It began soon after the news broke Thursday morning -- a handful of bouquets, a lone baseball and some loose papers, expressions of sorrow from a few grieving fans outside the entrance to Angel Stadium. Inside the stadium, the flags flying at half-staff.
But the procession of visitors didn't end and by nightfall, this makeshift tribute to pitcher Nick Adenhart was of a size and scope equal to the profound sense of loss washing over anyone who watched. Wreaths, stuffed animals, red balloons, more flowers, more written messages.
On one balloon: Nick, You're An Angel Now.
The death of the Angels rookie, who was killed early Thursday morning as the result of a traffic accident, reverberated around the tight baseball community and resonated across the country.
Only the night before, Adenhart had pitched six scoreless innings against the Oakland A's before being lifted for a reliever.
Angels General Manager Tony Reagins, at a news conference Thursday morning, described Adenhart as a "poised, disciplined" pitcher.
"Nothing fazed this kid," Reagins said. "He dealt with the peaks and valleys of development. Last night, we saw one of his peaks."
In the afternoon at the stadium, Oakland infielder Mark Ellis and pitcher Russ Springer, who once played in Anaheim, walked across the hallway to the Angels' clubhouse to pay their respects, not long before the Angels held a team meeting at 3 p.m., during which Jim Adenhart, Nick's father, addressed the team.
"We were just kind of reminiscing about what Nick brought to the team, to the clubhouse," center fielder Torii Hunter told reporters as he drove out of the players' parking lot. "He was a very funny kid and he's going to be missed. Every time you come to the stadium and you go in that clubhouse, you're looking at Nick Adenhart's locker.
"A lot of these guys in here have never lost anybody in their family that's close to them. I hate that this happened, but this is part of life. This is the real deal. That's why you've got to kiss your kids, kiss your family every day when you get up in the morning and before you leave for work."
The feeling was no different in the A's clubhouse.
"It's sad," first baseman Jason Giambi said. "The kid goes out there and throws the game of his career. He was phenomenal last night, and to have it cut short like this, my heart goes out to his family and all the other families involved.
