We Talk'in About Practice!

Allen Iverson, probably a future Hall of Famer, may be best known for that famous sound byte in which he goes off about the suggestion that his lack of practice habits and overall discipline was having a bad effect on his team.

"Practice?! We talk'in 'bout practice man! Practice!"

Those words have been replayed over and over on sports radio programs across the nation. But alas, now that age and injuries have caused his career to nose dive, I have to wonder if he has any regrets. I wonder if he realizes that you can't cheat mother time.

And you can't cheat the game.

I wonder how much better A.I. could have been if he had a better attitude and work ethic. I wonder if he would have had a longer career. But instead, while only in his early 30's, his career has nose dived. Injuries and age are a big part of it. But professional athletes today are coming back from injuries like never before. Drew Brees has a Super Bowl ring and he wasn't supposed to be able to throw a 20 yard out ever again.

No, Iverson's attitude has always been a cancer. Recent teams he has left have all shown improvement once he was gone. The great Larry Brown was able to take a group of role players and make a championship run with A.I. in his prime. But even that magical season was marred by incidents with A.I.'s misbehavior.

Practice? Yes, Allen, we're talking about practice. And we're talking about lifting weights. We're talking about training rules and staying off the booze. You can't cheat the game Allen.

Good luck in your retirement.