Jose Lima hopes his time will come again

He said rather than retiring to his Dominican Republic ranch he finds himself here because baseball is part of his fiber -- after an ugly season with the Mets in 2006 he played in Mexico and Korea and went 5-5 for an independent league team last year in Camden, N.J. (Independent teams like Camden and Long Beach aren't affiliated with Major League Baseball, thus their reliance on castoffs and scrappers praying for one last chance.)

Lima knew Long Beach had provided a haven for Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco as they sought comebacks. He figured the Armada would give him a chance to be seen by big league teams in California, a place he has a soft spot for because of his successful year with the Dodgers in 2004, when he went 13-5 and shut out St. Louis for what until last season was the Dodgers' only victory in a postseason game since the 1988 World Series.

He also had pressure from home.

"My little mother," said the balding, slightly paunchy Lima, a glimmer in his eyes matching the diamond studs in his ears, "she wants to see me retire a major leaguer. I'm doing this for her. If I made it back and I died on the first pitch, it would be OK because I would have fulfilled her wish."

Lima's manager, ex-major league star Garry Templeton, thinks he still has the stuff. Going into Friday's game he had a 1-1 record, a 1.44 earned-run average and 12 strikeouts in 25 innings. But Friday night, Lima got shelled: seven runs and 10 hits against the less-than-stellar Yuma Scorpions.

Ever the optimist -- even when, instead of a metal nameplate on his locker, there's a torn strip of masking tape with "Lima Time" etched in pen -- the aging pitcher chalked that game up to bad luck.

"It feels so good to be back in California," he said. "I hadn't been back to L.A. since I played for the Dodgers. When I arrived at LAX there were some people who were looking like, 'Is that Lima?' I got the feeling what I did was special. Then I went to a Dodgers game and up on the Jumbotron they showed video from 2004. It was Lima Time again! I was so happy I was breaking out in sweat."

Irabu, on the other hand, professes to be a lot hazier about his future. "I have no specific goal at this point, just enjoy," he said, slowly smoking a cigarette as an interpreter relayed his words. The still chubby-cheeked pitcher, whose every move Saturday was followed by a phalanx of Japanese fans and media, insisted he's not thinking much about the majors. He doesn't want the pressure.