St. Louis Cardinals Pitching Coach Dave Duncan Taking Leave of Absence

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Breaking news from the St. Louis Cardinals organization tonight as long time pitching coach Dave Duncan will be taking a leave of absence from the team to be with his wife full-time. Jeanine Duncan had a cancerous brain tumor removed on August 21, 2011. The news broke via a tweet from FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal.

Duncan missed a little more than a month during the 2011 regular season following the surgery, but returned to the team and was with them through the entire World Series run. It is not clear if this is a permanent leave at this time. Rosenthal mentions that general manager John Mozeliak will make a formal announcement tomorrow.

In what has been an offseason of some notable personal changes for the Cardinals, this one takes on a deeper meaning. Former manager Tony La Russa was able to retire of his own volition and former first baseman Albert Pujols chose to move to Los Angeles for more money. No one chooses cancer.

From the staff of Redbird Rants, we wish the Duncan family the best.