Howard Hart was a beer vendor, you know, one of the guys who walks up and down the stairs at the stadium during a game shouting cold beer.

And it wasn't a summer job for him.

It wasn't a starting out job.

It was his career, and he loved it.

Partly, because every now and then, his job delivered these incredible moments.

Like this one time, he was working a Mike Tyson fight in

Atlantic City, and he was in a back hallway. And along comes his entourage, like about, oh, there's

maybe eight or ten people surrounding Muhammad Ali. Well, he was my idol when I was a teenager.

And he'll, champ, champ, you're always my hero, I love you.

And one of his entourage shoved me against the wall.

I mean hard, pushed me against the wall.

And Ali stopped.

And he said, leave the boy.

I'll never forget this.

He said, leave the boy alone.

And he looked over and he reached his hand out to me.

And I reached his hand out to me, and I reached my hand out, and we didn't really shake hands.

We kind of clasped like railroad cars, too.

The tips of his fingers and the tips of my fingers clasped,

and he looked me in the eyes.

He said, thank you.

Thank you very much.

...