It’s one of the saddest sports stories we can recall. But this tale of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and his father in today’s Los Angeles Times is definitely worth reading. Here’s a taste:

As darkness gave way to dawn, the doctors delivered the awful news: There was nothing more they could do to save his son.

Jim Adenhart found his sanctuary where his son found joy.

The hospital was no place for a grieving father, not in the hour after death, not when there was solace in life, and in baseball. And so the Angels unlocked their stadium, and their clubhouse, for a private sunrise service Thursday morning.

Nick Adenhart had walked through those doors just eight hours before, all smiles. Jim Adenhart walked through those doors, just past 7 a.m., all tears.

Mike Butcher, the Angels’ pitching coach, led Jim to his son’s locker. Butcher stepped back, leaving a respectful distance.

This would be Jim’s first memorial service for his son, all his own.

He saw. He touched. He prayed. He cried.

Ken Higdon, the Angels’ clubhouse manager, handed him the jersey his son had worn Wednesday night, when Nick pitched six shutout innings, the finest game of his young life. He was 22.

Perhaps Jim thought about what his son had told him a few days ago. He lives in Maryland, but his son urged him to fly to California for his first start in this new season.

“You better come here, because something special is going to happen,” Nick told his father, according to agent Scott Boras.

The rest is right here.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 10th, 2009 at 11:03 am and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.