“I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”
Muhammad Ali
That story was first told by or about Cool Papa Bell:
Numerous stories are told of his feats on the basepaths. Many no doubt are true, such as consistently hitting two hoppers to the infield and beating the throw to first for a hit, going from first to third on a bunt, scoring from second on a sacrifice fly, stealing two bases on one pitch, and once scoring from first base on a bunt against Bob Lemon and a team of major league all stars. Other stories are simply colorful exaggerations. Such accounts have Bell hitting a single up the middle and being declared out when hit by his own batted ball as he slid into second base; and, of course, the most repeated story of how he could switch off the light and get into bed before the room was dark.