Angel on the Mound

I apologize ahead of time for the cryptic and answerless post I am about to write, but I feel compelled to write down a few words about our life's dreams whether they come true or not.

As most of you probably know by now, LA Angel Pitcher Nick Adenhart was tragically killed in an auto accident just hours after he pitched six scoreless innings in a game against AL West rival Oakland last night.

What made him so special? He had Tommy John surgery after his senior year in high school. That being said, the Angels took a chance on him in the 14th round of the MLB draft five years ago, not knowing how he would perform after his elbow reconstruction.

Nick worked his tail off compiling a record of 37-28 in the minors. He had an outstanding spring, and made the big league club this year. His first start of the season was not supposed to bring that much hype, but he felt as though something special was going to happen. So much so that he called his dad and told him to fly up from his hometown in nearby southern California. What did dad do? He listened to his son. He watched his little boy, the same one he played catch with not long after he started to walk. He watched his child shut down a very competitive team in the Athletics for six innings. The joy his father must have felt cannot be measured by words.

I was a pitcher a long time ago. I had dreams of making some kind of life for me and my family playing the game I loved the most. Things didn't work out for me, but they certainly worked out for Nick. Not only last night, but forever.

I was moved by a story tonight regarding Nick and the make shift memorial outside of Angels Stadium. There was a baseball that had scribbled on it "Now you are really pitching for a team of Angels".

I don't know, nor do I care what you do or do not believe in, but I am hopeful that Nick is now in the starting rotation for one of the greatest teams ever known to man kind.

May God have mercy on the soul of the man that took those lives last night, and may he never let Nick know any kind of arm pain for eternity.

I will say the words of the first pitching coach I ever had to Nick, wherever he his tonight.

Just throw strikes kid......just throw strikes.

Ahhhhhh.....the beauty of the baseball season that never ends.