Still waiting for football

Football season can't start soon enough.

With the NFL's annual Hall of Fame game/preseason opener between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers still two weeks away, we're left with a sparse weekend slate of sports on TV (no offense to fans of the Tour de France and WNBA All-Star Game).

Fortunately, there are some baseball matchups worth watching, as well as Las Vegan Kyle Busch's quest for his third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in Sunday's Brickyard 400 (12:30 p.m., NBCSP (38)).

Busch has won three of the past four Sprint Cup Series races, and his three checkered flags in eight starts since returning from a broken right leg and fractured left foot rank second to Jimmie Johnson, who has four victories in 19 starts. Busch will attempt to become the first driver since Johnson in 2007 to win three straight Cup races when he climbs into his No. 18 Toyota for one of his sport's most prestigious races at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

TODAY

Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels (7 p.m., FSW (49)): The Angels will look to get back on track after getting shut down by former Los Angeles pitcher Ervin Santana in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins. The defeat snapped a seven-game win streak by the surging Halos, who had won 17 of 20 to take over first place in the American League West.

BEST OF REST: MLB: Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh Pirates or Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets (4 p.m., MLBN (314)).

SATURDAY

International Champions Cup, Manchester United vs. Barcelona (1 p.m., Fox (5)): Two of the world's most valuable sports teams will square off for the first time in three years in a friendly soccer match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Reigning Spanish and European champion Barcelona was ranked fourth, with a value of $3.16 billion, and Manchester United was fifth ($3.1 billion) on Forbes magazine's list of the world's 50 most valuable sports teams.

Barcelona beat the reigning MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 on Tuesday before a record crowd of 93,226 at the Rose Bowl.

BEST OF REST: MLB: Oakland Athletics at San Francisco Giants (1 p.m., FS1 (329)), Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals (4 p.m., FS1 (329)), Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels (6 p.m., FSW (49)); WNBA All-Star Game (12:30 p.m., ABC (13)); CONCACAF Gold Cup, third-place game, United States vs. Panama (1 p.m., FS2 (319)).

SUNDAY

Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets (10 a.m., TBS (7)): The Mets won two of three in Los Angeles in early July, but the National League West-leading Dodgers have won nine of 11 at Citi Field.

BEST OF REST: MLB: Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels (12:30 p.m., FSW (49)), Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox (5 p.m., ESPN (30)); Tour de France, (final) Stage 21 (7 a.m., NBCSP (38)); Soccer: CONCACAF Gold Cup, final, Mexico vs. Jamaica (5 p.m., FS1 (329), Univision (15)).

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33.