For baseball fans, an additional layer of shock accompanies the sorrowful news of a player's death, such as that of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart.

If we didn't know of Adenhart before, we knew of the Angels. He was among 25 young men who played for them. What must his teammates be feeling?

It's almost like Adenhart is an extended-extended part of our own family. He played baseball. We love baseball. Even 2,000 miles away, and otherwise disconnected, it's a loss.

The list of ballplayers whose lives ended while their careers were active has grown, sadly, by one:

• Lou Gehrig: The demise of the Iron Horse is probably the saddest story of them all. The awful nature alone of ALS, which slowly and wickedly took Gehrig's life, is sad enough to contemplate. Try watching "Pride of the Yankees," or the documentary footage of Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" farewell at Yankee Stadium without getting choked up. Impossible. Final game came at age 33 35 on April 30, 1939. He died two years later.

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This and every weekday a.m. during baseball season, let's rise and shine together to recap the most recent diamond doings. Today's roll call starts in San Francisco, where the Giants play with balls of fire but sometimes get burned.

Game of the Day: Brewers 4, Giants 2

Power pitcher: Should have taped this one. Yovani Gallardo takes the Big Unit deep, deep, DEEP for a three-run homer to left. I'm talking, he hit the ball to San Luis Obispo. It would have been cooler had he hit it into the Cove beyond right field, but let's just appreciate it for what it was: the first homer by a pitcher ever allowed by Johnson, who will turn 46 this season.

Hey, Guy: The dinger was nice, but Gallardo is the Brewers 23-year-old ace, so him being healthy enough to make 30-plus starts is even more appealing for Milwaukee. This was his first win in 19 months. "There were a lot of things going into it, with my first start of the year after I wasn't able to start off with the team last year," Gallardo said.

This and every weekday a.m. during baseball season, let's rise and shine together to recap the most recent diamond doings. Today's roll call starts at PETCO Park, where all the Padres require of Heath Bell is that he excel at a job Trevor Hoffman handled for about 550 saves.

Game of the Day: Padres 4, Dodgers 2

Heath Bar Crunch: He came, he saw, he screamed. And he got the save. Heath Bell, the new Trevor Hoffman, struck out the side in his debut as Padres savior. As you can see from the photos, Heath gets excited.

Homeboy Vin Scully, who's so great he must be illegal, told some funny anecdotes about Bell losing weight (we know about the Wii) and how big meanie teammates actually referred to him as "Taco" at one time. It's obvious, but c'mon. I'd go for something more original, like ... "Heath ... Bar."

Fans used to hearing AC/DC's "Hells Bells" upon Hoffman's arrival can now cover their ears for "Blow Me Away" by Breaking Benjamin, which is on the "Halo 2" video game soundtrack if

In another life if a fan reached out a hand to shake, Milton Bradley might have confronted him or her with indifference, an angry glare, or even a water bottle. But not this Milton Bradley.

Not only does Bradley's temper appear to be in check, he's even a little loosey-goosey after signing a three-year, $30-million free-agent contract with the Cubs in the off-season.

Congrats to the fan on breaking "the fourth wall" after Bradley came over for a foul ball at Minute Maid Park. Follow the jump for the full sequence of how they met:

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Out of play. Note the Eminem-like characteristics of our guy.

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A peace offering is made. Milton doesn't look like he's gonna go for it. Duck! (Doesn't the non-Milton guy in Cubbie blue looks kind of like former major league lefty Jeff Fassero?)

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Don't judge Milton too quickly. Solid! My man!

But Will Fassero Jr. blow it by asking for an autograph mid-at-bat?

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What is this, a foul-ball handshake or a peace accord?

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Do you like

This and every weekday a.m. during the baseball season, let's rise and shine together to recap the most recent diamond doings. Today's roll call starts in Dolphin Stadium, and former Nationals general manager Jim Bowden could be sleeping with the fishes for all D.C. fans care.

Game of the Day: Marlins 12, Nationals 6

Payback Time: One of Jim Bowden's last false moves was trading Emilio Bonifacio to the Marlins, who probably came away pleased with his first day with the Fish: 4-for-5 with three stolen bases and the first inside-the-park home run on Opening Day since 1968.

It's not Enrico Pallazzo!: His name sounds like that of a tenor — Em-iiii-li-ooohhh — and the Nats did, kind of, "lend" him to Florida, so fans inside the Fish Tank probably loved Bonifacio's first concert. A speed demon in his third organization since the middle of last season, Bonifacio doesn't turn 24 for another two weeks. Yet, he's the operatic ballplayer everybody seems to want to trade for. Bonifacio has been

Using a never-before-tried mix of modern philosophy and new math, Joe Maddon led the Rays to the highest ground the franchise had ever reached after a decade stuck in the mud.

Few saw any of it coming — the early season rise in the AL East, the repeated victories in the last at-bat, the late-season brush-off of the Red Sox — all of the way to the World Series. Players win games, but Maddon's ability to project excitement while keeping (and looking) cool made all of it possible.

During spring training, the man behind the exotic eyeglasses who would prefer to ride his $2,000 bike to work tried to explain where his unique brand of philosophies and motivations comes from.

David Brown: You know how, in your world, 9 = 8 and '09 > '08? Why hasn't there been a bigger outcry from mathematicians about your renegade equations that mess with the time-math continuum?

Joe Maddon: There hasn't been any outcry but I have seen some sarcasm. Sarcastic remarks, really, and I don't really take that too

This and every weekday a.m. during the baseball season, let's rise and shine together to recap the most recent diamond doings. Today's roll call starts with a look back at opening night, when the world ^%$@! champion Phillies unfurled their World Series championship banner and then unraveled against Derek Lowe and the invading Braves.

(Only real) game of the Day: Braves 4, Phillies 1

Party poopers: The A-T-L roughed up Cole Hamels' understudy Brett Myers for three home runs, including one by rookie outfielder Jordan Schafer, who went deep in his first major league at-bat and singled in his second. And to think, Schafer wasn't allowed on the field about this time last season.

Year makes a difference: Nearly 365 days ago, Schafer was suspended 50 games in the minor leagues for being linked to the use of human growth hormone, sidetracking what had become a meteoric rise through the Braves system. In 2007, Schafer hit .312 with 49 doubles, 10 triples, 15 homers and 23 stolen bases in

Yeeeargh! Shiver me timbers and fly the Jolly Roger at half staff, mateys!

The Pirates, who have averaged 89 losses since 1993, sank to the deepest part of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers on Thursday after one of its split squads lost to Manatee (Fla.) Community College during a fundraising exhibition game.

In some ways, the top of the box score says it all: Manatee C.C. 6, Pittsburgh 4.

The Sarasota Herald-Review, however, ran a very detailed story — almost 1,000 words, for your Bucco masochists — about how the Lancers did the unlikely at McKechnie Field in Bradenton.

It's only fair to point out that the Pirates lineup was filled out by guys who missed the cut in spring training. Several of the team's best players, including Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, the LaRoches and Stewcast guest Freddy Sanchez, did not play in the game.

Yet several guys who have logged big league minutes — like Mets' killer Steve Pearce, Brian Bixler and Robinzon Diaz — were in the no-win situation lineup, as was prized