Who would have guessed that just hours after pitching six scoreless innings in his season debut, just his fourth overall start in the Majors, that 22-year old rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart would be killed in a hit-and-run auto accident? Sadly, that's exactly what happened early this morning.
Adenhart was riding in a silver Mitsubishi with three others when a red a minivan apparently ran a red light at a Fullerton intersection at around 12:20am PT, and broadsided the Mitsubishi, sending it into a light pole, killing two in the car instantly, and sending two others to UC Irvine Medical Center, including Adenhart, where he would later die during surgery. A third vehicle waiting at the red light also suffered minor damage. The driver of that vehicle was not seriously injured.
The other hospitalized victim was last listed in critical condition at UC Irvine Medical Center. Jon Wilhite, who is expected to survive, played baseball at Cal State Fullerton from 2004 to 2008. The driver of the Mitsubishi was a female friend of Adenhart's who was a current student at Cal State Fullerton and was a cheerleader there in 2007 and 2008. Her mother said her daughter, 20-year old Courtney Stewart, and Adenhart had met about a year ago and were just friends.
Meanwhile, the driver of the minivan, Andrew Thomas Gallo. ran on foot but was captured a short time later and booked on three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, and a felony DUI. Gallo's blood-alcohol level was well above the legal limit, according to authorities, and he was driving with a suspended license stemming from a previous felony drunk driving conviction.
Adenhart had just completed a strong start for the Angels in just their third game of the young season, scattering seven hits over six innings against the Oakland Athletics. The A's would eventually come from behind against the Angel bullpen and win the game, 6-4. After the game, Adenhart went about his business.
"I battled early and it felt good to get out of some jams," Adenhart said.
Adenhart's father, Jim, a retired Secret Service agent, had flown in from Maryland to attend the game at his son's wishes. Adenhart's agent, Scott Boras, spoke with both the pitcher and his father after the game about an hour before the crash would take place. Boras said that his client "was so elated... he felt like a major leaguer."
Adenhart's mother, Janet, arrived in Southern California from Maryland on this afternoon. Adenthart's parents were divorced.
News of Adenhart's death hit the Angels family very hard. Angels outfielder Torii Hunter was one of the first to hear of the tragedy.
"I'm in shock right now," he said. "He just pitched last night. It doesn't seem like this is happening. This is real life. This isn't about baseball. This is whole life, he had his whole life ahead of him. He was a great kid, he was funny, he was very popular in the clubhouse and off the field. People loved him."
The news also hit Boras especially hard. At a Thursday press conference, Boras broke down in tears as he talked about his client.
"To, I think, focus on his loss is not what we need to do here today, we need to focus on who Nick Adenhart was and his achievement. His parents really want to communicate to everyone that it's a very difficult moment, but it's also a very special moment because Nick was most accomplished and his life's goal was to be a major league baseball player and he certainly achieved that standard."
But it wasn't easy getting there. Adenhart was project a Top Five pick out of high school in 2004, but an elbow injury derailed him and he slipped to the fourteenth round, where the Angels selcted him in that year's draft. He would eventually undergo Tommy John surgery and would spend the bulk of his first four years as a pro in the Angels minor league system.
This is the second tragedy this week for the Angels. On Opening Day on Monday, two fans got into a fight in one of the stadium's stairwells, and a third fan came in from behind and struck one of the two fighting in the head. That fan fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete and later died at a nearby hospital.
**********
One of the things that stands out to me throughout this entire ordeal is Boras' emotions at the news conference yesterday. We don't usually get to see the "human" side of Scott Boras, and it was refreshing to see someone who gets so much flak around the league for his antics as an agent, and the way he goes about his business, just abe a genuine human being.
We tend to forget two things: one, he's just doing his job, and he happens to be the best at it, and two, that he's human just like the rest of us. What he showed yesterday was a reminder of how close of a relationship the players have to their agents, and vice versa, and that agents are not just there to negotiate contracts for their clients, but they're also advisors in all aspects of a player's well-being including their personal lives, and they build a relationship on a personal level, as well.
Tom Cruise's portrayal as Jerry Maguire in the movie of the same name comes to mind.
And one last comment... to the sick SOB who decided to get bamboozled that night and then get behind the wheel, with a suspended license at that... I hope they throw the book at you and you spend the rest of your life getting ass-raped by Scott Peterson-types in prison until they put enough electricity through your pathetic soul to light up the entire country for at least an hour!
Adenhart was riding in a silver Mitsubishi with three others when a red a minivan apparently ran a red light at a Fullerton intersection at around 12:20am PT, and broadsided the Mitsubishi, sending it into a light pole, killing two in the car instantly, and sending two others to UC Irvine Medical Center, including Adenhart, where he would later die during surgery. A third vehicle waiting at the red light also suffered minor damage. The driver of that vehicle was not seriously injured.
The other hospitalized victim was last listed in critical condition at UC Irvine Medical Center. Jon Wilhite, who is expected to survive, played baseball at Cal State Fullerton from 2004 to 2008. The driver of the Mitsubishi was a female friend of Adenhart's who was a current student at Cal State Fullerton and was a cheerleader there in 2007 and 2008. Her mother said her daughter, 20-year old Courtney Stewart, and Adenhart had met about a year ago and were just friends.
Meanwhile, the driver of the minivan, Andrew Thomas Gallo. ran on foot but was captured a short time later and booked on three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, and a felony DUI. Gallo's blood-alcohol level was well above the legal limit, according to authorities, and he was driving with a suspended license stemming from a previous felony drunk driving conviction.
Adenhart had just completed a strong start for the Angels in just their third game of the young season, scattering seven hits over six innings against the Oakland Athletics. The A's would eventually come from behind against the Angel bullpen and win the game, 6-4. After the game, Adenhart went about his business.
"I battled early and it felt good to get out of some jams," Adenhart said.
Adenhart's father, Jim, a retired Secret Service agent, had flown in from Maryland to attend the game at his son's wishes. Adenhart's agent, Scott Boras, spoke with both the pitcher and his father after the game about an hour before the crash would take place. Boras said that his client "was so elated... he felt like a major leaguer."
Adenhart's mother, Janet, arrived in Southern California from Maryland on this afternoon. Adenthart's parents were divorced.
News of Adenhart's death hit the Angels family very hard. Angels outfielder Torii Hunter was one of the first to hear of the tragedy.
"I'm in shock right now," he said. "He just pitched last night. It doesn't seem like this is happening. This is real life. This isn't about baseball. This is whole life, he had his whole life ahead of him. He was a great kid, he was funny, he was very popular in the clubhouse and off the field. People loved him."
The news also hit Boras especially hard. At a Thursday press conference, Boras broke down in tears as he talked about his client.
"To, I think, focus on his loss is not what we need to do here today, we need to focus on who Nick Adenhart was and his achievement. His parents really want to communicate to everyone that it's a very difficult moment, but it's also a very special moment because Nick was most accomplished and his life's goal was to be a major league baseball player and he certainly achieved that standard."
But it wasn't easy getting there. Adenhart was project a Top Five pick out of high school in 2004, but an elbow injury derailed him and he slipped to the fourteenth round, where the Angels selcted him in that year's draft. He would eventually undergo Tommy John surgery and would spend the bulk of his first four years as a pro in the Angels minor league system.
This is the second tragedy this week for the Angels. On Opening Day on Monday, two fans got into a fight in one of the stadium's stairwells, and a third fan came in from behind and struck one of the two fighting in the head. That fan fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete and later died at a nearby hospital.
**********
One of the things that stands out to me throughout this entire ordeal is Boras' emotions at the news conference yesterday. We don't usually get to see the "human" side of Scott Boras, and it was refreshing to see someone who gets so much flak around the league for his antics as an agent, and the way he goes about his business, just abe a genuine human being.
We tend to forget two things: one, he's just doing his job, and he happens to be the best at it, and two, that he's human just like the rest of us. What he showed yesterday was a reminder of how close of a relationship the players have to their agents, and vice versa, and that agents are not just there to negotiate contracts for their clients, but they're also advisors in all aspects of a player's well-being including their personal lives, and they build a relationship on a personal level, as well.
Tom Cruise's portrayal as Jerry Maguire in the movie of the same name comes to mind.
And one last comment... to the sick SOB who decided to get bamboozled that night and then get behind the wheel, with a suspended license at that... I hope they throw the book at you and you spend the rest of your life getting ass-raped by Scott Peterson-types in prison until they put enough electricity through your pathetic soul to light up the entire country for at least an hour!
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