WATERCOOLER CHAT: FLYERS STILL ALIVE, PUDGE RETIRES, END OF ERA FOR SUMMIT
HOCKEY
It was time for Game 4 of the vicious series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. These are two hockey towns that love their teams, and when you have that type of fan base, you can expect trash talking. And when there’s trash talking, there’s going to be fighting.  Even though these teams hate each other, the series has been controlled by the Flyers. They have been a scoring machine! And this was their chance to knock the Penguins out of the playoffs. But a team like the Penguins, armed with the best player in hockey, Sidney Crosby, weren’t going to go quietly. They scored 10 goals on the Flyers, and totally exposed the Philly’s atrocious goal-tending. The Flyers are hot right now, but when you have an Achilles heel like bad goal tending, you are in serious trouble in later rounds. The Penguins stay alive, but how much longer can they survive. Pittsburgh 10, Philadelphia 3.
BASEBALL
It’s the end of an era in a day that had two prominent sports figures calling it quits. First up, Ivan Rodriguez, or ‘Pudge’ as most call him, has had one of the best careers for a catcher in major league baseball history. He started his career with the Texas Rangers, and then went to various teams contending for a World Series, even helping them nab some titles. In baseball, having a solid, smart catcher who can both hit AND call the game with intelligence is a very valuable commodity. But now, after more than 20 years in the majors, he’s going to retire, and as a Texas Ranger where he started. The game will miss him.
BASKETBALL
And in women’s college basketball, an icon is stepping down. After 38 years as head coach, yes that’s  38 YEARS, Tennessee’s Pat Summit is calling it a day. In her tenure at Tennessee, she turned the University into the elite team almost every season, and guided the Lady Vols to 8 National Championships. That is simply amazing! Sadly, less than a year ago, Summitt was diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer’s. She said it was in the best interest of the university she loves if she just steps down from the role of head coach. Still, Summitt will serve as an adviser to the program, but it’s truly the end of an era and a fantastic career. Summitt was one of the biggest role models in women’s sports… and sports in general.
