Sad News

As everyone knows, St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock was killed in an SUV crash late Saturday night. ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote a nice article (if not a bit overblown, but that's excusable) on the importance of durable, versatile, and dependable relievers that truly are the glue that holds championship-caliber teams together.

I'd like to quickly note that one thing that caught my attention in all the earliest news reports is that Hancock was the only player to attend the premiere of a DVD documenting the Cardinals' run to their 2006 World Series championship--despite being one of only two of the 25 Cardinals roster players to not make an appearance in the World Series. I think that speaks volumes about a players' character; to return the appreciation of the fans and interact with them on a personal level is a very nice, very humble gesture. I would hope that others could follow that example.