Famous Philly Sports Quotes

Yesterday's press conference marked the official return of Allen Iverson to the 76ers. But the buzz surrounding his return has lit up the city for days. And, as with the return of any famous athlete, there was a lot of reminiscing done in the various media outlets. But the single event brought up most never occurred on a basketball court. It wasn't his crossover of Michael Jordan. Or his stepping on Derek Fisher after making a clutch basket in the 2001 NBA Finals. No, the most reminisced moment of AI's first tour of duty here was the "Practice?" press conference.

So, this got me to thinking about some of the other famous quotes uttered by Philadelphia Sports figures. I came up with five of my all time favorites. They are in no particular order, so rank them as you please. And, if you think there is one that should be on here that isn't let me know.

We'll start with the inspiration for this list; "Practice?"

1) "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the Franchise Player, and we're talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're sitting here talking about practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game, but, we're talking about practice."- Allen Iverson

This exchange took place in a 2002 press conference after the Sixers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. When Iverson's practice habits were called into question, he and the reporter got into a heated exchange that has since become legendary.

While this may be the most famous quote, the next one is my personal favorite.

2) "For who? For what?"- Ricky Watters

If you want to endear yourself to the blue collar fans of Philadelphia, this is the best example of how NOT to go about it. In his first game after signing with the Eagles in 1995, Watters "Alligator armed" a pass over the middle from Randall Cunningham, for fear of getting hit pretty hard by a Tampa defender. When asked by a reporter about the incident, Ricky replied, "For who? For what?". While he went on to enjoy moderate success in Philadelphia, he was never able to live that moment down. It didn't end all bad for Watters though. He used the quote in the title of a book he later wrote about his career.

3) "All he does is catch touchdowns."- Buddy Ryan

Thanks to ESPN's Chris Berman, this quote has also taken on a life of it's own. It was Buddy's response to a reporter who asked why Ryan was releasing the talented Chis Carter. It was later revealed that the real reason Carter was released was due to his ongoing drug problem. Chris Carter says the move saved his life. He got cleaned up, became a Born Again Christian, and went on to have a Hall of Fame career as a wideout for the Minnesota Vikings.

4) "It is basically a choking situation that I call it right now."- Terry Murray

In 1997 the Flyers stormed through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, but were met by a road block in the Stanley Cup Finals in the Detroit Red Wings. After falling behind 3-0, coach Murray hoped to "inspire" his team to a comeback for the ages. Instead, the Flyers played listless in being swept and a domino effect of epic proportions rang throughout the organization. Beginning with Murray's firing and the eventual much publicized feud between Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke.

5) "I can't wait for it to end"- Cole Hamels

While this is a fresh quote, it is on here due to the circumstances that surrounded it. With his team locked in a 1-1 tie heading into game 3 of the 2009 World Series against the New York Yankees, Cole Hamels took the mound looking for some redemption for what was, to that point, a forgettable season. Staked to an early lead, Hamels proceeded to give up a 2-run Home Run to Alex Rodriguez and an RBI to Yankees pitcher Andy Pettite. The Yankees went on to win that game, and eventually, the World Series. Hamels never got another shot to pitch in '09. When asked by a reporter about his troubles, Hamels said he needed a fresh start. Many Phillies fans were ready to give him that start right then and there.

So there's my five. I thought to include the many quotes of the Bob Clarke/ Eric Lindros saga, but that would have grown into it's own story. There is also T.O. working out on his lawn for the press, but I didn't think that was necessarily better than any of these, so to speak.

-Mike Tursi