The candle burned at both ends. And, Rick, if you need any help with TV script writing, I'm willing to return the favor!To me, picking a favorite Rick Reilly column doesn't do justice to his body of work. Senior writer, Sports Illustrated (retired) Rick Reilly, founder of Nothing But Nets, hands out mosquito nets. No wonder Elway owns three car dealerships in the greater Denver area. Today's selection is "Day Of Glory For A Golden Oldie," by Rick Reilly, which recounts Jack Nicklaus' historic Masters triumph in 1986. In his "Life of Reilly" column in the April 26, 2004 50th Anniversary issue of SI he talks about youth sports encroachment on Sunday morning worship in America. the line and the premise to write and give his eulogy.Rick ends the column by quoting Murray: "Writing a column is like riding a tiger. They’re about everything from a stud high school QB who eats lunch every day with the bullied Down’s Syndrome girl to the blind Yankees fan who commutes two hours each way to every game.These columns are something you don’t see often these days in sportswriting — short, lovingly polished, beautifully fashioned features and opinions that add up to something. Not content to pontificate from the sidelines, Rick Reilly set out on a global journey—with stops in Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, England, and even a maximum security prison at Angola, Louisiana—to discover the answer to this question nobody else really saw the need to ask. Bruce said no, arguing that unlike Thomas, he had invoked Jesus' name as the car flipped. If only it were that simple.Baseball's "pace of play," or, Why You Can't Watch Baseball.As much as Rick took me to task over the years, I'm going to try to be sweet now. My favorite, I guess, is the one he wrote "Nobody likes to look into the valley of death and spit as much as John Elway. This is the essence of the columns, “I don’t write about sports. And finally, it was a lesson. "He is in that the-legend-walks-and-talks-and-eats-breakfast stage. Of course I'm partial to the one I picked for last year's "Best American Sports Writing," the one about Chy Johnson, a handicapped girl in Arizona, who was being bullied at her high school, until the star quarterback stepped up. But the one I think about most often is the Rick has been one of the premier columnists of his time. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars- … He did a hilarious, touching one I've known Rick forever it seems. "Many Super Bowls, many laughs, many philosophical debates and many memorable columns as Rick's friend and editorial director of ESPN digital and print content later, I'm reminded of this line from that iconic 1986 profile. There are features and columns on sports greats, rants against high-profile athletic programs, tales of golfing glory in and out of the spotlight — including a round with standing president Bill Clinton — plus reflections on the true meaning of sacrifice, and personal stories about the Reilly family’s trials and tribulations.Who knows golfers best? Fear and love bring out the best in writers and Rick is no different. I've never not finished one of Rick's. Rick Reilly was between bites of a samosa during a recent dinner on H Street, pondering his career.