Brandon Wood's memories could help him succeed with Angels

That damned car wreck.

Every time I walk toward the front gates at Angel Stadium, past the somber memorial circled with Angels baseball caps, I get angry, and that's what I think.

Why did it have to happen? Why did three young friends, so full of life, have to face such a terrible end?

We know a lot now about Nick Adenhart, the talented Angel who died on April 9, hit by an allegedly drunk fool of a driver hours after pitching a great game. We know how his death has caused his old teammates to labor against their own expectations, even though they've certainly sizzled since Friday: sweeping the New York Yankees with uncommon ease.

What we know less about are the others in that car. Jon Wilhite, 24, the ex-college baseball star who barely survived. Courtney Stewart, 20, the undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton who died at the scene.

And finally, Henry Pearson, 25, a charismatic law student whose lasting connection with a promising, recently promoted minor leaguer could end up having a real effect on how this season unfolds.

Brandon Wood sighs when he thinks of that night, that still-unbelievable wreck, particularly when he thinks of Pearson.

"He was one of my five or six best friends," Wood says. "The kid was just awesome. I can't think of a time I ever had a conversation with him when he was in a bad mood."

Unless you are an Angels fan, you might not have much of a fix on Wood. Here's the short version. He's a 24-year-old infielder who has long been one of the Angels' -- and baseball's -- top prospects. He's a hard-slugging third baseman who easily knocked a homer against Andy Pettitte on Saturday, but he's also lithe enough to have manned first base on Sunday against the Yankees, a tightrope, 5-4 Angels win. It was only Wood's sixth time at that position in pro ball. Overall, he performed deftly.

Wood has superb talent, but he's also a player who causes great frustration. He seems always on the cusp, always close to making the big leagues his permanent home -- but a familiar pattern has developed. Wood first terrorizes the minor leagues. Then he gets called up, promptly wilts and goes back to live among the lesser.

Recently promoted from triple-A Salt Lake, where he tarred most every ball that came his way, Wood arrives in Anaheim to different circumstances than he's ever seen. The Angels right now are in a dogfight for the AL West. The pitching has struggled. Injuries have spread like a fast-moving fire. Of course, the loss of a teammate still weighs heavily.