Chris was an inspiration to all that knew him, a generous young man with a passion for life and the game of baseball. He decided very early that he was to become a professional baseball player and dedicated his efforts to that goal. At 12 he represented New York City against Japan at Shea Stadium, played with the Mahopac High School Baseball Team for three years and led them to the New York State finals in 1996 and 1997. He played college baseball for Norwalk College for two years, winning the Junior National College World Series in 1998.

On June 19, 2000, Chris was returning home from a professional tryout with the Florida Marlins when he was killed in a car accident minutes before arriving home. Christopher's father, Dean Tantalos, had just finished talking with his son hours earlier and told of how excited Chris was about the tryout. Christopher's last words to his father were, "I will talk to you about it tonight." That conversation never happened. Dean does have some comfort in knowing that in the final moments leading up to this tragic accident his son's life was filled with happy thoughts.