I’m back. I’ve been here before. After hounding John – politely I hope – a weekend edition (both Saturday and Sunday) will now be at your disposal. You can read it, or you can spend the day outside – with family and friends. The latter of which is less provocative…hopefully. 

STARTING FIVE

1. Roll, Heat, Roll

It was inevitable. The Pacers have been enigmatic for months now. Last night, thank goodness, was the night the Heat put the Pacers out of their misery, advancing to the NBA Finals – dismantling Indiana 117 – 92.  But, boy oh boy, did the Pacers ever flutter so unevenly.

John can break down the game, if he so wishes to, but I’ve been caught in this conundrum for a few days. That is, how in the world did the Pacers lose fans’ confidence? We have the Heat – winners of three straight Eastern Conference championships and two straight NBA championships – against the Pacers, a team that caught fans’ attention just a year ago. Even being the higher seed, the Pacers were still the underdogs.

The point being, fans love the underdog. But, to answer my own question, Lance Stephenson decided to wreak havoc with some inane gestures. Stephenson, to quote Bill Simmons, simply acted like a jackass.

Now it is hard to root against the Heat. Think about rooting for the Yankees in the American League Championship while they are playing the Oakland A’s. That is how screwed up the Pacers were.

 2. The Three Amigos

Carl Ichan, Billy Walters, and Phil Mickelson walk into a bar…and purchase Clorox?

It’s been over two years since the insider-trading deal was allegedly performed. Does this story have legs? My initial reaction is no. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have been gathering and analyzing data for awhile now. What’s to believe that someone – as they say – “blows the whistle?”

Further, Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) had this to say on Twitter: “I’m still amazed people are so stupid to think they’re going to pull off an insider trade in the options market the week before a deal.” 

Exactly.

We are talking about a billionaire and two millionaires. Granted, Wall Street is no exception to fraud (in fact, they’ve  redefined it), but I’m going to use my if-I-think-it’s-dumb-it’s-dumb card. If there was fraudulent behavior, these three gentlemen basically wrapped it in a box and handed it to the SEC. But, you know, the SEC has yet to find any explicit evidence.

This is just another kink in the road.

3. “Mama don’t want none!”

So, Facebook wants to start targeting children, I see.

I get it, Facebook. Teens don’t find Facebook nearly as exciting as they use to. But, to even bother to attract kids below the age of 13 (even high school, really), is — in a way — all too selfish. Zuckerberg is a smart dude, he gets it most of the time. This just doesn’t make sense to me, at all.

This is just a variable of what really is the problem: the Jekyll and Hyde of technology. Technology is marvelous. It really can enhance your capability to learn. But the sword is sharpened on both ends.

We have kids walking around with their smartphones, and now we want to give them a Facebook, too? Trust me, teenagers tend to have a gazillion friends on Facebook. Out of those friends, I’d say they know – on a personal basis – a third of them, if that. We are going to start seeing 13-year-old kids “friending” 18-year-old seniors, who most likely post some of the most ridiculous, irrelevant information in the world.

Let’s just use our common sense and not make recess all about drama.

4. The Road to Omaha 

College baseball is a bore before May. It is alright to admit it. But, as a Nebraska native, the College World Series is a great event. Yesterday was the start of the the 64-team tournament, in which only eight advance to Omaha.

I’m not saying you should binge watch collegiate baseball for the next three weeks. I am encouraging you to tune in for the action, though. It is not March Madness, but it is still cool.

Maybe you can do something new this year and watch more.

 5. De Facto Stanley Cup Winner

To be honest, I know nothing about hockey. I do know, however (thanks, Melrose!), that the winner of Sunday’s Game 7 matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks will be huge favorites against the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. So, is tomorrow’s Game 7 the de facto NHL championship game?

The majority of our friends at ESPN seem to be Ranger fanatics, Melrose excluded. Does that mean anything? No, not really. But the cynical me wants Linda Cohn hosting SportsCenter the night the Western Conference winner wins the Stanley Cup.

That’d be like having Michelle Beadle host the NBA Countdown show the night the Heat win their third championship in a row.

Remote Patrol

Spurs at Thunder, Game 6

TNT 8:30 p.m. 

Every game in this series has been decided by double figures. Will tonight be any different?

We’ll see…