Lima's Death A Shock To Baseball World

Former P Jose Lima has died at the young age of 37, due to an apparent heart attack, in his home in Los Angeles. His death came as a shock to many, as he attended the Los Angeles Dodgers home game against the Detroit Tigers just a day before and looked in great spirits. Lima played for the Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, and the Dodgers. Lima's career ended with the Mets in 2006, when he was released.

Lima will always be remembered for his enthusiasm for the sport of baseball. He always referred to days he pitched as "Lima Time," and he was very exuberant on the field, just as he was off the field. Lima won 21 games in the 1999 season for the Astros, where he received his only All-Star berth. Lima's death has shocked numerous players born in the Dominican Republic, such as SS Jose Reyes of the Mets and 1B David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox.

Lima was an important piece of the 2004 Dodgers team who made the playoffs and won their first playoff game since clinching the World Series in 1988 against the Oakland Athletics. Lima pitched a five-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 NLDS, winning the one and only game they would win, as they lost to the Cardinals three games to one. Lima has recently gotten in touch with the Dodgers organization, which is why he attended the Dodgers game on Friday. Lima's enthusiasm and passion for the game will be sorely missed.

Royals Fire Hillman

The Kansas City Royals, currently 12-23 right now and in last place in the AL Central, fired manager Trey Hillman. Special adviser Ned Yost, who previously managed the Milwaukee Brewers for several seasons, will take over for the rest of the year. Hillman's record with the Royals was 152-207 in a little more than two seasons at the job. Hillman was considered a great coaching prospect after spending 12 years in the New York Yankees organization. However, success never arrived in Kansas City, and he is the first manager to be fired this season.

Hillman is obviously taking the fall for a team with a lack of talent. The Royals didn't have many offensive pieces, and their bullpen wasn't very good to start off the year. Their best player, P Zack Greinke, doesn't have a win yet this season, after winning the AL Cy Young award last season. His ERA is at 2.15, which is very solid. However, Greinke has not been able to get any run support from the offense at all, which is the major reason why he doesn't have a victory.

The Royals have sat back and relied on prospects to get better, but it hasn't worked. The Royals have not even made an appearance in the playoffs since 1985, when they beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Management has been heavily reluctant to spend, and it has set this franchise back a lot. It certainly isn't the manager's fault for not getting the job done, because this team does not acquire talent. It's not clear if Yost will be managing past this year, but he won't be successful either with this team.