Co-owner Craig Spencer, team president Ron Jaworski, and players and coaches will gather at the famed park across from City Hall beginning at 3 p.m. Mayor Nutter also will be on hand.

The Soul will meet San Jose in ArenaBowl XXII on Sunday, July 27, in New Orleans. The team leaves for the Big Easy on Wednesday.

Mance practices

Defensive back Brian Mance practiced yesterday for the first time since suffering a broken ankle against Dallas in Week 9.

Head coach Bret Munsey said Mance's availability for next Sunday is questionable. Mance, who also is a key special-teams player, was second on the Soul with 49 1/2 tackles despite playing in just eight games.

"If all I get is one kickoff to go down and hit somebody, I'll take it," Mance said excitedly.

Linebacker Anthony Dunn (spleen) did not practice and probably won't be available for the championship game.

Be like Mike

Defensive back Mike Brown was named the winner of the Al Lucas Hero Award, which is given to the AFL player for significant contributions on and off the field. Brown was one of 11 finalists.

"I kind of got goose-bumps when I found out," Brown said. "I don't do things for awards, but it's a great honor."

One of Brown's initiatives is "P.E.A.C.E. Through Music" (Providing Educational Awareness to Communities Everywhere), a program in conjunction with WJJZ (97.5 FM) designed to promote diversity and aid in conflict resolution.

Lucas was a lineman for the Los Angeles Avengers who died in a 2005 game after sustaining a spinal-cord injury. Brown recalled meeting Lucas following a game the previous year.

"He was very polite to me after the game and he just seemed like a really nice guy," Brown said. "It's an honor to win this. Hopefully, this makes my mom and my stepdad proud. They are the ones who raised me." *