First of all, I wanted to wish everybody a safe and festive Fourth of July weekend. Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays because like Thanksgiving, it features great food and great sports. This weekend, we have Cubs/Cardinals, Red Sox/Yankees and Dodgers/Giants, which are the three greatest baseball rivalries in case you did not know that already. But wait, there's more.
Don't forget about Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, pitting Kobayashi (10/11 at Sportsbook.com) against defending champion Joey Chestnut (5/6). Then on Saturday, UFC 86 takes place in Las Vegas featuring Forest Griffin (+200 at BetUS) against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (-260) for the light heavyweight championship. I will miss out on watching the UFC because I will be up in the Bay Area for a buddy's wedding, but I think it will definitely be worth watching if you get the chance.
Speaking of which, please share your favorite Fourth of July memories or plans for the weekend here. I enjoyed fireworks a lot as a youngster but have quite honestly grown tired of them. We used to go to Lake Ellyn in my hometown of Glen Ellyn outside of Chicago each Fourth of July to see the annual pyrotechnics show, and nothing has really compared to that experience since then. Taste of Chicago was also quite fun when I lived back there, although big crowds seem to be a bigger and bigger pain in the ass each year.
Maybe it is because I am just plain old now or that my bigger concern is settling my dog down every time there is a big boom in the sky, but Fourth of July has become more about spending time with friends and including BBQ and baseball in the mix. Last year, we had some friends over to the house, and I remember watching my Triple Dime TV Play on the Tigers come home to complete a perfect 4-0 sweep on my 4th of July Spectacular package. Hopefully, this year we can duplicate that feat 
So what are YOU doing this Fourth of July weekend?