Philly sports heat up in summer

So you spent your summer in a cramped office, filing papers, answering inane phone calls, adding cream to your boss' coffee, making zero dollars an hour.

Or maybe you were relaxing on the beach, sipping pina coladas, hanging out with the Cabana Boy, hoping you would never have to return to the real world.

Well, wherever you went to escape the Philadelphia mugginess, you missed out on some happenings in the world of sports.

And since you had no way of obtaining outside information from wherever you were, here is a rundown of some of the exciting sporting events that happened this summer in the City of Brotherly Love.

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The beginning of the summer marked the end of the Philadelphia 76ers' amazing run through the NBA playoffs.

The Sixers knocked off the Pacers, Raptors and Bucks in dramatic fashion before Shaq, Kobe and the rest of the Lakers ended Philly's championship dreams in the NBA Finals in early June.

But the Sixers -- a team with the league MVP, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year -- captured the attention and imagination of the entire city, as well as the rear door window of almost every car.

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Despite what you would think by abysmal attendance rates at the soon-to-be-demolished Veterans Stadium, the Phillies have hung around the pennant race.

The Phils are currently battling with the perennial NL East champion Atlanta Braves for the division title and are in a five-team jumble for the NL wildcard.

All this with a young and inexperienced team -- three-fifths of the starting rotation are rookies -- that was expected, by many, to fold after the all-star break.

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The city of Philadelphia became the laughingstock of the NFL when the Eagles' August 13 exhibition game against the Baltimore Ravens was canceled due to problems with the newly installed turf at the Vet.

Players, fans and coaches were enraged, and the grounds crew quickly went to work to repair the problem.

Needless to say, everyone in Philly is anxiously awaiting the two new stadiums that will soon be built for the Eagles and Phillies.

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The Philadelphia Flyers had a busy offseason, acquiring a star and getting rid of a headache.

The Flyers signed center Jeremy Roenick away from the Phoenix Coyotes and were finally able to find a taker for concussion-crippled center Eric Lindros.

Philly shipped Lindros to the New York Rangers in exchange for Pavel Brendl, Jan Hlavak and Kim Johnsson.

Lindros, a one-time MVP, sat out all of last season due to his fifth concussion and a constant feud with Flyers General Manager Bobby Clarke.

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Continuing on the professional sports front, the Philadelphia Charge of the newly formed WUSA had a fairly successful inaugural season.

The Charge advanced to the postseason with the eight-team league's fourth and final playoff spot, where they lost a double overtime thriller to the Atlanta Beat, 3-2.

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From August 1-5, the normally placid waters of the Schuylkill River became the focus of international attention with the North American debut of the fourth annual World Dragon Boat Racing Championships.

Over 2,200 paddlers from 20 countries raced 250, 500 and 1,000 meters in 20-person boats.

The United States finished third overall behind Canada and Germany.

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From August 8-11, the best gymnasts in the country united in North Philadelphia for the 2001 USA Gymnastics Championships.

Held at Temple's Liacouras Center, Olympians Sean Townsend and Tasha Schwikert proved they were the best America has to offer by taking home the men's and women's all-around titles.

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Wakeboarders, skaters and bikers gave Philly a little taste of some extreme action when the 2001 Summer X Games came to Philadelphia from August 17-22.

The city got the privilege of witnessing motorbikes skying over 30 feet in the air, 900-degree spins on the Schuylkill and street lugers racing through Philly streets at speeds in excess of 70 mph -- things you have to see with your own eyes to believe.

But don't worry if you missed the action. The X Games will return to Philadelphia next summer.

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Sure, Sports Illustrated recently declared Philadelphia the most overrated sports city.

But Philly still had a rather impressive summer in the sports world.

With the X Games and Gymastics Championships, different types of fans emerged and supported their respective sports.

And for the more traditional sports fans, Philly's professional teams have provided reason, once again, to believe. For the first time in recent memory, all four of the city's major teams are at the top of their games.

As for, arguably, the worst stadium in the country... it will soon be turned into a parking lot.

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