence myself when my gut is telling me something again

now that ive got that off my chest...

this is a very sad thing no matter the circumstances...i dont think having a discussion about how he wound up dead changes anything

and fishbait...im gonna have to agree with ES on this one...if he wasnt a pitcher for the cards...the only people who would be discussing this or caring would be his family and the odds of it being talked about on message boards across the country is strikingly low

stories like this happen every single day...multiple times a day

With every tragedy a lesson is learned (a good lesson). Kids and fans idolized this man. Yeah, you guys may be right about it not being talked about all over this country. I think the message is don't drink and drive. I guess I can see the impact it has on the youth when someone they idolize did something so stupid. So IMO it's worth discussing, even if it only gets one person/fan/kid's attention. I think it does change something.