Matt Baron

The celebration a few moments after a 1st quarter touchdown by the home team (Oak Park and River Forest Huskies) on Friday evening. OPRF went on to defeat Rich Township, 39-8.

Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Mark Fidrych becoming a national cultural phenomenon....my brother Andy revisits that special moment--and unearths new insights into this late, great American folk hero. My column: open.substack.com/pub/theins…

What we have here, folks, is a failure to box out. That comeback by the Knicks was one for the ages...and a reminder that too many players regard boxing out as optional. Read my breakdown of the Spurs' defensive breakdown: open.substack.com/pub/theins… #NBAFinals #Knicks #Spurs

I saw Bruce Springsteen last week. Three hours. 28 songs. Still going strong at 76. The next day, I spent an hour with someone whose survival might be even more improbable. One is a legend. The other is my brother. My column: open.substack.com/pub/theins…

I saw Bruce Springsteen in Chicago in 1988---and thought he was OLD. After seeing him this week? Not so much. But the more humbling calendar realization came the next day, sitting with my bro on his 60th b-day, a milestone that once felt impossible. open.substack.com/pub/theins…

In 1987, I was a young newspaper reporter interviewing a hockey player I'd grown up with & who'd just been drafted in the NHL. “Hopefully," he said, "I’ll make it." That kid, Mike Sullivan, guided Team USA to a gold medal in men's hockey. My column: theinsideedge.substack.com/p…

Anyone else know why Saturday Night Live aired its cold open 12 hours earlier than usual? And the guy playing Trump---amazing impersonation!

"Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" works so well because it consistently knows when to end, one scene after another. My column: open.substack.com/pub/theins…

likelihood of game happening? on train (aka second hand smoke and cannabis center) heading there now.

As my son Zach graduates today from Indiana University, reflections on my first meaningful time on this beautiful campus nearly a quarter-century: theinsideedge.substack.com/p… #IUBGrad25

Congratulations, Zach Baron and your Sigma Nu brothers on your successful journey to graduation! We're very proud of you!! #IUBGrad25

Remembering MLK 57 years later...and reflecting on the present-day lesson contained in one flawed lyric in U2's “Pride (In the Name of Love)”: open.substack.com/pub/theins…

Brooks, wishing you the best! For 4 years, I've admired your grit, drive and talent. I was saddened when I learned your season/career at NU was cut short. I look forward to watching you as you carve out a bright future. Deep respect from this '90 alum (covered '87-88 team)!

From 2 days ago: free throw attempts 199,999 & 200,000 since I began counting my ambidextrous shots in March 2007. (169,873 made in that span, including these two) #basketball

A three-parter this week: October is the best month for sports....those huge skeletons in neighbors' yards....and McProof of my fast food job as a teen: theinsideedge.substack.com/p…

My column from the Jan. 2024 issue of School Administrator magazine was selected to appear in the AASA's "Best of" 2023-2024 edition. [Boiling it down: In our short-attention-span, clickbait media landscape, schools must be persistently proactive with bite-size good news.]

I don't believe "infamous" is the right word....Fritz did nothing to deserve that tag. When I wrote a feature about him, some 20 years ago, he was a blackjack dealer on the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Ill. A class act, with a great marriage to the former Mrs. Kekich.

From the Boston Globe, Sept. 12, 1968. Pretty nifty rabbit hole you led me on!

The latest on my journey with Phil -- our brother love shows up for one another in different ways. My Substack column's here: lnkd.in/g-qxZWuH #Homelessness #addiction #family