Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 10:29:20 -0400 From: Alex Chaffee Subject: The Saddest Thing I Ever Heard The Saddest Thing I Ever Heard: "Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali lit the Olymic torch at the opening ceremony to thunderous applause. Mr. Ali suffers from Parkinson's disease." Nick and I saw footage of his 1964 title fight with Sonny Liston last night. The man was incredible -- dodging, weaving, jabbing like lightning. After he won the fight he went typically bananas, shouting out, "I am the greatest! I talk to God every day! I am God! I shook the world! I just turned 22, which means I *am* the greatest in the world! I am the Devil! I am the cow!" and so forth. He was the very picture of youth, strength, power and pride. Parkinson's is a degenerative neuromotor disorder. Those afflicted suffer progressive paralysis. In the middle stages of the disease, they can only move in broad, deliberate, jerky motions. He's only 54. Float like a butterfly, sting like - - Alex ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1996 Alexander D. Chaffee (alex@stinky.com). All rights reserved. See more at http://www.stinky.com/almanac/