Beer and baseball...

The debate has begun. Just a little over a week after the tragic death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock (left) after his car slammed into the back of a tow truck in the early morning hours of April 29, many teams are beginning to consider their policies about having alcohol in their clubhouses. See, for years in Major League Baseball locker rooms, there have been cold brew dogs awaiting the players after their baseball games, much like in little league where you would receive a juice box for a job well done. This is something that has been a huge non-issue in baseball for a long time. This is more of an issue at home games where a player might down a few beers and walk to their car to drive home, as opposed to road games where players get around by team bus. The Yankees over the weekend banned alcohol from its clubhouse in home and road games, a move that the Oakland A's have already done, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are considering.

Rays manager Joe Maddon stated "As far as I'm concerned, I'm good with beer being in our clubhouse, I don't think anybody should drink to excess, but I'm good with a beer after the game. I'm fine with it." This really is a controversial but very understandable statement. The idea of having alcohol provided to you after a workday to most American employees, would sound like paradise (just ask Jimmy Buffett). But no employers would ever consider it due to liability issues. With the decisions that Maddon makes night after night, and the way this team has been playing the first 10 years of its existence, you might think that the Devil Rays put beer in those big Gatorade coolers.

Josh Hancock had a blood alcohol level of 0.157 at the time of his death, which is nearly twice the legal limit of Missouri (.08). According to eye witnesses Hancock was seen drinking at a restaurant just hours before. The fact of the matter is that alcohol does not kill people. The irresponsible use of alcohol is what kills people. Allegedly Hancock had his struggles with alcohol and just days before had shown up late to a day game at Busch Stadium because he overslept after a long night of drinking. Whether he drank beer in the clubhouse or he drank it at the bar, he drank too much and he made a horrible decision.

I agree with the idea of banning alcohol from clubhouses, because I don't think an organization should ever provide its employees an opportunity to make bad decisions. But I do think that, unfortunately this wont keep future incidents like this from happening. If a ballplayer wants to drink after a game he will. Having a beer in the clubhouse may actually be better for them in a sense because it can be monitored by teammates and coaches. It will also give them a better idea when someone is struggling with an alcohol problem. There is no good solution to this problem. Unfortunately there will still be close calls, and there will still be young athletes thinking they are invincible. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Josh Hancock, and i hope that this might make people think twice about drinking and driving. That's the only good that can possibly ever come out of this situation.