(Get) A Sporting Life

That is the word for this Cardinal's season, and it doesn't look like it will get any better. From the PD : Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was in a potentially serious traffic accident less than three days before the one that took his life Sunday, according to police reports. Hancock walked away from that early Thursday morning crash uninjured, but he was late for the team's afternoon game a few hours later. The club and several teammates said he had overslept. But sources say he was late because he was hung over. Two nights later, after pitching in a Saturday afternoon game, Hancock spent the evening at Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood drinking to a point of impairment, according to a couple at the restaurant. The couple said they overheard Hancock telling ESPN broadcaster Dave Campbell that manager Tony La Russa had been infuriated with Hancock on Thursday because he was "too hung over to play." A club source also said Hancock was hung over when he arrived ...

First, the goodbye. That would be to my Illini. You can’t win in the Dance if you can’t handle a full court press and make free throws. As for the hello, I’m Southlandish, a longtime friend of The Iconic Midwesterner dating from our University of Illinois days. I’m a lifelong Cards and Illini fan who has spent the last 16 years on Florida’s west coast. I LOATHE all Florida sports teams and for years my preferred outcome for the annual Gator-Seminole game was for the team buses to spontaneously combust on the way to the stadium. With maturity, I now simply root for a rash of hamstring injuries. As for other sport, I’ve always detested the NBA, never watched the NHL and in recent years found myself watching an ever-dwindling number of NFL games. I spend of fair amount of time in Europe each year and reading English papers. Consequently, I have become more and more interested in European club and national soccer. The Guardian’s weekly football podcast is now a favorite. feed://www.guardia...