In 1960, Cassius Clay decided to pursue a career in baseball and signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. In 1962, Clay made his major league debut with at Yankee Stadium and went 3-for-4, including his first major league home run (he would hit 614 more by the time he retired in 1984).
After Clay hit a home run over the Green Monster in Fenway Park, he boasted that, "this park don't intimidate me. I could hit a home run out of Yellowstone Park if I had to."
After Clay led the Yankees to the World Series title in 1964, he shocked the country when he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. His pilgrimage to Mecca with Malcolm X brought them closer to Sunni Islam and away from NOI. In his autobiography published in 1983, Malcolm X (who changed his name to Alhadj Malik al-Shabazz) credited Ali with saving his life in an assassination attempt.
Ali's prowess in the baseball field made him a sought after product endorser. Who can ever forget the commercials for DCon, his appearances with Joe DiMaggio promoting Mr. Coffee, and his declaration that Gatorade makes "me float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." Of course, there are the numerous television interviews with Howard Cosell. And his taunts of Reggie Jackson, calling him a pretty boy, which was the deciding factor in Reggie signing with the Montreal Expos in 1977 and leading them to back to back World Series titles in 1979-1980.
Ali would lead the Yankees to 9 World Series titles in his 23 year career, including the Subway series against the New York Mets. He also served as a mentor to his younger teammates. After playing most of his career in center field, Ali switched to first base in 1980. When Don Mattingly made his Yankees debut in 1983, Ali switched to a full time DH.
In his memoirs published in 1982, Ali wrote that he was this close to choosing boxing and trying out for the Olympics in 1960.
Had Ali choose boxing, would he have been as succesful in that sport? And what impact would he have had on boxing?
After Clay hit a home run over the Green Monster in Fenway Park, he boasted that, "this park don't intimidate me. I could hit a home run out of Yellowstone Park if I had to."
After Clay led the Yankees to the World Series title in 1964, he shocked the country when he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. His pilgrimage to Mecca with Malcolm X brought them closer to Sunni Islam and away from NOI. In his autobiography published in 1983, Malcolm X (who changed his name to Alhadj Malik al-Shabazz) credited Ali with saving his life in an assassination attempt.
Ali's prowess in the baseball field made him a sought after product endorser. Who can ever forget the commercials for DCon, his appearances with Joe DiMaggio promoting Mr. Coffee, and his declaration that Gatorade makes "me float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." Of course, there are the numerous television interviews with Howard Cosell. And his taunts of Reggie Jackson, calling him a pretty boy, which was the deciding factor in Reggie signing with the Montreal Expos in 1977 and leading them to back to back World Series titles in 1979-1980.
Ali would lead the Yankees to 9 World Series titles in his 23 year career, including the Subway series against the New York Mets. He also served as a mentor to his younger teammates. After playing most of his career in center field, Ali switched to first base in 1980. When Don Mattingly made his Yankees debut in 1983, Ali switched to a full time DH.
In his memoirs published in 1982, Ali wrote that he was this close to choosing boxing and trying out for the Olympics in 1960.
Had Ali choose boxing, would he have been as succesful in that sport? And what impact would he have had on boxing?