Lima Time was a Special Time
by Phil Gurnee on May 23, 2010 10:55 AM PDT
in All-Time Dodgers
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via i.a.cnn.net
The news of Jose Lima dying at the age of 37 today should have shocked all of us. I expect to write about Dodgers dying but not guys who are 14 years my junior. He only pitched for us for one year but man oh man, what a year it was.
Until Jose Lima joined the Dodgers I considered him a showboating fool, who was all about public relations. In 2004 with the change in ownership I delved into buying season tickets, and ended up right next to the Dodger bullpen staring down into that strange world of hierarchies.
I wasn't happy that Lima had made the team in the spring of 2004, he was to me someone who should be pitching for a losing program not the Dodger program. I also have never been a fan of fake showmanship, and at the beginning Lima seemed all about fake showmanship. Later as I settled in to my season tickets Lima would prove me wrong in every which way.
First off, in 2004 the man could pitch, in fact as I wait for Ely to fall to earth, I should take note of what Lima accomplished with less.
Second, the man loved this game and the fans. No Dodger before or since Jose Lima, interacted on a daily basis with such enthusiasm. His love of the game was contagious and since he loved the fans, they loved him back. Lima Time was not just some bullshit term, Jose Lima earned it by using every trick in the book to fool the hitters, and genuine enthusiasm to make the fans feel like someone actually cared about them.
When Jose was first used in the bullpen he would be the first guy to show up, and shower the stands from the field box to the reserve with free baseballs. Later when he became a fixture in the rotation he still would come down to the bullpen area to chat with the fans. He's the only starter who has ever done that on a consistent basis.
He sang the national anthem and to be honest I have no idea if he was any good or not, because most of Dodger Stadium was ogling his gorgeous wife.
via www.murrayinthemorning.com
However without something to cap off the season, he would simply have been remembered as just another interesting Dodgers, but in October he did something completely unexpected. He pitched the game of his career, and he did it in style. It was the greatest game I've ever witnessed at Dodgers Stadium. From the time Jose Lima was warming up until the last out, Chavez Ravine was buzzing. I've been to a game like that before but the buzz stops when the pitching fails, this time the pitching did not fail.
It wouldn't have been the same if someone like Orel or Fernando had pitched the gem. The greatest part of the game was the complete surprise that someone like Jose Lima could pitch the greatest Dodger playoff game in the last 16 years.
Jose Lima shut out the prodigious St Louis lineup for the first playoff victory for the Dodgers since 1988. He shut down Albert Pujols. He shut down the critics.
He won our hearts forever.
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Very nice tribute Phil
Lima Time will always have a special place in my heart.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2010 10:56 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Statement from the Dodgers
"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Jose Lima. Though he was taken from us way too soon, he truly lived his life to the fullest and his personality was simply unforgettable. He had the ability to light up a room and that’s exactly what he did every time I saw him. His memorable contributions to the Dodgers in 2004 and throughout baseball will always be remembered. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to his family during this extremely difficult time."
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2010 11:02 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
i still remember watching that game
Lima Time was great to watch, it’s shocking and saddening how quickly our time may come.
Rest in Peace, Jose
Well done Phil. I am surprisingly broken up about this.
by Little Blue Bicycle on May 23, 2010 11:07 AM PDT reply actions
Phil says it better than I ever could
Lima’s one season with LA was a little like a comet streaking past the night sky, a brilliant flash for a short moment. Now his entire life is a bit like that. RIP Jose.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
this didnt work the first time
But anyways, Lima was apparently at Dodger Stadium Friday:
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on May 23, 2010 11:14 AM PDT reply actions
Um, that was supposed to be a photo. I'll just post the link instead of trying to attach the actual photo. It is from the Dodger's facebook page
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on May 23, 2010 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Click here to hide. Click on photo for larger image.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2010 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
That's the photo
linked by lakersdodgersyankees4life
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2010 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions
How can he look so healthy and full of life there
then have this happen so soon after? He seemed like such a great guy and he had such a love for the game and for the fans…this is really hitting me right now.
honestly, i dont know
Apparently, according to Vinny, was that he had a massive heart attack in his sleep. It sounded like he didnt feel anything, which is good. But seriously, he was JUST there on Friday, and then he is gone…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on May 23, 2010 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Very well said, Phil
I will miss the enthusiasm Jose brought with him during the 2004 season. My favorite memory was Jose signing merengue on the field after that great postseason game against the Cardinals. Here’s a great video of Jose Lima having a fun moment while hanging out at LAX last year.
RIP Lima Time.
and on the 93rd postseason of the National Hockey League, the Slovakian-hockeygod Zeus commanded from high atop Mount Figueroa..."RELEASE THE MEAT TRAIN!" And it was good.
by DodgerBlueBalls on May 23, 2010 11:16 AM PDT reply actions
Good work Phil...
…as usual. I went to about 8 Dodger games that year, 5 of them on the field level not too far from the Dodger dugout. I remember Lima sitting on top of the dugout before every game (when he wasn’t pitching) patiently signing autographs. There would be a line going half way up the section. He smiled for everyone, and i have a picture of my son and one of his friends (they were 11 at the time) with Lima in between them, his arms around them and smiles all around.
He had a great attitude for a major leaguer.
Great writing Phil
Nice write up on a class act. Hard to believe that Lima Time and I are the same age. That is a sobering thought. R.I.P. Jose Lima and may God look over his family during this terrible time in their lives.
Keith Cook
great eulogy
I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m right there with you from the initial disappointment at the start of the season when we picked him up, to the skepticism at the start of the year as he acted crazy on the mound, to the eventual love fest that it was undeniably Lima Time when he made us all believers—even if we as Dodger fans could only experience it for a year. You kind of expect a guy like that to live forever.
And I suppose he will.
by Kebin on May 23, 2010 11:25 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS was about as much fun as I’ve ever had at a ballgame.
I remember it only slightly differently than Phil does. Down 2-0, with Lima starting, the crowd was certainly buzzing at the start of the game, but there was also an atmosphere of… resignation? Is that the right word? It was pretty clear that the Dodgers would not be moving on to the NLCS — it was not in the Cards, if you’ll allow the pun. But even if the series concusion was foregone, the game’s was not.
The crowd was longing for something memorable, and Lima gave it to us as we shouted his name.
And as we realized what he was doing, the buzz not only didn’t die — it became stronger.
He was just a year older than me. Gone too soon.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
Great article
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
I can't open it. It isn't the link, it is my computer.
Can you give a brief synopsis of the write up? If not, I will save the address and look at it when I get home from work. Thanks Phil.
I answered you in Eric Game Post
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on May 23, 2010 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Basically
Gary Vitti of the lakers recommended a special splint for Andre to speed up progress. Immobilizes 1st knuckle but allows 2nd to move.
Phil it hadn’t been mentioned but that’s huge
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on May 23, 2010 12:02 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
the game he won for the dodgers in the playoffs made me fell like a kid again. just like in 1988. i’ll never forget that. thanks lima
OLDIES RULE FOREVER
by Angels suck Dodgers Rule on May 23, 2010 12:01 PM PDT reply actions
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