Brewers recall 2011 Ali visit, Champ’s impact

PHILADELPHIA — The eyes behind the dark sunglasses still sparkled when Muhammad Ali visited the Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park during 2011 Spring Training. Parkinson’s disease had taken its toll, but Ali was still “The Greatest,” so Robin Yount, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun waited patiently for the opportunity to snap a photo and enjoy a moment in Ali’s presence.

Ali’s passing late Friday was met with sadness in the clubhouse for those players and staffers who remain.

“He’s a man with as much presence as any other human being I’ve ever been in the same room with,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who met Ali several times, including that day in 2011.

The visit was coordinated by the Brewers Community Foundation and Athletes for Hope, a nonprofit run by an elite group of philanthropic athletes who inspire other pros to find a charitable cause and support it. Ali’s wife, Lonnie, addressed the team before Ali took photos.

“He’s just got a huge presence,” Counsell said. “There are famous people, known people, who walk in the room and you feel something. He had this way of being in a room, and he was the biggest presence by far. Not by trying to take it over — he just took it over.”

“It was really cool, man, to meet a famous figure from history,” Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “I never saw him fight, obviously, but it was really cool. He was the greatest fighter of all time.”

The Brewers met Muhammad Ali in 2011 Spring Training. Here’s video from the visit: https://t.co/aktKKHyomt …

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