Michael E. Reagan Jr.
@michaelereaganjr.bsky.social
UMaine alum fond of digressions
My coaches in grade school and high school stressed the importance of learning how to adapt and working together. I’m lucky I didn’t have ones who shouted.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
The Bobby Knight Leadership Test
And the Appeal of Appearing Bad
open.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:34 PM
My coaches in grade school and high school stressed the importance of learning how to adapt and working together. I’m lucky I didn’t have ones who shouted.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
A funny thing about teachers is how they can have an impact, no matter what kind of student you were in their class.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
December 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A funny thing about teachers is how they can have an impact, no matter what kind of student you were in their class.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Although I noticed certain songs played in heavy rotation on AM radio as a child, I liked how I couldn’t predict what would happen next on the air. It was an early example of noticing overdone formats and the excitement of hearing a great new song.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Chat GPT: The Elevator Music of Our Time
Or, Why Punk Rock Matters
open.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Although I noticed certain songs played in heavy rotation on AM radio as a child, I liked how I couldn’t predict what would happen next on the air. It was an early example of noticing overdone formats and the excitement of hearing a great new song.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
A unicorn and a chicken led the charge during the "No Kings 2" protest in Auburn, Maine, last Saturday. That's not a sentence I thought I'd write, but neither is "I waved a sign" to voice my disapproval."
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
October 23, 2025 at 2:43 PM
A unicorn and a chicken led the charge during the "No Kings 2" protest in Auburn, Maine, last Saturday. That's not a sentence I thought I'd write, but neither is "I waved a sign" to voice my disapproval."
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Signs at the No Kings 2 protest, Auburn, Maine
October 18, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Signs at the No Kings 2 protest, Auburn, Maine
Now that I can go online and see the career records of coaches who worked at UMaine, they had a much more difficult job than I imagined. Few were safe after tough seasons.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
College Coach Destinies
And Remembering Overall Work
open.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Now that I can go online and see the career records of coaches who worked at UMaine, they had a much more difficult job than I imagined. Few were safe after tough seasons.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
The restrictions comics faced at the Riyadh Comedy Festival let me channel all the usual uncomfortable thoughts I might have had if I actually visited Saudi Arabia — don't bring up Sept. 11 —and wonder about the kind of unwritten rules in America.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
My Rejected Riyadh Comedy Festival Routine
Finding Material out of What's Not Brought Up
open.substack.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM
The restrictions comics faced at the Riyadh Comedy Festival let me channel all the usual uncomfortable thoughts I might have had if I actually visited Saudi Arabia — don't bring up Sept. 11 —and wonder about the kind of unwritten rules in America.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
The more I think about the history of the Boston Red Sox, it's less about a ball club with lots of bad luck than an organization run by a bigoted guy whose decisions harmed the team for decades.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Boston Red Sox Approaches to Leadership
When Winning isn't Always the Goal
open.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:54 PM
The more I think about the history of the Boston Red Sox, it's less about a ball club with lots of bad luck than an organization run by a bigoted guy whose decisions harmed the team for decades.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Feeling vulnerable as a college student, along with the example of a talented roommate-artist, helped me more than I thought at the time.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
September 25, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Feeling vulnerable as a college student, along with the example of a talented roommate-artist, helped me more than I thought at the time.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Disney Plus subscription is gone. It took 16 minutes on the phone to cancel, but it was worth it.
September 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Disney Plus subscription is gone. It took 16 minutes on the phone to cancel, but it was worth it.
Stories about famous people can show what people value, whether it's a harmless religious weirdo or a rich man who bullied.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Saints and Success Stories
And What's Being Worshipped
open.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Stories about famous people can show what people value, whether it's a harmless religious weirdo or a rich man who bullied.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Kindergarten Confidential: How the Fear of Not Being Able to Attend Kindergarten Turned out to be a Bigger Story than I thought.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
September 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Kindergarten Confidential: How the Fear of Not Being Able to Attend Kindergarten Turned out to be a Bigger Story than I thought.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
College homecoming brings back memories, though in my case, it involved coming to the awkward conclusion that the homecoming king had too much to drink.
michaelereaganjr.substack.com/p/the-homeco...
michaelereaganjr.substack.com/p/the-homeco...
The Homecoming King Was Hammered
And Other Direct Expressions
michaelereaganjr.substack.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:14 AM
College homecoming brings back memories, though in my case, it involved coming to the awkward conclusion that the homecoming king had too much to drink.
michaelereaganjr.substack.com/p/the-homeco...
michaelereaganjr.substack.com/p/the-homeco...
Generations of Ballers
While I once thought everyone in Maine was as crazy about basketball as my family, noticing the differences made me think of the ways in which people look at aggressive play differently when it comes to boys' and girls' high school games.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
While I once thought everyone in Maine was as crazy about basketball as my family, noticing the differences made me think of the ways in which people look at aggressive play differently when it comes to boys' and girls' high school games.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
August 28, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Generations of Ballers
While I once thought everyone in Maine was as crazy about basketball as my family, noticing the differences made me think of the ways in which people look at aggressive play differently when it comes to boys' and girls' high school games.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
While I once thought everyone in Maine was as crazy about basketball as my family, noticing the differences made me think of the ways in which people look at aggressive play differently when it comes to boys' and girls' high school games.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Like all great movies, "Go" has made me reflect on scenes in it, especially the part showing people lying about how high they were getting after they downed baby aspirin sold as ecstasy.
The film made me reflect on the human capacity for denial.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
The film made me reflect on the human capacity for denial.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
August 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Like all great movies, "Go" has made me reflect on scenes in it, especially the part showing people lying about how high they were getting after they downed baby aspirin sold as ecstasy.
The film made me reflect on the human capacity for denial.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
The film made me reflect on the human capacity for denial.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
While I tried to behave as a youngster, everyone in my family knows how much I argued unsuccessfully against going to the beach. I hate it. Mom still loves it. These are our stories.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
August 15, 2025 at 12:52 AM
While I tried to behave as a youngster, everyone in my family knows how much I argued unsuccessfully against going to the beach. I hate it. Mom still loves it. These are our stories.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Librarians who run summer reading programs are unsung heroes. For those who rocked the stacks in the Portland Public Library system in my youth, I salute you.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Summer Reading Programs
Messages Beyond Winners Take All
open.substack.com
August 8, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Librarians who run summer reading programs are unsung heroes. For those who rocked the stacks in the Portland Public Library system in my youth, I salute you.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
My first-grade teacher died at 94, which might be the age where people start to ask, "Did she teach at my school?"
I wanted to write a little more about Sr. Rachel Cushman, to help people remember and maybe pause and pay tribute to teachers they liked.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
I wanted to write a little more about Sr. Rachel Cushman, to help people remember and maybe pause and pay tribute to teachers they liked.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
August 1, 2025 at 12:16 AM
My first-grade teacher died at 94, which might be the age where people start to ask, "Did she teach at my school?"
I wanted to write a little more about Sr. Rachel Cushman, to help people remember and maybe pause and pay tribute to teachers they liked.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
I wanted to write a little more about Sr. Rachel Cushman, to help people remember and maybe pause and pay tribute to teachers they liked.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
The cover photo I'm sharing is of a book I loved as a child. It showed what people did at Fenway Park in Boston before Red Sox games. To those librarians and teachers who take chances on titles to share with children, thank you.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
July 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The cover photo I'm sharing is of a book I loved as a child. It showed what people did at Fenway Park in Boston before Red Sox games. To those librarians and teachers who take chances on titles to share with children, thank you.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Nothing was cooler than a van when I was growing up. Even more cool was a van with airbrushed pictures on the sides.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Van Vulnerability
A Motorized Love Story
open.substack.com
July 18, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Nothing was cooler than a van when I was growing up. Even more cool was a van with airbrushed pictures on the sides.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Beyond all the striped clothing and the large class size, we had a teacher trying to move us in the right direction in the 1970s.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Teacher Moments
And Other Lessons
open.substack.com
July 10, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Beyond all the striped clothing and the large class size, we had a teacher trying to move us in the right direction in the 1970s.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
When I hear about the need for leaders, I think about the people who succeeded despite not acting or looking like the guys who held high positions before, such as the admiral whose statue is in London's Trafalgar Square.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Nelson, Grant, Sherman
Leaders Who Struggled, As Human Beings Do
open.substack.com
July 3, 2025 at 12:59 PM
When I hear about the need for leaders, I think about the people who succeeded despite not acting or looking like the guys who held high positions before, such as the admiral whose statue is in London's Trafalgar Square.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
No, the University of Maine at Orono didn't remain exactly as I remembered it. But when it came to New Student Orientation, the speakers stressed the importance of having conversations with incoming college students and making sure they knew of ways to help.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
June 27, 2025 at 12:16 AM
No, the University of Maine at Orono didn't remain exactly as I remembered it. But when it came to New Student Orientation, the speakers stressed the importance of having conversations with incoming college students and making sure they knew of ways to help.
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Snark Attack: How Humor Improves Everything from Political Protests to Weddings
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
Having Fun during Protests
Irreverence as a Virtue
open.substack.com
June 19, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Snark Attack: How Humor Improves Everything from Political Protests to Weddings
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
open.substack.com/pub/michaele...
“No Kings” rally, Lincoln Park, Portland, Maine
June 14, 2025 at 6:37 PM
“No Kings” rally, Lincoln Park, Portland, Maine