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Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige posts Woody’s Mailbag on Thursdays.

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I am shocked by the Rockies’ amazing record in June. Can we count on Dan O’Dowd to pull the trigger on a deal or two to improve playoff chances? How about

some pitching? And that doesn’t mean Livan Hernandez.

— Davy, Denver

Davy – I am shocked, SHOCKED, too. I had strongly suggested Clint Hurdle be fired because I thought he was a major part of the problem. We can all see the

difference, and the players are even saying the move was right. . This

is when the ownership needs to step up big time and make a move this year, and I’m not talking about some retread LaTroy Hawkins.

The Rockies must trade Garrett Atkins and Ryan Spilborghs and get a decent starter and definitely a relief pitcher or two. They can say they don’t want to

disturb the chemistry. But as Walt Weiss, the former Rockies shortstop once told me, “You have good chemistry when you’re winning, bad chemistry when you’re

losing.”

If the Rockies acquire more pitching, the players won’t be upset that those two players are gone. Trust me. Players care about themselves and winning. We’ll

see how serious the Rockies’ ownership is about carrying over June into July, August, September and possibly October.

Woody – Starting at QB, the guy who was beat out by Rex Grossman? Throwing to whom? Michael Vick is looking better every day. I know, count on PETA to turn

in their season tickets. But seriously, are there any other QB contenders even remotely available?

— Rich Fehr, Page, Ariz.

Rich – On my ESPN show “Around The Horn,” we discussed last week whether or not Vick should be allowed back this year, and I was the only one who said he had

paid his debt to society and deserved a chance, as most ex-cons, to get a job in his field (football), that he couldn’t pay off the myriad of bills in his

bankruptcy doing construction (he has left that job this week to work with kids), and that some team would sign him, and that all the e-mails I had gotten on

the subject wanted to know if “their” team, or the Broncos, could possibly sign Vick.

I think only the media think he shouldn’t be permitted to play. The fans I’ve heard from seem to think not only should he play, but also play for (fill in a

name) team.

Having said all that, the Broncos will never sign Vick. They don’t want another player with a troubled past. Read: Travis Henry et al. I think the likely

candidates are Oakland, of course, and Dallas, although I’m sure there are at least a dozen teams that would want to sign him if they weren’t afraid of all

the local attention (from the media).

Now, about the Broncos’ starting quarterback, who is, without playing one snap, Kyle Orton. In minicamp I was unimpressed with him. There I go being negative

again, most people will say. No, there I go being honest. Orton, , will not be

ranked in the top 20 in the league by anybody who has seen him play for Chicago. Denver got rid of Jay Cutler because he wouldn’t return phone calls. Chicago

got rid of Orton because the Bears didn’t want him. Big difference.

Truth is, Chris Simms and the rookie have stronger arms. Simms has been away from playing in a game for a while, but I think you’ll see him this year, and

maybe earlier than some think. Maybe Orton will succeed in Josh McDaniels’ West New England Offense, but he’s no All-Pro, and I still don’t think they’ll win

many games this year. He’s not a long-range answer here, and I’ll eat my opinion, as always, if I’m wrong. If I’m right, the world will know soon enough.

Hey, Woody. How much should the Nuggets take into consideration when trying to re-sign “Birdman” that he not only performs well on the court but that he also

gets the fans pumped up every time he enters the game? Is there any extra value, in your opinion, in signing a player who is a fan favorite?

— Julie, Boulder

Julie – I like that. I think teams are influenced some by fan favorites. Why not have a guy on your team the fans love? Bill Hanzlik was that kind of guy

here for a while. People loved the way he hustled and played tough defense. The Nuggets aren’t stupid. They know that Birdman is a guy who actually sells

tickets and generates enthusiasm, and he became an integral part of the team this past season. .

What do you think of the Rockies drafting Sterling Monfort of Eaton High School (Dick Monfort’s kid)? And how about four Eaton High grads getting picked in

have played in 16 of the last 19 championship games.

— Fred Kester, Joes

Fred – It is amazing. Congratulations to Eaton. Colorado, for a state that has so much cold weather, gets more than its share of players drafted. That’s

amazing, when you consider kids can’t play ball all year.

I don’t blame the Rockies for drafting Dick Monfort’s kid. Why not? When Doug Moe was coach of the Nuggets and the NBA draft was seven or eight rounds, he

would draft players who were friends of friends. Tommy Lasorda once drafted the son of a friend in the last round, and the kid was Mike Piazza. I think it

would have been better for everyone if Dick’s kid had been drafted by another organization. But here’s the kid: One day Sterling probably will be co-owner of

the Rockies. I’m serious. So …

Hey, Woody. I think . Do you see him playing

much next season or just learning from Chauncey Billups? Thanks.

— Maxwell, Denver

Maxwell – Lawson is a player. I spent some one-on-one time with him on the Sunday before the Final Four in Detroit. I loved him as a person, and he was great

in the tournament, considering that he had an injured foot at the end of the regular season.

The Nuggets wanted him last year, but he thought he could improve his lot going back to Carolina. He worked hard on his outside jump shot, his biggest

problem, in the gym every night, and he concentrated more on his free throws and his defense. He had a special senior season. I think Anthony Carter’s gone

and Lawson will get his time, maybe 15-18 minutes a game. His size is a bit of a problem (he’s probably 5-feet-11, or just south of that), but he’s a gamer

and a smart kid. I like him to be eventually a starting point guard here or elsewhere.

Hey, Woody. What’s going on with Peter Forsberg? Will he be back with the Avs next season?

— James, Westminster

James – Peter still wants to play, and this is the only spot where he’ll play. But he can’t play. Sad. He’s my all-time favorite player in the NHL to watch

because he was such a great three-way player (scoring, assists, defense). Peter spends time in Denver. (His girlfriend lives here.) And he’d love to try it

once more, but the feet won’t cooperate. I’m told it’s over. With , the transition basically is complete.

I was talking to , last week, and . But if Stan Kroenke is going to hold the salary line in the

mid-40s, the Avs will be awful again next year. As I told Adrian, the Red Wings were able to go from being a champion in the non-salary cap era to staying

champions, but the Avs let it get away, sadly. And I don’t see any change coming soon. We’ll have to remember Peter the Great and Joe the Superstar and St.

Patrick and the others.

Why can’t you go back to “First Take” — even if it was just via satellite — to debate Skip Bayless on a regular basis? The show stinks with different

panelists every day. Sometimes they don’t even have sports people, which makes even less sense than having different panelists.

— Ryan, Manhattan, Kan.

Ryan – “First Take,” on a regular basis, is too much for me to do if I’m working for The Post and doing “Around The Horn” and my other jobs. But thanks for

caring. I went back to Bristol for several days recently and did “First Take,” and they asked me if I’m willing to do it once a month for a few days, and I

agreed. That’s enough with Skip and staying in that motel in Connecticut.

Woody Paige first joined The Denver Post in 1981 as a sports columnist. , or . Also, .