Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige posts Woody’s Mailbag every Thursday on DenverPost.com.
To drop a sports-related question into Woody’s Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s . And to browse the archive of videos in Woody’s World, .
My question is concerning a former Bronco in Domenik Hixon with the Giants. How the heck did they not see this much of a playmaker in him? Seems like he wasn’t given much of an opportunity. He is lighting up the scoreboard as I write this. What happened?
— Chris, Dallas
Chris – I was impressed with him last year, and they did try him on returns and spotted him occasionally at wide receiver. The word I got was he didn’t study hard, didn’t run precise routes and slacked up. Maybe, given a second chance, he got his act together. Happens all the time in the league, as you know. Guy fails one place, does well in another. Ed McCaffrey, for example.
Woody: Do you have any thoughts regarding ?
— Jerry, Milwaukee
Jerry – I haven’t thought about it for a moment.
Are the greatest feat in sports history? Or just Olympics history? Thanks.
— Marc, Denver
Marc – No. No. There are, in my opinion, several greater feats in sports and Olympics history.
Jesse Owens winning gold medals in Berlin with Hitler, who wanted so badly to show that the Germans were superior athletes and superior humans, watching and being humiliated. Rulon Gardner beating the three-time undefeated Olympic heavyweight champion wrestler in Australia, and I was at the match, so maybe I’m prejudiced. Bob Beamon breaking the world record in Mexico at the 1968 Olympics, by 21 inches, becoming the first man to jump over 28 feet and 29 feet, I would rank up there.
Phelps’ accomplishments were incredible, but so were the perfect 10s in gymnastics by Nadia Comaneci, Jim Thorpe’s Olympic golds (which were taken away) and the Soviet Union’s defeat of the U.S. in basketball. So Phelps is in the top 10 somewhere.
Sports? Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs, Don Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series — I could go on — Bobby Jones winning the grand slam of golf, Tiger Woods winning four majors in a row, etc. It was special, but not the greatest.
Woody – A lot of us loyal fans are disappointed right now. It seems his leaving the Broncos for “more playing time” is a bunch of bull. What’s your take?
— Bob, Denver
Well, Bob, as you know, he has been cut by the Patriots, although he might return to them. The Broncos should ask him to come back, no hard feelings on either side. He found out in camp he wasn’t going to be a starter, and I think he also believed the Broncos were going nowhere this season. I should broker a meeting between Shanahan and Lynch and get them to reconcile and get back together. By the way, Lynch has never been a bull artist. He’s a straightforward, honest guy.
I saw that . Will they ever wear the REAL orange uniforms of old?
— Justin, Lakewood
Justin – They have sometimes worn the old uniforms on throwback Sundays. I’ve been told that’s not happening this year, which is why they’re wearing the orange jerseys. Pat Bowlen hates the orange. But, as you may recall, he refers to the Broncos’ uniforms as “predominantly orange,” which is bull.
I’m attending the University of Central Florida, and I’m a journalist major and the president of my writing club. I agree with you on many of your opinions and I admire your success in the business. What would I have to do to follow someone’s footsteps like yourself? Thank you for your time.
— David Alan Guest Jr., Orlando, Fla.
David Alan Guest Jr. of Orlando, Fla. – First, get rid of all those names. America’s Guest would be a good nickname for a sports writer who gets in free to all events. I get several dozens of similar e-mails a month. I’ll tell you what I tell everybody else. If a no-talent like me can make it, anybody can.
My recommendations are quite simple, and I hope you’ll think about them: Read and write as much as you can. I read three or four books a week (almost none about sports) and write every day of my life — columns, on the books I’m reading and notes for the ESPN show. Last week, during the , I wrote 10 columns in six days. So, read and write.
And three more important things to remember: Work harder than everyone else; be more passionate about your job than anyone else; and be more creative than everyone else. If you do that, you’ll succeed no matter what you choose to do. I actually wanted to be a guide on “The Jungle Ride” at Disney World. Good luck.
Woody – You wrote in your that you weren’t wild about Ryan Clady’s attitude. What I’ve read so far is that he’s rather shy. Has the “shy” description been a nice way of saying “aloof”? Please expand on your earlier comment. Thanks.
— Adam, Anchorage, Alaska
Adam – Ryan got off to a rugged start, but has been considerably more impressive. I honestly haven’t talked to him lately. I will. But I’ve been told from the inside that he was asked to improve his attitude, and did.
Woody – My church is having a guac-tasting contest in October. I have to have your recipe. I had it some years ago, but it was on a napkin and was thrown away. It was the best. Thanks.
— Larry, Anthem, Ariz.
Larry – My recipe is to go to “On The Border” restaurant and order guac to go. Actually, if you e-mail me at wpaige@denverpost.com, I’ll get it just to you. It’s a secret. Chow, baby.
Woody Paige first joined The Denver Post in 1981 as a sports columnist. To drop a question into Woody’s Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
