Fly On, Sweet Angels: Songs In Memory of Nick Adenhart, and eight other California Angels ballplayers who died too young

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Our hearts go out to Adenhart's family and to all the Angels fans out there who are, in their own way, devastated by his loss. But it's also a story of triumph and of a lifelong dream come true. We're glad Adenhart's father was able to see him throw one last time. He truly shined on the mound in his final game.

The following is a tribute to all the California Angels players who died before their time...

Nick Adenhart

Wednesday night, 22-year-old Angels rookie Nick Adenhart threw six impressive, scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics. It was his season debut and his father, who'd come to see him play, was in the stands. Just hours after the game, he and two friends were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Adenhart was a top prospect in 2004, but his path to the majors was delayed by an elbow injury. He underwent reconstructive Tommy John surgery on his elbow ligament and worked hard to get healthy again. Finally, after four years in the minors, his moment came last season, when he pitched his first big-league game for the Angels. Though he'd struggled in his three starts in 2008, hopes were high for Adenhart, who secured the job as the Angels' third starter in the pitching rotation after injuries to some of the Angels' regular pitchers. At a stadium news conference after the accident, Adenhart's agent Scott Boras said Adenhart's "parents really want to communicate to everyone that it's a very difficult moment, but it's also a very special moment because Nick was most accomplished and his life's goal was to be a Major League baseball player and he certainly achieved that standard."

Donnie Moore

For a time, Moore was one of the best relief pitchers in the game. An All-Star selection in 1985, he spent 13 years in the majors, racking up 43 wins, 89 saves and a 3.67 ERA. Sadly, he never bounced back from a blown save against the Red Sox during the 1986 American League Championship Series. Moore was eventually traded to the Royals and then cut from baseball altogether. Just three years after his downward spiral began, Moore had sunk into a deep depression, and during an argument with his wife, he shot her three times in front of his children. She and their daughter fled the shooting and survived, but Moore shot himself that night in front of one of their sons. It's a tragic story of a man driven mad by his fall from greatness.