Greatest Of All Time

A link from msn.com led to an article about Muhamad Ali. I wasn't old enough at the time to know anything about boxing, or his legendary status when it was happening. I didn't really even know the stuff in that article. I do have some personal insight into why he is so highly thought of, and deservedly so.

A lot of celebrities today are charismatic and charming when the camera is on, or they are on the red carpet, but they don't take time to talk to their fans when they see them on the street. I can tell you from a personal experience with the man, that Ali was not like that at all. Everyone around him was worth his time.

My memory of the event isn't extremely clear. I was probably 4 years old at the time, this would have been in 1981 I would guess, possibly early 1982. I lived in Georgia back then. I remember I was in a hospital visiting someone. I was with my older brother and I think my mom. We learned that Ali was in the hospital as well, and I have the impression that it was for himself, not that he was visiting someone. He talked to my brother and me in a hallway for a few minutes. He performed a magic trick for us. I think he make a hankerchief disappear and then reappear. He also took the time to show us how the trick was done. This wasn't a press event where he was putting on a show for a group of 20 kids or more. This was just a 4 and 6 year old he came across in a hospital hallway.

Celebrities of today could stand to learn a thing or two from Ali. With some I would like that lesson to be in the ring.