For this day, the Big A stood for Altobelli.
The baseball family of Orange County – several players and former players wearing jerseys from Southern California community colleges – was out in force at Angel Stadium on Monday, Feb. 10 to pay respects and say goodbye to John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa. The Altobellis died with Kobe Bryant and his daughter in the helicopter crash that killed nine people from Orange County on Jan. 26 in Calabasas.
The stands along the third base line were nearly full as family and friends of the Altobellis tearfully recounted the lives of the former Orange Coast College baseball coach, his fiercely loyal wife and their basketball star-in-the-making daughter. The field was still full of muddy hills for jumps after a recent monster truck rally, but people were asked to close their eyes.
“Imagine a pristine baseball field,” said Altobelli family friend Guy Lemmon. “Today, this is Altobelli Stadium.”
In the stands, there was a contingent of umpires, whom “Alto” was known to torment. There were opponents, who respected the way his teams played the game. There were parents and teammates and neighbors and hundreds of people who just wanted to show the Altobellis there were appreciated.
And there was Orange County baseball royalty.
George Horton, the long-time Cal State Fullerton and Oregon coach, choked back tears as he explained how he took a job as an unpaid assistant at OCC after he heard about his friend’s death.
“I could hear his voice saying, ‘Hey, coach, we need you,’” Horton said. “That knocked me on my butt. So I’m the voluntary program developer.”
Dave Serrano, also a head coach at Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine (and now at Cal State Northridge), was also in attendance.
“I’m here to represent the baseball community,” Serrano said. “Alto was very respected on and off the field.”
Keri Altobelli’s aunt, Mary Rizzaro of Tustin, said it was surreal for Angel Stadium to be the site of the memorial. Rizzaro said she helped raise Keri when she was little.
“Immediately, I think of my father,” Rizzaro said. “He was a great baseball fan, and he passed and he passed on the love of the Angels to us.”
Rizzaro said she also thought about former Angels star Doug DeCinces, who was a close friend to John Altobelli.
“They walked Balboa Island together,” Rizzaro said. “It wrenches my heart.”
Fire crews from Anaheim and Costa Mesa raised a huge American flag outside the stadium to honor the family. Mourners placed flowers on the bricks outside the stadium, the same spot they placed flowers when Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died last July.
Robert Moreno of Orange and Kyle Renck of Fullerton each took the day off work to pay their respects.
“He gave a lot to our community,” Moreno said. “So it is our job to give back to him.”
“It’s just a tragedy,” said Renck. “I have friends who played for him at OCC.”
Lori Lever said she has one regret.
“She was my bestie,” Lever said about Keri. “She was also my mentor. It’s something I don’t think I ever told her. I wish I would have … She left the world better than she found it.”
Sammy Forbath said Alyssa was “the funniest, most caring girl I’ve ever met.”
“There is another angel in heaven,” Forbath said. “Another star in the sky.”
Buck Taylor, a longtime coaching opponent and friend of John Altobelli, made the crowd laugh with several stories about “Alto” getting kicked out of games, including the 2009 state championship.
“We watched on wood crates behind the right field fence,” Taylor said with a laugh.
He looked around Angel Stadium. “Alto really would have loved this … if it were at Wrigley Field.” Altobelli was a big fan of the Chicago Cubs.
Erik Rees, who lost his daughter Jessie to cancer and started a foundation in her name, said Altobelli was always ready to help people in need. Several players were wearing “NEGU” stitched onto their jerseys Monday, echoing the foundation’s Never Ever Give Up message of inspiration.
“The greatest way to define success is not what you get, but what you give,” Rees said. “Never take life for granted.”
Then Rees turned his attention to the Altobellis’ surviving children, J.J. and Lexi.
“May you never feel alone,” Rees said. “May you always feel loved.”