IT'S LIMA TIME!!!

All right Armada fans, get ready for a big treat in 2009. Some amazing MLB talent will be taking the mound for the Fleet this summer. Jose Lima is in the house! Here's the official release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Lima Time Returns to L.A. as Jose Lima Signs with the Long Beach Armada
Major League All-Star Selects Golden Baseball League to Showcase his Comeback


LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 27, 2009) –- The Long Beach Armada of the independent professional Golden Baseball League (GBL) have announced that they have agreed to terms with former Major League All-Star pitcher Jose Lima on a player contract for the 2009 season. Lima, who won 21 games in a season with Houston and was fourth in the Cy Young voting, pitched in the major leagues for the New York Mets in 2006, was the top pitcher in the Mexican League in 2007, and pitched in the Korean professional league in 2008. He will join Manager Garry Templeton's Long Beach Armada squad that has sent 17 players back to major league organizations including five last year and Cincinnati Reds' big leaguer Adam Pettyjohn.

"I'm excited to have Jose Lima pitching for us this year," said Long Beach Armada Manager Garry Templeton. "His experience, skill, and leadership will be a great benefit to us. I'm glad that we have the opportunity to showcase his skills and give him the chance to rejoin a major league club."

Lima, 36, broke into the major leagues as a 22-year old rookie with Detroit in 1994 and was traded to the Houston Astros a few years later where he became one of the most successful and flamboyant starting pitchers in the major leagues. He was a Natonal League All-Star in 1999 and went on to pitch in three National League Division Championship Series. In 2004, he went 13-5 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and threw a complete game against St. Louis in the NLDS which was the first Dodger playoff victory since the 1988 World Series. Well known for his colorful personality and entertainment skills, Lima would regularly have crowds chanting his name when he pitched, had the term "Lima Time" coined by the media to describe his unique presence while playing, sang the national anthem at major league games, has recorded as a bachata musician, and even had Fantasy League strategies named for him.

"It will be a lot of fun for our fans to experience the passion and joy that Jose brings to the game," said Long Beach Armada General Manager Tony Soares. "We will definitely have special promotions and fan activities on the nights he pitches and give the Armada faithful lots of "Lima Time!"


About The Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League, Presented by Safeway Inc./VONS, is the premier professional independent baseball league operating in the western United States, Canada, Mexico. The ten Golden Baseball League teams include the Calgary Vipers in Calgary, Alberta Canada; the Chico Outlaws in Chico, CA; the Edmonton Capitals in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, the Orange County Flyers in Fullerton, CA; the Long Beach Armada in Long Beach, CA; the St. George Roadrunners in St. George, Utah; the Yuma Scorpions in Yuma, AZ; the Tijuana Potros in Baja California, Mexico; the Tucson Toros in Tucson, AZ; and the Victoria Seals in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Over 90 GBL players have been acquired by major league baseball or professional international baseball organizations during the last four years and over 50 former major leaguers have played in the GBL including MLB All-Stars Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, and Felix Jose. For general information, please visit our League web site at www.goldenbaseball.com.

About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates more than 1,800 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $35.6 billion in 2003. The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.