Mark_Ockerbloom's Blog

Can someone explain to me why professional athletes drink and drive? Is it because they feel invincible? What's it going to take to make them wake up? Perhaps the death of one time Red Sox product and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock. Hancock was killed early Sunday morning in Missouri when his SUV hit the back of a tow truck parked on the highway to assist a driver from a previous accident. Tests revealed his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.

Now, we all know you shouldn't drink and drive no matter who you are...but for professional athletes, who makes millions, not to plunk down pocket change to hire a chauffeur for the night defies logic. Not only could it save their lives, but the lives of others as well. On Friday the Cards announced they've banned beer from the clubhouse in the wake of Hancock's death. A good start...but a better move would be to counsel players on the consequences of their actions, to show them that despite being professional athletes, they're human, just like everybody else.