Woody Paige Not A Man Of The People

by Joe Dunman on May 16, 2008 1:34 PM MDT in NHL News

Because we're Avalanche fans, we're forced to call the sports reporters and columnists at the Denver Post (Adrian Dater, Mike Chambers, Terry Frei, Mark Kiszla and Woody Paige) our reporters and columnists. Whether or not we agree with them all the time (or ever), they're part of the home team, so to speak.

In the case of Woody Paige, that means we spend most of our time rolling our eyes and being embarrassed by him. He writes a lot of ridiculous, juvenile, not-as-funny-as-he-thinks stuff, and then makes a fool of himself daily on the ESPN argument show Around The Horn. He builds his puff piece columns around horrendous one-liners (like "Foppa wasn't some faux pas") and more or less dumbs down everything he talks about.

But, because he's a Denver columnist and he writes about the Avalanche, he's ours. Kind of. That means that we might care about how other people, those who mostly know him from his "work" on ESPN rather than his columns about the Avalanche, perceive him.

Do they approve?

Well, sadly for Woody, the people don't seem to be big fans. As of right now, he's got a 77% disapproval rating at Deadspin, and I imagine it will only get worse as the day goes on. But lucky for him, ESPN doesn't care who their viewers like to watch, they only like big personalities that dominate discussion and wow us with their "edginess."

Consider me continuously wowed by Woody Paige's continued existence in the mainstream media.

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Comments

Hmm

I consider Dater and Frei "mine" or "ours." The rest don't pay enough attention to the sport to qualify.

Mir ist egal.

by Selanne on May 16, 2008 1:57 PM MDT reply actions

Re: Woody Paige Not A Man Of The People

Woody writes some down right goofy prose and some pretty predictable story lines.

However, I will say that http://www.denverpost.com/ci_9145188 was the best piece of writing I've seen of his. Perhaps it's only because it was in his wheelhouse? He would serve himself better if he mixed in some relatively serious takes along with his drunk uncle routine.

by Dario on May 16, 2008 2:31 PM MDT reply actions

Every once in a while

When he really tries he can write a good article. It's few and far between but there's a reason he lasted as a pro for so long.

I think that's what's so infuriating is that when he bunkers down and is serious he can pen something nice to read, but he tries to hard with gimmicky jokes and silly nonsense (Says someone who writes with gimmicky jokes and silly nonsense). I don't mind that stuff, but it's not in his wheelhouse

by Jibblescribbits on May 16, 2008 3:48 PM MDT up reply actions

Here in "Hockeytown"...

...despite being a city where everyone is a walking hockey encyclopedia, our hockey writers are far far worse. Less knowledgeable than the Denver guys, if you can believe that.

Dater and Frei are brighter, but they don't have the history with the game that the Detroit guys do. The Detroit guys grew up with the sport, but are not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Now, Detroit's well-known (pint-sized) sports writer, Little Mitch*, is a far better writer than Woody. But Woody follows sports a lot more closely than Little Mitch does. Yes, I mean it. Mitch wrote a recap of a Pistons game that he didn't see a couple years ago, and he got the ending completely wrong.

That all said, I've been saying for years that there just isn't a good hockey writer out there, other than Blob Mackenzie.

- gotta be careful what I say about Little Mitch...his ears are big enough that he can hear sign-language conversations between two deaf people in China

by Neptune on May 16, 2008 3:54 PM MDT reply actions

I like

Eric Duhatsek of the Globe and Mail but that's a Canadian newspaper. I find that the best hockey coverage is on the blogs and not in the MSM. With that said, I don't even bother to read Woody Paige anymore. Why he has a gig on ESPN, I'll never understand.

by hockeychic on May 16, 2008 4:52 PM MDT reply actions

the answer to both your question and joe's...

is that he makes you feel smart, whether you are or not. he writes to the lowest common denominator, and all he does on ESPN is rant from indefensible positions. every person reads his crap or watches him on TV and is boggled by its stupidity. Many react, usually negatively, but the DP or ESPN doesn't care -- it just proves people are reading. hell, I'll admit it, when I'm home sick or something watching Around the Horn, I watch to see him lose.

he's made a career out of it, which is staggering, but hey, more power to him. only question is whether he does it consciously or not.

by thedoctor on May 16, 2008 5:20 PM MDT up reply actions