Reverberations from the death of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock in an April auto accident continue to be felt throughout baseball, but perhaps no one in the game has had more to contemplate since the tragedy than Mike Shannon.
Shannon has been a fixture in the Cardinals organization since 1958 when he signed out of the University of Missouri. He went on to a stellar Major League career from 1964 to 1971 as an outfielder and third baseman, playing on three pennant-winning teams and one world champion.
After a year in the front office, Shannon became a member of the team's broadcasting crew and has continued to be one of its voices for 35 years. That in itself would lead anyone to understand why Hancock's death would so affect Shannon, but for him the tragedy is compounded.
On Wednesday, Missouri's Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control said it was reopening its investigation into whether restaurant workers knew Hancock was drunk but continued to serve him alcohol before his fatal crash. The restaurant, a fixture on downtown Market Street for 15 years and a popular hangout for the who's who in St. Louis, is Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood — founded and owned by the Cardinals mainstay.
According to police, on the night of April 28 Hancock spent 3½ hours at Shannon's. Shortly before 1 a.m. the next morning, he was driving alone when his rented sport utility vehicle struck the back of a flatbed tow truck that was stopped in a driving lane of Interstate 64 assisting a stalled car. Police said Hancock was killed instantly. There were no other injuries.
Police said Hancock, 29, had nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, was driving 68 mph in a 55-mph zone and was talking on a cell phone when he died, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police said the wrecker's warning lights were flashing. An Associated Press report quoted police as saying Hancock was not wearing a seat belt.
It was just a week ago that the ATC said it found no evidence that restaurant employees knew Hancock was drunk. But now, according to KMOX radio, the ATC is talking to three patrons not interviewed during the initial probe. Vince Winkel, who with his wife was at Shannon's on April 28, has been quoted in local media as saying he believes Hancock was clearly intoxicated. He met Tuesday with ATC investigators. The third patron was identified by KMOX as ESPN baseball analyst Dave Campbell. It was unclear whether Campbell had spoken with ATC officials.
Hancock's father Dean filed suit last month in St. Louis Circuit Court against Shannon's, the tow truck company and operator and the man whose car was stalled on the highway. The suit alleges the restaurant knowingly served Hancock alcohol well after he was drunk. It seeks unspecified damages "over $25,000."
Shannon has not commented on the incident.
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