Usually summer sameness sets in during the Dog Days of August, when it’s too hot in Washington for Congress to be making mischief and weird things captivate headlines, like the Pirates putting their punished pierogi back on the field.

The Pittsburgh baseball team rehires Andrew Kurtz, who earns $25 a game running around the stadium in costume.

He was fired the week before for using the Internet to criticize contract extensions given to General Manager Neal Huntington and Manager John Russell.

This year feels stale, like the Hot Dog Days of June, and it might as well be June 25, 2009, with all the Michael Jackson tributes and fans congregating outside his boyhood home in Gary.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, 69, who’s survived more heart attacks than that Bears fan Chris Farley played on SNL, was admitted to the hospital June 25.

Another former veep, Al Gore, is not admitting anything.

If you’re running for Nevada governor and your last name is Reid, like your Senate Majority Leader dad, yeah, you become “Rory 2010.” No surname.

Retread numbers follow hot summer movies, like “Toy Story 3.” I won’t see either, but isn’t “Knight and Day” with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz a remake of Ashton Kutcher’s “Killers” from a month ago?

Even no-hitters are becoming mundane. Former Tiger Edwin Jackson twirls one for the Arizona D-backs against another former team, the Rays, who have been humbled this way three times since last July. Edwin lasted 149 pitches and walked eight.

The situation in Wolf Blitzer’s room is that Gen. Stanley McChrystal didn’t disparage the civilian leadership to CNN (which ends use of AP content in a contract dispute), so it’s left to Rolling Stone, the music magazine, to set our political agenda, covering the military like Cameron Crowe did Led Zeppelin tours when he was “Almost Famous.” What’s the Most Trusted Name in News to do when it’s Day 70 of the BP Gulf oil spill?

Why, trumpet their exclusive with Osama bin Laden hunter Gary Faulkner, 50, of Colorado, who, let’s face it, kind of looks like an RS editor. He was detained in northern Pakistan June 13 with a pistol, a sword, night-vision equipment and some hashish. Guess he was going to “smoke out” al-Qaeda’s leader.

USA! USA! doesn’t just bow out of the World Cup, it loses to Ghana. Not to be outdone by a bunch of 0-0 soccer snoozers, at Wimbledon, John Isner of Tampa and Nicolas Mahut of France tie 59-59 in the fifth set when tennis play is suspended by darkness the night of June 23.

I read one item about soccer in Sports Illustrated — the letter from Jeff Sponsler of Littleton, Colo., about SI’s longstanding practice of giving readers the choice to opt out of receiving the Swimsuit Issue and wondering if the magazine would “please do the same for any future World Cup or soccer issues?” Instead, I turn to baseball and Chris Ballard’s moving 10-page piece on “The Magical Season of the Macon Ironmen,” a 1971 Illinois team reminiscent of “Hoosiers” set on a diamond with a twist.

I could relate to parents’ reaction to their unconventional coach, whose players covered tractor logos on their caps with peace signs and warmed up to Jefferson Airplane and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Oddly, none of the big stars found professional success, but Brian Snitker, “the sophomore rightfielder with the sweet swing, thick black glasses and lead feet,” made it to Atlanta’s bench.

In fact, there he was June 26 coaching third base as the Tigers dropped another to the Braves.

Small world, and he’s true to his school. Every year, driving to Florida spring training from his Georgia home, Snitker pops in a “Jesus Christ Superstar” CD and marinades in memories.

Notice how it never rains anymore except amid violent thunderstorms and, lately, tornadoes? That’s climate change, which is about extremes more than global warming.
When five twisters touch down in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties June 23, Sue, Savannah, Logan and his friend Tate were on their way to Cedar Point to mark his transition to teenhood.

Turns out power outages even affect television’s powerful. With the cameras and control room on the fritz at Jimmy Kimmel’s Hollywood studio, the ABC late night host does his live taping June 22 with his laptop, aiming its built-in Web cam at himself.

In unrelated power outages, disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff landed a job at a kosher pizzeria in Baltimore after his release from prison.

White House Budget Director Peter Orszag says he’s stepping down next month.
He views passage of last year’s $862 billion economic stimulus package his signature accomplishment.
I suppose I’m a bit bitter at being the only person who hasn’t read the McChrystal interview. As a RS subscriber in fly-over America I still don’t have the issue with Lady Gaga on the cover, though I could buy it at Barnes and Noble.
I saw her on Larry King and they dressed alike. Creepy sameness.