Matt Breen
@matt_breen
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Writing sports features for @PhillyInquirer. Philadelphia native. Temple and Archbishop Ryan grad.
Philadelphia
Joined May 2010
For more than 20 years, @edbarkowitz has ran a toy drive to make sure kids in South Philly get the Christmas they deserve. Friday night, he’ll get another reminder of why he does it.
inquirer.com
Ed Barkowitz has organized the toy drive for 23 years. This year's fundraiser will be on Friday night at Wolf Burger in South Philadelphia.
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Rollouts have “twisted the knife” at Big 5 games for 70 years, but can the tradition endure?
inquirer.com
The clever play-on-words used to be a chance for a student body to take a shot at their rivals from across the court. Now, the rollouts, just like the Big 5, seem to be waning.
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John Cena's grandfather played for the Phillies and threatened to bring them to court after they traded him.
inquirer.com
Decades before his grandson became a movie star, Tony Lupien was traded to the Hollywood Stars. But he just wanted to play first base for the Phillies.
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Paul Staico, the owner of Big Charlie’s Saloon, died Sunday. His bar was known as the place in South Philly to watch the Kansas City Chiefs. But it was more than that to the regulars. “He made you feel at home. He made you feel like part of the family.”
inquirer.com
Many of the people who packed Big Charlie’s Saloon every Sunday had a secret: They weren’t really all that crazy about the Chiefs. "For the most part, they were there for Paul.”
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Kevin Willard may soon have his Rollie Massimino moment at Villanova, but does this Big 5 format make sense for all? It doesn’t for Villanova, and the Wildcats aren’t alone:
inquirer.com
The new format for the City Series breathed some life into one that was getting stale, but it may have run its course because of financial concerns.
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On #GivingTuesday2025, please consider a gift to @TheTempleNews, @WHIPRADIO or @TemplarYearbook, three of our award-winning media outlets at @TUKleincollege. Your support helps create careers and opportunities for our students! Click here to donate ➡️
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Northeast High QB Jayden Boyd was shot in the back on Labor Day while playing video games. Doctors said he was nearly paralyzed. He returns to the field today. “I’m grateful that he’s here. It’s Thanksgiving, for sure.”
inquirer.com
A bullet fractured Boyd's spine when gunfire erupted in Frankford. The quarterback made a full recovery and is set to play some snaps against Central. "It's Thanksgiving, for sure," his mother says.
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Eagles played at home on Thanksgiving night vs Cardinals in 2008. Season falling apart. The tie in Cincy was two weeks earlier. McNabb got pulled week before. They wore black vs. AZ. Told fans to do the same. Birds won 4 of next 5 and went to NFC title game. Just saying.
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Bucko Kilroy was once called the NFL’s dirtiest player. He became much more than that in a six-decade career. @matt_breen:
inquirer.com
Kilroy will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame on Friday. A ferocious two-way lineman in the 1940s and '50s, he spent 64 years in the NFL as a player, coach, scout, and front-office executive.
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The trophy is falling apart, the stands aren't packed like they used to be, and the game is one-sided. Thanksgiving football is fading in Philadelphia but Northeast and Central refuse to let their historic rivalry go away.
inquirer.com
The two Philly high schools say it's the oldest public high school football rivalry in the nation. But it has fallen on hard times. How long can it last?
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They don't make them anymore like Bucko Kilroy.
inquirer.com
Kilroy will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame on Friday. A ferocious two-way lineman in the 1940s and '50s, he spent 64 years in the NFL as a player, coach, scout, and front-office executive.
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Getting hit with a puck at a Flyers game used to induct fans into an exclusive club. You couldn’t buy your way into The Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck. You had to earn it.
inquirer.com
The Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck was created by the Flyers in the 1970s partly as a way to dissuade fans from suing them. But it meant so much that some had the honor in their obituaries.
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That might just be the greatest thing I’ve ever seen happen in a football match
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Kiké Hernández used to shadow Chase Utley when he was finding his way with the Dodgers. He made an Utley-esque play last night to send the World Series to Game 7.
inquirer.com
Utley had his signature October defensive play in 2008 with the Phillies. And now Hernández has his.
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St. Joe's Prep has long been a football powerhouse. But they were once underdogs coached by a bartender and an "undertaker."
inquirer.com
The Catholic League in the early 1960s belonged to La Salle, Monsignor Bonner, and St. James. It certainly did not belong to the school with the coach who drove a hearse.
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I wrote about urination:
inquirer.com
Nature calls Trotter frequently, and the linebacker and his teammates understand why.
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Brent Urcheck lived in South Philly and worked in the front office for the Blue Jays. He died just before the World Series and his friends - he was the guy every friend group needs - have a new favorite team.
inquirer.com
Brent Urcheck, a longtime baseball scout, was 49. He wasn't from Philadelphia, but he epitomized what the city was about, friends say.
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Shohei Ohtani’s performance was epic. But let’s not forget what Rick Wise did: a no hitter vs. lineup of Hall of Famers, two homers, and battling the flu.
inquirer.com
Ohtani hit three homers on Friday night and struck out 10 as the Dodgers swept the Brewers to reach the World Series. Wise did something similar in June of 1971 at Riverfront Stadium.
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Drew and Kevin Wilkins fought over Madden as kids in Doylestown. Now the former La Salle High players are NFL coaches and they face each other on Sunday in London. They’re living the dream.
inquirer.com
Drew Wilkins (Rams) and his brother Kevin (Jaguars) will be on opposite sidelines for the NFL Week 7 matchup in London.
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