Shocked and saddened.   That’s how I felt when I woke up Sunday morning to hear the news that Jose Lima had passed away after an apparent heart attack.  He was 37.

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When the news sunk in I immediately recalled the vibrant Lima at Blair Field about year ago.  As a former Major Leaguer and the ace for the Long Beach Armada, he was a constant target for media inquiry.  But Lima was always less interested in taking questions.  He just wanted to talk to some people about baseball.

Here’s a guy who worked his way out of the Dominican Republic and won 21 games for the Houston Astros in 1999.  Then almost as sudden as his rise, he fell off and was lost in the shuffle, only to return to a staring rotation in 2004 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He was non-roster invitee before the season started, and by the end of it he had a 13-5 record.  

As a Dodger fan, I celebrated Lima’s success, and his antics.  You have to understand that being born in the early 1980’s is the worst fate for a Dodger fan.  I was far too young to remember Kirk Gibson’s home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, and it’s been mighty mediocre since then.  For me, the most memorable and triumphant Dodger moment was Lima Time.

Still searching for the franchise’s first playoff victory since that 1988 World Series, the righty pitched an absolute gem in Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series against the potent line up of the St. Louis Cardinals.  The complete-game five-hit shutout was full of classic Lima emotion and was an absolute joy to watch.

Now, I could take this space to lament about how he went before his time at 37-years-old, and I obviously wouldn’t be wrong.  I could be angry. We all could.  Here’s a guy who was at Dodger Stadium on Friday night receiving a standing ovation and talking to Dodger coaches and players about his future work with the community in partnership with the organization.  This is the definition of ‘before his time’.

But I decided very early on Sunday that a guy who enjoyed singing, dancing and throwing a baseball wouldn’t want me or anyone to be sad, angry or depressed about his passing.

A guy like Lima deserves a thank you.  He worked hard at his profession and did it with flair, emotion and class.  What more can we ask from a professional athlete and a person?

So, from a Dodger fan and Long Beach journalist who got a chance to see you enjoy life and the game of baseball at Chavez Ravine and Blair Field: THANK YOU, JOSE LIMA.  You’ll be missed, and never forgotten.