Something to read: 'Sting Like a Bee ...'

Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!! · May 23, 2017

Leigh Montville has a new book coming out on Ali, detailing his lost years.

Deadspin had an excerpt last week, maybe ...

http://thestacks.deadspin.com/the-day-the-war-came-for-muhammad-ali-1794939150

Montville also did Pearlman's Quaz, recently ...

It’s an Ali story. Not in the book. Later in his career. The first fight of his that I covered was when he met Chuck Wepner, the Bayonne Bleeder, in Cleveland. I rented a car for the couple of days I was there because the arena actually was in Richfield, which is well outside Cleveland. I was new and didn’t know the promoters provided a media bus.
The day before the fight, I went out to the arena for the weigh-in. I wrote down all the public words, the promotional hoopla, same as everyone else. But when the rest of the writers and broadcasters went back to the hotel on the bus, I stayed around. I went to Ali’s dressing room hoping I might find some other angle than everyone else had.
I slipped through the door. Nobody seemed to notice. Ali was stretched out on a training table, still in his boxing trunks. He was scrunched up a little so his head was propped against a wall. There were only six or seven people in the room. I was the only one with red hair and freckles. I recognized James Brown and Billy Eckstine, the singers, and I also recognized Redd Foxx, the comedian. Redd was telling dirty jokes. They were the best dirty jokes I ever heard, fabulous, hilarious, filthy dirty jokes. Everyone had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.
“Tell another one,” Ali would command from his position on the table.
Redd would tell another one. More tears. Bigger tears.
“Tell another one,” Ali would say again and again and again.
I had a feeling like we were all captured in time. Maybe James Brown or Billy Eckstine would sing. Maybe Ali would get up and demonstrate the Shuffle. Maybe the jokes would go on forever. The thought, the moment, took my breath away. When the moment ended—James and Billy did not sing, Ali did not do the Shuffle – I slipped from the room and went to Wepner’s dressing room. He was alone with his wife. We had a nice chat.
Click to expand...

Leigh Montville | Jeff Pearlman

I plan to read the book.

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Something to read: 'Sting Like a Bee ...'

Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!! Well-Known Member

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Something to read: 'Sting Like a Bee ...'

Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!! Well-Known Member

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