‘The best there ever was and ever will be’

In 2004, years after he had fought his last fight and deep in the throes of Parkinson’s Disease, Muhammad Ali threw out the first pitch at the All-Star Game in Houston. Baseball’s biggest stars were all on hand, and all they wanted was to get close to the biggest star of them all.

Derek Jeter went to put his arm around Ali, and he was greeted by a series of left jabs that sent the Yankees great in mock-retreat. The legendary boxer, his ability to speak long since taken from him, still possessed all of the showmanship that made him one of the hallmark athletes — and transcendent figures — of the 20th century.

When the three-time heavyweight champion, civil rights activist and cultural icon died on Friday night, the baseball community joined the rest of the world in mourning, and in showing how revered he still was.

Ali, 74, burst on the sports scene as the Olympic light heavyweight gold medalist at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome when he was still known as Cassius Clay, decades before some of the players who paid their respects to him were even born.

“The best there ever was and ever will be!,” defending National League MVP Bryce Harper, who was born in 1992, wrote on Twitter. “Rest easy, Champ #ALI”

Rest easy, Champ. https://t.co/p5aeQUhyC6

— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2016

Rest easy, Champ. https://t.co/p5aeQUhyC6

Cut4: Ali at the 2004 All-Star Game

Ali meant so much to Padres outfielder Matt Kemp that Kemp has a picture of Ali hanging up in his house. Kemp got to meet his hero once during Spring Training in Arizona, calling it “probably one of the best times of my life,” and describing himself as “star struck.”

• Sports on Earth: Remembering Ali, The Greatest

“He just brought that swag, not just to boxing but to all sports,” Kemp said after the Padres’ game against the Rockies. “He was smart, man. The way he talked, the way he carried himself, he was cocky, but in a cool way. Everybody enjoyed his presence. I think he was a lot of people’s hero, and he’s definitely going to be missed.”

Added Kemp’s teammate, Melvin Upton, Jr.: “He pioneered sports, kind of set the mark for boxing. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see his boxing matches, but he was a thrill to watch. He means a lot to the sports world and is a big, big loss.”

Like Kemp, Astros center fielder Carlos Gomez was lucky enough to meet Ali in person, back when he was playing for …

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