The Greatest...

Today was just a normal day at the Fresh Market in Louisville. I was set up out on the grocery floor doing a cut-to-order demonstration for New York Strip steaks. It was the middle of the afternoon and business was slowing down. I looked up to see a man and his wife coming in the store. He was dressed in a Nike sweat suit and had big sunglasses on . And he was kind of tall for an older guy. He was tightly holding on to the grocery cart to keep his balance and moved pretty slowly. His wife was wearing a bright yellow "Livestrong" t-shirt and sweat pant capris. Nothing new for the Fresh Market. Just an older couple doing some shopping. Except when he got closer I thought..."nah, couldn't be." I looked a little closer and tried not to stare but he was one baaaaad man. Beneath the semi-frail frame and the shaking due to parkinson's it was the greatest of all time. It was Muhammad Ali.

I had one of those moments when you are instantly transported to the feeling of being a 10 year old. I really wanted to speak to him but he wasn't there to get meat. I was already on the selling floor so it would have been easy to go up to him...he was literally just a few feet in front of me totally minding his own business. However, it was clear that he was having a hard time and wasn't feeling well. If I had gone to him it would have been very awkward. You kind of got the idea that "this just wasn't a good time" and I needed to respect that. In fact, he started shaking a lot more and his wife took him out to the car and came back in to finish shopping.

Even though he looked more like this picture below rather than the picture at the top, it was still Muhammad Ali. The Greatest of All Time. The champ. The Louisville Lip. He's one of those guys that no matter where he goes in the world he'll be recognized. He's considered one of the greatest sports icons in history. Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson.... Muhammad Ali. We get celebrities in on occasion. Papa John. Ex-Kentucky players. Rick Pitino. In Atlanta it was Braves and Falcons players. Whitney Houston. Other famous people. But not Muhammad Ali. Not even close. I try not to be awestruck by celebrities. They're just people. But do I wish I had gone up to him to shake his hand or get his autograph? A little. But it wasn't the right time. He was getting roast beef from the deli. Don't interrupt a man from his beef.