It's kind of ironic that the two sports with the greatest characters, boxing and horse racing, have both been on the decline. In both cases it's for the lack of a suitable hero.

I was also in love with the English language.

Sugar Ray Robinson was at the top of the boxing world during the 1950's when it seemed that he would either win or lose the championship about every three or four months.

In fifty years of covering the sport, of course Muhammad Ali is by far the dominant figure.

If I got paid, it was no more than five dollars a column, and I still think I was overpaid.

All of journalism is a shrinking art. So much of it is hype. The O.J. Simpson story is a landmark in the decline of journalism.

I began learning the sportswriting business very early in life.