Philadelphians

They fought so memorably - as valiant men inside the ropes and petulant children outside them - that their names will be combined forever into a single, mellifluous word that conjures up another boxing era, another America. AliFrazier   Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier will always be recalled in tandem. Polar opposites in personality, political philosophy, and the public pizzazz they generated during the chaotic 1960s and 1970s, the two legendary heavyweight champions did have at least one thing in common besides boxing ability.

OK, so Phillies fans have had to endure a long, tough summer, one in which their expectations turned out to be as inflated as the bullpen ERA. The sellout streak ended. So too, almost certainly, will the postseason streak. Two of the team's aces - Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay - never got going. And on a few now notorious occasions, neither did Jimmy Rollins, who gave new meaning to baseball's "dog" days. There was little relief from the misery. Nothing but misery from the relief corps.

Megawords. It's a mega-word. It's two Philly artists engaged since 2005 in a long-running "experimental media project. " Which is what, exactly? A whirling world of art installations, projects, and events. An abandoned newsstand, converted to distribute their magazines. An old storefront, turned into an artistic event space. The future may bring films, Web stuff, apps. At the heart, there's a print magazine that comes out at least twice a year and does unprecedented things. Megawords is its own mega-world - a world that has come to a big turn.

By the time word came Sunday that Pennsylvania State University was taking down Joe Paterno's statue, there was not much doubt or mixed feelings among alumni and sports fans in the Philadelphia area about what should be done. They said it was time for JoePa's bronze likeness to go. The news that the 900-pound sculpture had been removed was greeted with near-unanimous approval from an unscientific sampling of Penn State graduates, football fans, and casual observers who were interviewed in Center City after images of the tarp-covered figure began making the rounds on computer and TV screens.

One day is what Miles Chamley-Watson keeps telling himself.   To become an Olympic champion, the Philadelphia resident only needs to be the best for one tournament on July 31. For 8 hours, from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the men's individual foil competition will take place at the 2012 London Olympics. Win six matches, from a round of 64 to the gold-medal match and Chamley-Watson will have one of the greatest homecomings in Olympic history.   "I honestly think I can win the gold medal," said Chamley-Watson, who moved from London to New York when he was 9 and New York to Philadelphia when he was 12. "Last year, I finished ranked No. 2 in the world.

At the Mann Center, where rehearsal time for Philadelphia Orchestra concerts sometimes is frustratingly short, evidence of guest conductors' putting a personal imprint on repertoire can be elusive. The challenge multiplies in works so popular that a large percentage of the audience can whistle the start of the development section.   Individuality, though, promises to shine through standard repertoire in the first-of-the-summer Mann orchestral concerts. Xian Zhang, the young Chinese American conductor now based in Milan, leads the Philadelphia Orchestra Wednesday night in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor.

These are schizophrenic times for Mayor Nutter. One day, he's in Philadelphia, unable to stop City Council from taking a flamethrower to his signature 2012 plan, the property-tax reform known as Actual Value Initiative. The next, he's in Orlando, basking in the applause of peers from across the country who elevated him to the presidency of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Pilloried in Philly, then feted in Florida, all within 48 hours. The split between Nutter's dual realities - one on the local stage, and the other played out nationally - is growing wider by the day. Nationally, between his new post and his steady stream of television appearances as an Obama surrogate and spokesman for urban America, Nutter is becoming a Democratic star, a slightly lower-voltage version of his "frenemy," Newark, N.J.'s Cory Booker.

Fifteen years ago, with great fanfare, the best and brightest came up with this slogan to lure visitors and their wallets to our city: "Philadelphia. The Place That Loves You Back. "   I hated it then and I hate it now. Why? For starters Philadelphia is not a "place. " Longwood Gardens is a place. Penn's Landing is a place. Philadelphia is a "city. " Even more, it's a shared "idea. " But whether it's called a place, city, or idea, Philadelphia does not, cannot, and will never love you back.

WHEN POPE John Paul II spent two days in Philadelphia in October 1979, more than a million people turned out to see and cheer him. Daily News editorial writers, caught in the spirit of the occasion, abandoned politics, city-budget problems, crime and the other usual subjects of their wise analysis, and waxed eloquent over the Pontiff's visit. Here are some excerpts: "The triumphant visit of Pope John Paul II was one of Philadelphia's finest hours. No matter what part of the city you live in, no matter whether you are a Catholic or not, you couldn't help but be swept away by the excitement, the emotion and the air of exhilaration that cradled this city for 48 hours.

There are many things in life that are truly difficult — losing a job, raising a child, dealing with Comcast customer service — but disliking the upstart professional baseball team from the nation's capital is not among them. Even so, if the Nats are to become a true rival to the Phillies, we figured it would be helpful to provide a head start on some good clean hate, a handy reference guide of reasons to despise the unbearable lameness of the Nats — and their ardently indifferent fan base.