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No foul play suspected in Limas's death
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5/25 21:33: The autopsy on former baseball player Jose Lima was completed Tuesday in Los Angeles, but official results will not be disclosed until early next week, a family source told ESPNdeportes.com.
The initial theory about a massive heart attack is still in place as the cause of death, said the source. A routine police investigation also dismissed any foul play and found no evidence of drugs in Lima’s residence or vehicle.
5/23 12:08: Former right-hand pitcher Jose Lima died of an apparent heart attack Sunday morning according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com. Lima, who was 37, died in his Los Angeles home. The 37 year old had pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
“Jose was complaining while sleeping and I just thought he was having a nightmare,” said Lima’s wife Dorca Astacio . “I called the paramedics, but they couldn’t help him.”
Lima had recently joined Dodgers organization as a member of their alumni association and planned to open a youth baseball academy this summer in Los Angeles.
Lima was 89-102 in 13 Major League seasons. He was selected to the 1999 All Star game with Houston when he won 21 games.
Limia is survived by his wife and five children. His body will be buried in the Dominican Republic.
MLB Should Remove ALL-Star Game From Arizona and Strike PR Gold In the Process
Posted by: | CommentsAs anger and opposition to the new Arizona immigration law grows across the country, baseball is finding itself in the middle of the controversy. The 2011 All-Star game is scheduled to be held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona and the Diamondbacks are owned by the Kendrick family, who has donated millions of dollars to Republicans in the state. Ken Kendrick, the managing partner for the Diamondbacks, has released a statement saying that he opposes the bill.
Another compelling overlap with baseball and the law that has garnered national attention is the fact that an estimated 25 to 30 percent of baseball is made up of Latin Americans. Many of these players come to the United States with limited knowledge of English and could now potentially have their rights infringed upon by the bill. Political figures from Karl Rove to President Obama, among others, have come out against it.
Major League Baseball and, more importantly, Bud Selig have a chance to change the image of the sport and win a huge public relations victory by making a stand to protect their employees: pull the All-Star game out of Arizona and lead the way in the fight to kill this bill.
Players in the league are here legally, the teams make sure of that, but players could still be detained if they forget their papers. Most lawyers agree that the new Arizona law will be overturned for being unconstitutional, but if baseball pulls the All-Star game until this happens, they come out smelling like roses.
Football did something similar in the early 90’s by taking the Super Bowl away from Arizona for not recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. day and did not return until after the holiday was made official by the state. The ramifications of this new law are much larger than whether or not a holiday is observed. This bill actually affects the rights of citizens and almost a third of Major League Baseball players.
Baseball should also consider the possible negative consequences of not being proactive in opposition to this law. There have already been boycotts in ballparks around the country of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Latino players could very well set up their own boycott of the All-Star game or playing in Arizona in general, which could be a potential black eye to the sport.
Selig has a chance to spin baseball positively in the press and be proactive. He has the power with the far-reaching “best interests of the game” clause. The question is now whether he will act in the best interest of the sport and the country or the best interest of one club in Arizona.
PRO Rumors: Roku Player is a Hit
Posted by: | CommentsSo the wait is finally over and I am now able to use my Roku player to watch MLB games on my TV. I purchased the Roku player earlier in the year, mainly for this purpose, although it has other channels and can play movies from my Netflix account. It was originally scheduled to be ready for Opening Day but didn’t become available until this week.
The Roku Digital Video Player accesses content over the internet and displays in High Definition via an HDMI cable. It comes with a remote and when paired with a MLB Premium subscription gives you access to all out of market baseball games.
The player performs better than expected. It displays in High Def, although for short periods you’re able to tell that the video is being streamed over the internet. You can choose an inning to jump to, start from beginning, or go to live and have dvr capability. The player runs circles around using the computer to watch games by negating log in and having more consistent video play.
As for the negatives the DVR forward and reverse does not have on-screen viewing so you blindly have to scroll to find what you’re looking for which can be bothersome. Games will freeze occasionally although on a much less frequent basis than when I was using a computer with the same network connection. Commercials are also not played between innings which could be a bonus for some people but bothers me.
The player I use is available from Roku for $99 and they have two other models available. I don’t trust wireless for streaming so I use an Ethernet cable. You must have a subscription to MLB Premium to use the Roku player which runs $24.95 a month or $119.95 for a yearly subscription.
PRO Rumors: Congress Wants Tobacco Out of Baseball
Posted by: | CommentsThe Associated Press is reporting that the United States Congress is pressuring Major League Baseball and the players association to ban players from using chewing tobacco during games. The request is being spearheaded by House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, and Health Subcommittee chairman Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat.
There has been a ban in the minors since 1993 for smokeless tobacco. A similar ban in the majors would first have to be collectively bargained.Baseball’s current labor contract is due to expire in December 2011.
“For them to pull it off in the minors really surprised me,” Twins reliever Pat Neshek told the AP. “We’ll see if that gains much traction.”
PRO Rumors: Cowboy Joe Calls Yanks and Red Sox Slow
Posted by: | Comments24-year veteran umpire Joe West is calling out the Yankees and Red Sox for slow play according to ESPN.com. The comments came after two marathon games on Sunday and Tuesday night. West called the two teams “embarrassing” and “disgrace to baseball” before Wednesday nights game.
“They’re the two clubs that don’t try to pick up the pace,” said West, the chief of the umpiring crew working the three-game series. “They’re two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?”
Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez denied a number of requested time outs at the plate during Tuesday’s game and did not comment after the game on orders from West.”All of baseball looks to these two clubs to pick up the pace,” West said, “[Hernandez] did everything he could. The players aren’t working with us.”
Cincinnati Reds Rumors: Cardinals Accuse Reds of Foul Play
Posted by: | CommentsSt. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter and manager Tony LaRussa have accused the Cincinnati Reds organization of not properly rubbing down baseballs before the game. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Carpenter said that the balls were as slick as “cue balls” and that he “just didn’t want anybody to get hurt.” Manager Tony LaRussa echoed Carpenter’s comments, but said that there was no reason to file a formal complaint.
“Rather than speculate (a reason), just fix it,” La Russa said. “Whether it’s done intentionally or somebody is being careless, whatever it is, just fix it.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay reports Reds manager Dusty Baker has denied the claims, and with good reason as the Reds pitchers use the same balls.“I don’t pay any attention to that,” Baker said. “He threw pretty good. I hate to see how he’d throw if he had balls that weren’t slippery.” Every baseball is supposed to be rubbed with Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud before the game and approved by the umpires. Tony LaRussa has suggested that the balls may have been switched after approval.
PRO Rumors Editorial: I Heart Jason Heyward
Posted by: | CommentsJason Heyward just may be able to save baseball. What you say, Opening Day is too soon to make such a bold statement? Henry Aaron doesn’t think so and neither do I. Heyward electrified Atlanta Monday in his first at bat in the majors by tattooing a Carlos Zambrano pitch over the Right Field Wall. The twenty year old Rookie announced his presence with authority as Nuke LaLoosh would say.
Now, I’m not just singing Heyward’s praises because I predicted him as the National League Rookie of the year, this guy can flat out play. At 6′5″ and 240 lbs Heyward has a build suited more for a tight end than for Right Field, but Heyward never played football and every Atlanta fan can thank his dad for that. Heyward has already racked up a slew of minor league awards in his short professional career and a mastery of the strike zone that some veterans, think Alfonso Soriano, should have learned years ago.
Heyward has a difficult task ahead. Not too many 20-year-olds stick around in the majors except for a taste. Mickey Mantle was sent down in the middle of his rookie year after he couldn’t live up to the hype and some struggle even longer like the Royals Alex Gordon. So should I put away the anointing oil? No, Bill Parcells. This kid is the real deal.
Consider this, Heyward has already played in 238 professional games working his way through the Braves system. In those games Heyward batted .318 and had an OPS of .899. That is the same average that a young Ken Griffey Jr. compiled after 30 less games, and a comparable OPS, Griffey’s was .890. Outside of the numbers there is just the presence of him as a player. Len Kasper, broadcaster for the Cubs commented that the ball just sounded different coming off his bat, while the Braves playbyplay man Chip Carray joked that he thought Heyward may have “broke the ball”.
All of this aside the one thing that will set Heyward apart from those that have come before him is his maturity. Everyone agrees that he carries himself better than most players his age and he surprises teammates with his major league readiness. The only thing that can slow him down will be injuries. He has all the physical tools and the brains to go with it.
I’m usually very cynical, despite me pretty much announcing my candidacy for President of the Jason Heyward fan club, but I wanted to jump on this train before it left the station. Now lets hope I haven’t cursed the poor guy.
Lance Berkman Rumors: Will Start Year on Disabled List
Posted by: | CommentsBrian McTaggart of MLB.com is reporting that the Houston Astros will place first baseman Lance Berkman on the disabled list to start the season. The move will be retroactive to March 26th, which should only cause Berkman to miss four games. Berkman had arthroscopic knee surgery on March 13 and had said on Tuesday that there was a 70 percent chance that he would play on Opening Day but plans changed when Berkman experienced swelling after batting practice and infield drills.
“It’s cranky,” Berkman said. “It’s sore and it’s swollen, but yesterday was the most I had done on it yet so I don’t think that’s entirely unexpected it would react that way. It’s disappointing. I was hoping it wouldn’t swell back up but it did. That’s part of what I told them. We have five days before the opener and it’s still really swollen. It’s not rocket science. The thing’s got to calm down before I can play.”
Berman a career .299 hitter played in 136 games last year and has been an All-Star 5 times. Berkmans replacement will likely be Geoff Blum.
