Woody Paige
Encyclopedia
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Paige, Jr. (born June 27, 1946) is a sports columnist
for The Denver Post
, author, and a regular panelist on the ESPN
sports-talk
program Around the Horn
. He was also a co-host of Cold Pizza
and its spin-off
show 1st and 10 until Nov. 4, 2006, when it was announced that Paige would return to the Post. Paige is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Selection Committee and is a Baseball Hall of Fame voter.
and joined Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity in 1964. After leaving UT, he began his career with the Whitehaven Press in 1963, and went on to write for the Knoxville Journal, The Commercial Appeal
of Memphis, and the Rocky Mountain News
of Denver.
In 2001 there was a controversy over one of Paige's articles. He reported that an employee at Invesco, which had the naming rights to the Denver Broncos
stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High
, claimed that the nickname for the stadium inside the company was "The Diaphragm," after its shape (which slightly resembles a contraceptive device
with the same name). The CEO of the company threatened Paige and the Post with legal action over the allegations, but had to retract the lawsuit when it was discovered that the story was true.
After the suicide
of Denver Broncos
wide receiver Kenny McKinley
in 2010, Paige wrote a column in the Post where he detailed his attempt to take his own life in 2002, and the intervention that prevented it.
, Paige is well-known for his goofy opening jokes, including a blackboard behind him on which he writes intentionally silly comments. He had a bantering relationship and friendly rivalry with Jay Mariotti
. The two have appeared in and "won" the most episodes of Around The Horn (in which host Tony Reali
subjectively awards or deducts points for the commentaries that strike him as the most intelligent or appealing). Paige has won the most consecutive shows (five) as well as 346 wins as of October 18, 2010, and 384 wins as of August 29, 2011. For April Fool's Day 2009, the show began with Paige pretending to subdue Reali with fake chloroform
and taking over as host as the show, with Reali taking his place as a panelist. He proceeded to award and deduct points erratically, and at the end of the first cut announced that the panelist with the most points would be cut. The showdown ended up being with Reali and Mariotti, and Woody surprisingly awarding the win to Mariotti after the two ended with -3 points in the showdown. However, Woody quickly muted Mariotti's "face time" speech and proceeded to talk himself.
On September 8, 2009, Paige won his 300th show, becoming the first panelist to reach 300 victories.
For Halloween
2009, Paige dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West
, and won the show. After his "face time," he slouched out of his chair (and out of view of the camera) while announcing that he was "melting!"
Early in 2010, Woody said that he would not shave until he won a game.
's then-debuting Cold Pizza
(originally conceptualized as a daytime-TV "morning show"-style program that was only loosely grounded in sports, intended to attract female viewers alienated by SportsCenter
s heavy sports- and "guy"-centered focus). On the show, he was featured in the 1st and 10 segment, where he lightheartedly debated sports writer Skip Bayless
on ten sports-related topics. Paige continued to contribute to Around the Horn during this time, and debuted his blackboard gags while he was in New York.
In his farewell appearance on Cold Pizza, which aired November 28, 2006, Paige cited declining health in his family as a reason for leaving the show, and New York City, to return to Denver.
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
, author, and a regular panelist on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
sports-talk
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
program Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
. He was also a co-host of Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...
and its spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
show 1st and 10 until Nov. 4, 2006, when it was announced that Paige would return to the Post. Paige is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Selection Committee and is a Baseball Hall of Fame voter.
Schooling and early career
Paige attended the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and joined Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
fraternity in 1964. After leaving UT, he began his career with the Whitehaven Press in 1963, and went on to write for the Knoxville Journal, The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal is the predominant daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company, a major North American media company. Scripps also owned the former afternoon paper, the Memphis Press-Scimitar, which it folded in...
of Memphis, and the Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
of Denver.
Denver Post
Paige joined the Denver Post in 1981. As of 2007, he writes four columns per week.In 2001 there was a controversy over one of Paige's articles. He reported that an employee at Invesco, which had the naming rights to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High
INVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
, claimed that the nickname for the stadium inside the company was "The Diaphragm," after its shape (which slightly resembles a contraceptive device
Diaphragm (contraceptive)
The diaphragm is a cervical barrier type of birth control. It is a soft latex or silicone dome with a spring molded into the rim. The spring creates a seal against the walls of the vagina.-Use:...
with the same name). The CEO of the company threatened Paige and the Post with legal action over the allegations, but had to retract the lawsuit when it was discovered that the story was true.
After the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
wide receiver Kenny McKinley
Kenny McKinley
Kendrick L. McKinley was an American football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.-Early years:Born in Mableton, Georgia, he graduated from South...
in 2010, Paige wrote a column in the Post where he detailed his attempt to take his own life in 2002, and the intervention that prevented it.
Around The Horn
As a panelist on Around The HornAround the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
, Paige is well-known for his goofy opening jokes, including a blackboard behind him on which he writes intentionally silly comments. He had a bantering relationship and friendly rivalry with Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti is a former national columnist for Fanhouse.com and has done work as a panelist on the ESPN show Around the Horn.-Life and career:...
. The two have appeared in and "won" the most episodes of Around The Horn (in which host Tony Reali
Tony Reali
Anthony Joseph Paul "Tony" Reali is an American sports personality and television host, and the current host of Around the Horn on ESPN...
subjectively awards or deducts points for the commentaries that strike him as the most intelligent or appealing). Paige has won the most consecutive shows (five) as well as 346 wins as of October 18, 2010, and 384 wins as of August 29, 2011. For April Fool's Day 2009, the show began with Paige pretending to subdue Reali with fake chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
and taking over as host as the show, with Reali taking his place as a panelist. He proceeded to award and deduct points erratically, and at the end of the first cut announced that the panelist with the most points would be cut. The showdown ended up being with Reali and Mariotti, and Woody surprisingly awarding the win to Mariotti after the two ended with -3 points in the showdown. However, Woody quickly muted Mariotti's "face time" speech and proceeded to talk himself.
On September 8, 2009, Paige won his 300th show, becoming the first panelist to reach 300 victories.
For Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
2009, Paige dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, and won the show. After his "face time," he slouched out of his chair (and out of view of the camera) while announcing that he was "melting!"
Early in 2010, Woody said that he would not shave until he won a game.
Cold Pizza
In July 2004, Paige announced that he was taking a one-year leave from the Post to join ESPN2ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
's then-debuting Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...
(originally conceptualized as a daytime-TV "morning show"-style program that was only loosely grounded in sports, intended to attract female viewers alienated by SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
s heavy sports- and "guy"-centered focus). On the show, he was featured in the 1st and 10 segment, where he lightheartedly debated sports writer Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless is an American journalist and television personality. Bayless regularly appears on ESPN2's ESPN First Take and its afternoon show 1st and 10. Bayless previously wrote regular columns for ESPN.com and its "Page 2" section.-Schooling and family:Bayless was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
on ten sports-related topics. Paige continued to contribute to Around the Horn during this time, and debuted his blackboard gags while he was in New York.
In his farewell appearance on Cold Pizza, which aired November 28, 2006, Paige cited declining health in his family as a reason for leaving the show, and New York City, to return to Denver.