Cardinals Pitcher Dies In Car Accident.

Reliever Josh Hancock died in an automobile accident early today. He was part of last year's championship team, and died at the age of 29. The Cardinals have already called off tonight's game with the Cubs.

Hancock apparently hit the back of a tow truck that was helping another vehicle on the road, and was killed instantly. This is the second Cardinals pitcher to die prematurely in the past five years, as Darryl Kile passed away of heart blockage at the age of 33 just under four years ago.

Note: what kind of hole does this leave for ESPN, as this was the Sunday night game? I'm not sure of their usual procedure. When the game of your signature sporting franchise gets postponed for very good reasons, is there a back-up they can shuttle Miller and Morgan to, or do they just fill with something else for the evening?

(Photo credit: Reuters)