Cubs, Cards mourn loss of Hancock

Twenty-three games into the season and the Cubs finally have their first sweep of the year. You'd think I'd be happier, but I definitely didn't want it to happen this way.

With the Cubs having won the first two of what was to be a three-game series, the team went to bed on Saturday thinking about Sunday's game. Now, they're not thinking about the game at all; they're mourning the death of pitcher Josh Hancock.

Hancock was killed early Sunday morning in St. Louis after his vehicle collided with a tow truck that was on the road attending a previous accident. Of course, I still remember a teary-eyed Joe Girardi walking on the field at Wrigley five years ago announcing that the game had been canceled due to the sudden passing of Darryl Kile.

The team remembered that too. Just three days ago, Hancock had overslept thinking that the game was later than it was. His worried teammates feared the worst and repeated called him until Hancock finally woke up on the "20th call". Now what they had feared has become a reality.

In 2002, the Cardinals lost five of the seven games following the death of Kile, but ultimately rebounded with a 97 wins and a division title. The Cubs lost 9 of their next 13 and finished with 69 victories.