05.10.07

Its good to know that the Brewers don't buckle under pressure. I agree that the death of Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock was a tragedy, but he was a singular case that was overlooked for far too long. Had the Cardinals organization taken what could even be considered as appropriate or decent steps towards helping him with his drinking problem, this situation could have been avoided. Instead, teams all over America are flipping out about the fact that they allow players to drink beer in the clubhouse after games. This isn't the 70's or 80's anymore when people like Gorman Thomas would sit for hours in the clubhouse after games and tie one on. Teams still can't control what players are doing outside of the clubhouse, but inside they can show good judgement on problem areas. Having beer in the locker room isn't a problem area, but allowing a player with a history of alcohol abuse to drink himself under the table and then drive is. Major leagues baseball teams and organizations like to consider themselves to be families and as such, have the obligation to watch over each other and help when difficulties arise, not to set blanket rules that don't apply within their own situation.