A month ago Nick Adenhart was pitching in Spring Training for the Anaheim Angels, prepping for the start of the 2009 Major League Baseball season
On April, 8, he was pitching his first regular season game-a game in which he pitched six innings, gave up no runs and struck out five batters- against the Oakland Athletics.
A few hours later, while driving home from the game Adenhart was killed in car accident; He was 23 years old.
It's not often sports makes you stop and think about life. They're usually a chance to escape reality. This however puts things into a whole different perspective.
At 23 years old he had so much to look forward to in life and not just baseball. A family, a home, all taken away from him in a split second.
Sometimes the world is cruel.
His teammates have honored him by wearing his number on their jersey's and a place on the center-field wall now bares his pictures. But could you imagine?
These guys have been together for a long time. During a season they see each other more than their families.
25 teammates and handful of mangers lost more then just a teammate- they lost a brother.
The team played the day after and won. They all said they knew he was watching. In these situations you have to move on and I'm sure Adenhart would of wanted that.
You could probably hear him from heaven that day in Anaheim, saying "play ball".
Adenhart's agent and coach react to his death: Youtube
A fan's tribute to Nick: Youtube
Read the full story.Photo from accumind.com
Good work. I liked how you let the cruel world comment stay by itself. I'm glad you wrote about this because in my opinion I think most people see athletes how they used to see their teachers growing up. I mean that as in how it's surreal to see your teacher outside of the classroom because you directly identify them with the classroom. These tragedies, like the boat accident with the football players or the Yankees player who died in a plane crash a couple years ago, really does make you refocus one's perspective on how they see athletes.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link I told you about earlier.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/magazine/22basketball-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Aww, how sad. Yet it inspires me to think more about the human side of athletes, and not think of them as athletic equipment. I once read somewher that only about 7 percent of people believe that the outcome of a sports game has anything to do with God. I know religion is a very different subject, but it just shows the truth in what you said about sports only being an escape from reality for some.
ReplyDelete