The Top 10 of '23
Since March, there have been 80 installments of The Inside Edge--here's a look at what you read the most.
Twice a week for the past 40 weeks, piece by piece, I have gradually built The Inside Edge.
Unlike some writers who focus on a specific topic—sports or politics or personal essays or any number of niches—I’ve covered just about anything that comes to mind.
Thanks for coming along on the journey. In this final installment of 2023, here’s a recap of the most popular columns along with a few new observations.
Nickel & Dimed (1,980 views)
Here’s an early review, post-purchase: Over five months and over 5,000 miles later, the car has been terrific! We also switched out the license plate frame about six weeks ago—no more free advertising for the dubious dealership.
2. Brother Love: `The Other Side of the Tracks’ (1,210 views)
The debut of my series on my brother Phil. A firsthand account of a complex relationship with a loved one experiencing homelessness. Thanks to all who have been so encouraging as you’ve read through these highly personal essays.
Praise Amid the Haze (1,170 views)
The “praise” was for the student journalism at my old newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, which, I wrote, “put highly detailed and disgusting meat on the bare bones of a Friday afternoon `news dump.’”
What a mess my alma mater’s football program was in after the hazing scandal emerged and longtime Coach Pat Fitzgerald was canned. I figured the Wildcats would win two games, at most, this season.
Last weekend, NU defeated Utah, 14-7, in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl to put an exclamation point on an 8-5 season. The only time I was more pleasantly shocked: the 1995 Big Ten champion squad that went from perennial doormat to the Rose Bowl.
Psst, you can donate to The Daily Northwestern here.
`Type Headline Here’ (849 views)
This struck a chord, in the spirit of a “where were you when?” related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 22 years ago.
Also, the essay’s popularity flowed in no small part to Charlie Meyerson linking to the piece from his award-winning Chicago Public Square. Thank you for your interest, support and encouragement since I got this thing going, Charlie!
Adventures in Substitute Teaching (660 views)
My debut as a substitute schoolteacher, from kindergarten through high school, was one of the most rewarding subjects I’ve written about.
And I’m glad to report that it has continued to go very well the past two months as I’ve focused my energies on subbing at the local high school—it’s so local, I can walk into a classroom within five minutes of leaving home.
Why I Love Wikipedia (596 views)
…an excerpt:
“Building something, anything of worth tends to be extremely hard. It requires sacrifice. And focus. And perseverance. And specialized skills. And so much more.
By contrast, tearing something down is so easy. All it takes is jealousy or pettiness or greed or anger or insecurity or—you surely get the point. All negative stuff in this corner.
…So, yeah, I ponied up a little money for Wikipedia the other day. It was a vote for creation.”
Join the Backing-Into Brigade (526 views)
One of my more off-the-wall subjects and wow, this one resonated with folks more than I expected. Interestingly, as in the top-read piece (Nickel & Dimed), this has to do with our intimate, sometimes-fragile relationship with our cars (and others’ cars).
So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at the response. And maybe I should write about cars/driving more often.
`I’m Proud of You, Phil’ (457 views)
The most recent column in this Top 10 list, from only 10 days ago.
Update on Phil: I read this column aloud to him during a visit to his studio apartment last week and he wanted to emphasize that the dental office would have required far too many visits for him to get dentures.
And three nights ago, while spending a couple of hours with him, Phil gave me another round of snacks that people give him as he panhandles, a Mickey Mouse shirt that looks great on Bridgett, and a framed picture of a Michelangelo sculpture that Bridgett and I saw during our excursion to Italy back in May.
`You Want to Talk to a Player?’ (453 views)
More than perhaps any other piece, this one caught me by surprise. I went to write about Bobby Knight shortly after the controversial former Indiana University men’s basketball coach passed away.
Instead, this burst forth: long-dormant memories of my unsettling experience, as a 19-year-old college reporter, with then-Northwestern men’s basketball coach Bill Foster.
Saying Goodbye to Alvin (447 views)
My cat died. You can relate, right?
Lots of people can, anyhow, so this feline-tinged obituary clawed its way into the Top 10.
I’ll be back in touch on Wednesday. Meantime, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
I've been reading Tom Nichols' "The Death of Expertise," and largely rejecting the point of view. He has a contrary take on Wikipedia. For a book that champions established knowledge, you have to take a lot of what he says on faith, here and elsewhere. He isn't impressed by the quality of Wkipedia, while you, I, and Jon Gertner are. But as for why he doesn't think it's a good model.
*The editors are volunteers and hobbyists, not professionals and experts.
*It' like "a group homework project."
*There aren't enough editors, there are too many subjects to cover, and even with standards, there's not enough supervision.
*Ninety percent of editors are male, and treatment of non-western subjects leaves a lot to be desired.
*Good encyclopedia entries require synthesis. Non-experts fail except where they collect facts.
One problem with journalists in general is they rarely if ever do follow ups. You should do a f/u on the Pat Fitzgerald story at NU. After all, he was portrayed as a "good guy" and (as near as I can tell) the most successful FB coach in NU history and the BMOC as well. And after his dismissal he sued NU. Curious to know the inside edge on Coach Fitz as we speak.