For the Love of The Game

It’s Lima Time

I missed the days when baseball had many characters that boggled the mind. There were colorful names like Blue Moon Odum, The Scooter, Vinegar Bend, and the Bird to name a few. Not only were their names colorful but many of their acts on and off the field were as colorful as some of the names.

The bird got on the mound and talked to the ball and would tell it where to go, Jimmy Piersall would run the bases backward when he hit his 100th home run and Billy Martin always showed his hot temper to the umpires with acts of defiance while kicking dirt on home plate until he was ejected. Piersall was once ejected and proceeded to climb up on the roof of the stadium and continued to taunt the umpire. All these players, without a doubt, loved the game of baseball.

However, there is one man who loved the game more than any player I have ever set my eyes on. That is who you are about to learn about if you do not know him already. A man who I always enjoyed watching, on and off the field.

The casual baseball fan probably never heard of him unless of course, they saw him pitch. Then they would never forget him. For me, Jose Lima represented everything that is missing from a game that has become too business-like and focused on the large salaries of the top players.

You would be hard-pressed to find a player today that had more fun playing baseball than Jose Lima. Win or lose Jose Lima was out there having a good time and enjoying the game as if he were still that kid on the sandlots of the Dominican Republic where he grew up and honed his skills. Jose was not a great pitcher that will make the hall of fame, but he was, in my book what the game is all about, having fun. You could always see him talking it up and joking in the dugout and if you were lucky enough to get into the clubhouse, you’d hear his meringue music and hear him sing and see him dance. Some of the old-timers took this as disrespect for the game but when they got to know Jose, they realized that it was just the opposite.

Jose passed at the age of 37; much too young for anyone to pass away, but way too young for someone who showed such exuberance for life as Jose did. He was endeared to the fans who understood him, the fans he threw ball after ball to during batting practice, and the fans for who he signed autographs for hour after hour until the last one was done. And to endear himself even further Jose once sang God Bless America with his band at one of the games. Whenever he would ask the fans what time it was, they would automatically respond “It’s Lima Time.” He was a throwback to the times when the players had fun and were not afraid to show it. He played the game the way I like to see it played; with a smile on his face and enthusiasm that never waned.

Jose Lima was one of a kind; too few and too far between.

If you listen carefully when you get to heaven, you will hear the merengue music and the singing and the laughter off in the distance. Do not miss it because "It’s Lima Time."

Rest in peace El Gato and thanks for all the fun. Baseball and the fans will miss you.