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Get Ready For A Week Of Action-Packed Sports

The Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies take place Saturday night in Canton, Ohio, and they should be well worth your time.

The emotional investment of these former players, coaches, and executives in the game is undeniable; the tears are real, and so are the laughs.

ESPN and the NFL Network will show the ceremonies at 7 p.m. ET. The Class of 2019 includes Champ Bailey, Pat Bowlen, Gil Brandt, Tony Gonzalez, Ty Law, Kevin Mawae, Ed Reed, and Johnny Robinson. Bowlen, the longtime owner of the Denver Broncos, died recently after a lengthy illness. Brandt, who redefined scouting with the Dallas Cowboys, will certainly be fun to listen to.

Hard to believe as this may be, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are on TV Sunday night. Quick, get the paddles! ESPN, 7:05 p.m. A better bet earlier in the day would be the Milwaukee Brewers-Chicago Cubs matchup at 2:20 p.m. on TBS. These are two of the three teams in a tight National League Central race (the St. Louis Cardinals are right in there as well). Picture a Saturday of baseball, with your heiner and your recliner conjoined. Bliss.

Women’s soccer got a nice boost from the U.S. win in the World Cup, so let us not ignore the National Women’s Soccer League. The Houston Dash and Reign FC, who are just shy of being one of four playoff qualifiers, meet Friday evening at 7 p.m. You can see this on ESPNews. Reign FC, based in Tacoma, Washington, has Megan Rapinoe on its roster. Surely you remember her.

NASCAR’s Monster Cup Energy Series rolls into Watkins Glen, New York, for Sunday’s GoBowling at The Glen. Whatever. The hot driver is Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing, with three straight top-three finishes. NBCSN shows this bump-and-grind at 3 p.m.

Next week? NFL preseason games. Ah, blessed relief.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman