It was a dream weekend for sports fans.

Name the sport, something juicy happened.

From the NFL draft, to major league baseball, to the NBA and NHL playoffs, to the announcement of who is the cover boy for Madden '09, it was an exciting time.

Heck, even Roger Clemens' world was rocked again when news surfaced of a tryst with country singer Mindy McCready. Apparently, guys do do it all the time.

Of course, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, too.

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Brett Favre a Madden cover dude. The retired, as of now, Green Bay quarterback will grace the cover of Madden '09.That's usually not a good thing for pro football players. The Madden cover usually comes with pain, poor seasons — and dead canines.But with Favre riding his tractor into the sunset, perhaps this year will be different.You never know, though. Jinxes are tricky.Possible jinxes for BrettFavre this fall: his riding mower runs out of gas before he finishes cutting the lawn, he comes out of retirement but has to play for the Dolphins, AaronRodgers leads the Packers to the Super Bowl.•

Steelers steal a running back. Rashard Mendenhall fell right into Pittsburgh's lap at No. 23.Think the Steelers brass wasn't salivating when he was still on the board? Sure, they had more pressing needs, an offensive and a defensive lineman to name two, but they simply could not pass on Mendenhall.The NFL is a two-back universe right now and the Steelers might have one of the best 1-2 punches in Willie Parker and Mendenhall.•

Two things will survive a nuclear holocaust. Cockroaches and Mel Kiper's hair.•

The Pirates release Matt Morris. Nothing like taking $10 million and flushing it down the toilet.Of course, compared to a major-league baseball team, that's like you or me taking $10 and flushing it down the toilet.The last time I did that was when I went to see the LindsayLohan flick, "I Know Who Killed Me."•

Meet LeBron James, the tackling dummy. James must think he is playing for the Browns, not the Cavs.The Washington Wizards are hitting him harder than Lohan hits the bottle.The Wizards know that the only way they can beat the Cavs is to beat up their star.•

The Bandwagon Penguins. During the 2003-04 season, the Pens averaged a league-low 11,877 fans and won just 22 games.This year, more than 17,000 fans have poured into the arena to watch the Pens win 47 games and a playoff series so far.Where were 6,000 of you every night when the Pens stunk more than that Lohan movie?During the season-long lockout, this team almost moved to Kansas City. Now Pittsburgh has become a hockey town.•

If you think your life is bad. Don't worry. You could be Barry Zito.Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.