The Angels players doused the jersey of late teammate Nick Adenhart in beer and champagne as they celebrated winning the AL West title in the locker room Monday night.

Surely the ball players were honoring Adenhart, but many critics and bloggers are enraged because alcohol is the very reason why Adenhart is no longer with the team: He was killed by an alleged drunk driver in April.

We’re taking the side of the Angels. They’re paying tribute to the player who has served as their motivation since the first month of the season. Now they’re in the playoffs and they’ve got Adenhart to thank for being with them, even spiritually, for the past several months.

What this team did was not wrong in any form. They may have soaked the young man’s jersey, but it served as a decoy to take you away from the tears that most likely soaked many cheeks that night. This season is for Nick, and we couldn’t respect that more.