Mike O'Connell

With last night’s emphatic win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on their way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007. Their likely opponent is the team with the best record in the NBA this year, who very well could wrap up the Western Conference championship this evening. Oh, the sexy matchup of Warriors vs. Cavs… I can taste it already. So can those who produce the games and sell TV advertisements.

Much as I’d like to see the upstart Warriors (or Rockets, for that matter), win one for the West, I’ve got to go with the Cavs in this series. Yup. I’ve jumped on the LeBron bandwagon. Again. Though this time it’s to root for the guy, not hate him for going to Miami.

How the hell did I find myself rooting for Alex Rodriguez and LeBron James in the same season? Somehow they’re both so maligned I end up liking them in the process. And a Cavs-Yankees double would be sweet.

The phrase “only in Loudoun County” seems to come up often in my speech and thoughts. It is never under positive circumstances.

This week’s sign that those of us in Loudoun County are just a little bit, well, unusual, appears on the front page of the “Loudoun” insert in the Washington Post. “Diversity panel met by debate” reads the headline. Subhead: “Racial makeup of Leesburg commission draws strong reactions on social media.”

It seems that the new Leesburg (Loudoun’s county seat) “diversity commission” just wasn’t diverse enough for some. Or it was too diverse. Or something like that. You see, and perhaps this was meant as a joke, two of the seven members of the panel are… white men!

Ha!

Guess who got really mad about that?

(Answer: every fool who lives here.)

So much for “diversity” (read: every color but white). Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up.

And…

only in Loudoun County.

I’m glad I saw all the other episodes of Mad Men first, because if I had started with the finale I’d have never watched another.

And I would have been very confused.

Actually, I’ve seen all the earlier episodes and I was still confused.

Surreal, bizarre, and just plain weird would be a few ways I’d describe last night’s episode, and while other weird things on the show have worked, this did not. Though I did appreciate the final joke (which did clear up a thing or two), there was just too much buildup for a gag that was only marginally clever. I expected more.

Kudos, Mad Men, for a great run. As a total package, you’re still one of my favorites. Mad Men ’70s reboot? Think about it.

Despite their trouncing last night I’m going to go out on a limb on May 13 and say the Washington Nationals will win the National League pennant this year.

I’m not going to guarantee a victory like Alexander Ovechkin, but I will predict that the Caps tonight will pull out a Game Seven victory.

The Wiz? Yup. Win or lose in Game Five, with or without John Wall, I say this team is facing Cleveland in the next round (Cleveland sports predictions at no extra charge.)

And the ‘Skins? As long as I’m being optimistic here for our local teams I’ll say they win… five games this year.

God I’m going to miss someday when they’re good and I can’t make fun of them anymore.

My reaction to most of Alex Rodriguez’s first 659 career home runs has been something along the order of “meh.”

I have greatly cheered the most recent two. My, how times have changed.

And I know the Yankees can afford it.