THE INSIDE TRACK : Morning Briefing : Leyland Didn’t Light a Fire With Many in Denver

Woody Paige of the Denver Post, commenting on Colorado Manager Jim Leyland’s retirement at the end of the season:

“The split is amicable. He wants to leave, and we don’t want him to stay.

“Now the Rockies should hire a manager who doesn’t prefer to live in the clubhouse, Pittsburgh or the past.

“Hello and goodbye, Lord Jim. Go blow your smoke somewhere else.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the UCLA record for touchdown receptions in a game?

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He’s in a fix: Chris Simms, the former standout New Jersey high school player and son of former NFL quarterback Phil Simms, plays for the University of Texas and he is making some adjustments, such as the language.

“I say I’m going to the movies. [His teammates] say they’re fixin’ to go to the movies,” Simms said.

“I just don’t understand what the word means. ‘What are you fixin’ to do?’ ”

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Brain matter: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune:

“For what it’s worth, Cade McNown scored a 28 on the Wonderlic Test, a 50-question IQ exam given to NFL draftees.

“McNown’s number was second best to UC Davis’ Ken Daft among this year’s quarterback crop. By comparison, Drew Bledsoe (37) and Troy Aikman (29) scored better while New England rookie Michael Bishop and Minnesota backup Jeff George scored just 10, which must explain why the Vikings had to hire a team pediatrician.”

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Worm update: Dennis Rodman, commenting in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel: “I could play in Miami, some place real warm where there’s a lot of real activity [and] I’d even play in Dallas.”

Or, not play at all.

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No big deal: Comedy writer Jerry Perisho on the suit against the Orioles’ mascot: “How bad can some guy in a bird outfit rough you up? What did the bird do, peck the peanuts out of his Cracker Jack?”

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Gabby genius? Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, commenting on quarterback Jim Druckenmiller, who was traded by the 49ers to the Dolphins:

“[Druckenmiller] soured on the 49ers, and vice versa, largely because of a personality conflict between him and Bill Walsh. ‘Bill does things and says things just to hear himself talk,’ Druckenmiller said.”

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FYI: The Detroit Lions were the only NFL club to drop in value, 6%, in the last year, according to Forbes magazine in its annual rankings of the teams by value. The Lions rank last at $293 million. The No. 1 club is Dallas at $663 million.

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Road kill: The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t won away from home since Dec. 14, 1996. That’s 16 consecutive losses.

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Trivia answer: Jojo Townsell against Long Beach State in 1982, and J.J. Stokes against Washington in 1993, four.

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And finally: Chi Chi Rodriguez, commenting on Tom Watson’s debut on the Senior PGA Tour today: “It’s one thing to meet the devil. It’s another thing to see him coming.”