My writing improved the more I wrote - and the more I read good writing, from Shakespeare on down.
My top three were Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain and Bo Jackson.
I was also in love with the English language.
Sportswriters have changed more than sportswriting.
In fifty years of covering the sport, of course Muhammad Ali is by far the dominant figure.
I wanted to be a sportswriter because I loved sports and I could not hit the curve ball, the jump shot, or the opposing ball carrier.