Mike O'Connell

Every Sunday I read the Washington Post with trepidation. I usually have only one eye open and make sure to keep at least one nostril closed. Yesterday there were not one, not two, but three features which made me open both eyes, both nostrils, and, well, just one mouth, but it no doubt formed a smile.

First, in the Post‘s Arts & Style section, a front-page article about Frank Sinatra whose premise was, in a sense, Who needs an excuse to write a big celebratory article about Frank Sinatra?

I like your style, Arts & Style.

Second, and you know I love this one: wildly differing opinions of how the date went from the participants in the “Date Lab.” I don’t know why, I just love it when the dates don’t work out. Proves they’re not rigged.

And speaking of things being not rigged and not going well. Oh, that I loved reading P.J. O’Rourke’s scathing review of Kevin Schultz’s new book, Buckley and Mailer: The Difficult Friendship That Shaped the Sixties. Whereas most book “reviews” are mere commercials for the book they hawk, this one is anything but. Strictly from the title and premise this is one I probably would have read, though clearly not now. (Funny how one instantly believes a bad review but might question a good one.) O’Rourke’s review is just beautiful prose and makes you love to read a bad review. His piece is the one worth reading, and I may spend my time this summer just sipping a sweet beverage and rereading it again and again.

But remind me never to have that guy review my book!

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.