Heard about a famous person that died and you thought, "Oh, I'm sorry for his family!", remembered something that he did and then moved on with your life? You knew about this person, but you didn't know them, only a few things that they had done in their life. Yes, I'm sure you have, we all have. I know I have esp. with watching baseball & politics I hear about people dying, but I never really think more beyond the first thought of I'm really sorry for their family.
Now, have you ever heard of a famous person (or not so famous person) and you were really saddened by their death? Not because you knew that person. But from what you knew or saw of that person? You remember the things they did how that person acted in the news, etc. and the fact that you would never see then in the news or on the field again saddened you?
Well, that's how I feel right now. Sunday morning Jose Lime died at the age of 37. As if the fact that he died wasn't enough it's his age that gets to me. Shoot, that's in 16 years for me, by the time Dixie is driving!
Jose Lima was a pitcher for the Astros from 1997-2001. I started my years of baseball watching watching Lima pitch. He was in my top three for favorite players--Yes, right there with Bagwell & Biggio--in 1999 when I went to 21 games, my dad made a point when buying tickets to get those games in which Jose Lima was pitching, of those 21 games I went to I believe that Lima pitched 10 of them.
No, he wasn't famous, unless you were watching the team that he was playing for. No, he did nothing great. In fact if you look at his career stats you would wonder what did he do. He had more loses then wins and in a sport where ERA means the lower the better....Well, he failed in that as well.
But he made the game enjoyable to watch even when your team was losing or he was in a slump. He was the type of person that you watched and knew he was playing for the love of the game and not for the money he would get. (A point proven in the past few years where he played for $2,000 a month.)
He was the one man I wanted to get an autograph from--All most more so then Bags or Biggio--and the one man who would sit for hours on end giving autographs, if he had the time to do so, he was always signing before and after games--even when the Astros lost--and always made a point to get the kids first.
I remember the day that the Astros traded him (I still have the newspaper clippings) I walked out to get my coffee before church (yes, I was drinking coffee at the age of 13!) and dad called me over, sits me in his lap and says "Katie, I have some bad baseball news for you." And lets it hang for a few seconds while he takes a sip of his coffee, leaving me to think that the ballpark had blown up, the Astros were out of the play-offs for good, or someone had died, "The Astros traded Jose Lima." O.K. I think, not as bad as I thought, but it ranks pretty high up there!
My dad sent me an e-mail telling me that he had died (I was milking for someone else and he knows I like to read obituaries). As I'm reading the title mom says "Oh, yeah Katie Lima died." and not two minutes later dad comes in to tell me "I'm sorry Katie, but Lima died.". To my sisters they had no idea, to me he was the guy that I remember when I think about those men who are in it just for the money.
After the Astros traded him, I continued to watch him, he might be the only person who I have ever done that for. I'm more a team type of person. I am a person who watches the game to enjoy it and see how the team works together, even if I can tell you each person's stats, weakness, and advantages on the field. Unless it was Jose Lime, well then those days I watched the game to watch him and it was tons of fun watching "Lima Time"!
I'm sure that there are very few people (if any) who are reading this who have any idea what I am talking about. But again, this goes back to being my blog and talking about what's on my mind. :D
Lima will be missed, there aren't all that many people now a days who play like he did and who show that they enjoyed the game like he did. But I still watch the game and enjoy it.
Now, have you ever heard of a famous person (or not so famous person) and you were really saddened by their death? Not because you knew that person. But from what you knew or saw of that person? You remember the things they did how that person acted in the news, etc. and the fact that you would never see then in the news or on the field again saddened you?
Well, that's how I feel right now. Sunday morning Jose Lime died at the age of 37. As if the fact that he died wasn't enough it's his age that gets to me. Shoot, that's in 16 years for me, by the time Dixie is driving!
Jose Lima was a pitcher for the Astros from 1997-2001. I started my years of baseball watching watching Lima pitch. He was in my top three for favorite players--Yes, right there with Bagwell & Biggio--in 1999 when I went to 21 games, my dad made a point when buying tickets to get those games in which Jose Lima was pitching, of those 21 games I went to I believe that Lima pitched 10 of them.
No, he wasn't famous, unless you were watching the team that he was playing for. No, he did nothing great. In fact if you look at his career stats you would wonder what did he do. He had more loses then wins and in a sport where ERA means the lower the better....Well, he failed in that as well.
But he made the game enjoyable to watch even when your team was losing or he was in a slump. He was the type of person that you watched and knew he was playing for the love of the game and not for the money he would get. (A point proven in the past few years where he played for $2,000 a month.)
He was the one man I wanted to get an autograph from--All most more so then Bags or Biggio--and the one man who would sit for hours on end giving autographs, if he had the time to do so, he was always signing before and after games--even when the Astros lost--and always made a point to get the kids first.
I remember the day that the Astros traded him (I still have the newspaper clippings) I walked out to get my coffee before church (yes, I was drinking coffee at the age of 13!) and dad called me over, sits me in his lap and says "Katie, I have some bad baseball news for you." And lets it hang for a few seconds while he takes a sip of his coffee, leaving me to think that the ballpark had blown up, the Astros were out of the play-offs for good, or someone had died, "The Astros traded Jose Lima." O.K. I think, not as bad as I thought, but it ranks pretty high up there!
My dad sent me an e-mail telling me that he had died (I was milking for someone else and he knows I like to read obituaries). As I'm reading the title mom says "Oh, yeah Katie Lima died." and not two minutes later dad comes in to tell me "I'm sorry Katie, but Lima died.". To my sisters they had no idea, to me he was the guy that I remember when I think about those men who are in it just for the money.
After the Astros traded him, I continued to watch him, he might be the only person who I have ever done that for. I'm more a team type of person. I am a person who watches the game to enjoy it and see how the team works together, even if I can tell you each person's stats, weakness, and advantages on the field. Unless it was Jose Lime, well then those days I watched the game to watch him and it was tons of fun watching "Lima Time"!
I'm sure that there are very few people (if any) who are reading this who have any idea what I am talking about. But again, this goes back to being my blog and talking about what's on my mind. :D
Lima will be missed, there aren't all that many people now a days who play like he did and who show that they enjoyed the game like he did. But I still watch the game and enjoy it.
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