MLB Pitcher Dies; Top Prospect in Angels System
Only hours after throwing six scoreless innings for the Los Angeles Angels, 22-year-old rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed after his Mitsubishi sports car was hit by a minivan that blew a red light. Shortly before 12:30 a.m. last Thursday morning, Adenhart’s car was struck by the minivan and then hit a light pole, killing three people inside. Adenhart died during surgery at University of California, Irvine Medical Center. This is the first active player death since Cory Lidle was killed in a plane crash on October 11, 2006.
UMass Boston Baseball is a Fun Environment Again
This nugget from an anonymous player recently: “I’d rather lose every game playing with the 25 guys that want to be here than win every game with a bunch of guys that are out for themselves. Last year there was a lot of bickering and guys don’t like this guy, maybe hoping he doesn’t get a hit so [he] can play the next game, that kind of thing. I couldn’t stand that [expletive]. This year it’s nice to have everybody pulling for each other, everyone’s having fun, guys are really taking to each other. Its not just ‘I want to play,’ its ‘let’s get a W, let’s find a way to win and lets have fun doing it.’ Its not miserable going to play baseball. It’s obviously nice to win but it’s still having fun with your team as opposed to ‘I’m out there for myself.'”
Sooner, Rather Than Later
In a predictable development, Oklahoma Sooner forward and Hellboy look-alike Blake Griffin declared for the NBA Draft last week. Griffin dominated the Big 12 the way Kobayashi does a platter full of hot dogs: quickly and without remorse. Averaging 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game seems the equivalent of devouring 50-something hot dogs in 12 minutes. But seriously, who in their right mind thought Griffin would stay for his junior year? Stevie Wonder could have seen this one coming. -Associated Press
Leon Hall is a Nice Drunk
The Cincinnati Bengals had been such an angelic bunch recently, but Leon Hall had to go and mess it up. Working on almost a full calendar year without a criminal arrest, the Bengals’ clean streak was soiled last week when Hall was pulled over in Clermont County, Ohio and booked for drunken driving. The first-round draft pick had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.149, with the legal limit in Ohio being 0.08. (Nice work!). State Trooper Tony Bradshaw said Hall was cooperative and admitted drinking, rather than going the Chris Henry route, punching faces and smashing beer bottles into car windows.
Compiled by Ryan Thomas