DBWI: Muhammad Ali chooses boxing over baseball

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?
 
With his speed and strength he probally would have done well in olympics but I doubt he would have done much professionally. He just wasn't built right to take the abuse of the heavyweight brusiers. Loads of talent but not enough heart. No one bitched more about being hit by a pitch then Ali. The whole drama with Fisk blocking the plate in the '79 ALCS just proves my point. They nearly didn't beat the White Sox because he just took the out.

Although as a Phillies fan I do love what happened the next week. After all the bad press he mans up in the World Series and crashes into Bob Boone. Succeeds in knocking the ball loose and stands up and does that stupid little look at me dance of his but never touches the plate! The look on his face when Schmidt jogs over, picks up the ball, and tags him out is priceless. Wish I had been old enough at the time to enjoy that World Championship properly.

Ball busting aside, baseball wouldn't be the same. It's kind of hard to imagine the Yankees outfield without him. It would be like the Dodgers outfield never having Abdul-Jabbar. Can you imagine Chavez ravine without the Skyhook snagging homeruns out of the air? (Although I'll spare you the gloating about the Phils over the Dodgers in the 1980 NLCS)
 
Last edited:

Cook

Banned
Ali, DiMaggio and that Porto Rican guy Castro are the only Base Ball players I can name and that’s because they do all the product endorsements.
 
Ali might have done well if he learned to take a punch, but he'd have to tone down the teasing. You don't want to make your opponents that mad in the ring.
 
Top