Nick Adenhart

I have to admit that my first thought when I read that a young Angels pitcher had died in a car crash following the best start of his brief career was that he was the DUI, not the alleged victim of one. And it didn't really hit me until this afternoon, as I was sitting at the counter in a diner, reading The Post.

Adenhart's dad, Jim, a retired Secret Service agent, had been in the stands for his son's big night on Wednesday.

Yesterday, he was seen standing on the pitcher's mound inside the silent stadium. He briefly covered his eyes with one hand. He also addressed the team.

At SI, Joe Posnanski puts it well.

On Wednesday evening, against the Oakland A's, Adenhart pitched the first brilliant game of his young career. He pitched six innings without allowing a run. He struck out five. You did not need to know a lot about him, and you probably did not know that he grew up in Maryland, that he was a tremendous pitching prospect, that he tore a ligament in his elbow his senior year in high school, that he had Tommy John surgery when he was 17 years old. You probably did not know that he worked hard to come back, that he did come back, that he had a low 90s fastball and a sharp curve but what impressed scouts most was an easy pitching delivery. Effortless, they called it.

You probably did not know these things unless you were a hardcore Angels fan, but what matters is that you did not need to know them. As a sports fan, you could understand the promise of a 22-year-old pitcher throwing six shutout innings in the first start of his rookie season. As a sports fan, you could anticipate what was possible. Adenhart wanted all his life to be a big leaguer -- the same dream so many young boys have in America. He had a chance to become a star.

No less tragic, two other young people died in the car, and a fourth is still in critical condition.