Darryl Kile
It was on this day, 10 years ago, the Cardinals were getting ready for another division showdown with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but pitcher Darryl Kile, a former 20-game winner and one of the most respected players in the St. Louis clubhouse, never made it to Wrigley that day. He was found dead in his hotel room in downtown Chicago while his teammates were taking batting practice.
The club became concerned when Kile didn’t show up to the field around 11 a.m. Team officials called the hotel as security had to break into Kile’s room where they found him in his bed. Tony LaRussa alerted the team in a meeting and current manager Mike Matheny, and a close friend to Kile,  led the team in a prayer. About 20 minutes after the scheduled start of the game, Cubs players lined up in front of their dugout and La Russa joined Cubs catcher (and current Yankee manager) Joe Girardi, who announced to the crowd that the game would be cancelled.
AUDIO, courtesy of WGN Radio, Chicago
