Where's the Philly Groove?

My basketball jones is hanging over me like humidity in July. It's bad enough that the Sixers didn't make the playoffs, but there doesn't even seem to be a basketball presence in this town.

Maybe that's because Philly's basketball presence has taken his groove elsewhere. Once again, Allen Iverson will host his Celebrity Classic not in Philadelphia, but in Washington D.C. area starting Friday. He'll host a softball and celebrity basketball game, with the proceeds going to benefit underprivileged kids in D.C. and the Hampton Roads, VA area. Philly wasn't even an afterthought.

Could this be yet another omen that A.I. will be out of a Sixers uniform next season? (Place a heavy *sigh* here).

Meanwhile, in Miami, Alonzo Mourning hosts his 10th annual Zo's Summer Groove, which has raised $5 million for charities that aid children at risk. This year's star performer? Gloria Esteban and the Miami Sound Machine.

Zo's a free agent after earning a well-deserved ring with the NBA champion Miami Heat. He deserves to retire in a Heat uniforn.