WATERCOOLER CHAT: SUNS TAKE LEAD, MAGIC GETS JOB DONE, PHILLIES LOCK UP HOWARD
BASKETBALL
In the NBA, the Suns and the Blazers were tied at 2 games a piece. The Suns needed a win badly on their home court if they wanted a chance at winning this series. Well, of course, Suns point-guard Steve Nash came to play. He had 14 points and 10 assists, but it was also Suns center Channing Frye who has come on strong. Last night he had 20 points and 8 rebounds and even hit some clutch 3-pointers (rare for a center). With the effort, the Suns take a 3-2 lead in the series. Phoenix 107, Portland 88.
Elsewhere in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats were hoping to stay alive. They were down 3-0 to a very tough Orlando Magic team and needed the best performance possible to stay in this thing. Well, Charlotte star Gerald Wallace did what he could putting up 17 points, but it was the strong team-play of the Magic that got the job done. Vince Carter had 21 points for Orlando in the victory and that was all she wrote for Charlotte’s first ever playoff appearance. Now, Orlando will face the winner of the Atlanta Hawks/Milwaukee Bucks series.  Orlando 99, Charlotte 90.
BASEBALL
And in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies have had a beautiful resurgence in the past few years. Well, one of their superstars, Ryan Howard, was about to become a free agent. Reportedly, Howard wanted A-Rod money (Alex Rodriguez currently holds the biggest contract in baseball). There were rumors of a Ryan Howard / Albert Pujols straight-up trade. Yesterday, however, all that was put to rest as the Phillies locked up Ryan Howard for a $125 Million, 5-year contract extension until the year 2016. With this signing, the Phillies have shown their fans that they are serious about winning this decade. And that’s something you can’t take for granted.
