Sports bring people together; a team bands together to accomplish a familiar goal. That is where real camaraderie exists in its purest form.

Last week, in the first hour of Sunday morning, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock lost his life in a car accident. The Cardinals family woke up with a dark cloud overhead, one of their own lost forever.

Hancock, who helped the Cardinals win their first World Series since 1982 (grrr), struck the back of a tow truck that was mopping up an earlier accident. The truck, which was in the left lane, had its caution lights on.

Police chief Joe Mokwa told reporters that Hancock most likely died immediately. After the press conference, reporters flocked to players, looking for their reaction on the devastating end to a promising life.

"It's something that makes you realize how unimportant baseball is," said outfielder Jim Edmonds.

In the grand scheme of things, baseball is a sport, and sports are entertainment. They have no real impact on stocks, politics, or the world at large, but something in my mind cringed when I heard those remarks.

Although it was an unspeakable tragedy, I believe that such times are when baseball is needed the most; this is the importance of sports in American society.

When the nation was grieving for the victims of Sept. 11, sports were almost universally suspended for one week. In that time, the nation was able to sort out the mess, assess the situation and get back to work. But the healing process had just begun.

Sports bring people together; a team bands together to accomplish a familiar goal. That is where real camaraderie exists in its purest form.

When the Cardinals lost Darryl Kile five years ago, they bonded, became closer and healed together through the simple children's game of baseball.

Sports simplify a person's focus, if only for a couple hours. You can forget about your third-rate job at McDonald's or the prospect of getting an F in physics. You get lost in the game, immerse yourself in cheering for your team or playing the game.

With the competition of sports, the goals are simple; win the game, score the touchdown, sink the bucket. There are no taxes, there is no war, there is no philosophy mid-term.

The St. Louis Cardinals need to heal, and they will find it in doing what they do best: playing the game. The simple things in life are found on the playing fields of America, where competition, passion, and love of the game exist in their purest form.

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