MLB Banning Beer in the locker room

I subscribe to Google's News Alerts for beer, and for the last few days I've been reading about the aftereffects of Cardinal Pitcher Josh Hancock's DUI car accident. Hancock, who had been drinking at a bar, had a blood alcohol level at twice the legal limit.

Now, Major League teams are banning beer in the clubhouses after games.

If I read the news correctly, Hancock didn't get his alcoholic beverage of choice (no one has said it was beer) at the clubhouse. He got it at a bar. On his own time. MLB is reacting to Hancock's death in true Liberal knee jerk fashion: treating all the players like children instead of 40 year old men. While the spin of the news releases is that the owners really and truly care about their players, the action itself shows they believe just the opposite. They are saying that their players aren't smart enough to know how much they can drink after a game, and that Mommy and Daddy, in this case the club, will make that decision for them.

And what about MLB players who are pilots? Cory Lidle died in a place crash in 2006. Thurmon Munson died in a plane crash in 1979. Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash in 1972. Ken Hubbs was killed in plane crash in 1964. The following players died in car accidents with no mention of alcohol: Jay Dahl, Chico Ruiz, Bob Moose, Danny Frisella, Mike Miley, Cliff Young, Mike Sharperson, and Mike Darr. Did MLB ban flying and driving? (Source)

But, okay, let's pretend the MLB clubs that are banning beer in the clubhouses are truly concerned about the safety of their players. They don't want anyone to get injured in an accident, so the players can't drink. What about the fans in the stands? If the MLB clubs were truly serious about their intentions, they would ban all beer sales in the park, thus protecting the lives of the thousands of people who paid to see the game. Wouldn't they?

Nope. Not when they can sell beer for $8 a cup. We could all die in car accidents on the way home, as far as their concerned.

You can try to blame the waitress, the bartender, the bar owner, the alcohol wholesaler, and the manufacturer, but alcohol didn't kill Josh Hancock. Josh Hancock killed himself the moment he slipped behind the wheel of his car. And treating 40 year old millionaires like children won't bring him back or prevent future tragedies.