RIP, Lima Time

[TheSportsPredictor]

Heart attack:

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1026715&s=bei&type=story

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Massive heart attack at 37. Jesus, that's awful.

My thoughts go to his family.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Que lastima.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/37302314/ns/sports-player_news/

RIP, Lima Time. You were one of a kind.

 

[baseball125]

RIP.

 

[dieditor]

Unbelievable.

I was at Dodger Stadium Friday night and they showed a little highlight reel of Lima Time between innings on the Jumbotron, then cut to a shot of him sitting in the stands with his family. He jumped up and started waving at the crowd – he looked healthy and as energetic as he did when he pitched.

It's hard to think about the fact that a 60-second appearance was probably the last time he was at a baseball game and heard the crowd cheer him.

RIP, Lima Time.

 

[The No. 7]

I was at the Dodgers game May 1, and he was there. Same highlight reel, probably, and he waved to the crowd. Sad.

 

[SoCalDude]

I think he pitched in the independent Golden League -- Calgary??? -- last year and I thought he was going back there this year.

 

[gravehunter]

"Suck my balls"

That's the one phrase that reminds me of Jose Lima. I remember being in the Dodgers clubhouse a few years back and he got into an argument with one of his teammates. It wasn't a heated argument by any means but Jose had a way of winning these verbal jousts by being louder than his opponent. He kept yelling those words from across the clubhouse until just about everyone in the place was laughing...including himself.
He was certainly a character.....

 

[Blitz]

Wow, what an unexpected story.
This guy dominated for an extended bit in the bigs.
I remember him well.
Why did her go back and forth from KC to Dodgers when he had such a productive 2004?
RIP, Jose

 

[Den1983]

One of the most beloved Astros of all time. The guy will certainly be missed. Brought so much fun and spirit to the game.

 

[Steak Snabler]

As a frequent visitor to Houston (my dad lives there), I remember those terrible commercials Lima did for Casa Ole', a local Mexican restaurant, back around 2000 or so. In the ad, Lima led a conga line through the restaurant, all the while singing "Casa Ole'!/fresh to-day! Every day!/Case Ole'!"

Had the Astros never moved from the Astrodome to Enron Field/Minute Maid Park, he'd have stayed there forever and would probably still be pitching. But he was an extreme fly ball pitcher, and the move killed his career. He went from 21-10, 3.58 in 1999 (the last year of the Dome) to 7-16, 6.65 --- with an astounding 48 homers allowed in 196.1 innings --- in 2000 (the first year of Enron).

RIP, Amigo. You were one of a kind.

 

[Armchair_QB]

I remember those commercials too. Holy **** were they awful. But he sure looked like he was having fun.

 

[D-3 Fan]

I loved Lima Time. You never knew what he was going to say next, besides his antics on the mound.
IIRC, Lima have Jim Rome the gameball after winning his 21st.

Rome should give it to Lima's kid as a great gesture.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

This is one of those deaths that just mystify me.

A presumably healthy 37-year-old former MLB pitchers dies of a heart attack?

What chance do I have?

It simply baffles me as to how and why some people die and others live on forever.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

Ben Shpigel posted this 2006 story on Lima on his Twitter and the NYT Bats blog. A really fun story about when Lima signed with the Mets that spring. Pedro's reaction is priceless.

The details here are fantastic and they serve as counterpoint to all the tedium on the baseball beat. You don't get this stuff in a lot of other sports, simply because of the access baseball allows.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/sports/baseball/17mets.html?_r=2

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Tomorrow is promised to no one.

A terrible story.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Ben Shpigel posted this 2006 story on Lima on his Twitter and the NYT Bats blog. A really fun story about when Lima signed with the Mets that spring. Pedro's reaction is priceless.

The details here are fantastic and they serve as counterpoint to all the tedium on the baseball beat. You don't get this stuff in a lot of other sports, simply because of the access baseball allows.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/sports/baseball/17mets.html?_r=2

Good story, and this is the unintentional funny part:

"As much as the Mets figure to enjoy Lima's looseness and animated personality, they would prefer a return to his 2004 form, when he won 13 games for the Dodgers and helped to put them into the postseason. Officially, there is a competition for the fifth spot in the Mets' rotation, with Aaron Heilman, Brian Bannister, Yusaku Iriki, Alay Soler, John Maine and Lima all in contention.

But the Mets clearly envision Heilman, who had a standout 2005 season as a reliever, emerging from the pack."

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Dealt with him once and he was tremendous. I used to love listening to him on Rome's show, where he was usually at his best.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Richard Justice on Lima:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/baseball/7019057.html

 

[Mizzougrad96]

He had a drug history didn't he?