Happy Friday Everyone! I had no intentions to write a W6P this week, but was inspired by the happenings of the past few days. It’s a little playoff-focused and has some rants, but hope you enjoy it as you kick off your weekend.

Playoffs, yes we’re talking about playoffs! With the NBA and NHL Playoffs both in full swing now, there are many intriguing storylines and matchups taking place.

For the first time in NBA history, all 4 series in the Conference Semifinals are tied 1-1. They kick off again tonight with the two that I find most interesting. It’s no secret that the Bulls and Heat hate each other, but it’s going to a whole new level now. The Game 2 blowout saw tempers flare on both sides with 9 technical fouls, 2 flagrant fouls, and 2 ejections. The series is back in the Windy City tonight where the Bulls try to channel the grit that they used in game 1 to pull off another upset. The Heat will win the series, I’m guessing it will take 6 games though. The Warriors should be up 2-0 on the Spurs, but it’s tied after an epic game 1 comeback by the Spurs to win in double OT and cost many of us some sleep. Still, Golden State has lead the majority of both games and Curry is not disappointing – while also getting some help. Tonight is big for the Warriors to get the edge. The Spurs are vets that won’t back down, but I think they will eventually get worn out by the young sharp shooters. Warriors in 6. I joked that they should have a theme song for the Knicks/Pacers series – Let’s Get Physical. This matchup is a renewed rivalry and I’m taking the Pacers in 7. In the final series, OKC is struggling when Durant doesn’t have help (or get the calls he wants) and they’re looking for stars to emerge. Memphis has some veteran stars and is seeing the growth of Mike Conley this post-season. The Thunder struggled with a lesser team in Houston and the Grizzlies have some confidence in taking down stars after beating the Clippers. It will go back and forth but I like Memphis in 7 games.

I’ve already made the hockey predictions for this round and will see how I did once the games are over. Chicago, San Jose and Ottawa are already moving on to the next round. The games tonight give Anaheim, Los Angeles and Boston a chance to close out their series. I’m confident that Boston wins tonight, and the Penguins close out their series tomorrow. The Red Wings should win tonight at home to force a game 7 against the Ducks, but have yet to win in regulation. The Kings have a good chance to win tonight and the Caps/Rangers is still a toss up. Kinda crazy that the Western Conference could be down to 3 teams from California plus the Blackhawks by the time the weekend is over. As a whole, there has been some great hockey to watch and exciting games. Overtime in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is so intense and I enjoy watching it every time. As with basketball, the refs have left something to be desired, particularly with their inconsistency for major penalties, ejections and suspensions. Yes, my team ended up on the wrong side of those and deserved the suspension, but I’ve seen over illegal head shots that haven’t even gotten a major called. For the sake of the sport and player safety, that needs to be addressed for the upcoming rounds.

On an inspiring note from the frozen pond, when the starting goaltender for the Minnesota Wild went out with a back injury while warming up for game 1, it was time for their back-up goalie to step in. While that’s a challenge for any second line guy, Josh Harding stood tall for the daunting task of taking on the top seeded Blackhawks. Harding had only played in 5 regular season games and didn’t have glowing numbers, but was pressed into service in the brightest spotlight. During the lockout last fall, Harding was having some health problems and it was discovered that he has multiple sclerosis. Playing goalie in the NHL may be one of the hardest positions for any athlete in any sport, but to do so while also battling an incurable nervous system disease is nothing short of impressive. While Harding refused to let MS be an excuse, or even a topic of conversation while the series was taking place – the sports world noticed and applauded that he was doing much more than stopping pucks over the last week. Congrats to him for not letting MS define him and being an inspiration for everyone to always keep working towards your goals.

Speaking of goals – while many thought that Derrick Rose would have his goal be playing again this season, the “will he play” saga continues. As I said in my post about “ the return” last month (in case you missed it: https://chamberscorner.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/risky-business/), only D Rose knows when he’s ready to come back and I completely respect that. I believe that fans only want him to play when he can give it his all vs coming back too quickly and getting injured again.

A suggested Derrick Rose statue.

However, as the Bulls MASH unit plays on and wins over people’s hearts, Rose is becoming public enemy #1. Several players for Chicago have been injured this season and played on to help the team. Even as they go up against the top seeded Heat, everyone is trying their best for the sake of the team. And yet, here is Derrick Rose sitting on the bench in a suit, stealing the headlines from the guys on the court with continued speculation on when he’ll be back. Rose has become the topic of many jokes now as fans are starting to turn on him – and even file lawsuits for the emotional distress he has caused. No one blames him if he’s going to wait to return until next season, but please just put the rumors to rest and either get on the court or say you’re out for the playoffs – but stop jerking everyone around with this side show.

While I’m ranting now, one of my biggest pet peeves as a sports fan is inconsistency or bad calls by officials. The sport that drives me the most crazy at times: baseball. Now, after 2 days in a row of wrong calls by MLB Umpires, they are finally coming under fire. From the day that Jim Joyce ruined Armando Galarraga’s perfect game (and career to an extent) in 2010, I’ve thought that MLB needs to do something about incorrect calls other than chalk it up to “human error.” The umpires have the job security of Supreme Court justices, so they have no problem admitting after the games that they made a wrong call and move on with their life. No fines (usually), no punishment, etc – yet people get fired every day from their jobs for one little mistake. Several Umps seem to have a need for the spotlight and to get enough face time in a game, which is a shame. Earlier this season, when David Price said that the umpire cursed at him – which ignited the dugout – he was called a liar (both were eventually fined for the incident). Then, on Wednesday, Angel Hernandez (who’s involved in more ump headlines that most) incorrectly ruled a homerun ball a double (even with the help of replay) and likely cost Oakland the game. MLB responded that the call was wrong but they won’t overturn it. So much for accountability and wanting to get the call right, we’ll just blame human error instead. The spotlight was squarely on them last night then when another umpire made a big mistake – when they allowed the Astros to break a MLB rule with a pitching change when he hadn’t faced any batters yet. This is still being reviewed by MLB, but the umps denied doing anything wrong. For the love of the game, please get calls right – it’s why they have umpires in the first place!

Finally, in the world we live in, people have to be careful what they do in public….or more specifically – on camera. We’re in a social media space that any time a fan at a sporting event does something (good or bad), they’re talked about and we soon know their backstory. Remember the Colorado State Rams fan during March Madness? We couldn’t get enough of him! Unfortunately, not all fans are good stories, and actions captured on camera are hard to deny. When Joakim Noah was ejected from the Bulls/Heat game on Wednesday the world was introduced to Filomena Tobias. While she gave Noah a one-finger salute on his way out, the internet was alive with searching out who she was, etc – and it’s not a pretty backstory. If you want to read more about her, here you go: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/filomena-tobias-angry-heat-fan-gave-joakim-noah-183142849.html. From the searching about her and some stories I’ve heard, you would think she committed a felony on Wednesday night. Yes, this story took on a life of it’s own, but that’s because the public loves this kind of stuff. Just a gentle reminder to watch your actions in public, you never know who’s watching and could be looking for skeletons in your closet next.

Extra Point: The story of Kobe Bryant vs Pam Bryant (his Mom) is one of the more bizarre personal stories in sports this year. After telling her that he didn’t want his jerseys and awards from growing up that she was holding onto still, she decided to auction them off to make herself some money. Kobe was appalled and filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of his belongings – some of which recently went missing from his home. It could be a while before it all plays out but I’m thinking it’s safe to say that he won’t be sending her any flowers on Sunday!