R.I.P. Josh Hancock

[MysticSang'ha]

Some of you are aware that I'm a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan to the core, and the news that one of our middle relief pitchers, Josh Hancock, was killed in an auto accident has put the city into shock and grief.

Josh was 29 years old, and had also played for Boston, Philly, and Cincinnati in his MLB career.

The media has alluded to another tragedy suffered in the Cardinals family when Darryl Kile passed away 5 years ago in his sleep. That year, we also lost our beloved radio announcer Jack Buck. So, for many, this has been difficult.

I ask the members here at RF for prayers and condolences for Josh Hancock's family and for his teammates - whom he considered his "family" since he was single and without children when he passed.

Last night's game against our rival, the Chicago Cubs, was cancelled. But, the Cardinals are still playing the Milwaukee Brewers tonight and will continue on their schedule until Thursday when they can charter a flight down to Mississippi for Josh's funeral. All of them will be there to remember him.

Here is ESPN's take on it by Jayson Stark:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2853327

May you find peace and liberation, Josh. :flower:




Peace,
Mystic

 

[ayani]

prayers for Josh's family and friends, on the team and off, who are grieving his loss. prayers for his fans and for his home city, too. may he be well, and free from suffering.

:flower2:

 

[CaptainXeroid]

One of Josh's Auburn roomates was Tim Hudson who's now with the Atlanta Braves. The announcers who talked to him before Sunday's game said he was numb.

Thank you for this thread and the Jayson Stark article. It is a nice tribute to a guy that wasn't a household name.:162:

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Here is another touching column by Gene Wojciechowski:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2853606&sportCat=mlb

CX, thanks for letting everyone else know of Josh's extended family in the Auburn clubhouse. My prayers go out to them, too. :flower:

I remember so clearly when Busch Stadium was used in two different memorials in 2002. We had a very fitting but bittersweet memorial when Mr. Buck died, and it had been said before that losing Jack Buck was like losing the Mississippi River. But a few days later, we were shocked and horrified when Darryl Kile was found dead in Chicago, and Busch Stadium was a place of grieving once again.............Kile's memorial was attended by other players around the league like Astros' players Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio as well as (then) Colorado player Larry Walker. All three were former teammates of Kile and all, like the rest of baseball, were devastated.

I'd like to extend a special thank you to the many Cubs fans who have embraced our city and baseball organization in such a classy and compassionate manner. Many have called our radio stations offering condolences. Some of our biggest supporters in this time has been from our friendly rivals from the Northside of Chicago. :flower:




Peace,
Mystic