Free Republic

Of anyone who has ever played major league baseball, very few, in any era, have looked as though they really did play for the love of the game. We learn only when they are unable to play any longer that they really did love the game for its own sake, no matter the money, no matter the controversies. Some love it too much to keep themselves steady; some can't bear to let the world see anything other than the difficulty involved in playing the game in the inferno of the public eye. When you lose someone who looked as though...

Jose Lima rejoined the Kansas City Royals (news) when he agreed to a one-year contract Saturday, hoping to provide stability and leadership to a rotation that was awful last season. Lima, who pitched for the Royals in 2003, spent this year with Los Angeles, going 13-5 with a 4.07 ERA. He walked 34 and struck out 93 in 170 1-3 innings, then threw a shutout in the NL playoffs against St. Louis. In 12 major league seasons, the right-hander is 84-82 with a 5.00 ERA. His best stretch came in 1998 and '99, when he went 16-8 and 21-10, respectively,...