Ellington

July is a big month in sports, with the Tour de France, the 2012 London Olympics and golf's British Open all held this month.

Thursday, July 5

Cycling (7-10:30 a.m. NBC Sports Network): Stage 5 of the Tour de France is 196.5 kilometers (just over 122 miles) from Rouen to Saint-Quentin. Just typing that made me tired.

Friday, July 6

Boxing (9-11 p.m. ESPN 2): Featherweight Javier Fortuna (19-0, 14 Kos) takes on Cristobal Cruz (39-13-3, 23 Kos) live from Las Vegas.

Saturday, July 7

NASCAR (6:30-10 p.m. TNT): It's the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona International Speedway. Last year, in a crash-filled ending, David Ragan won this race after it went 10 extra laps.

Sunday, July 8

Tennis (8-2 p.m. ESPN): The men's final at Wimbledon probably won't have a U.S. man in it; only two survived the first week of the tournament.

Monday, July 9

MLB (7-9 p.m. ESPN): 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby should provide some excitement. The New York Yankee's Robinson Canó won this event last year.

Tuesday, July 10

MLB (6:30-10 p.m. Fox): At the midsummer classic, see the 83rd installment of the MLB All-Star Game held at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., home of the Kansas City Royals.

Wednesday, July 11

Awards (8-10:30 p.m. ESPN): Celebrate the year that was in sports with the 2012 ESPYS Awards. Vote for each category on the ESPN website.

What's the best part about July? When it ends, football season is just around the corner.