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Today,
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock will be remembered at a
memorial service in Tupelo, Miss. For those outside of Cardinal Nation, or who
haven’t been following the story, Josh was killed in a horrific highway
accident last weekend. According to
sources, he had been drinking.
Yes, many people drink and then drive. Let’s not fool ourselves here and pretend
that we don’t. I don’t know many people
who can say they haven’t had a few drinks and then gotten behind the
wheel. Or even a few too many
drinks. We’re just the lucky ones.
I’m sure Josh was a great guy, a loved family member and
a great friend. But it is what it
is. He was drinking and driving. When the St. Louis Police release their preliminary
findings from their investigation tomorrow, let’s not try to cover it up and
hide the truth behind the tragedy, or let it slip between the cracks because he
“had a problem” or “needed help” – the latest celebrity catch phrases. Call it crisis communications or community
relations, I think it is a severely missed opportunity if the Cardinals
organization does not see this as an opportunity to start a campaign against
drunk driving.
People in this town love and respect the Cardinals. We feel like the team is a part of our
extended family. When they speak, we
listen. But don’t just tell us not to
drink and drive; it needs to go further than that. And a free soda for a designated driver at
the game doesn’t cut it either.
The fact of the matter is, people drink at baseball
games. A lot. Work with cab companies to reduce fares after
games and supply more cabs around the stadium.
Create commercials using the Cardinals players to air on local channels
as well as before each game. Have Tony
LaRussa speak out on the need for designated drivers (hell, he can speak from
experience). Start Fans Against Drunk
Driving and give out those cute little bracelets that worked so well for Lance
Armstrong. What ever it is, the
Cardinals need to seize this opportunity to turn the tragedy into something
positive.
No, the effort likely will
not end drunk driving, but it may make someone think twice before getting
behind the wheel. In fact, I’ll be at
the game tomorrow night. And yes, I’ve
already made plans to have a DD.
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