Tragedy Brings Struggles, Inspiration

SAN FRANCISCO -- As the Angels try to move forward following the shocking death of Nick Adenhart, words of inspiration are coming their way from players who have been down this road before.

"You just have to stick together and do what the kid would want you to do," said Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria, who was on the Cardinals when Darryl Kile died in 2002. "He'd want you to play. Every time you play, go out to play for him."

Meanwhile, Giants hitting coach Carney Lansford recalled the experience of being with the California Angels when Lyman Bostock was murdered in 1978.

---

---

"I remember being a 21-year-old rookie, him being a good friend, and finding out that night that he'd been shot and killed," Lansford said. "I was just devastated. It was devastating to the whole team. He was a great guy, a big part of the team. To lose somebody like that was just crushing really."

Giants manager Bruce Bochy dealt with the death of outfielder Mike Darr during spring training in 2002. Darr was killed in a car accident.

"Having to deal with it as part of a club, with a death on the team, it's going to be a tough time for [the Angels]," Bochy said. "You are part of a family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Angel organization, along with his family ... Time helps, but you never forget it."

Bostock was 27 years old, a career .311 hitter and a key member of the Angels in 1978. Lansford, who had just come to the majors for the first time that season, said he quickly became friends with Bostock. On Sept. 23, after the Angels had played a day game in Chicago, Bostock went to nearby Gary, Ind., to visit his uncle. While he sat in his car with an old friend, he was murdered by the woman's estranged husband.

Lansford said he was back at the team hotel in Chicago when the news came.

"I didn't sleep the entire night," Lansford said. "I was 21 years old, scared to death. My first thought was 'people actually kill Major League Baseball players?' Then I had to hit third the next day."

The Angels played the rest of their games as scheduled.

Renteria remembered a different kind of shock when he heard the news about Kile on June 23, 2002.

"We were in Chicago and we were waiting for Kile, because he was usually the first one to show up at the ballpark," Renteria said. "He was late so we were planning to play a joke on him because it was the first time he was late. Then we found out he died. I don't even want to think about it. He was so special for us."

The Cardinals and Cubs postponed their game that day, but the Cardinals got back to action the following day. Renteria said the players were still in no condition to play.

"We were down for about two weeks, nobody wanted to play," Renteria said. "It was real hard."

The Cardinals eventually pulled themselves together and ended up winning the NL Central and advancing to the NLCS. Kile's family was a fixture along the way.

"Eveyrone in the clubhouse said we had to do it for him," Renteria said. "That's what he would have wanted. We wanted to win for him."