Asaad Ali's dad is Louisville's 'Greatest' fan

They boarded a flight home early Sunday evening, the sting of failing to win a third consecutive Big East Tournament title already starting to fade.

Shortly before the Louisville Cardinals left town, they learned they were one of 16 schools selected to host an NCAA Regional. On Monday, the No. 9-ranked Cardinals (48-12) earned the No. 7 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

Regardless of how far they advance, the Cardinals will be one of the hottest stories leading up to the College World Series thanks to their newest and most famous fan: a man once known as the Louisville Lip.

That nickname was retired for Muhammad Ali decades ago. Nowadays, the 68-year-old former boxing legend, named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated in 1999, is simply referred to as "The Greatest" in pop culture lexicon.

But in the Cardinals' dugout, he is known more as Asaad's dad.

"It's pretty special," Cardinals freshman pitcher Zak Wasserman said. "It's fun. Asaad is a great kid. We grew up together in southwest Michigan and we played ball together the whole time. He's just one of the guys."

On the other hand, his father is not.

Once word spread at Bright House Field that Ali and his wife of 24 years, Lonnie, were on hand for the Cardinals' Big East Tournament games, it wasn't that difficult to find fans straining their necks to see if they could get a glimpse of Ali sitting in the stands outside his private suite.

While Asaad Ali isn't playing in games as a redshirt freshman catcher - he serves as a bullpen catcher when needed - his parents plan to follow the Cardinals throughout the postseason. They'll have more time now that the Phoenix Suns, his dad's current pro sports team of choice according to Asaad, are out of the NBA playoffs.

"My mom and dad love baseball, especially my mom," 19-year-old Asaad said. "She is actually watching these guys like it was me out there. She treats everybody like they're her own."

Lonnie Ali declined to be interviewed, telling Asaad she didn't want to become a distraction for the team. His father has lost much of his ability to verbally communicate due to Parkinson's disease, but he remained busy during games fiddling with an iPad with the assistance of Lonnie and waving to an occasional fan.

In some ways, Ali's support for the Louisville baseball team shows how full circle his life has come. Louisville and its residents sparred with Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, for years after he returned home from winning a gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics and reportedly threw the medal into the Ohio River after being denied service at a whites-only diner.

Ali's official biographer, Thomas Hauser, claimed that story was untrue in his 1991 book, "Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times," and that Ali lost the medal while living in Miami years later.

In the late 1970s, the city named a street in his honor. But within a week, many of the street signs were vandalized due to Ali's strained relationship with his hometown.

In the decades since, Ali has become an ambassador of hope not only in Louisville, but also around the world. A monument to his popularity around the globe rests on the banks of that same Ohio River he allegedly once tossed his gold medal into, a museum and learning center named the Muhammad Ali Center.

A few miles south of the Ali Center is Jim Patterson Stadium, where the Cardinals' journey toward Omaha will begin later this week. Ali has attended a few games in person, but with the additional exposure of the postseason, the Cardinals expect added media attention.

Louisville coach Dan McDonnell isn't concerned about the extra fanfare that comes with having the most famous athlete on the planet at your games, and he said the Cardinals have handled Asaad's arrival like that of any other player.

"Our kids are used to it," McDonnell said. "I think they enjoy it and we take it in stride. This is all a good experience for our kids. We're going to compete in the NCAAs, and it's exciting that our fan base is growing. A lot of these kids are leaving their mark on this program. I just think Louisville, this is our time. The more we win, the more success we have, I think the bigger our story will be."

Asaad hopes to be sharing the story on the field next year at this time. For now, he is content to root his teammates on the same way his mom and dad are doing.

"In Louisville, everybody treats me the same," he said. "Everybody is pretty laid back and leaves me alone. They know who my dad is, but it's not a big deal."

Wasserman, who has known the Alis longer than anyone around the Louisville program, says his mom, Kim, often sits with the Alis during games and that it's not unusual to hear his mom and Lonnie cheering as loudly as anyone else.

In recent weeks, and with the team's success this season, - the 48 wins are a school record - the Cardinals are creating their own niche in the Louisville market considering that college basketball and the Kentucky Derby are over.

"It's pretty electric," Wasserman said. "People are excited. The city of Louisville is starting to recognize that its university has a pretty good baseball team. It's pretty neat. You keep seeing regular faces."

A very famous one included.