A Thought For The Altobelli Family

While the world is shocked and stunned at the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash, the accident claimed the lives of six other people.

Three of those people are members of the Altobelli family. John Altobelli had been the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College since 1992. Altobelli also managed  in the Cape Cod League coaching the likes of Aaron Judge and Jeff McNeil. When I heard his name I wondered if he was related to former Baltimore Orioles manager Joe Altobelli although this does not appear to be the case. However, his son J.J. Altobelli is a scout with the Boston Red Sox. Coach Altobelli was killed along with his wife and daughter Alyssa who was a youth basketball teammate Gianna Bryant.

John Altobelli might not be a household name like Kobe Bryant, but he made a difference in the lives  of hundreds of college baseball players on and off the field. His passing will also be deeply felt. Like Kobe Bryant, John and Keri Altobelli were cut down in the prime of their lives. As with Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli leaves the world only having scratched the surface of her potential. A very sad day all around. R.I.P.