Nick Adenhart: Remembering a Similar Tragedy Close to Home

When Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed, I was more affected than I thought I would be. Maybe it's because I was just down in Anaheim for Opening Day and knew (and like) many people in the organization, but I think it was more because of what happened 20 years ago in Santa Barbara to some people I knew. A drunk driver plowed into a group of cyclists-killing one, maiming another, and affecting the others for the rest of their lives.

By Mike Takeuchi



In a lot of ways, Ken Foraker knows how the Angels were feeling when they were at the lowest point in trying to deal with the April 9 death of Nick Adenhart.

He knows, because he too lost an athlete friend to a drunk driver almost exactly 20 years ago, and in that same accident, he lost his leg.

As I watched the Angels on television these last two weeks, and Sunday, in the clubhouse and on the field before a game against the Mariners, I wanted to show some kind of support to a great organization filled with classy people.Because during the grieving period for Adenhart, the thought of Foraker, and especially Chip Wessberg, the rider who was killed, kept popping into my head.

Locals who have been around a while may remember when a drunk driver plowed into a group of elite cyclists from behind on Highway 101 on March 22, 1989. The group, which included former UCSB volleyball star Shari Kain, Category I rider Foraker, and endurance coach Chip Wessberg didnt have a chance.

I remember hearing this funny sound from the car and an explosion, like tires blowing up and thinking uh-oh, Foraker said by telephone.

Foraker was then hit on his left sideof his left leg sheared off above the knee and launched 100 feet down the road.The car dragged him several hundred yards until he stopped, lying next to the body of Wessberg. The whole time, although he wished he had, Ken Foraker did not lose consciousness.

Fast forward through months of hospital stays and rehab, and years of riding his bike with one leg, and Foraker is training at the U.S. Paralympic Training Center in Chula Vista to prepare to become the elite road cyclist he was denied of being twenty years ago. Although things are going well and he has much to look forward to, the memories of the accident, which are never too far away, came back recently.

When I read (about Adenhart) online, I couldnt believe that these three people lost their lives because they were so young, Foraker said.For his teammates, I am sure the sadness is indescribable.Going into the locker room and not seeing him, its going to take a long time to get used to.You dont even know how to deal with it. Because it was caused by a drunk driver, it is something that can cause a lot of anger.It is something that is very difficult to accept. But once they do, theyll be able to move on.

Walking around Angel Stadium, looking at the concrete mound outside the stadium filled with mementos and tributes to the young pitcher and then inside the clubhouse elicited chills. A filled locker in the far right corner of the clubhouse with Adenhart's 34 hanging up amidst shoes and clothes, made it look like the player is going to come in any minute.The only indication of that last night is the April 9 lineup poster ó the game he last pitched in, laid inside the locker.

While it is quieter than it has been in the past, the banter in the clubhouse seemed easy.There are more smiles and light in the eyes of the players that only two weeks ago were as vacant as a condemned building.Center fielder Tori Hunter spoke easily on a number of topics from Santa Barbaras weather to his hitting the home run the night before. When the delicate topic of the teams psychological status came up, he smiled and nodded as if he expected the question.

Were starting to come around, Hunter said.Were starting to get normal now and I like that.Life goes on and so does our season.

Hunter excused himself to go up on the field where he, second baseman Howie Kendrick, and television announcer Rex Hudler stood at the top of the dugout step to enthusiastically greet many of the 8,000 area little leaguers who were walking on the field prior to the game.

The healing process continues.

The Suicide of a Nice Guy

Rest in Peace: Tom Niven

The story below my note was republished with permission from Tom Niven's family.

Unfortunately, suicide is something that is familiar to me. In addition to four people that I have known who have taken their lives, I had a firsthand experience ten or so years ago while working in mental health. At a mental health assessment house, one client swallowed 100 Tylenol P.M. pills during one of my shifts. Luckily for me, he hit a wall with a thud which caused me to run back to his room to find him. Long story short, he was taken to the hospital, treated, and saved-that time. Because I never saw him again, I never followed up on what happened to the resident. Nor did I really want to. Not because I felt like I saved a life and wanted to good about myself. On the contrary, the only notion I felt was fear and horror, and the sinking feeling that if I followed up, this guy would have finished the job he started.
Suicide is a mystery only to those who have not experienced it firsthand. Unless in extreme cases of a dramatic occurrence, it generally is not caused by external circumstance. It starts with a genetic predisposition to clinical depression, and is followed by a series of events that snowball into the person making the ultimate decision. Looking back through my former client's case file, I not only saw the path that led him to make his choice, but realized how he thought he had no other choice.
The same type of situation applies to a very nice guy that I knew, Tom Niven. A triathlete loved by many, liked by all.

Depression and tough run of events led to triathlete's deD mise

Two months later, I'm still trying to make sense of a great loss to this athletic community. But unlike other times over the years, when a disease or an accident sadly took away someone we loved, this one was harder to take.

Nice-guy triathlete Tom Niven left this earth a different way. He committed suicide.

The 48 year old left behind a wife, Karen Kistler, family, and many friends. For many of us, it was a shock to hear the news.

All I could think of was this guy I would chat with two or three times a week on the bike path to UCSB who seemed perfectly content, especially when talking about triathlon. When he ran in the dirt, his happy aura made him seem to hover above the ground. But, as we all know, things aren't always as they appear.

In a lengthy phone conversation, his sister-in-law and fellow triathlete, Kristine Finlay, detailed a complex individual who battled depression while loving the sport of triathlon. She added that his main thing was to get others involved in the sport.

"Tom really wanted to help people and share his passion, especially with Karen," Finlay said. "Even though Karen did triathlons before Tom, he gave her the desire to do an Ironman. He got (my significant other) Michael (Simpson) into it. Even his parents did them -- with his mom taking home hardware (trophies).

"We would constantly joke about going to the dark side, because we were so into it. He got me wanting to do an Ironman distance (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) triathlon because he convinced me that doing one was about overcoming obstacles. Whenever we trained, he was a one-man support team. If we went on a run, he would take care of us by loading the car with extra socks and energy drinks whatever other crap people would need."

But the good times didn't last forever. Already having a genetic predisposition to depression, a chain of events in recent years that included the sudden death of a fellow triathlete, professional disappointments in the environmental field, and a crash that left him with a broken collarbone and in constant physical pain, sent Niven into a downward spiral.

"The injury was the catalyst," Finlay said. "His driving force was to help other people and take care of them. After he injured himself, he felt like he didn't have anything to offer anyone anymore and he began to get worse."

In the Lompoc home they moved into in 2006, he isolated himself from friends and family until he ended his life on a Wednesday in late January. Family, friends, co-workers and fellow athletes gathered the next Saturday in Lompoc. At the service, Finlay recalled marveling at how her sister individually thanked each person who attended.

"The support indicated how many people cared and how many people Tom had touched," Finlay said. "The depth of the strength of the people that came was huge. The impact they had would have overwhelmed Tom. It's a shame that he didn't see it. He wouldn't have believed it."

Finlay acknowledged that Niven's death has been tough on the entire family, most especially Kistler. But with the help of a grief counseling class, Karen Kistler is dealing with her grief head on. In an email, she expressed her appreciation to the numerous people who have reached out to her and her family.

"I've been completely bowled over by the outpouring of support that the Niven and Kistler families and I have received," Kistler said. "If Tom had been able to see how many people cared for all of us, maybe he would've chosen a different path.

"What it does show me is that we all have the potential to make a positive difference in each other's lives. I feel that Tom was an epitome of that. He loved to have others experience the joy of exercise and the striving for and reaching a goal, particularly through triathlons. His commitment to others helped a lot of us do things that thought we never could do, like an open water swim, or an Ironman.

"And the community in turn has given back to me way more than I would've ever dreamed. I consider each and every call, e-mail, letter, and visit that I have received to be hands reaching out to me to pull me from the abyss. And I have needed every one as I can not do this journey alone. I cannot even begin to thank everyone for all that's been done for me and my family."

Violence in the Stands is Ruining it for the Fans

In my 37 years of attending, and a decade of reporting baseball, I have never been to an Opening Day game until this year when I had the privilege of attending both the Angels' and the Dodgers' home openers. Not only was I treated to a win by both home teams, they were exciting games to boot with Joe Saunders throwing a shutout in a 3-0 Angels win, and Orlando Hudson hitting for the cycle in an 11-1 pounding of the Giants. But that joy was tempered after hearing that violence at each stadium, left a man dead in Anaheim, and another with stab wounds at Chavez Ravine. I used to think of going to the ballpark as an escape from the difficulty of life, but that difficulty seems to have invade this haven.

Violence in the Stands is Ruining it for the Fans

By Mike Takeuchi

"My son was killed at Dodger stadium in 2003. Please stop the violence and enjoy the sport."

— Char Antenorcruz, mother of Marc Antenorcruz to the L.A. Times

People gotta chill. It is bad enough that Southland baseball lovers have had to weather the sadness of the death of Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart, but violence at or near opening day Games for both Los Angeles area teams made the first week a lot less joyous.

The latest incident occurred during Monday's home opener at Dodger Stadium. As the fans cheered their team to victory courtesy of second baseman Orlando Hudson hitting for the cycle, something unfortunately more common was about to occur.

A man was stabbed several times after a confrontation in the parking lot with a group of men in a pick-up truck.

This happened one week after Buena Park resident Brian Powers, who while fighting with one man, was punched from behind by another after the Angels' home opener. After hitting his head on concrete during the fall, he was declared brain dead that evening and died April 8.

Far too many incidences of violence have occurrenced in the past few years.

Perhaps the worst occurred nearly five years ago at Dodger Stadium the night the San Francisco Giants clinched the National League West pennant. Shortly after the game, Marc Antenorcruz was shot.

Two years later, security personnel scuffled with unlicensed merchandise vendors in the stadium parking lot. Although there weren't any fatalities, four people had knife wounds.

At Oakland Coliseum in 2003, some yahoo thought it would be funny to throw a cherry bomb from the upper to the lower deck. It burned an 8-year-old boy and damaging his father's eardrums.

Over the years, despite beefing up security, going to the ballpark seems less safe — even without the aforementioned violence.

In 2006, before they were eliminated by the Mets in the playoffs, I lamented to my seat neighbor Jose that the Dodgers Cam never showed the fans in the pavilion or the upper deck.

"It's because they are always fighting," Jose laughed.

How true he was. Sure enough as the Dodgers were going down, no fewer than five fights occurred around us.

Even last season, when fans momentarily forgot their anger towards each other thanks to Manny Ramirez and a magical year, Game 4 of the NLCS was marred not only by the Phillies' comeback win, but several brawls — not to mention verbal abuse that reduced a petite college-aged woman to tears because she had the audacity to wear a Philadelphia cap.

Short of imposing martial law in the stadium, there seems to be no perfect solution. Because of the famous bottom line, teams would never consider cutting off beer sales earlier or distributing drink tickets to limit quantity. The only things I can think of are to beef up security, make them more proactive and not just reactive, and not allowing already drunk fans into the stadium.

Self policing would help, but it can't be relied upon. While it is noble for fans to come forward to complain, oftentimes fear of repercussions prevent this from happening.

There seems to be no clear cut solutions — only an acceptance that things are getting worse. And that's bad news for the true fans.

A Day to Remember

Picture I took from 2007 Jackie Robinson Day

Today being the 62nd anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, I wanted to repost an article I wrote four years ago chronicling Lester Rodney, the first white journalist who called for the desegregation of baseball. Rodney, the former sports editor of the Daily Worker, called for this ten years prior to Jackie's debut with the Dodgers. The day after tomorrow is his 98th birthday. Happy Birthday Lester! And Happy Jackie Robinson Day to all.

By MIKE TAKEUCHI

Rodney led call to open major league baseball to blacks

With so much attention on the Hall of Fame inductions, a former journalist and athlete with local ties was enshrined in a ceremony of a different sort last weekend. Lester Rodney joined former USC coaching legend Rod Dedeaux and the late Jackie Robinson as the newest members of the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium of the Pasadena Central Library on July 24.

For the last seven years, the Baseball Reliquary, a nonprofit organization formed to foster education, art, and culture through the sport, has selected individuals not necessarily because of superlative statistics, but because of their overall contribution to the game. The enshrined include Hall of Fame players such as Roberto Clemente and Satchel Paige, union leaders (Marvin Miller), pioneers (first female umpire Pam Postema), and unique spirits (Bill Veeck Jr., Mark Fyderich and Bill "the Spaceman" Lee).

Seventy years ago, the Walnut Creek resident was making news in the sporting world in a different way. He was the first sports editor of the communist paper, the Daily Worker. In addition to covering games (where he later earned a lifetime membership in the Baseball Writer's of America ), the paper wrote about the social impact of sport.

During the Great Depression, the Daily Worker was one of the most read papers in the country. An unemployed college graduate at the time, Rodney's journalism career began after he wrote a letter of complaint about the paper's lack of sports coverage. Essentially told to put his typewriter where his mouth was, he was hired on the spot as the editor of a weekly sports section.

He tirelessly hustled by mixing coverage of boxing, basketball, college football and baseball with social commentary pieces on sport, later turning the section into a daily occurrence. Spearheaded by its newest editor, the Daily Worker began an earnest campaign to integrate baseball.

Interviewed in his Walnut Creek home earlier this year, Rodney recalled his conviction about the integration of baseball.

"Blacks were denied the right to compete with and against 'the best' major league players," Rodney said. "Here were these wonderful players like Josh 'Hoot' Gibson, Buck Leonard and later Satchel Paige. This was a terrible wrong that needed to be righted. "

Beginning in 1936, a decade long campaign, one that included getting players and managers to speak out against integration and calling out baseball commissioner Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, culminated with Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey signing Jackie Robinson to a contract in 1946.

Rickey, a staunch anticommunist, refused to credit the Daily Worker.

"It didn't matter (who got the credit) because we just wanted to end the ... ban," Rodney said.

When made aware of the atrocities of the Stalinist regime, Rodney and several staff members resigned their membership. In another twist, a few years later he became the religion writer for the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

After retirement, he played tennis where he became one of the top age-group players in the country.

At his induction, Rodney approached the microphone and once again deflected the credit.

"I am grateful to be honored because of the most extraordinary figure of human sports, Jackie Robinson," Rodney told the audience.

Oakland A's Trainer Bobby Alejo's revolutionary approach on a progressive team

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By MIKE TAKEUCHI

Bob Alejo works with A's first baseman Jason Giambi. Photo courtesy of the Oakland Athletics

April 12, 2009 7:05 AM

For strength and conditioning Coach Bobby Alejo, the power is in the relationships. Whether it is Jason Giambi, or a UCSB Gaucho, Alejo's main asset is forging strong relationships with the athletes he works with. And in his latest position, working for the Oakland Athletics, he plans to use this kinship so the A's batters can connect over the fence.

After a three-year stint as UCSB's strength and conditioning coach, as well as working with Olympic gold medal volleyball players Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, Alejo returned to the A's last November.

Included on this year's roster is slugger Jason Giambi, a free agent acquisition who worked with Alejo during his first time around with the A's and later, the New York Yankees.

"I grew up with Bobby (in terms of being in the Majors)," Giambi said from the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium. "And when I signed with the A's this time around, I thought that it was awesome that he was back, because he's someone I trust completely. I'm counting on him to prolong my career."

Trust is something that Alejo has earned along every stop of his 29-year career. Along with UCSB and the A's (where he worked from 1993-2001), the 51-year-old also held the same capacity at UCLA from 1984 to 1993, and worked individually with Giambi, as well as Rogers and Dalhausser. During last year's Beijing Olympics, he was on the staff of the U.S. Volleyball team.

It was in his first year at UCSB where he was approached by former Gaucho Rogers to train him.

"Todd was pretty persistent when it came to wanting to work together," Alejo said. "But then again, he had that hunger to succeed, which was something I saw in the entire athletic program at UCSB. When Gary Cunningham hired me, I saw an organization that wanted to get past that mid-major level.

"I wanted to get into the expectation of a true Division I school I think that had to preclude anything we did in the weight room or out on the field. And we had to change that before we thought about our training and what we were going to be doing on the court, on the field, or in the pool. The coaches and athletes were so supportive. I really feel that despite my success in other fields, that was probably the foremost rewarding experience of my coaching experience."

At UCSB, the feeling was mutual. Senior associate athletic director Bobby Castagna, who was Alejo's direct supervisor, said that the coach had a knack for maximizing an athlete's potential due to his knowledge and desire to teach.

"Because the athletes trusted and believed in him, they related with Bobby well," Castagna said. "He was especially good at motivating them because he was personable, listened to the athlete, and wanted them to succeed more than even they did. We were all pleased at what a great job he did."

Apparently, somebody else was noticing. A's General Manager Billy Beane looked at his team that had totaled 47 trips to the disabled list in the past two years and knew he had to make a change.

"Bob had a great track record when it came to injuries as a strength coach during his decade with us," Beane told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He's also innovative and very much a motivating influence."

Because the progressive A's don't operate like a typical baseball team, Alejo's style of hard weights, speed, and power training were the perfect fit for a team that mixes youth with experience. After contacting each player personally, the first thing Alejo did was work on their minds.

"The whole genesis of the idea in change was Billy Beane's idea," Alejo said. "We wanted to get away from the injured mindset as well as formulating a new thought process. While it goes against conventional baseball thought, this philosophy has been proven to lessen the frequency and severity of injuries.

"Of course we take into account age and fitness with the individual's program. For a player like Jason, his training may be similar to that of (catcher Kurt Suzuki), but he will have more of an emphasis on the recovery aspect because an older athlete has to pay attention to it more as opposed to a younger athlete about development where you have this timeless and boundless energy."

After leaving Oakland for the Yankees in 2002, Giambi lured Alejo to work with him until Major League Baseball banned all non-team personnel from clubhouses in 2005. It is worth noting that despite Giambi's admitted use of performance enhancing substances, Alejo's name was never mentioned in either the BALCO case or the Mitchell Report. A source from Major League Baseball verified this.

According to Castagna, Giambi's loss was UCSB's gain.

"We were extremely fortunate that Bobby was available at the time," Castagna said.

Prior to Monday's Opening Day Game in Anaheim, as the A's took batting practice, Alejo's current team seemed to buy into his methods as well. Out in right field near the fence, several players were working up a sweat during base running drills and sprints. In the middle of the group, running as much if not more than the players was Alejo teaching, joking, and training, with a smile on his face.

Opening Day at Dodger Stadium

Opening Day Game Report from Dodger Stadium
Hudson hits for the cycle.

Note: I have never seen anyone hit for the cycle before. While in the press box, when the O-Dog came up to bat for the fourth time in the game, I knew I had to contain my excitement. But when the energetic second baseman came to bat in the sixth inning and proceeded to hit a drive into the right field corner, I blurted out "He's going to hit for the cycle!" Oh well, so much for no cheering in the press box.

NeHwest Dodger does it all

By Mike Takeuchi

April 14, 2009 10:34 AM

Los Angeles — On Monday's 48th Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, the home team pulled out all the stops prior to the gam, including Vin Scully throwing out the first pitch, a flyover, a stirring rendition of the National Anthem, doves, streamers and fireworks.

But it turned out they didn't need the pyrotechnics after all thanks to Orlando Hudson. The Dodger second baseman became the first Dodger to hit for the cycle in Chavez Ravine during an 11-1 drubbing of divisional rival San Francisco.

Starting pitcher Chad Billingsley provided a stellar performance on the mound by pitching seven innings and allowing one run, striking out eleven batters while not allowing a walk. The gem came in front of a stadium record 57,099 fans who gave their full-throated approval to the home team while uncharacteristically staying till the end of the game.

Aside from fan favorite Manny Ramirez, the Dodger who received the loudest cheers was Hudson, an offseason acquisition. After hitting an infield single in the first inning, the speedy Hudson electrified the crowd in the third with a laser beam that cleared the short fence in left field near the foul pole for the first run at Dodger Stadium this season.

After the Giants (2-5) tied it up in the top of the fourth on a Travis Ishikawa single, the Dodgers (5-3) erupted for six runs in the bottom of the inning. Sparked by the first of two home runs from right fielder Andre Ethier, the home team peppered future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson with six runs on five hits, including a double by Hudson to make the score 7-1.

Los Angeles wasn't done, adding four more runs, including three on Ethier's second blast, in the eighth. With the outcome essentially decided, the only suspense on the afternoon was whether Hudson would become the first Dodger since Wes Parker to hit for the cycle. Parker did so in a 10-inning game on May 7. 1970.

In the sixth inning, Hudson smacked an 0-1 pitch in the deep right field corner. Off at the crack of the bat, he seemed to pick up speed as he rounded second and headed toward third. With the ball slightly behind the runner, Hudson slid ahead of the tag before popping up and slapping his hands as the crowd roared.

After the locker room cleared out, the 31-year-old was still beaming.

"You know, I'm a middle infielder and I know when that relay comes in you have to rush it just to get it there and there's a good chance that the runner is going to make it," Hudson said. "So I went for it and by the grace of God, I was able to make it."

All told, the Dodgers had 15 hits to go with their 11 runs in handing Johnson (0-2, 11.42 ERA) his ever first loss (against seven wins and a 2.04 ERA) in Los Angeles. Almost lost in talk of the cycle, was Ethier's pair of home runs and the emergence of Billingsley, who in addition to being 2-0 this year, is 18-6 in his last 30 starts.

"I don't even think the cycle was the marquee thing," Ethier said. "I think it was Chad's performance. The way he pitched, he gave us a chance to get our offense going. Randy kept us off balance for the first three innings and he not only matched him pitch for pitch, but took it four innings more.

"That was huge."

After playing every day since their opener last Monday, the Dodgers are off today. They will continue their series against the Giants on Wednesday when Clayton Kershaw (0-0) goes up against Matt Cain (1-0).

Note: Not everyone in the Dodgers organization was happy on Monday. Former Santa Barbara City College and Santa Barbara Foresters player Delwyn Young was designated for assignment. The outfielder, who initially made the Dodgers Opening Day roster, was put on the disabled list last week retroactively to March 27. After a short stint with the club's Triple A team in Albuquerque , where he went 1-for-9 with a walk, the team announced that he was being removed from the 40 man roster. Because he is out of options, the Dodgers have 10 days to decide what to do with Young by trading him, releasing him or putting him on waivers. Once he clears waivers the team may outright him to the minors provided another team doesn't claim him.

Opening Day

Since I went to my first baseball game 37 years ago, I have seen many things, including the World Series (Game 4 in 1977 when Lou “effing” Piniella robbed Ron Cey of a home run (and me of a home run ball BTW), and two of the greatest games in baseball’s long and storied history (Game 4 of the 1986 ALCS when Hendu took Donnie Moore deep and the instant classic of the 2009 WBC Final 10 inning stress test between Japan and Korea). But two things among many I had yet to see were a no-hitter and an Opening Day game.
A couple of years ago, I came close to a no-no when Pedro Martinez, pitching for the Mets, went 7 1/3 of no-hit ball against the Dodgers. This year I was finally able to go to an Opening Day-and I was disappointed.
Despite growing up and maybe a tad cynical in many ways, I have always maintained a child like innocence when it came to our nation’s pastime. Maybe because even at a young age, I was able to discern that it was more entertainment than a do or die thing like so many Yankees’ and Red Sox’ fans deem it to be. That is why steroid infested warts and all, I have managed to maintain a love for the game.
This year, in Anaheim, I was able to attend the Angels season opener against the Oakland A’s. It was everything a fan could imagine it would be. Fireworks, jet fly bys, pomp and circumstance galore made it a fine evening in Orange County. But despite the fact that the home boys won the game 4-0 behind nice guy Joe Saunders pitching (his mp3 interview will be up on this blog tomorrow) and timely hitting by the likes of just as nice guy Howie Kendrick (how could a guy named Howie not be nice?), it frankly had the excitement of well…it wasn’t.
Perhaps I am still deconstructing that Japan/Korea game, which I may have to do in writing. But perhaps that in this troubled economic and social times, this corner of my childhood may be eaten up. I hope not. Happy Opening Day everyone. MT