Weddings, memories and a giant weed

We went to a wedding yesterday and had a good time as Christine got to see some high school friends and classmates she hasn't seen in years. This morning, Christine mentioned that it has been some time since we've attended a wedding - June 24, 2006, to be exact.

I was able to determine the precise date because I remember listening to a SoxandPhils Saturday afternoon game as we drove up to North Jersey. Curt Schilling struck out 10 in six innings, but Manny Delcarmen blew his 3-2 lead. David Ortiz ended the game with a two-run homer in the 10th off Tom Gordon. Brett Myers started for the Phillies. He struggled in the game, but had a worse day off the field.

When Brett Myers made his debut on July 24, 2002, we were honeymooning in Niagara Falls. The next year, we took a nicer honeymoon in Hawaii. We bought a little souvenir - a little twig that was supposed to grow into a hibiscus. It grew, and grew, and grew. It never bloomed until last year when we finally planted it outside. Sadly, those were its only blooms. It did not survive this miserable winter. I had to throw it out today as I did the yard work I usually do on Saturdays, but had to postpone a day because of the wedding. Farewell, Hawaii, we'll miss you.

On the plus side, I did not fall off any ladders this weekend, but I bought that taller one.

You might have noticed I didn't write about today's games. What's to say? The Red Sox are off to their worst start since 1996 after dropping their third straight to the Rays, 7-1, and on a day that Cole Hamels channeled his 2008 mojo against the Marlins, the Phillies offense continued to channel the 1996 Phillies offense's mojo.

Stupid former Indians pitchers

The recent good performances by Cliff Lee and Paul Bryd, both former Indians, have been wiped away tonight.

After starting 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA for the Phillies, Cliff Lee has been shelled in his last two starts. His ERA rose to 1.80 after giving up six earned runs in five innings on Saturday, and it's now 2.81 after yielding six earned runs in three innings tonight. Jamie Moyer is now in, making his first relief appearance for a starter other than Pedro Martinez. In the 5th, it's Astros 6, Phillies 0.

If he keeps pitching like this, come playoff time, Lee might be keeping J-Moy company in the bullpen.

I still can't get over Pedro Martinez's performance yesterday. Christine joked the other night that he's going to wear a Phillies hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.

He's not, according to a Q&A with Yahoo!'s Answer Man:

DB: Assuming you get there, would you wear a Red Sox cap on your Hall of Fame plaque?
PM: I have no idea, but I would love to. Either that one or a Montreal hat. It's not up to me, it's up to the league, but I think Boston without a doubt. I'll take it.

Then, Pedro talks flowers. It's weird.

DB: Which kinds of flowers are your favorite?
PM: Orchids. All of them.
They're so delicate and tender. So beautiful.
DB: Do you talk to them?
PM: Yes!
DB: What do you say?
PM: I pray for them and tell them they have to get better and that I'm sorry about not taking care of them on time.
DB: Do you feel guilty?
PM: I just ... sometimes, I just don't have the time.
DB: What got you into gardening in the first place?
PM: My mom. She would spend a lot of time in the garden and I used to spend a lot of time with my mom.

In the American League, meanwhile, Byrd no longer has an unblemished ERA. He gave up seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, inflating his ERA from 0.00 to 7.56. The Red Sox scored one in the 4th, so the comeback is under way. In the 4th, White Sox 8, Red Sox 1.

Quotable SoxandPhils sluggers

The other day, I forgot to mention a quote that I just loved from Matt Stairs. He wants to play one more year for the Phillies and made his case why he deserves another year:

I'd like to be back, but that's a decision for the team. I'm inexpensive, and I don't complain that I don't play a lot.

While Stairs has been a fan favorite because of his key pinch hits (not so many this year), he's also likable because he's a rare average Joe in this era of athletes with super-sized egos. Who can't relate to wanting to earn $1+ million to sit on the bench, watch a game and chew on some sunflower seeds? You've got to love honesty from the big lug who has a history of being honest, if not the most cautious, with his comments.

The Red Sox big slugger, David Ortiz, also had a quote this week that was more like Stairs' famous postseason quote than his more recent one. Papi explained how Victor Martinez has motivated him this year:

Victor, man, he just push me, man. Every at-bat since he's been here, he just get in my face and start screaming at me and everything. I like it, I really like it. He gets me in the mood.

Eww.

But I guess I'd prefer Papi be turned on by our catcher than steroids.

Today's games: Billy Wagner is in Fenway, but unavailable tonight. (Brad Penny was released to make room for him.) B-Wags probably wouldn't be needed anyway; Junichi Tazawa couldn't follow up on his strong performance against the Yankees last week. He gave up nine runs in four innings. The White Sox lead the Red Sox 9-2 in the 5th.

The Phillies, behind J.A. Happ, lead the Pirates 2-1 in the 7th. Whose turn is it to blow a save tonight?

Hibiscus update: We have a full-fledged flower and more buds ready to bloom.

Stopping to smell the hibiscus

There are only so many ways I can say Brad Lidge blew another one, so I'm going to write about a happier topic.

Six years ago on a belated honeymoon to Hawaii, we bought a little souvenir - a hibiscus root in a little baggie. We planted it in an inside pot and it grew ... and grew ... and grew.

But it never bloomed.

When we moved across town four years ago, we had to drive it in my pickup during heavy rain and wind. Its leaves remained tattered for quite a while, but it kept growing taller. So much that despite our 11-foot arched ceiling, we had to lop off some of it.

But it never bloomed.

This spring, it started listing really bad. We decided it was time to plant it outside. If it lived, great. If not, there was only so much we could do to save our plant we affectionately call Hawaii, even though we were never convinced it was not just a glorified weed from paradise.

Last month, after a storm, it toppled over. The wooden stick that kept it upright had rotted away. We decided to cut it down in size and give it one more chance.

Today, after an evening walk around the neighborhood, we took a close look at Hawaii and noticed ... a bud. Several of them, in fact.

Like the Red Sox winning in 2004, faith has been rewarded. (Christine wondered how I would tie this to baseball.) And, perhaps, at the end of the year, Charlie Manuel's patience in Brad Lidge will yield a bloom.

If not, Lidge still gets a pass because of last season.

Oh, and two more baseball references to Hawaii. The first, obviously, is the Hawaiian connection with Shane Victorino. The other is a little more Rorschach. I think the stigma of the flower (the thing that stick out of the middle) remind me of the Phanatic's tongue and nozzle.

I know, I need help.

Tonight's games: Sorely missed Tim Wakefield returned from the DL, making his first start since July 8. On that date, the Red Sox were 18 games above .500 and had a one game lead over the Yankees for the division and a 4.5 game lead over the Angels for any playoff slot.

Since then, the Red Sox have gone 21-20 and now trail the Yankees by 6 games.

Tonight, Wake has been strong: one run on three hits and a walk through five. The Red Sox haven't done much against former Phil Gavin Floyd and are tied with the White Sox 1-1 in the 6th.

Cole Hamels might be returning from ... mediocrity. He hasn't allowed a run in his first five innings. The Phillies lead the Pirates 1-0 in the 6th.