Forehead Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Incredible piece by Wright Thompson. Outside the Lines are some of my favorite stories to read on ESPN. Anyway, this is a really long read, so I'll just provide the opening and a link. Read it when you have some time. Shadow Boxing MIAMI -- The old man opens the door and shuffles into a familiar room. The air smells of stale beer and discount brand cigarette smoke. The tables are taken by men with no names. They are all friends. They are all strangers. A different journey brought each of them here, to the pool hall on NW Second Avenue, but that doesn't matter anymore. Their journeys are over. Most don't share the details, not even their last names. Some don't remember the year, or how long they've been coming here. They have no past. The old man walks clumsily to a table. He has a story. The act of telling it, of having people hear it, keeps him from disappearing forever. One night, he says, he fought Muhammad Ali. Almost won, he brags. Some believe him. Some don't. Most don't care. He's just another wacko wandering the streets with some tale about how his life could have been different. They ignore him, pretending he's not even there. He's got to show them. The old man gets up and throws punches into the air. The people around him laugh. He sits back down, invisible again. *Click Link for Full Article* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacase Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Long article but very good. Didn't end the way I thought it would. I have to admit, i am curious about what happend to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpillian Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Good find, Forehead. Well worth the read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedskinFeathers Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Wow, that was a great read. Sad though, I wish they had found him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPinstripe Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Read that this morning, was very impressed by it. If this is a piece they do I will be checking in again to read them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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