"The Greatest" is still with us! Happy 67th, Ali!

Reggie Jackson: "Ali is the King of Athletes and everyone joyously gives him that. You could sit Ali down with Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Wayne Gretzky, Jack Nicklaus, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Willie Mays, all the greats. There are guys who were, and in some cases still are, as great in their field of endeavor as Ali was in his. But for all of them, Ali would be King. He was bigger than boxing; he was bigger than sports. When people call Muhammad Ali 'the greatest', they know what they're talking about."

Hank Aaron: "I was born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1934. I came up with the Braves when I was twenty, and coming from Mobile, I was very shy. I wasn't satisfied with the ways things were, but I felt like I had to do something special in baseball in order to get people to listen to me. By the time Ali came along, things were a little different but not that much. My first awareness of him was when he won the gold medal, and I saw greatness stamped all over him. How great, I didn't know, but I was impressed by his ability and his confidence.

Being a gifted athlete, being one of the best in the world at what you do, is a great feeling. But sometimes it's kind of eerie, because you wonder why you're blessed with so much ability. I'd go up to the plate to face a pitcher, and I'd know that before the night was over I was going to hit one out of the ballpark. I felt that, and I'm sure Ali felt the same way. That no matter who he got in the ring with, he was better and he'd figure them out. He had all kinds of confidence, and I was the same way.

I don't think there'll ever be another fighter like Muhammad Ali. I'm not putting anybody else down. Maybe someone could have beaten Ali in his prime, but I'm not concerned about that. There's just no one who could possibly be as beautiful in the ring as he was. For a guy to be that big and move the way he did; it was like music, poetry, no question about it. And for what he did outside the ring, Ali will always be remembered. When you start talking about sports, when you start talking about history; you can't do it unless you mention Ali. Children in this country should be taught forever how he stood by his convictions and lived his life. He's someone that black people, white people, people all across the country whatever their color, can be proud of. I know, I'm glad I had the opportunity to live in his time and bear witness to what he accomplished. God gave Ali the gift, and Ali used it right."

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