This just in: The sky is blue. You have to pay taxes (unless you are Willie Nelson or The Most Interesting Man in the World) and the Earth is round.

I love telling Butler Eagle readers things they didn't already know.

Around these parts this time of year, news — real or otherwise — flies like gnats around a spoiled Primanti Brothers sandwich.

Pittsburgh Steelers news is at a premium.

If the long snapper wrenches his back, we hear about it.

If the punter blows out his knee — again — a scroll across the bottom of the screen while we watch "America's Got Talent" will tell us so.

If Ben Roethlisberger stubs his toe on the way to the mess hall, our regularly scheduled program will be interrupted and will resume already in progress.

It's early August and the first meaningful snap of the NFL season is still more than a month away, but the flow of news is in midseason form.

This overkill reached a new high this week when a Pittsburgh television station reported "Breaking News" that the Steelers were

not going to sign Michael Vick.That's not breaking news. That's breaking

non-news.That's just the nature of the beast. Training camp tidbits are hotter than Hades these days.But the NFL is by far the most popular sport in this country, even long before the first legit hike.In a city where the baseball team borders on laughable and hasn't had a meaningful game in August since the first George Bush was president, it is understandable the amount of attention the NFL garners — even if most of the news is meaningless.In August, the news isn't really news and everyone is optimistic.• LaDainian Tomlinson thinks he can be the old — make that young — L.T. again and rush for a million touchdowns in 2009.That's August talking.When October speaks and the running back's 30-year-old joints start to creek, that story might change.• The Buffalo Bills think T.O. will be different in upstate New York.That's August talking.When September speaks — and inevitably T.O. speaks ... a lot — it might not be a pretty sight.Then again, the last 10 seasons haven't been the Mona Lisa, either, so what do the Bills have to lose?• Brett Favre is retired.That's August talking.Actually, that's 1:48 p.m. on Wednesday talking. Check back when the clock ticks to 1:49 to see if anything has changed.• Tom Brady wants to play in preseason games.That's August — and stupid — talking.Check back with 14:40 remaining in the first quarter of that first preseason game, Tom. You'll want to be standing on the sidelines talking to Suzie Kolber.If you get hurt again, in a preseason game no less, Pats fans will be screaming as if they were at a town hall meeting.• The Browns think they can compete with the Steelers and the Ravens for the division title.That's August — and delirium — talking.Check back in September when the three guys who still like Eric Mangini turn on him.Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.