Angels head to playoffs with Adenhart in thoughts

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The makeshift memorial in front of Angel Stadium's main entrance is about the size of a pitcher's mound now. Hats, stuffed animals, sparkling lights, rosary beads, inscribed baseballs and hand-lettered signs are all arranged in a neat circle around an easel that holds a painting of Nick Adenhart in mid-throw.

In the Angels' clubhouse, Adenhart's locker is largely still how he left it on the night of April 8, from cap to shoes. His image and No. 34 adorn the outfield wall, where Jered Weaver communes before each start with the new friend who was planning to room with him this season.

"It's always in the back of your mind," Weaver said. "You're never going forget a guy like that. When something like that happens, it makes you take into consideration that not every day is promised, and you have to go out there, every out, and give it everything you have. It's a tough thing."

Adenhart, the Los Angeles Angels' 22-year-old pitcher who died in a car accident during the season's opening week, is a constant presence even in October for everyone around the club, which won the AL West last month to earn a first-round playoff matchup with the Boston Red Sox.

His death, along with two friends in a crash police say was caused by a drunk driver, staggered the Angels on and off the field, before ultimately elevating their remarkable season. Whether the Angels finally get past Boston or not, they feel they've honored Adenhart's memory by rising from the tragedy.

"After he passed, for two or three weeks we were down and out," said Torii Hunter, the Angels' clubhouse leader. "We'd strike out and it was no big deal, because my friend just passed. (Then) we realized Nick Adenhart was looking down on us. He's a starting pitcher, and he wants to win. We knew he was saying, 'Boys, what the hell are you doing?'"

Indeed, the Angels played the rest of April in what Hunter calls "a fog," only emerging after some collective soul-searching and manager Mike Scioscia's delicate prodding.

They've been outstanding ever since, finishing with 97 wins for the majors' second-best record and their fifth AL West title in six years. But nobody has forgotten how they felt when they first heard the news, passed by text messages and frantic phone calls in the early-morning hours of April 9.