Orange County Register

ANAHEIM

While the champagne was still flying after the Angels’ division-clinching victory over the Rangers last week, Angels’ senior vice-president for sales and marketing John Carpino came up to Tim Mead, the team’s long-time communications director, and told Mead owner Arte Moreno wanted to talk to him.

Considering Mead’s countless duties, it could have been about anything. What Moreno wanted this time was to tell Mead who he wanted to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the first game of the playoffs in Anaheim — Mead.

“It was very unexpected,” Mead said.

But could not be more deserved. Mead is in his 30th season with the Angels, an invaluable resource and asset for three different ownerships — as well as fans and media.

Mead ’s value and importance to the team was never greater than this April when he was a rock for everyone in the organization to lean on in the dark days following Nick Adenhart’s death. Mead was at the hospital that night/morning alongside Adenhart’s father (with pitching coach Mike Butcher and Adenhart’s agent Scott Boras). Then he had to be the public face of the franchise in many ways, handling the media storm that followed.

In the weeks and months since, Mead has remained in contact with the Adenhart family as well as the families of the other victims, making sure they do not feel forgotten by the Angels.

Deserving as the first-pitch honor is, the Angels are going one step farther to create a lifetime memory for Mead — his 22-year-old son, Brandon, will take the field with him to catch the pitch.

For Friday’s Game 2, the first-pitch ceremonies will feature former player/coach Bobby Knoop and former coach Bob Clear as well as long-time employee John Moynihan. Big John has been with the Angels since the start, working security at original owner Gene Autry’s side for years and now as press box director.