Despite the struggles of the Phillies, the sports scene in Philadelphia remained active and exciting during the summer months.
The only problem for Philadelphia fans? Most of the action took place off the field.
The biggest story by far this summer was the arrest of the star Sixer Allen Iverson.
Charles Jones and Hakim Carey pressed charges stemming from a July 3 incident where Iverson allegedly broke into a West Philadelphia apartment while looking for his wife, then threatened the two men with a handgun in his waistband.
On July 30, however, all but two counts of making terroristic threats were dropped against the Sixers guard and his uncle, Gregory Iverson.
The next court date for Allen Iverson is Sept. 18. Stay tuned.
The Sixers made big news themselves this summer, making a few blockbuster trades. On draft night, they received local product John Salmons in a deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
On August 6, center Dikembe Mutumbo, a pivotal player in the Sixers' 2001 NBA Finals run, was traded to the New Jersey Nets for former Sixers Keith Van Horn and Todd MacCulloch.
The Phillies, however, made the biggest blockbuster trade of the summer when they dealt the unhappy Scott Rolen and minor-leaguer Doug Nickel to the St. Louis Cardinals for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud Smith.
After starting off poorly, Rolen has flourished with his new team, while the Phillies have gone on a tear recently, including a recent sweep of the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Left fielder Pat Burrell has led the way for the Phillies on their late-season surge, smashing 30-plus homers so far this season, a career high. After starting slowly, right fielder Bobby Abreu and catcher Mike Lieberthal have began to crush the ball as of late.
The Phillies' pitching staff has struggled, but rookie pitchers Vicente Padilla, Brett Myers and Carlos Silva have showed promise. Third-year man Randy Wolf has been virtually unhittable in August, with an ERA below 2.00.
Off the field, Phillies announcer Harry Kalas was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July, the winner of the 2002 Ford C. Frick award, reserved for baseball journalists.
The Flyers and Eagles were not without their summer news. After a first-round playoff exit, Flyers coach Bill Barber was fired and replaced with former Dallas Stars coach Ken Hitchcock. Hitchcock won a Stanley Cup at the helm of the Stars in 1999.
The Eagles held their training camp at Lehigh University again this summer. After falling just short of the Super Bowl last season, the Birds are looking to make it to the big game this coming January.
Although the Eagles have struggled so far in the preseason, the additions of wide receiver Antonio Freeman and running back Dorsey Levens -- along with one of the top defenses in the league and a maturing Donovan McNabb -- could put them in position for their first-ever Super Bowl win.
Philadelphia's professional women's soccer team, the Charge, had another strong season, holding on to first place for most of the season in the WUSA before falling to second at the end of the year.
The Charge fell in the first round of the playoffs again this season, however, dropping a 1-0 decision to the Washington Freedom.
The X Games were once again held in Philadelphia, and record crowds packed the First Union Complex to watch some of the top stars in skateboarding, bike stunt, rollerblading and other extreme sports.
The highlight of the week-long event was in the Moto X Big Air competition, where Mike Metzger landed a no-footed backflip to take the gold.
In Penn athletics, Sam Burley ran the fastest time by an American -- and third-fastest in the world -- in the 800 meters, 1:45.39, at the time at NCAA National Championships, finishing second in the competition.
For a summer when the boys of summer were struggling with labor issues and Philadelphia's boys of summer were struggling for months to make an out, it remained an interesting couple of months in Philly. And with the Eagles poised to make a Super Bowl run, the fall semester may prove to be even wilder for Philadelphia sports fans.
