Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige posts Woody’s Mailbag on Thursdays at DenverPost.com. The next installment is slated for Jan. 15.
To drop a question into Woody’s Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s . And to browse the archive of videos in Woody’s World, .
Woody – Glad to see you are still covering the really big events if your picture with pad and pencil was taken at . I remember you at the 1980 8-man state championship game in Simla where I was coaching.
— Ken Moore, Simla
One of my most enjoyable times is to go to an 8-man championship (in Woodrow, Colo.) or to a Mines game. It reminds of the essence of football and reminds me of my early days of covering high school football.
In the 1960s in the South, I would pick out a small town and go there on Friday and spend the day with the coach or at the coffee shop and in the school, watch the game and then write a major story for Sunday’s paper. I always felt it was some of my best work.
One weekend the photographer and I went to a small town in Mississippi, and the principal said: “Oh, you just missed the big parade.” The photographer said: “Can you do it again?” The principal paused for a moment and said: “Sure.” School was let out, the townspeople gathered and they did an instant replay of the big parade for the game. That’s fun. It’s good to here from you, Ken.
Hey, Woody. Who do you think scored at the MLB winter meetings? . Hard to argue for the Rockies. Thanks.
— Joe P., Denver
Joe – Obviously, the Rockies already had made their BIG move, and I expected nothing from them at the winter meetings. They’re hanging onto Garrett Atkins because of Todd Helton’s health situation.
The Yankees, with CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett (one wants periods after his initials, the other doesn’t, go figure), made the biggest move, and you can’t argue. K-Rod could seriously help the Mets because they blew something like 21 saves last year. The Yankees did what they did because they’ve lost the mojo, and they’re going into the new stadium and need a spike — with the tickets prices what they are — and the Mets have to keep pace.
We’ll see the Red Sox do something dramatic before the season, and there’s the Manny Ramirez thing, with the Dodgers and the Angels. The Padres are up for sale because of the divorce of the owner, so they’re no longer a player. This may work out OK for the Rockies because the Diamondbacks, Padres and Giants aren’t doing anything, and the Dodgers will try to seize the moment. I think Tampa Bay and Boston will be in good shape, and Milwaukee is gasping for air now. But I think a lot of teams will wait later this offseason because we’ve got to see how the change in the presidency will shake the economy, or not.
Woody – Who will be kicking for the Broncos next year? Please don’t say Matt Prater.
— Brandon, Hibbing, Minn.
Brandon – I won’t mention his name. The guy whose name we won’t mention began the year kicking incredibly well, but went south in the second half of the season. He has the leg, but is inconsistent, which was the knock on him before this year. However, he hasn’t cost them a game at the end, and hasn’t won them a game at the end. If they lose to the Bills on a field goal or win a playoff game on a field goal, we’ll know a lot more.
Who would replace him? How about the Cherry Creek kicker? And if I’m Dan Hawkins, I offer that kid a full ride right now.
We came to depend on Jason Elam, and it was a bad move to let him go. He won an OT game last week.
How about a shout out to Rick Dennison? Seems like he should be getting some serious props for the job he’s done retooling the O-line. But let’s not get too carried away because we all know that if the right amount of the coaching credit isn’t flowing to the top, the Executive Vice President for Life will run Dennison out of here just like he did Alex Gibbs.
— Anthony Vallejos, Los Alamos N.M.
Anthony – Dennison got his degree in engineering at CSU. Maybe that’s the answer. Gibbs did a great job of training Dennison, who was initially a special teams coach with the Broncos. And Rick does deserve a lot of credit for developing Ryan Clady and Chris Kuper — and holding (no pun intended) that line together when Tom Nalen was lost.
Ben Hamilton, out with the serious concussion situation last year, has come back to have a special season. And the line has avoided the serious injury problems — unlike the other areas on the team — and it has done a great job of protecting Jay Cutler. If I were a college, I’d take a look at Dennison as a head coach. He deserves the props.
I think the Utes will give Alabama all it can handle in . The Mountain West is tougher than people think. What do you think?
— Josh, Salt Lake City
Well, Josh, just because Wyoming beat Tennessee. … I would like to say Utah will give Alabama a game, but I don’t believe it. Hawaii-Georgia. Alabama will want to show the world it should have been No. 1, and the Tide will be No. 1 next year.
The Utes had a great season, and I watched every moment of their game against BYU, because, truthfully, I wasn’t that impressed with Utah in the Air Force game. But it turned out Air Force was better than I thought, and for Utah to wade through the season unbeaten was a special accomplishment. But I think Bama will beat Utah pretty easy. I’ve been wrong before.
I’ve heard a lot of complaining from Broncos fans this season. It will get really bad if they lose their last two games and miss the playoffs. Considering all the injuries and youth, I think 8-8 is pretty decent. Am I being too easy on Mike Shanahan?
— Tony, Lakewood
Tony – As it turns out, an 8-8 season would be acceptable if the Broncos win the division. But fade in the stretch, and San Diego wins the division, and it’s a mess. Especially given that Shanahan said they would be in the playoffs this year.
Combine the development of the young players and the reserve players, with all the injuries, and for the Broncos to win 10 would be quite an achievement. Nine would be fine. Eight would be all right. But we’ve come to expect bigger things, particularly in light of the past two seasons and the long time between drinks of water.
With , what’s worth watching this Avs season?
— David, Toronto
David – Overachievers and Paul Stastny. But a whole lot of people in Denver have stopped watching, based on the numbers that actually show up at the game.
Maybe , who is making noise about coming back again. And I suspect the Avs will make a big deal before the trading deadline, and it will be another race to see if they can make the playoffs. I think you should shift your attention to San Jose.
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Happy holidays. Thank you all for being supportive of The Post, and take care of your own families heading into the new year. — W.P.
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 .
