Gone but not Forgotten - Nick Adenhart

[SoCalSportsFan]

It's hard to believe it's 10 years since Nick Adenhart's last start!

 

 

[m0nkey]

This was a good article in the LA Times.

 

https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nick-adenhart-angels-death-20190408-story.html

[SoCalSportsFan]

Just shot Victor and Mark a message about saying something about Nick tonight, we'll see what happens!

[eligrba]

Sad day for many families.

[JAHV76]

RIP Nick

[aznhockeyguy]

Wow, 10 years ago today.  I remember waking up hearing on the radio hearing about a Angel player dying and hoping it wasn't Nick.  Sure enough, it was him.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Wonder if the guy who killed him is out already

[fan_since79]

[SoCalSportsFan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Adenhart

Great amount of info about Nick, plus 72 links for reference!

[notherhalo]

RIP

[eligrba4ever]

That week went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in an instant.

Ten years later, you can only wonder what if ...?

[ten ocho recon scout]

11 minutes ago, calscuf said:

I remember going to the next game after his death.  It was against the Red Sox.  Most of us had #34 someplace on us.  I still have my hat with #34 written on it.

A chowd kept yelling “hey, I don’t see no 34, where’s 34?”  People bit their lips.  

I couldn’t figure out if he was being a legendary douche or if he was oblivious and was saying shit about David Ortiz.

Since he’s a chowd I always assumed the worst.

Unreal. 

Ive been around a lot of crowds for sad events. One asshole always wants attention.

[Dollar Bill]

11 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Wonder if the guy who killed him is out already

He is not. He is quoted in the LA Times story linked above.

[T.G.]

I remember so much about this... I remember feeling numb when I heard the news.  We were at his last game and I made a point to stand down on the concourse to take some pictures of Nick.  We had met him at spring training and took some pictures with him which he would later sign for us.  I remember reading about how he was excited for the new season because he had "figured it out" after watching a lot of video of people like Greg Maddux in the off-season.  It was a season full of great expectations.  I remember coming to the stadium the next night and standing with fans as they covered the pitcher's mound outside the stadium with flowers, pictures, candles and more.  It was such a sad, sad time.  I remember the way Mike Scioscia kept putting the focus on the family and not on the ball club and how the club was dealing with his loss. 

Most of all, I remember Dustin Moseley talking about Nick:

 

[fan_since79]

Nick Adenhart's Last Inning...April 8, 2009  

Top 6th: Oakland  - T. Buck struck out swinging  - M. Ellis flied out to center  - R. Davis grounded out to third  

7 pitches, all strikes  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors  Oakland 0, LA Angels 3

[Chuck]

A year ago, fans mourned the loss of Adenhart

 

Eric Carpenter of the Orange County Register and I talked on the phone the other day about a feature which ran today titled 1 year later, fans remember Adenhart. In his feature story he quoted the following from our phone conversation.

 

Shortly after sunrise, fans began gathering outside Angel Stadium.

Many more tried to comfort one another online.

"That morning, it was a shock to all of us. I remember calling a few people and saying, 'Did this really happen?'" said Chuck Richter, 39, founder of a popular fan site AngelsWin.com and an Angels fan since he was 9.

"We were all rooting for him and he was just blossoming," Richter said.

"To lose somebody at such a young age who showed so much promise ... It was crushing to all of us."

Fans began posting on his Web site. The initial thread grew to at least 30 pages – more than 300 posts from fans expressing condolences.

"I'm really thankful that message board was there," Richter said. "So many Angel fans came there to grieve."

 

Let's go back a year to read some of the Blog columns and Angels' fan discussions from that day at AngelsWin.com.

 

The day of Adenhart's dominant start against the Oakland A's, I posted this column on April 8th several hours before game time. Read Eddie Bane's comments on Nick from spring training in 2009 and the entire article by clicking on the "Adenhart gives it another try" link.

 

Adenhart gives it another try: "Eddie Bane recently had this to say about Nick in our last Eddie Bane Connection feature. "Nick Adenhart is as good a pitching prospect as the game has. He is about the same age as the college guys I am chasing right now. And he has already touched the big leagues. So far in the spring, from what I hear his stuff has been dynamite as always. When Nick gets ahead of the count with a pitch low and in the middle of the plate, he will win consistently in the major leagues. His stuff is top drawer and, specifically, his fastball gets on the hitters".

 

 Nick Adenhart killed in car accident: Posted on April 9th at 6:44 A.M. - "Someone just called into am830 and claimed he worked security at UCI medical in orange and said that adenhart was brought in after a fatal car accident. I tried to find info online and found a few fatal car accidents in the area but no names were released. I hope the guy was full of it but wanted to see if anyone else has heard anything."

 

Nick Adenhart 1986-2009: From a Mariners fan that stopped by: Halo fans ~

Words just can't express...

I saw the rumors in the original thread, reading on the bus on my way to work.  Then when the news was oficially confirmed, I audibly caught my breath. I always say that I never root for injuries/illness for any team, as I want my team to engage their competition when both are at 100%.  Obviously, this tragedy is at a whole other level than an elbow sprain or a hamstring tear.  It certainly brings baseball into perspective ... 22 years old ~ baseball star or college student or ditch digger ~ is WAY too young to go.  I have a daughter who is 2 years older than Nick and one two years younger - sometimes things seem to happen in such a bassackward order.

I can't imagine the shock and sorrow Nick's friends and family must be feeling, including that of his extended family in the Halo organization and all their fans.

Sincere heartfelt thoughts and prayers ... 
I just keep hearing Billy Joel in my head ~ Only the good die young.

R.I.P. Nick 

 

Sharing My Thoughts with My AngelsWin Family: @Lou from AngelsWin.com - "Well, it's taking me all day, but i can finally post my thoughts. I refrained from posting earlier  because i was deeply saddened and  numb, as well as extremely angry.  Why things like this happen i will never understand.  But it's not really for me to figure out, i guess.   Nick will be missed by a lot of people - especially his wonderful family.  By all accounts, he was a great kid. We toss around the phrase " Angels Family" quite a bit, but we are definitely in this together.

As some here are aware of,  I have had quite a few people in my life pass away unexpectedly and it doesn't get any easier. I guess this is why i don't rant or fly off the handle after a loss... even an excruciating one like last night.  You learn that where something like the game of baseball is concerned, there will always be another game.  I got what i wanted - one World Series Championship.  I will gladly take more, but will be happy knowing that the Angels are a top-notch organization, both on and off the field.

Please take this time to not only remember and mourn for Nick and his family, but to share all of your Love with your family and friends. 

Also take time to remember those less fortunate than us.  To quote John Wooden: " You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

 

Nick Adenhart, you will be missed: Phillip Richmond from Cedar Rapids, Iowa: "Like for all Angels fans, the day Nick Adenhart was announced dead after being hit by a drunk driver, killing two others and seriously injuring another, it has just been a shock, almost unbelievable that he's gone. Here are the thoughts that I wrote on the day Nick went from being heavenly on the mound to supernatural in high places:

I was awoken by a text from my friend Mike, who goes to as many Midwest League games as I do. When I read his text I couldn’t believe it and thought it was just a joke of poor taste. But when I saw that I had several more texts from friends, telling me about what had happened, my day living in shock had begun."

 

The Day Angels Baseball died: "I have sat here thinking about the tragic events of late Wednesday evening; about the few unfortunate moments that took the life of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of his companions and left another in critical condition; of sheer senselessness of three lives being snuffed out by a repeat offender, who otherwise deserves no further mention. However, what I’ve perhaps given the most thought is why this has affected me so much."

 

Baseball marked it's time: "As I sit here at the keyboard, my stomach still churning from today’s tragic news, I can’t help but think of Mike Scioscia, and his ability to turn the page. Whether it’s a tough loss, a blowout, or a rainout, he just channels the mantra of turning the page. As hard as it may be, in order to move on past today, we need to get back into our regular routines. Life and baseball still happen, and to honor both it’s worth looking at how our minor league teams fared.

While last night's major league game was canceled, life still went on for the rest of organization. And, while the loss of Adenhart still stings, our minor leaguers had to roll on, whether they knew Adenhart or had never even played with him. For many, it was an extremely emotional day."

[Chuck]

Stuff from our old blog and members, a year after. 

Cannot believe it has been 10 years. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

I remember washing my truck a few days after. I think the sunday after. Was listening to angel talk after the game. 

Some guy called in and said "its sad, but they need to move on" after a loss.

Terry smith destroyed the guy. Only time i ever heard terry lose his cool. I remember vividly him saying "you have no idea what its like in the clubhouse, how dare you".

Credit sosh and the rest of those guys for keeping it together that year.

Sort of on topic, but i actually met the passenger who survived a few years back. Friend of a friend. He seemed to be doing really well.

[Chuck]

The biggest blessing to me was being able to bless Nick's mom and dad with a cherry wood framed collage of his pictures coming up through the Angels brass, including his brilliant start against the A's. 

We presented them to Tim Mead, Wally Joyner's daughter (who was an intern in the PR department), who then gave the memorial pictures to mom and dad. 

Brian, Lou, Glen, Adam, Dave, Bruce, Jody and so many others were there that day, under the Big A. Special moment in AW history for me. 

[GrittyVeterans]

Every Angel cap I ever wear until the day I die will have black sharpie that says "NA34" on it.

[Amazing Larry]

 

[Angel Oracle]

One other thing to come from all of this, is that Andrew Gallo seems to be trying to turn his life around.    It's hard trying to forgive him though.

His accomplice (half brother?) was just as big of a dirt bag that night, failing miserably as the alleged designated driver by drinking like Gallo was, and thus Gallo being the one to get behind the wheel, iirc that story correctly.   And to top it off, when the crash happened, the half brother per different accounts could only say "Run b_tch"?

Any people out there who even think of drinking and driving, please read this thread, and then call Uber or Lyft!!!!!!!

[Tank]

16 hours ago, SoCalSportsFan said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Adenhart

Great amount of info about Nick, plus 72 links for reference!

thanks for sharing this. we all knew about weaver's ritual, but the rest of it was unknown to me.

As a memorial, Angels pitcher Jered Weaver wrote the initials "NA" in the dirt on the back of the pitcher's mound before each start in honor of Adenhart.^[65] Weaver also named his son Aden in memory of Adenhart.^[66] Mike Napoli, who caught Adenhart's final game, goes out to center field before every game, and writes Adenhart's name in the warning track dirt.^[67] Darren O'Day, who came up through the Angels minor system with Adenhart, writes Adenhart's number and initials on the brim of every new cap he wears.^[68] Baltimore Orioles pitcher Miguel González paid tribute to Adenhart, his former minor league teammate, by wearing one of his gloves in his first major league start, which was against the Angels on July 6, 2012.^[69]

[Tank]

i  had just gotten out of faculty worship when my wife texted me that one of the angels had died. i frantically searched to find out who but couldn't find any info. turned on the radio and heard that it was nick and just went numb.

even worse, we hadn't been able to watch any games that week because my idiot cable company was fighting with fox sports west over broadcast fees and proceeded to black out angels games that opening week. BTW, charter cable really sucked. i think they're called spectrum or scrotum or something like that now.

[SoCalSportsFan]

It's remembering people like Nick (and other family/friends) who make me appreciate every day I wake up!

As I've gotten older I now appreciate everything more and more, and try not to sweat the small stuff, cause usually it works out in the end!

BTW, Thanks @Chuckster70 for sharing those pictures!