In the wake of the October drunk driving deaths of Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo, much attention has been paid to the St. Louis Cardinals’ responses to the tragedy. First in terms of its efforts to honor Taveras’ memory and now in how it addresses the problem of drunk driving.
In the Post-Dispatch, Rick Hummel reports on some of the measures the club is taking, from the implementation of a no-questions-asked transportation program for players who may be impaired to guest speakers regarding the dangers of drunk driving to charitable efforts.
This passage, however, is troubling:After the drunk driving death of pitcher Josh Hancock in 2007, the Cardinals instituted a program in which there would be transportation available for anyone in trouble.
“It existed for a little bit,” said Mozeliak, “but it really wasn’t being used that much, so it just went away.
“This program we’re trying to come to an agreement with has a little different slant on it, and hopefully, it’s one that players feel will give them an out, if they need one.”
It’s pretty safe to say that, at some point between Hancock’s and Taveras’ deaths, some Cardinals players drove drunk. That they didn’t use the transportation system put in place in 2007 and/or didn’t have one at their disposal at some point after that is regrettable. One hopes they all took cabs, but one knows more about the judgements drunk people tend to make to put too much on that hope.
One also hopes that, whatever spins out of this now is more successful in addressing a deadly problem.
