Tony La Russa made the call Sunday morning. It was far too early for Dean Hancock, Josh Hancock's father, to receive the news.
Josh, a relief pitcher for La Russa's St. Louis Cardinals, was dead, having careened his Ford Explorer off the back of the tow truck on the side of the road just after midnight Sunday. As soon as the police notified him, La Russa took a deep breath and made the call to Tupelo, Mississippi and told Dean Hancock of his loss.
Did La Russa ever make it back to bed Sunday? It's hard to imagine that he did. La Russa had a lot on his mind. There were practical matters to attend to. Would there be a game on Sunday? How would the team find out? How would he handle the press?
As he focused on the logistics, La Russa's thoughts certainly strayed to Darryl Kile's death only five years ago. He had an unfortunate amount of experience in handling the unexpected death of a young man in his charge. Kile's death in 2002, hours before (again) a game against the Chicago Cubs, couldn't have been predicted by La Russa. Kile's congenital heart condition could have been spotted only through a battery of tests that, at the time, were highly unusual for baseball clubs to apply to prime examples of manhood.
What else did La Russa consider in the wee hours of Sunday morning? Did he think about Hancock's hangover just three days before? Did he consider the other times Hancock, a single man who was described by at least one person as "shy, and a little lonely", came in worse for wear?
Reports from St. Louis today suggest La Russa read Hancock the riot act for being late Thursday. Did La Russa wonder if he made the right call in letting him off with a warning and a fine?
La Russa may have more experience in recognizing signs of trouble than he'd care to admit. Earlier this year, he had his own problems with drinking and driving, picking up a DUI arrest during spring training. He admitted to consuming "several glasses of wine" during the evening; his own Ford SUV was found parked at an intersection with him asleep at the wheel. The coincidences must have been striking to a man as astute as La Russa as he sat alone with his thoughts Sunday morning.
As La Russa pulled his team together Sunday, they rallied around the memory of the young man lost. Unfortunately, La Russa also pulled a trick from every sports manager's arsenal, blaming the media for exploiting the situation. It seems La Russa would rather not have such sordid details explored in the wake of a young man's passing. It's an understandable urge from a father figure, trying to prevent his death from making his life ignoble.
Still, the questions linger for La Russa past Sunday. Is he doing Josh Hancock's family and teammates a favor by sheltering them? Is he too close to the man and the problem to provide the message his players and fans need to hear? Did La Russa do enough to help a young man in similar straits as him? Was there anything that could have been done?
You make the call.
Article comments
1 - T. Michael Testi
having careened his Ford Explorer off the back of the tow truck on the side of the road just after midnight Sunday.
The Ford explorer, it appears, was a rented vehical. His Explore was in the shop because he was in a crash 3 days before!
T.
2 - Leslie Bohn
This is a sad story indeed. It seems like, considering the circumstances, a slam dunk that when the bloood tests are released today, we're gonna find out the Hancock was under the influence of alcohol. They also found pot in his car. Amazing, stupid and sad that a man that earns $430,000 per year would repeatedly drive drunk when he could afford cabs. Thankfully, no one else was killed.
3 - Temple3
LaRussa wasn't parked. The car was stopped - but it was in gear and his foot was on the brake. He was not parked.