In a stadium named after the president of one of America's largest beer brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals have banned alcohol from the clubhouse, five days after relief pitcher Josh Hancock was killed in a alcohol-related traffic crash. Manager Tony La Russa said the decision was largely symbolic because today's players don't hang around the clubhouse to drink as in days past.

The ban came in response to a fatal traffic crash last week when Hancock, 29, driving a rented vehicle on Interstate 64, collided with the rear of a flatbed tow truck that was stopped in a driving lane to help clear a previous wreck. He died instantly from head injuries.

Police said Hancock was drunk at the time of the crash, speeding, talking on his cell phone and not wearing a seat belt. There was no evidence that he ever hit the brakes.

His blood alcohol content was .157, nearly twice the .08 legal limit. Investigators also found 8.55 grams of marijuana and a glass pipe in the vehicle. Hancock was alone in the SUV.

The Cardinals baseball team was owned by Anheuser Busch Company until 1996 and the tradition of making alcohol available to players after games continued even after the team was purchased by a group of local businessmen.

When Busch bought the team in 1953, the company wanted to change the name of the old Sportsmans Park to Budweiser Stadium, a move that was blocked by baseball commissioner Ford Frick. The company's president, August Busch, Jr., decided to name the stadium after himself and the name has remained through two newly constructed stadiums.

More Information:

• State by State Drunk Driving Laws
  
• The Penalties and Costs of Drunk Driving
  
• Alcohol Evaluation Quiz

Sources:
Cardinals Ban Alcohol in Clubhouse
Police: Hancock Was Drunk

^{Photo: St. Louis Cardinals}