RIP Jose Lima

[somechick]

Back when Lima was in Houston, he was in the midst of an absolutely horrible season and the Astros were having a picture with the players day that I took my nephew to. Most of the players were nice but not particularly enjoying themselves and just trying to get it over with. When Lima came around (this was right after Craig Biggio walked right past my nephew and several other kids while complaining that his knee hurt and for everyone to hurry up), my camera ran out of film. Instead of just walking past, Lima stopped, waited for me to change the film in my camera and talked to me and my nephew, joked around with him comparing their bleach jobs on their hair...he was just really nice and was having a blast. Biggio actually yelled at him to "skip the kid and get this over with". My nephew talked about that for months after and thought Lima was just the coolest person. I have a ton of respect for him because he loved what he did and no matter how well or how badly he was playing, that joy of being a baseball player was always evident.

[imb]

how did you explain the herpes to him

[chuckywang]

I'll always love that CG SO by Lima against the Cards in the 2004 NLDS.

[DanzaSlap]

After all, if you are the type to draw conclusions, you would think that Lima was talking to himself on the mound throughout his up and down and always staggering baseball career. After all: There he was on the field, muttering, shouting, stomping, threatening, laughing, singing. You could see him do it. And no one else was around him. He had to be talking to himself. But, he would say, no. He was not talking to himself. He explained that he was talking to a little Jose Lima, a miniature version of himself, a mini-me, who traveled with him everywhere. When Big Jose pitched badly, he yelled angry words at Little Jose Lima. And when Big Jose pitched well, he reminded Little Jose Lima that he was the greatest pitcher in the whole wide world.

 

“Does Little Jose ever talk back?” we asked him because there were not many things in sports more fun than getting Jose Lima talking.

 

“Sometimes,” Big Jose told us. “Sometimes he tells me that if I don’t quiet down and pay attention this next guy might hit a home run off me.”

 

“And what do you say?”

 

“I say: I’ll handle the pitching around here, man.”

 

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2010/05/23/limas-time/

[17 Seconds]

thats so awesome. now im sad he's dead

[Banedon]

He was a fun guy...even if I was rooting against him, he was highly entertaining.