Josh Hancock: A Cautionary Tale

It's interesting how tragedies that befall professional athletes are magnified by the media. For that matter, we as fans get an up close and personal look at both their triumphs and failures, on and off the field.

Much of the time, I'd consider this a bad thing. For example, it's wrong that Michael Vick doesn't treat his dogs well, but what business is that of mine?

When it comes to the death of Cardinals' pitcher Josh Hancock, though, I'm glad that the public is getting a healthy, if painful dose of the truth.

Hancock is dead and there's no bringing him back, but his story can be a cautionary tale for others to heed. A few of the basic lessons that can be learned:

• Don't drink and drive. You'd think this would be obvious by now, but apparently it's not.
• Don't talk on the cell phone while driving, especially while driving drunk. Have you ever had a conversation while driving and arrived at your destination, only to realize that you remember none of the journey to get there? It's an eerie feeling.
• Youth and/or fame and fortune do not equal invincibility. We're all going to die eventually, but so many people fail to realize that that could occur before age 75.

I'm sure Hancock's family is less than thrilled to hear about the circumstances of his death, not to mention that everyone else knows, too. But given that this public knowledge could save a life -- or hundreds -- should be of solace to them when the initial sorrow subsides.

** Update ** I have posted on the lawsuits filed by Mr. Hancock here.

Here's to a Blast from the Past

Thanks to my buddy, Jeremy, for this "guest" post.

Let’s take a trip into my bedroom at my parent’s house and down memory lane.

On the walls are posters of Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Webber, and Chris Mullin--all wearing Golden State Warriors jerseys. This brings back fond memories: memories of Hardaway’s killer crossover, Sprewell attacking the rim, Webber’s Rookie of the Year season, and Mullin’s sharp shooting.

For anybody who can remember that far back (13 years ago, to be exact), that was the last time the Warriors made the playoffs. Now, after countless horrible trades and free agent signings and even more draft picks that went horribly wrong, the Warriors are finally back in the playoffs. Not only are they back, but with loads of athleticism and a healthy Baron Davis leading the charge, the Warriors are on the brink of one of the greatest playoff upsets in NBA history.

For a Warriors fan that has been through some rough times, this series against the Dallas Mavericks has been a dream come true. Let’s just hope the Warriors don’t blow this series. I don’t want to wait another 13 years.

One "Foul" Cry Too Many

Oh great, another post about racism in sports.

The New York Times published the result of a Cornell study that found that white referees call fouls on black players at a higher rate than on white players.

I tend to agree with the NBA's counterargument that the study's methodology was weak -- it examined the box scores, which contain the names of the referees but don't say who called which foul -- but I took exactly one class in statistics, so I'll leave that part of the discussion to others.

My concern is that well-meaning referees -- white, black, or purple -- will see the results of this study and start to second-guess their subconscious motivation for the way they officiate. So when they do see a foul against a black player, referees will start asking themselves if they're about to blow their whistle because the player is black.

Our society has become very sensitive about race-related topics, but I think there comes a point that we do ourselves a disservice by overfocusing on race. For example, are you nice to your co-worker because he's black, or because you genuinely like him? After honking your horn at a person that cut you off, should you feel worse when you realize she's black?

Race is an important issue, and if we're not careful our minds can become ensnared with nasty prejudices. But hypersensitivity is a cousin of prejudice, and too much introspection can leave us worse off in the long run.

Give Gifts a Chance!

The Wall Street Journal published a very interesting article this weekend about professional athletes and how they give to charity.

Next to buying a Hummer and demonstrating wealth by wearing excessive jewelry, it would seem that starting a charitable foundation is one of the most popular pursuits among professional athletes these days.

The problem is, most of these "foundations" may be crumbling from the start.

According to the article, many of pro athletes' charities are contributing much less than the benchmark 75% of assets expected of most charities. World Vision, for example, gives 87% of all moneys donated to its programs, with the rest going to overhead costs.

But most athletes that start up foundations seem to be clueless about what they are doing, and many of them hire their own friends and family to run the organizations. As a result, some foundations have contributed funds in the 15-20 percent range of their total "income." The article said that, in 2005, the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation gave zero percent. ZERO.

How about at least matching your field goal percentage, Dirk?

I realize there's more publicity in having your own foundation. It's "cool" and it makes pro athletes feel good about themselves. But for once, I wish athletes would do something that isn't about them and give them money to someone who knows how to handle it.

After all, this is charity we're talking about.

*EDIT: I should mention that there are a number of athletes out there doing a great job with their charitable foundations. If you can do it right, then I'm all for it.