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The locker in the Angels' clubhouse will remain as is, marked by No. 34. And if the Angels are to overcome -- though they will never forget -- the tragic death of 22-year-old pitcher Nick Adenhart, then they will have to treat the baseball field as their sanctuary, Manager Mike Scioscia said today.

Adenhart was killed along with two friends in an accident early Thursday morning after the car they were in was broadsided by an alleged drunk driver."Everyone has a heavy heart -- there are a lot of guys in that clubhouse who were very close to Nick, and it's going to take some time," Scioscia said at an Angel Stadium news conference this afternoon.

"But this game has a way of focusing you on the field. I'm sure one of the easiest things for these guys will be playing the game, going between the lines.

"I don't think any of us slept last night. It's tough coming to the park and trying to get ready to play. But once you play the game, it's like a haven. We'll handle the other stuff as it happens."

Scioscia was not alone in addressing reporters before tonight's game against the Boston Red Sox. Joining him were pitchers Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley and pitching coach Mike Butcher, who helped console Adenhart's father, Jim, at UCI Medical Center in the hours after accident.

While the four spoke in a third-floor conference room, Adenhart's father and mother, Janet, met with pitcher John Lackey and center fielder Torii Hunter in the clubhouse below and took several items such as jerseys and hats from Adenhart's locker as keepsakes.

The rest of Adenhart's locker will remain intact for the remainder of the season, and Adenhart will also have a locker on the road, said Tim Mead, Angels vice president of communications.

"He's going to be with us," Scioscia said. "That's something the guys felt very strongly about."

The team is planning a video tribute to Adenhart before tonight's game, and there will be a moment of silence. The Angels will also recognize the two other victims of the crash, Courtney Stewart, 20, and Henry Pearson, 25, both Cal State Fullerton students.

A black circular patch, with Adenhart's name and No. 34, will be worn over the left chest of the Angels' uniforms.

"We've got to lean on each other even more now because this is not going to be over any time soon," said Moseley, a teammate of Adenhart's at triple-A Salt Lake for much of 2008. "This is going to be with us for a while. But if we can keep the right attitude, some great things can come out of this."

Both Moseley and Saunders got choked up when they spoke of Thursday's meeting in the team's clubhouse, when Jim Adenhart broke down as he tried to address the team.

"I can't even begin to explain how it felt to see what his dad had to go through," Moseley said. "I had to bury my dad a few years ago. I can't imagine burying a son. Everyone who knows Nick was proud to know him. I'm sure God is proud to know him now too."

Saunders said the entire day Thursday, especially the meeting with Jim Adenhart, "was one of the toughest things I've had to go through as a player and a person. . . . I left the stadium and called my dad. Then I went home and hugged my daughter and my wife. It really puts things in perspective, what's important in this world."

Added Moseley: "To see someone lose their life at such an early age, it takes you out of that bubble as a baseball player and a person. You think, 'Wow, could tomorrow be my last day on this earth?' And what kind of impact am I having?"

Butcher needed several moments to compose himself after being asked to recount the events of the previous 24 hours. The pitching coach was the first member of the organization to be contacted by Jim Adenhart, who called Butcher from Nick's cellphone.

"It was 2 a.m. and my caller ID said 'Nick Adenhart' because I have him programmed into my phone," Butcher said. "I'm thinking, 'OK, I'm going to have to go get Nick somewhere, but in a good way.' Then I heard his father, who said Nick had been in an accident and was at UCI Medical Center in critical condition.

"I was not thinking the worst. I told Jim I'd be right over, and when I got there, there weren't a whole lot of answers. Nick was in surgery. I didn't know what to say. I knew the situation was pretty serious, because we didn't get any updates for three hours."

In those hours, Butcher said, "I found out a lot about Nick and his family, and I waited. Jim told me about Nick throwing a no-hitter as a kid and losing the game on a passed ball. Then he threw a perfect game and won against the same team the next week.

"We shared stories about spring training. I told him how I saw Nick mature as a human being and as a pitcher. We talked about Wednesday night's game," in which Adenhart threw six shutout innings against the Oakland Athletics.

Butcher could not bring himself to talk about the moment doctors informed Jim Adenhart that his son was dead.

"After I took Nick out of the game Wednesday night I asked him, 'Is the ball coming out of your hand like it's supposed to?' " Butcher said. "He said, 'Butch, I got it.' To see a kid figure it out that early, to understand it and own it, and a few hours later he loses his life. . . .

"It's tough for his family. I'm glad I was there for him. It's something you never want to go through as a parent."

Players often take the field with nagging injuries, sore hamstrings, elbows or ankles. Now, the Angels, their coaches, their manager, must figure out how to play this game with heavy hearts.

"There's no template, no instruction manual for dealing with what has happened," Scioscia said. "Unfortunately, this happens every day in our world. It touched us in a tragic way. There's no doubt our hearts our with the Adenhart family.

"As tough as what we're feeling as an organization, it pales in comparison to losing a son. All of our staff, the players, we're going to meet the needs of the family and move forward with what we need to do as an organization."




This shit is just too sad. Dude my age just gone in a blink of an eye..... Life really is too damn short sometimes. Hope the drunk driver gets convicted. Reminds me of when Horse left :/ My condolences go to the family of those are were lost :/