Adenhart Honored at Angels Pre-game Ceremony
By BETH HARRIS
Updated 11:15 PM PST, Fri, Apr 10, 2009
ANAHEIM, California — Los Angeles Angels players and fans honored pitcher Nick Adenhart in a pre-game ceremony Friday after the young pitcher was killed by a suspected drunk driver.
Teammates Torii Hunter and John Lackey stood on the pitcher's mound at Angel Stadium, each holding Nick Adenhart's jersey, their caps off and heads bowed.
The rest of the Angels took their places along the third-base line, while the Boston Red Sox lined up on the first-base side. The pregame music went quiet and a hush fell over the crowd.
Adenhart and two of his friends were killed about 36 hours earlier in a car crash after being broadsided in a collision.
Andrew Thomas Gallo, a 22-year-old from San Gabriel, was charged with three counts of murder by the Orange County district attorney on Friday. He ran a red light in his minivan and hit the car carrying Adenhart and his friends, police said.
Hours later, Adenhart's face appeared on the stadium's video board, followed by clips of him pitching Wednesday against Oakland in the best game of his brief major league career.
After the ceremony, Lackey carried Adenhart's jersey back to the dugout, while Hunter jogged to center field, headed to the picture of Adenhart on the wall. Hunter touched the photo, then took his usual position to start the game.
Angels players wore a No. 34 patch on their uniforms. Adenhart's number also was painted in red on the back slope of the pitcher's mound, where he had struck out opposing batters two nights earlier.
He was at his locker that night when teammate Joe Saunders patted the rookie on the back and said, "Great job."
Saunders now wishes he had said more. But at the time those words were what Adenhart had longed to hear — that he belonged in the big leagues with the Angels after trying to get there for nearly five years.
"He gave us a chance to win and I knew he was really proud of that," Saunders recalled. "I know he felt elated that he pitched such a great game. That's what I'm going to remember."
Such memories were little comfort to those stunned by the sudden deaths of the 22-year-old pitcher and his friends Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson.
Gallo had nearly triple the legal blood-alcohol level and could get nearly 55 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges, police said.
Another passenger in the car, 24-year-old Jon Wilhite of Manhattan Beach, remained in critical but stable condition Friday and doctors believe he will survive, a hospital spokesman said.
Gallo will likely be assigned a public defender at his first court appearance, scheduled for Monday.
According to court records reviewed by The Associated Press, Gallo pleaded guilty to drunk driving in 2006 in San Bernardino. He was sentenced to two days in jail, three years of probation, a $1,374 fine and a four-month alcohol treatment program. He didn't serve any jail time, however, because he received credit for time served.
A judge also restricted his driving privileges for three months, allowing him to commute only to and from work and his treatment program.
The district attorney, however, said Gallo's license had been suspended since 2006.
Court records show Gallo violated some terms of his probation, causing it to be extended by a year, to 2010.
Police said Gallo was arrested for public intoxication in March 2007 and convicted of disturbing the peace in January.
Copyright Associated Press
First Published: Apr 10, 2009 10:23 PM PST
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