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Join us as we discuss the atmosphere, the VIP panel, our favorite moments from the night — and why events like this matter.

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Top news was the day's big development, getting word that Braden Montgomery was headed to Triple-A. Otherwise we took a team-by-team look at the season so far, highlighting the other bests of the best (Caleb Bonemer, Colby Shelton, Rikuu Nishida, Jackson Kelley, and many others).

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She ran the gamut during an hourlong conversation with Brett Ballantini, including a super-secret story she's been working on outside of baseball and reasons for her departure from and return to White Sox fandom.

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Ashley catches us up on what she's been doing during her SSS "sabbatical" — working at San Diego Studios as a live designer for MLB The Show.

We also unlock the secrets of why she came back to SSS, whether she stepped away at all from the White Sox, and whether her sunny outlook on the 2026 White Sox has dimmed in light of the "slow start" to the season.

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During the conversation, Catherine shared her hopes of the Rays “getting their shit together” after a lot of veterans left in the offseason.

Chrystal and Catherine ended the episode discussing food options at ballparks and the controversy surrounding fun new items, and the importance of spelling names correctly.

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Lastly, Kevin talked about his visit to Rate Field last season and hot takes for 2026. The biggest: Tony Vitello might not last long with the Giants, given he’s on a similar trajectory as an old friend of the White Sox and Royals — Pedro Grifol.

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If you don’t like Pete Alonso, this episode might not be for you. But they chatted about his move from the Mets and the good he does in the community.

The Orioles had quite the offseason, and have looked good so far this year. Heather also shared her insight on what to expect when the White Sox see the O’s, and what she hopes to see this season in both Baltimore and around the league.

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There was discussion, of course, of the two amazing arms who opened up the game, and the reasoning behind letting Grant Taylor throw only nine pitches in the contest.

Finally, it was time to deliver some plaudits to Ozzie Guillén, whose jersey will be retired in August.

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The podcast also includes a brief weather update, predictions for the series outcome and a deeper dive into the malaise and lack of focus that has so far marked the 2026 club.

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Chrystal and Ruth also got a little romantic about baseball, especially the World Baseball Classic.

Plus Ruth shared predictions about Dylan Cease, working through injury worries and woes, and figuring out threats, fears, and keys to the Blue Jays winning the series before sharing her hot takes and picking division winners.

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A walkthrough of Marlins pitching and struggles is reminiscent of the 2025 and possibly 2026 White Sox, with a lot of rookies or second season players holding down the fort for an owner who won’t spend money. They also talked about the new rules and first hand experience with ABS.

You can find Ely on Twitter and Bluesky, and over at Fish On First.

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However, as much as the loss was like Malachi's recent dental procedure, it is just one of 162 games, so the quartet attempts to focus on the positives both from this game and the season to come.

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But that aside, we of course put particular focus on the White Sox, from season record to player MVP, and many categories in-between.

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Post-break, Jordan talked about what to expect from the pitching matchups – like Jacob Misiorowski's triple digit fastballs and 80-90 mph curveballs. Chrystal and Jordan theorized on who the biggest threat could be to the White Sox, chatted about fears heading into the series, and keys for the Brewers to take the series.

Before wrapping up, Chrystal took a quick vibe check for the 2026 season as a whole, not just through a myopic lens. Lastly, they discussed the World Baseball Classic and how rancid Team USA appeared to be.

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From the big-league bats of Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery to the potential of top prospects like Braden Montgomery and Noah Schultz, the ladies make bold predictions and break down why this season promises to be anything but boring.

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Then they go into the good possibilities (Munetaka Murakami, middle infield and catcher), the bad (outfield) and the possibly awful (starting pitching), wending their way through names and skills (or lack thereof).

The conclusion? The AL Central is going to be so absolutely horrible except for the Tigers that ... well, will keep you in suspense on that.

Plus, they take a look at the very crowded middle infield situation ... especially down the road apiece ... and decide who is best just cut loose to seek his fortune elsewhere. Or to maybe, possibly, with a whole lot of luck, bring back an outfielder.

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• The feeling of having baseball back after a long winter
• With momentum moving forward into 2026, what are realistic expectations of these White Sox?
• Why do so many, within the fan base and outside of it, see this team as another 100-loss group?
• Hannah has been assembling her game schedule, Kristina has gone in for not one but TWO Opening Days, and Chrystal is all-in for Hello Kitty and Emo Nights, but who has made the biggest investment in tickets?
• The improvements, and setbacks, of this White Sox roster vs. 2025

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Brett Ballantini hosted Kristina Airdo, Hannah Filippo and Chrystal O'Keefe who took some time to celebrate the highlights of the Fest, including:

• Personal interaction with players, including Anthony Kay and Kyle Teel
• Grandmaster Miguel Vargas
• A 100% choreographed Town Hall
• A continued lack of direction and cohesiveness at a small venue
• Positive vibes, through the roof

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The good: Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, Friday winning, the signing of Munetaka Murakami, some Rule 5 success!

The bad: The bullpen and the rapid descent of the franchise to an all-time worst state

Plus, some hot takes on Teel and Quero playing together in games and whether the White Sox are a lock to lose 100 or finish in last place again in 2026

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The pair address the pros and cons of the move, as well as the anticipated effects the signing will have on the team, roster and front office. And yes, Brett mostly manages proper name pronunciation but, interestingly, turns Murakami's nickname from MoonAY into MoonEE throughout.

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As for actions that have already happened, there’s a polite shrug of the shoulders for most offseason actions so far. The exception being mystification at using up two of your allotted 13 pitcher slots for 2026 on a couple of Rule 5 picks who have never played above Single-A, one of whom only threw 14 innings last year – the mystery basically being solved by, “Well, it’s the White Sox.”

Then there’s the perpetual chat about what to do with Luis Robert Jr. and any other trade prospects, by which we mean Kyle Teel.

Plus, best wishes for the new year for all White Sox fans, because we need all the best wishes we can get.

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Last Wednesday, they attended the Chicago White Sox’s Game Changers Summit, an event celebrating underrepresented voices in sports. The evening featured a live recording of Sidelined with Brooke Fletcher and Dani Klupenger, who were joined by special guest and Chicago-area native Kylen Mills for a candid conversation about storytelling, representation, and the evolving role of women in sports media.

Special thanks to Sheena Quinn, the Sox’s VP of public relations, for inviting us to witness this inspiring discussion firsthand.

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Highlights and lowlights from each prognosticator:

• Brett: Nailing the rookies and finishing second overall ... but picking the White Sox for 120 losses
• Melissa: Feeling good about the Yankees ... but thinking Andrew Vaughn would be team MVP
• Hannah: Picking Miguel Vargas as team MVP ... but finishing second-to-last
• Joe: Picking Aaron Judge as MVP ... but having Atlanta go all the way

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• First off, the host can't even get the podcast episode correct, ah well
• Is the improvement in the second half real, or a mirage? There is evidence to support hope as well as cynicism; as Malachi puts it, best to just dip your toe in the waters of optimism, it's the White Sox after all
• Prediction we can immediately agree on: The White Sox and their lottery luck will find a way to NOT end up with the first overall pick in next summer's draft
• Second-most intriguing prediction(s): The White Sox will dump Andrew Benintendi or Luis Robert Jr.
• Most intriguing prediction: Either Kyle Teel or Edgar Quero will be traded

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Here is what was discussed:

• Chrystal's reaction to the White Sox season
• Bayleigh's reaction to the Red Sox season
• The Mets spent $300 million and went nowhere
• How are the Brewers so good, and is it sustainable?
• Daaa Yankeeees lose, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Derek Jeter's lack of personality
• Tigers or Mariners
• Phillies or Dodgers
• Cubs or Brewers
• Not supporting facists or homophobes
• The first time in almost a decade without the Yankees or Astros in the ALCS
• Locking up Pete Alonso, and celebrating retirements and new babies
• 2026 predictions for both Sox teams

You can follow Bayleigh on Twitter and Chrystal on Bluesky.

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They also delve into the firing of four coaches the day after the season ended, most notably the dismissal of pitching coach Ethan Katz, who seemed to have done a very good job with a young and not particularly talented staff, many of whom were castoffs from other teams. What do Chris Getz and Will Venable have in mind? All they let on was the usual p.r. b.s.release, which no reporter with access to the team has bothered to follow up on.

And, of course, because the podcast was recorded the morning before the start the playoffs, they make their predictions for the Wild Card round, not all of them totally sensible, but, what the heck, why not go with the gut. Or heart. Or anything but brain.

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• Hmm ... the return of Soxivus?
• Reviewing the final stats and standings for what ultimately was a disappointing White Sox team, whether you are on Team Chrystal (optimism) or Team Brett (pessimism)
• Vibe check on the 2025 White Sox, which features the brimming glass of David, Melissa's utter confusion, Chrystal's cautious optimism, and Joe's lingering doubts
• Brett challenges the sunny among us, particularly David and Chrystal, to explain what they anticipate in 2026 that will reward their faith
• Coaching staff changes for 2026, in light of Monday's breaking development that everyone but the manager was canned
• Is it fair to give Will Venable a pass for all the close losses the White Sox endured this season, and/or for a Pythagorean record that's 11 wins better than actual?
• Speed round: breakout player of 2026, 2026 win total, and ... with the White Sox be a last-place team next year?

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• A rundown of the ins and outs of where the White Sox now stand (seventh-worst White Sox team ever) and can still fall to (sixth-worst ever)
• And with that, the second-half record is looking uglier; does the flat tire ending 2025 leave a bad taste in your mouth for 2026?
• Will the White Sox set a new losses high for this 2022-25 "era?" Two more losses will give the club the 11th-worst "era" in major league history
• It is the first time on the South Side, but how rare is losing 100 games three seasons in a row?
• Breaking down the club in terms of moving forward: the keepers, the pretenders, and the position moves that would make the most sense for a better 2026

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Believe it or not, some positives were discussed:

• Gut check! We all weigh in on how the season has transpired and the (brief) spike in performance in the second half; Dante's glass is half-full, Hannah has seen the floor and it's ugly
• On that note, this one's a freebie, White Sox Marketing Dept.: Chicago White Sox 2026: Everybody Has Shown Their Floor
• Concerns: No true reinforcements coming from Charlotte next year, with Hannah noting the lack of arms and Brett exposing the fact that there are ZERO bats on the cusp. Dante? He just wants Andrew Benintendi off of his team
• Brett reveals just how bad the past three seasons have been, against the backdrop of all of major league history
• Concerns heading into 2026
• A brief digression into hate for the Crosstown team and an examination of rookies flying away from the team while in a playoff positioning fight
• Colson Montgomery crashed the majors prematurely, and that gamble paid off. Will that encourage the White Sox to be risky in moving players up ... and is that a good or bad thing?
• Does the flat tire at the very end of this season stain our outlook for 2026?
• Early, early, early predictions on the 2026 win total

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Yankees
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. just became the third Yankees player to join the 30-30 club
• Removing the antiquated facial hair policy
• Rediscovering players' personalities
• How the Yankees did at the trade deadline
• Rushing Anthony Volpe and allowing him to play through an injury
• The magic number and how the Yankees might do in the postseason
• Aaron Judge's chances to win another MVP
• Voter fatigue and only caring about two teams is not helping the league grow
• What to expect from Yankees' pitching
• A lot of Carlos Rodón love and appreciation
• Ashley Rodón's tweets
• Spring Training curing seasonal depression and Lucas Giolito talking about pitching
• Biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• The AL Wild Card race has been fun to watch
• Waiting for the Dodgers to fall off
• A little Astros hate and reliving the 2017 postseason

You can follow Stacey on Bluesky, and subscribe to Locked On Yankees on YouTube.

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Padres?
• The Wild Card is within reach
• What the metrics show vs. how the team is playing
• Was the trade deadline good for San Diego?
• Postseason odds and what needs to go right
• Dylan Cease is on his bad year
• Yu Darvish has not been the same since returning from the IL
• Worried about what Colson Montgomery will do
• Biggest threats to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• The White Sox trades that will haunt, and old friends
• Starting pitching and bullpen stress
• Fears heading into the series
• Will we have repeat Cy Young and MVP winners?
• Cal Raleigh is very good and Aaron Judge is a robot
• Etsy witches are making the Mariners win?
• Stop using Twitter

You can find Aaron on Bluesky.

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Here is what Liz and Chrystal talked about in this episode:

• What's new and what happened to the Orioles this season?
• The injury bug hit hard
• Shady front office business, season ticket fiascos, and only signing Charlie Morton
• Growing pains with private equity ownership
• The last great draft year
• A terrible trade deadline in Baltimore
• What the Orioles need to do in the offseason
• Renovations and fixing a bad fan experience
• Pitching expectations for this series
• Who is the biggest thread to the White Sox?
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears leading into the series
• Anthony Rizzo's return to the Cubs
• Paul Skenes and the fun and young pitchers this season
• Letting go of expectations for your team to have more fun
• LOL Mets!
• The 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

You can find Liz on Bluesky.

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• Overall take on how the Sox have looked lately
• Biggest differences between the first half and the second half of the season
• Young talent and rookies who have impressed the most
• Recent games and series that demonstrate where the team is headed
• Players most likely to stick around for 2026
• Thoughts on Will Venable’s approach so far this season
• Offseason moves that could put the Sox on a better track
• Realistic timeline for the Sox to get back into contention

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Rays?
• Will things change or stay the same with new ownership?
• Rookies getting their feet wet
• The future of the Trop
• How baseball stadiums feel like home
• Losing Taj Bradley and Curtis Mead
• Pitching matchups
• The Rays' 2025 motto: "It's a surprise!"
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Bringing back plate discipline
• Keys to winning and fears heading into the series
• That Dodgers vs. Orioles game, from a Dodgers fan
• No juggernaut team this year
• Fearing the Pope
• Cal Raleigh's historic run
• Getting your name spelled wrong on TV

You can follow the adventures of Catherine and her cat Cocoa (but only the latter when her teams are winning) on Bluesky and X/Twitter.

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• A rundown of all six teams in the system
• Do the White Sox have an overt (or vested) interest in having their key starting arms sidestep Charlotte?
• Would strong outfield play — using recent call-back Dominic Fletcher as the fulcrum — affect the decision of whether or not to pick up Luis Robert Jr.'s $20 million option for 2026 (Joe and Brett agree on the decision that should be made!)
• A salute to the playoff-bound Birmingham Barons, plus special citations for the key figures in a second straight season of stellar starting pitching
• A bit of a deep dive into Jeral Perez's season, and whether he's still on an accelerated pace to the majors
• Who will ultimately have the greater impact in the majors, 2024 trade deadline pieces Miguel Vargas or Perez? (Again, Joe and Brett agree!)
• Beyond All-Everything Caleb Bonemer, who is another intriguing name among the many middle infield prospects?
• Congrats to Lucas Gordon for his call-up to Double-A, it is well-deserved

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Here is what they discussed:

• What's new with the Tigers?
• It's been a long summer for fans
• Javy Báez is starting to come back down to earth
• Trade deadline woes — Detroit prospects weren't going to be traded, even though another bat was needed
• Is first place still safe?
• Pitching, both starters and the bullpen, is a mess
• What to expect from the pitching matchup, spoiler: It's chaos
• Biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• Not taking the White Sox seriously
• Fears heading into the series
• The rookies are too good
• Staying away from Wrigley Field
• The World Series needs more diverse teams
• Indiana vs. OKC series was ideal

You can find Rogelio on Twitter, both his personal account and his work accounts (Motor City Metrics and Tigers ML Report).

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• Tania's unique pilgrimage to becoming a White Sox fan
• How she's managed to survive the trying past couple of seasons
• Who does she currently enjoy watching
• What is her opinion about the future of this team
• Her win prediction for the end of the season

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

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• Cal Raleigh up to 49 home runs, most-ever for a catcher
• How are the Brewers this good?
• Colson Montgomery is so good (and thank you for Kyle Teel)
• Zack Wheeler needs Thoracic Outlet Surgery
• MLB realignment?
• Families receiving horrific DMs
• MLB is finalizing a deal with ESPN, Netflix, and NBC Sports on a three-year media rights contract
• BBWAA to start honoring relief pitcher of the year in 2026
• The Yankees were absolutely destroyed by the Red Sox
• How does Aaron Boone still have a job?
• Red Sox send Walker Buehler to the bullpen and promote The Password
• Red Sox sign Nathanial Lowe, after he was DFA’d by the Nationals
• Season-ending hernia surgery for Austin Riley
• After mere weeks in MLB, the Orioles ink backstop Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension
• Jen Pawol, MLB’s first female umpire, is back up!
• Matt Olson played in his 741st consecutive game, passing Braves legend Dale Murphy
• Twin Peaks and Lucas Giolito
• Braves already released Erick Fedde

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With both teams dwelling at the bottom of the division, Brandon had plenty to say about the fire sale and rebuild. Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Twins
• Navigating injuries
• The news guys are trying to get acclimated, and every day is like Spring Training
• Post-deadline ERA
• Making sense of the fire sale and rebuild
• Brandon's optimistic attitude
• Falling apart in Sacramento and not being able to inject life into a team limping toward the finish line
• Pitching matchups and bullpen games
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Scoring runs early and often to win games
• Fears heading into the series
• The Brewers are using data in their favor
• Will it be a Brewers and Blue Jays World Series?
• Exhausted by the Yankees and Dodgers

You can find Brandon on X, and on both Access Twins and Locked On Twins.

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Braves?
• Why does Atlanta keep picking up former White Sox pitchers?
• Buck Showalter rumors
• The youth movement and useless veterans
• A season in limbo
• The trade deadline bust
• Not feeling great about the rest of the season
• Pitching matchups and what games the White Sox pitching squad might win
• Spencer Strider's routine
• Pitchers with autism
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Fears heading into the series
• Keys to winning the series
• The weird second half struggles featuring the Mets, Yankees and Tigers
• Pete Alonso is holding Chrystal's sanity hostage
• What fringe team will get hot at the right time?
• Hayden Christensen's time at Wrigley Field
• The anniversary of the White Sox being eliminated

You can follow Tommy on Bluesky.

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• Nancy's professional background in singing, dancing, and acting
• Her deep family ties to the South Side
• A very special passion project that blends her love for Chicago sports with her passion for the arts

You connect with Nancy on her website at https://www.nancy-hays.com/. Be sure to check out her upcoming performance on Saturday, August 16, in Grant Park, starting with dance lessons at 6:00 p.m.

Don't forget to jump on over to the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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You don't have to listen to the podcast to determine who won the debate: If you are a "gut" fan, you might like my arguments, while if you like reasoned analysis and optimism, Malachi is your guy. (By the way, first round went to Hayes, as Houser had his worst start of the season to open his Rays career.)

This was mostly Houser and related debate, but we did move on to other things:

• Shout-out to pandemic-era media, as multiple technical snafus found the two of us back on Zoom for the podcast!
• Some of the crux of Brett's biscuit with Houser comes from some raw (albeit small sample-size) stats: No pitcher of 11 games or fewer with the White Sox has ever done better than Houser's 3.0 WAR — and you have to get to 18 games before you find a better (short) season. Additionally, over 125 seasons of White Sox history there have been just 18 better 11-game stretches better than Houser's 2.10 ERA ... and just seven have come in the DH era, and two this century
• Malachi counters that such stats make it even more urgent/compelling to deal Houser now, without (much) regard to the return. While Brett largely rejects the logic, Malachi pointed out that this deadline runs along the lines of 2024's, where a similiar-ish trade was made in sending out Erick Fedde for Miguel Vargas
• At some point, do you start collecting quality players rather than continuing to build for the future? Whether Houser is one of those guys, or Fedde was, SOMEONE has to be a building block instead of a trade piece
• Through process of elimination Brett isolated Malachi's best-case competitive window opening for the White Sox to be 2027. Brett is more of the 2029 belief
• As time ran out on our free Zoom, Malachi and Brett discussed some of the brighter developments of 2025: Edgar Quero, Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery

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• The Trade Deadline: Winners? Losers?
• What on earth is AJ Preller thinking?
• Carlos Correa returned to his cheating ex
• The Mariners made big moves
• The Phillies picked up several pieces, and the Twins had a fire sale
• The Yankees picked up some terrible pitchers, and one is already back in Triple A
• The Rangers get Merrill Kelly
• A few Mets moves, including Cedric Mullins
• The Biebs is in Toronto
• Busy but bad trade deadline for the Red Sox
• Musician Jack White reveals he has completed his mission of visiting every MLB ballpark.
• The Speedway Classic or Fyre Festival 2.0
• The Marlins swept the Yankees!
• How are the Brewers the best team in baseball?
• Tanner Houck's time with the Red Sox might be over now that he's undergoing Tommy John surgery
• Lucas Giolio, on the other hand, is turning it around post-injury
• The White Sox hot streak and youth movement
• Ryne Sandberg passed away at 65 after a long battle with cancer
• Hall of Fame inductions and crying during speeches
• Julio Rodriguez completed the 20/20 campaign, the second Mariner to do it this season
• Wrigley Field gets the 2027 All-Star Game

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Topics? Yeah, we got 'em:

• A rundown of all six teams in the system, spotlighting the likelihood that due to some "tiebreaker" shenanigans in the Arizona Complex League just one White Sox affiliate will make the postseason in 2025
• Breaking down what has made Shane Murphy so special in 2025 ... yet still outside of the MLB Pipeline Top 30 for the club
• And a related point, maybe pay more attention to an outlet like ours, ranking 100 prospects, than MLB and its oversights ... or anyone else, for that matter
• How is Birmingham doing what they're doing?
• Joe rescues his poor host before the break by remembering that possibly the best pitching in the entire system is NOT Shane Murphy ... but teammate Tanner McDougal. Apologies, Tanner
• A dive into scary-close to .500 Charlotte, a photo negative of Birmingham with massive mashing and no arms. If manager Sergio Santos, with one title under his belt so far, has a secret ... what is it?
• Joe reps the Dash, because no one else will
• Christian Gonzalez, the extraordinary DSL youngster so good the White Sox gave him the unprecedented call-up to Arizona IN-SEASON
• The sadness of seeing some blue-chip prospects stall out
• A final quickie round, who is your favorite prospect in the White Sox system right now?

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Here is what they discussed:

• What's new with the Mariners
• How we talk about players during the trade deadline is a little gross
• The Mariners are good but not great right now
• Pitching matchups: Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert
• The 17-game stretch leading up to this series
• Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez with a 20/20 season, and others are on the way
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Blackout restrictions suck
• Bluesky has been great for connecting with other baseball people and checking in on their teams
• Do Angels fans exist?
• Rob Manfred is bad for baseball
• The game isn't growing despite the Olympics and World Baseball Classic
• Will there be a 2027 lockout?

You can follow Claire on Bluesky.

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The duo also consider the strong possibility the AL Central is headed back to its usual doldrums after a brief sojourn into adequacy in 2024, and commiserate with Guardians star José Ramírez, who deserves a better fate than playing for a team that doesn’t seem to care any more.

Of course, there is fun talking about the post-All Star break offensive surge for the White Sox, and chat about just how real Colson Montgomery should be considered at this point.

Speaking of fun, there are also a few chortles about how little the other team in town did on the trading front, with best wishes for the team north of the state line to whip them soundly.

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Brett Haffner is back to chat with Chrystal about the Phillies and help preview the upcoming series.

Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Phillies
• Weird games
• Kyle Schwarber's All-Star Game experience
• Is Bryce Harper coming around?
• Trade deadline wishes
• The glaring issues at the bottom of the batting order
• Is Brett more optimistic post-break?
• What to expect from Phillies pitchers
• Who is the biggest threat to the White Sox?
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Could the White Sox cause a momentum shift for the contending Phillies?
• The Diamondbacks have a stronghold over the league for the trade deadline
• Where does Erick Fedde go?
• The White Sox are finally fun bad

You can follow Brett on X, where he also posts content from Sox On 35th.

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Here is a bit of what they talked about:

• What's new with the Cubs
• The recent dip to second place and foundational cracks being exposed
• A hot streak from the Brewers
• Trade deadline needs if you want to be a serious contender
• Cubs players turning into pumpkins
• Pete Crow Armstrong's funk
• Pitching matchups
• Adrian Houser's trade value
• Jerry Reinsdorf's hate is deserved
• Threats to the Cubs and on the Cubs
• Keys to winning the series
• Sunday scaries — pitching edition
• Social media is bad for baseball
• Baseball movies, and introducing kids to 90's classics

You can follow Nick on X and Bluesky. His podcast, NickFlix is available on Spotify and Apple.

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Whether you're a die-hard White Sox fan or a Cubs Fan, there's something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because this divided family trio hit a home run conversing about all things baseball, including:

• Assessing the current form of both the White Sox and Cubs coming into the series.
• Looking out for specific player performances.
• Discussing different aspects of the rivalry.
• Balancing allegiances for the resident Bollenbach Sox and Cubs fan.
• Wondering if a Sox vs. Cubs World Series is ever a possibility.
• Predicting the outcomes of the weekend.

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

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• Mac Miller Day and the White Sox putting up over 20 runs against the Pirates
• Red Sox lose 10-game winning streak, now have lost 2 in a row to the Cubs
• Are the Red Sox for real? Will Craig make additions at the deadline?
• Number 1 overall pick in the draft, Eli Willits, signs for $8.2 million with the Nationals
• The cutest thing out of the draft was the Rockies taking Ethan Holliday at four
• A’s have the lowest attendance in MLB at the break
• Ronald Acuna’s wildly impressive throw against the Yankees
• Mets retire 5 for David Wright
• Guardians extend pitcher Luis Ortiz’s leave of absence in the wake of the gambling scandal
• Pitcher Aaron Sanchez is trying to make a comeback
• Tigers are on a 6-game losing streak
• Brewers are on a heater, 9th straight win after mounting a comeback against the Dodgers
• Daniel Bard and Yasmani Grandal have retired
• The HR Derby and the AS Game Swing-off
• The no-shows at this year's draft and how Scott Boras ruins everything
• Ketel Marte's home was burglarized
• MLB players have been advised by MLBPA to keep legal documents with them, amid ICE raids
• Dane Dunning traded from the Rangers to the Braves ahead of the deadline
• MLB is open to letting players participate in the 2028 Olympics
• Will Judge or Raleigh break 73?

You can keep up with Bayleigh on Twitter/X. Chrystal is primarily on Bluesky but sometimes on Twitter/X.

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Rays?
• Steinbrenner Stadium and the idiosyncrasies of playing at a smaller (and dome-less) ballpark
• Rating the offseason and addressing needs at the quickly approaching trade deadline
• The Rays need bullpen arms
• Is there any wiggle room in the American League East?
• Making the playoffs in a tight division
• The downfall of the Baltimore Orioles
• Pitching matchups
• The threat that is Yandy Díaz
• Can the Rays control the running game by staying aggressive on the base paths?
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Bullpen vs. bullpen is close games
• The Blue Jays are finally better
• Cal Raleigh — a pleasure to have on our screens
• How are the Astros still in first place?
• And moreover, how are the Brewers in second place with no offense?
• Charlotte Knights and Tim Elko

You can follow Jason on Bluesky. He also has a weekly column for all your fantasy baseball needs on RotoWire. Lastly, you can listen to his podcast The Sleeper and the Bust on FanGraphs.

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• Observations on the 2005 World Series reunion weekend.
• Reflections regarding the passing of Bobby Jenks.
• Thoughts on the Mark Buehrle statue unveiling.
• Opinions on the next White Sox player to get a statue or number retired?
• Speculation on the second half of the season.

It's hard to believe there are only 65 games left in 2025. Thank you so much for sticking with us. We look forward to continuing our conversations with some fantastic ladies in the second half!

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

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Here is what Chrystal and Graves talked about:

• What's new with the Pirates?
• Firing managers and poor ownership
• How the Pirates and White Sox are nearly the same
• Remembering Dave Parker
• Yinzerpalooza weekend and Mac Miller Day
• Paul Skenes gets the All-Star start for the National League
• Pittsburgh's inability to develop prospects
• Ben Cherington and the distrust among fans
• Minor leaguers get called up and don't play
• Will Bob Nutting ever wake up?
• Trade deadlines
• A potential lockout in 2027?
• Pitching previews
• Andrew McCutchen lovefest
• Who is the biggest threat to the White Sox?
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears of being swept, or at least losing two of three
• Automated Ball-Strike system is coming soon
• The league is ready for a salary cap and floor
• What happened to the torpedo bats?

You can find Graves on X and Bluesky.

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The Sox are gaining a lot of praise from professional evaluators for first-round pick Billy Carlson, an infielder from California who no doubt will have the huge success of their last California infielder first-round selection. Of course, that particular success has come in just the last month, not during the four-plus years Andrew Vaughn spent as a failure before getting traded to Milwaukee.

Then there’s the All-Star game itself, which did not feature Adrian Houser and his 2.9 bWAR in less than half a season, but instead had Shane Smith as the Sox representative, apparently chosen by people who last saw a game on June 10 — since when Smith has given up 23 earned runs in 18 1⁄3 innings.

In more crucial off-field matters, the two ooh and aah over a story eight teams have shown interest in Luis Robert Jr. and his 67 OPS+, but have more hope a decent set of prospects could be had for Houser or Mike Tauchman — or maybe some combination of all three. Or maybe some contender will take Robert if they can also have the recipe for the Campfire Milkshake.

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Guardians
• A bad stretch and mounting frustrations
• Pitching has not been an issue
• Trade rumors
• Rating the offseason and trade deadline hopes
• Can the Guardians catch up to the Tigers, or are they destined to try for a Wild Card spot this season?
• Running out of room for improvement
• How Pat feels about the season
• All-Star picks
• What to expect from Guardians pitchers
• What the bullpen lacks
• Biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Pitchers are starting to go longer
• The ASG in Atlanta

You can find Patrick Ellington Jr. in many places! You can follow him on Bluesky and/or Twitter. I would also recommend reading his work on Substack.

You can also read his work on Baseball Prospectus and SABR.

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• A quick rundown of all six teams in the system, only one of which is in line for postseason play at the moment
• The incredible MLB debut of Colson Montgomery, as both Joe and Brett express some shot, but also some caution, over the early bounty of the new White Sox shortstop
• Are three starts enough to panic over Noah Schultz and his questionable matriculation to Charlotte? No, of course not ... right?
• Hagen Smith is back from exile injury vacation tuneup, but there's not much at all to piece through yet
• Out of the break, a moment of remembrance for Bobby Jenks
• Shane Murphy, please do not go to Charlotte — proceed directly to the South Side
• Tanner McDougal amazing redemption. Also, we out the clown who listed Tanner at No. 99 on his preseason White Sox Top 100 prospects
• Braden Montgomery joins Schultz in the Futures Game on Saturday, a tidy honor; will he see Bham later this summer?

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• Being a die-hard Cubs fan AND rooting for the White Sox! How is that even possible?
• Her experience as a female baseball fan, especially for two teams in such a passionate sports city like Chicago.
• What is so special about baseball that truly captures her heart and keeps her coming back as a fan?
• A favorite player who has been on both sides of town. Who is it, and why is she such a fan?

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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Here is what Stephanie and Chrystal talked about:

• What's new with the Rockies
• Reaching win No. 10 in June
• Bud Black's firing
• Is there déjà vu or a true difference between the 2024 White Sox and 2025 Rockies?
• Rating the offseason
• Trade deadline dread
• Not feeling optimistic about the season
• All-Star Game picks
• Someone has to win this series, but what team?
• Pitching matchups
• Who on the Rockies is a threat to the White Sox?
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Stephanie's fantasy team is thriving
• How Chrystal and Stephanie spent their wedding days at their ballparks
• Family traditions
• Jason Benetti being fumbled
• At least the Tigers are good

You can follow Stephanie on Bluesky.

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As for individuals, the chat naturally spent a lot of time on Luis Robert Jr. and the possibility there’s no possibility of getting more than a basket of used baseballs for him by the trade deadline, despite at least one professional analyst saying he does have value, honest. That just as naturally led to discussion of other trade chips, such as they are, with pessimism anything could be had for Andrew Benintendi without eating bazillions of salary dollars. But there's optimism that some lesser lights who have played like brighter lights, such as Mike Tauchman and Adrian Houser, might do very well on the market, along with relievers Mike Vasil and Steven Wilson.

That in turn led to a look at Baseball-Reference’s team Wins Above Average by position chart, in which Sox starting pitchers and catchers fare well (Top 10), the much-maligned-before-the-season bullpen comes in about average (16th) and every other position rates 25th or worse. Once again, thank you, Colorado Rockies.

Oh, yeah — we expressed admiration for Chase Meidroth, had our usual disagreement about the value of Miguel Vargas, continued to wonder how to evaluate the mysterious pluses and minuses of Lenyn Sosa.

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Here is what was discussed:

• Tavi's time on movie and TV sets relating to baseball
• What's new with the Dodgers
• Some timetables on pitching returns and Tyler Glasnow's rehab stint
• Ben Casparius
• Was Shohei Ohtani rushed back into pitching, or was it to avoid sheer pandemonium?
• Thoughts on the season so far
• Meeting needs in the offseason
• All-Star Game picks
• When the news about Ohtani was signing broke
• Kiké Hernández is a gem
• Remembering Fernando Valenzuela and Vin Scully
• Pitching matchups and what to expect
• Bullpen games galore!
• Who is the biggest threat for the White Sox? Spoiler alert: it isn't Ohtani
• Keys to taking the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Juan Soto settling in
• The Angels have been quietly good
• Fascination with the Tigers and wishing Jack Flaherty the best
• Why do White Sox fans still love the team?

You can find Tavi on Bluesky and follow her Instagram for behind the scenes baseball stadium pictures.

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• What excites each of us most about the position the White Sox are in at the moment?
• Assessing Will Venable's first half-season as a manager
• What is most troubling about the place the White Sox now sit, still a mere five games better than the 121-loss club of a year ago?
• Taking a hard, not fawning, look at the Noah Schultz promotion
• Is there about where each of us expected to be as fans at the 81-game mark of 2025?
• Speed round: Will the second half be better or worse for the White Sox, as well as thoughts on a final loss total 
• Will Colorado break the modern mark for losses? Some of us feel the Rockies will BLOW PAST 121

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Here is what they talked about in a longer and somewhat silly episode:

• What's new with the Giants?
• Have you heard of a player named Rafael Devers?
• Buster Posey's new role
• Rating the offseason moves and trade deadline needs
• Can the Giants keep up the good momentum as the Dodgers start to regain arms?
• All-Star Game picks and funny memories
• The ticking time clock that is Tommy John
• Tim Lincecum, because of course!
• Pitching matchups
• Keys to winning the series
• Players to watch out for
• Fears heading into the series
• The poor Colorado Rockies
• What on earth is happening with the Orioles?
• Adley Rutschman, I Think You Should Leave, and the Driving Crooner

Follow Britt on Bluesky.

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Career Reflections Julie discussed some of her on-the-air experiences, including one that got a bit scary, as well as some of her professional highlights, including covering the Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire home run chase. She recently saw Sammy at an event! Did he recognize her? Tune in to find out!

2025 Season Expectations Julie shared her thoughts on the White Sox organization's current state and how soon she thinks the team will be competitive again. We promise not to hold her accountable.

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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Here is what the ladies talked about:

• The Rafael Devers of it all, featuring internet trolls
• Dennis Santana's suspension after trying to hit a fan
• The Dodgers and Padres feud, and how LA gets away with everything
• Will Tyler Glasnow ever be healthy?
• Sammy Sosa's return to Wrigley and how the Cubs ruined Steve Bartman's life
• Nolan Arenado, Juan Soto, and Andrew McCutchen's milestones
• Good stadiums with bad teams, and judging Fenway
• PR nightmare: Clayton Kershaw, ICE, and Nezza
• Shohei Ohtani is pitching again, and Chrystal has a theory
• Injuries and updates
• Ron Washington's health scare
• Wander Franco's trial is coming to a close
• Boomer takes about pitchers pitching
• Miguel Vargas appreciation

You can keep up with Bayleigh on Twitter/X. Chrystal is primarily on Bluesky but sometimes on Twitter/X.

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Here is what was discussed:

• What's new with the Blue Jays?
• With the AL up for grabs, can the Blue Jays snag a wild card spot?
• Trade deadline moves
• Rating the offseason
• Anthony Santander didn't pull any offseason interest. Is that a bad omen?
• Needing another starting pitcher who isn't 40 and injury-prone
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: the extension and concerns
• All-Star Game picks
• Pitching predictions
• Will this series be even with no sign of power hitters?
• Keys to taking the series
• Fears heading into the series
• The bullpens are being taxed, and starters are not going deep enough
• Detroit domination
• Paul Skenes needs run support, and perhaps a new team to thrive
• Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound
• Rafael Devers trade
• Accessibility and marketing for players, blackout restrictions, cable and being priced out of baseball

You can follow Ruth on Bluesky and subscribe to her Substack for more musings.

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Prospect check-in: A rundown on the latest prospect promotion, Grant Taylor. Also, overall thoughts on the performances of Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel.

Trade thoughts: Has Luis Robert Jr. made himself more tradeable with an overall improvement over the last few weeks? The ladies are shocked by La Pantera's DRS in 2025.

White Sox trends and troubles: Will they be as bad this year as last? Are there some positive signs that things are improving? Are the changes enough to move the needle?

Down on the farm: Who has been standing out over the past few weeks? Shane Murphy and George Wolkow both won Player of the Week honors for June 9-15.

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe and hit that like button) or listen on Megaphone below.

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Yes, No. 146 is the first international edition of Sharing Sox and most likely the only international podcast in the South Side Sox/Sox Populi annals.

The never-before MLB podcast from the Isle of Man began with talk of the Andrew Vaughn-Aaron Civale trade — including Civale's possible trade value a month from now. That led to other possible trade values of White Sox gettables, including Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman, Miguel Vargas, Mike Vasil and Adrian Houser ... which led to the wild difference between ERAs and FIPs for Vasil and Houser.

Then it was onto great praise for Chase Meidroth offset by great concern over the hole at first base (Leigh again brought up the idea of plunking Andrew Benintendi there).

The podcast ended up with the Athletic feature about the deadened ball flying about four feet shorter this year.

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Here is a rundown of what Chrystal and Taylor discussed:

• What's new with the Cardinals?
• Ollie Marmol is getting better at making decisions, especially with the bullpen
• The Cards would be dead last without Nolan Arenado
• Rating the offseason
• Overall thoughts on how the season will play out
• All-Star Game picks
• Pitching matchups
• Chaim Bloom's new involvement with the Cardinals and replacing John Mozeliak
• New White Sox ownership
• Biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Weird outfields
• Who truly won the Juan Soto trade?
• Opening role for starters
• Baseball is fun and weird again post COVID-19 season
• How are the Dodgers sustaining their season with all the injuries?
• The Tommy John surgery epidemic
• Lance Lynn's retirement

While Taylor has mostly checked out of social media, you can find him on Twitter/X and Bluesky.

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Melissa and Delia talked to Kirsten about her professional experience, working to save lives through community advocacy, and the importance of finding your people while, of course, fitting in some White Sox conversation. So, whether you're a die-hard South Side fan or not, there's something for everyone. We invite you to sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run conversing about all things baseball and life, including:

Career Reflections: Kristen's educational background and how she arrived at the decision to start her own company.

Moms Demand Action: What are some things that the average citizen can do to help the cause?

White Sox Chatter: How did she become a Sox fan, her favorite player, surviving the South Side rollercoaster, and facilitating camaraderie among the Sox community?

Don’t forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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A quick note: Towards the end of the episode, Chrystal brought up Pete Alonso tying David Wright for second place on the franchise home run list. Moments after the recording ended, Alonso nuked another home run, giving him sole possession of second place, and now nine home runs away from Darryl Strawberry's record.

Here is what the ladies covered during this episode:

• Roman Anthony's 497-foot grand slam as he dies in the minor leagues, and the Red Sox being bad
• Kyle Teel's call-up, Tim Elko's return, and how good Chase Meidroth has been
• The woman who cursed the Rockies
• Texas is the bad place, and the Rangers won't be holding a Pride Night yet again
• The Dodgers are down bad with pitching
• Craig Kimbrel's DFA
• Injuries galore featuring Alex Bregman, Ryan Mountcastle and Shane Beiber
• The Detroit Tigers — who are good
• Jac Caglianone
• AL/NL Player of the Month for May
• Reinstatements after one-year betting ban
• Kim Ng's new league — professional softball, FINALLY
• Evan Longoria's retirement
• Francisco Lindor and the man that he is
• Marcelo Mayer's first home run
• Pete Alonso's record-breaking home run
• State of the Sox

Find Bayleigh on Twitter/X and Chrystal on Bluesky.

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With a full crew, we opted for a potluck approach this time around, so here were our topics in rough order of appearance:

• Rundown of the state of the system, if the season ended today there would be only one playoff team in the mix, the Birmingham Barons (themselves just 28-24 at time of recording)
• Joe's first topic was an obvious one: Kyle Teel, just called up from Charlotte. Praise for his game, appreciation that the White Sox are embracing a youth movement (one year late), as it were, and acknowledgement of Teel fighting his way out of a long and rough slump in-between hot starts to April and ends to June
• Kristina voluntarily chose to discuss the wincably-bad Charlotte pitching staff
• Melissa countered with talk of Lucas Gordon's case for promotion
• Hannah talked Kannapolis clubbers, including the impressive Caleb Bonemer
• Brett wrapped up the first half with a rundown of the system and posing the question of why a top-ranked system produces so few wins
• Joe started the second half with an in-depth study of Samuel Zavalas and the extended Zavala family
• Kristina flagged concern in Birmingham surrounding the disappearance of Hagen Smith
• Melissa says whoa there, how have we talked this long without mentioning site hero RIKUU NISHIDA in Birmingham?
• Brett's pick is to take a WAR review of the Garrett Crochet trade and estimating that this could be at the very least a win-win deal for both sides
• Hannah laments the loss of Oscar Colás, now an Angel

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new in Kansas City?
• Jac Caglianone's recent call-up and first MLB hit
• Who did Michael pick for last place in power rankings this year?
• All-Star game picks
• Chase Meidroth
• Rating the offseason
• What needs were met, and why didn't K.C. get a power bat?
• Avoiding a couple of hot messes the Royals were eyeing in the offseason
• The Royals won't climb to the top of the American League Central, but 86 wins is a reasonable task for the team
• Pitching matchups
• Michael Lorenzen's recent struggles and Seth Lugo's health
• Threats to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• What Michael worries about for the upcoming series
• MLB roundup: surprises, hot takes and what we're seeing
• Someone cursed the Rockies
• Making Jerry pay for his sins

You can find Michael on Twitter/X or Bluesky. You can also read his work over at Farm To Fountains and listen to his podcast Royal de Lux on the Fans First Sports Network.

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Here is what Chrystal and Brandon talked about:

• The Javy Báez resurgence: from injury to center field star
• What's new in Detroit
• AJ Hinch saved the organization
• Casey Mize figured out his splitter, and Spencer Torkelson is a hitting machine
• Are the White Sox cursed?
• Chrystal's thoughts on Will Venable
• Rating the offseason
• Alex Bregman is a persona non grata in Detroit
• Brandon's thoughts on the season
• Pitching matchups
• Is Tarik Skubal the best pitcher in baseball right now?
• Another Cy Young Award year?
• Relief pitchers shouldn't win the Cy Young and other old-head takes
• Bullpen standoffs, clearing the benches, and why isn't there music involved?
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys for the Tigers to win the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Gambling has ruined sports
• Don't send death threats to anyone
• Robot umps and getting accustomed to new rules
• Why socks?

You can find Brandon and Bless You Boys on X and Bluesky, and on our sister site with the same name.

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Other fronts covered include Lenyn Sosa’s ability to hit .280 but only have an on-base percentage of .298, the quandary of a defense that lacks a true shortstop, now or possibly nigh on forever, the unlikelihood that Mike Tauchman can sustain his current pace, the possibility of converting Edgar Quero to just a right-hand hitter if his huge splits continue, the likelihood Andrew Vaughn may be through as a major league (he’s struggling in Charlotte), and how the schedule turns nasty after this weekend in Baltimore.

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The White Sox and Orioles face each other in what could be a mid-off after a slow start from the O's, and well, Chicago being uninspiring after a painful, record-breaking season in 2024.

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Orioles
• Was Brandon Hyde's firing a scapegoat for deeper issues within the organization?
• The grass isn't always greener; see Rick Hahn and Chris Getz as an example of that
• How much can the front office be blamed when the product on the field can't hold up their end of the bargain?
• Rating the offseason
• Jackson Holliday's mechanical changes and move to leadoff
• Injuries have plagued Baltimore, and pitching is abysmal
• Pitching matchups, of the three, Tomoyuki Sugano might be the only good O's starter the White Sox will face
• Trade bait, and the lack thereof with Luis Robert Jr.
• Old friends of the White Sox who are doing better elsewhere
• Is Gunnar Henderson the biggest threat to White Sox pitching?
• The keys to winning the series
• Fears ahead of the series
• Why we're seeing a lack of the long ball and fun home runs
• The AL East has been really bad, and the AL Central has been really good
• The Dodgers are deep in the pitching injury drought

You can find Dream on Twitter. He will also help out with some fantasy tips and betting at FTN Fantasy.

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Here is what they talked about:

• What's new with the Mets?
• Hot April, cold May
• Juan Soto has had a slow start, and Pete Alonso has been streaky at best
• Will the Rockies lose 122?
• Grading the offseason
• Thoughts on how the season will go for the Mets
• Anything other than going to at least the NLCS will be boring
• Adrian Houser was so bad with the Mets
• Pitching matchups
• Chrystal is a Tylor Megill apologist
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Around the league: Red Sox City Connects, the Orioles, ranking ballparks, Dugout of History podcast

You can find Jesse on Bluesky and look for Casual Diehard, especially Dugout of History, wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Crosstown Classic Conversation: Is it a Fading Rivalry? The once electrifying "Crosstown Classic" between the White Sox and Cubs seems to have lost its spark. In recent years the Cubs have consistently dominated, and the White Sox have rarely shown the readiness to challenge that narrative.

Red-Hot Miguel Vargas: Beyond the Stance. Miguel Vargas, the AL Player of the Week for May 12, exploded with a .417/.423/1.000 slash line, including two doubles, four home runs, nine RBI, and five runs. Is his recent surge solely attributable to his adjusted batting stance? More importantly, can he sustain this success in the long term?

Minor League Spotlight: A closer look at emerging prospects like Andre Lipcius and Ryan Galanie, alongside updates on highly-touted talents Noah Schultz, Kyle Teel, Hagen Smith, and Braden Montgomery.

Don’t forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

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• The Red Sox and White Sox are bad
• The Tigers managed to get it right
• What on earth happened to the Orioles?
• Rafael Devers drama
• Red Sox City Connects and how team stores suck
• Pete Rose
• Kolten Wong retires at 34 after not playing since 2023
• The other side of 30 can be good or bad
• Aaron Judge — is he human?
• The Twins have finally lost a game after a 13-game win streak
• Is the American League Central sort of good right now?
• The Angels swept the Dodgers!
• Mick Abel outshone Paul Skenes in a crazy turn of events
• Is Paul Skenes leveling out?
• RIP P00P series
• Jac Caglianone has been promoted to AAA
• Bub Black and the Rockies
• Dan Serafini's trial for murdering his father in-law and causing serious harm to his mother in-law, who died by suicide a year later
• The White Sox have given Chrystal Stockholm Syndrome
• How secure is Alex Cora's job?

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Mariners?
• Were offseason needs met?
• Would've, Could've, Should've: Pete Alonso edition
• Thoughts on how this season might go
• The Mariners keep losing pitchers
• Potential pitching matchups for the series
• Fears heading into the series
• How do the Mariners win the series?
• Threats to the White Sox
• T-Mobile Park
• We hate the Yankees and love the Mets
• Are the Rockies really dead, or can they resurrect the season?
• Tired of the Dodgers
• Our little adult sons in the minor leagues

You can follow Cube on Bluesky or X/Twitter and follow their work on Circling Seattle Sports.

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Cubs
• Both teams have A+ giveaways, especially for heritage nights
• Rating the offseason
• Kyle Tucker was a great addition to the squad, but pitchers were needed
• Kyle Hendricks, the lack of retiring numbers, and who should be the next statue
• Is first place sustainable?
• No Wild Card will come from the NL Central
• Jed Hoyer's contract year
• The 2016 team and where they are now
• Pitching matchups
• Stats go out the window and vibes take over
• Fights, cup snakes and maybe a Pope sighting
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Mallory Swanson
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Will Atlanta be better soon?
• Will the Rockies be historically bad?
• The Dodgers hype might be overblown
• The other teams in California

You can find Sara on Bluesky and read her work on our sister site, Bleed Cubbie Blue. You might even see a familiar name this Friday for the series preview on the site.

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Duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and current Ohio Valley correspondent (while doing a play in Cincinnati) Will delve into the papal impact, as Will points out that suffering is a major factor in Catholicism, which could well explain why Leo XIV became a White Sox fan even though his mother rooted for the Cubs and his father for the Cardinals (although, of course, he went on to become a cardinal himself).

The cast ranges from the divine to the execrable, ending with a discussion on Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson and the fact MLB teams themselves operate virtual casinos and inundate innocent fans with efforts to tempt them into their dens of gambling iniquity, so banning the two is now hugely hypocritical. The duo have suggestions on how Cooperstown should cope with those so far banned for gambling, or worse, steroid use, suggestions that will never be followed.

In between the discussion is all White Sox, from the pleasant, like how to handle having too many good players at one position (catcher) and the hitting of Edgar Quero and the rejuvenated Miguel Vargas. On the less pleasant side, it's the position situation at first base, with the question there being whether Tim Elko coming to the team has caused Andrew Vaughn to improve his play and whether it’s possible, if Elko turns out to be for real after the league writes its book on him, a desperate Boston would take Vaughn to replace the injured Tristan Casas.

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Career Reflections: Courtney discussed her background and how she started in sports media, as well as advice for women interested in getting started in the space. She also talked about hosting her own podcast, Pitch and Moan, how she goes about preparing for it, and her favorite guest — he's kind of a big deal. Be sure to listen to find out who it is. She's also having a really cool guest on her show soon, so be sure to tune in!

White Sox Fandom: Courtney shared why she's a diehard South Side fan and her expectations surrounding this year's team and direction.

Don’t forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Reds?
• Rating the offseason
• Will the Reds retire Joey Votto's number?
• Joey Votto, quiet now, but once a great social media presence and bus driver
• Thoughts on the season, and how there is no time to sit around and wait for players to get healthy
• Pitching matchups and tall, lanky lefties
• Pour one out for Johnny Cueto
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Isn't it nice to have catching and pitching depth?
• Keys to winning the series
• Biggest fears heading into the series -- is it the bullpen?
• Wick's Annual Dumb Predictions:
• How are the Orioles so bad, and when is it time to hit the panic button?
• Who will beat the Dodgers?
• Pope memes and Paul Konerko
• Avoiding a repeat of 121 losses now that God is on our side
• Just two dudes naming dudes

You can follow Wick and Red Reporter on Bluesky, and Red Reporter on SB Nation.

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Prospect check-in: A rundown on the Edgar Quero and Chase Meidroth promotions.

Trade thoughts: Is Luis making himself more tradable with an overall improvement over the last few weeks, as well as the increase in base stealing?

Examining the division: Looking through the AL Central, are the Tigers really that good? Could we end up with four teams better than .500?

White Sox trends: Will they be as bad this year as last? Are there some positive signs that things are improving?

Fashion review: What has social media been telling us about how fans feel about the new City Connect uniform?

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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Here is what we discussed:

• • What's new with the Marlins
  • Rating the offseason
  • Is this a rebuild?
  • Kim Ng's plague upon both houses
  • Thoughts about the 2025 season for the Marlins
  • Embracing the teal
  • 2005
  • Pitching matchups
  • Giving up on pitchers and how healing from Tommy John surgery is not linear
  • Toeing the line of fun-bad
  • Andrew Vaughn is bad, but he was failed along the way
  • Threats to the White Sox
  • Keys to winning the series
  • Fears heading into the series
  • Baseball is the best
  • MacKenzie Gore
  • Nathan Eovaldi has evolved
  • Too old to go to punk shows
  • Everything is a meme

You can find Chris mostly on Bluesky. Subscribe to his newsletter and listen to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast.

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• Revisiting the first episode, Sept. 9, 2020, and acknowledging that the first on our Megaphone player is No. 8, that October. The first seven Sharing Sox podcasts were with Sports Illustrated and not (yet) on our player
• The first "true" podcast, then, No. 8, was on Oct. 14, 2020, and it concerned ... the managerial search (that ended with the hiring of Tony La Russa). The duo was shocked and horrified in remembrance of that time, and that innocence
• Does the duo regret landing on the White Sox as their team to root for?
• What drove the father-son duo to start the podcast in the first place?
• Favorite guests on the show
• How hard is it to continue doing this, both 143 programs and yes, still covering a team with narrow hopes of something better any time soon?
• The highlights of being able to do this podcast with a family member

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Brief acknowledgement was made for Sharing Sox (the subject of podcast 601) and Tommy Barbee, our Father Soxivus and co-host of Killer B's, but then we dug into some talk with each host/guest about their respective programs. We bridged our break discussing the connection between our two most revolutionary podcasts, Estrogen Power Hour and Ladies' Night. And in the end, we wound up talking about the "mothership podcast," the catch-all program you're listening to right now. Throughout, host Brett Ballantini got his teeth kicked in, playfully (maybe).

• A special and enigmatic voice kicks off the podcast!
• The strange accounting that actually lands this podcast as somewhere around 608 or 610
• Brett's habit of bullying (? gulp) some hosts into doing even more for Sox Populi
• The original name of the pirate radio broadcast, Estrogen Power Hour
• The most satisfying mothership podcast ever

In a longer podcast post than usual, we'll roll the credits for all our podcasts:

1. Mothership Podcast (Brett Ballantini, host) 190 programs beginning Jan. 28, 2020
2. Sharing Sox (Will and Leigh Allan) 143 programs beginning Sept. 9, 2020
3. Visiting Dugout (Chrystal O'Keefe, host) 82 programs beginning March 20, 2023
4. Sox Pop on the Farm (Brett Ballantini, host) 60 programs beginning May 4, 2021
5. North Side Sox (Sam Sherman and Janice Valenzuela), 23 programs beginning October 2020
6. Sox Pop Postgame Podcast (Brett Ballantini, host) 20 programs beginning April 13, 2021
7. Ladies' Night (Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, host) 13 programs beginning March 20, 2024
8. Killer B's (Tommy Barbee and Keelin Billue) 12 programs beginning Oct. 30, 2020
9. Sox Pop Pregame Podcast (Brett Ballantini, host) 10 programs beginning Oct. 7, 2021
10. Dugout Metrics (Brett Ballantini, Luke Smailes, Trevor Lines) 10 programs beginning Dec. 10, 2020
11. The Big Blurt (Rob Colletti and Bill Meincke) eight programs beginning Jan. 29, 2021
12. Soxy Chicks (Chrystal O'Keefe and Bayleigh Von Schneider) seven programs beginning March 30, 2024
13. DISH Deluxe (Brett Ballantini, host) six programs beginning July 17, 2023
14. Estrogen Power Hour (Keelin Billue, Janice Valenzuela, Colleen Sullivan, Chrystal O'Keefe) five programs beginning May 16, 2021
15. Live! three programs
16. Time Out! (Di Billick, host) two programs beginning Aug. 1, 2024
17. Planet White Sox (Brett Ballantini and Trooper Galactus) two programs beginning Sept. 15, 2022
18. Group Therapy (Sam Sherman, host) two programs beginning April 26, 2022
19. Explain it to Me Like I'm 5 (Keelin Billue, host) two programs beginning March 8, 2022
20. Second Hand Embarrassment (Jacki Krestel, host) one program on Jan. 12, 2024

(Don't add them up, the math is a little fuzzy.)

Also, the milestone podcasts, at least per our Megaphone player:

Podcast 1 Mothership Podcast 1: Janice Valenzuela at Sox Fest, Jan. 28, 2020
Podcast 100 Mothership Podcast 42: A Sweep, a Six Pack, and the Power of Strawberry Cheesecake Cannolis, April 26, 2021
Podcast 200 Postgame Podcast 8: Goodbye 2021 season, Oct. 12, 2021
Podcast 300 Sharing Sox 83: Is That a Rotund Female We Hear Warbling?, Aug. 27, 2022
Podcast 400 Visiting Dugout 17: Detroit Tigers, May 25, 2023
Podcast 500 Visiting Dugout 45: Minnesota Twins, April 29, 2024

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• An assignment for the missing Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, and a last chance to escape for our newest minors writer, Hannah
• Kannapolis highlights, including the dynamic Javier Mogollón (proper pronunciation please), the promoted Braden Montgomery and the anomaly, Lyle Miller-Green ... plus the ascendance of Christian Oppor
• In Birmingham, specifics include William Bergolla, Rikuu Nishida and Wilfred Veras, but heading to the break a quick round: Do either Hagen Smith or Noah Schultz see Charlotte or Chicago this year?
• The Libertyville Connection
• Charlotte talk centers on the good (Tim Elko!) and bad (Colson Montgomery)
• Dash talk was brief but c'mon, Jeral Perez (again, pronunciation please) is playing like the BEST prospect in the system

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Royals
• Rating the offseason
• The slow start from Kansas City
• How he feels about the season going forward
• Pitching matchups
• Cole Ragan's unsuccessful first Tommy John surgery that led to a second surgery
• Keys to winning the series
• Who is hitting the ball right now -- potential threats to the White Sox
• Fears heading into the series
• Is the American League Central wide open?
• The Colorado Rockies
• Aaron Judge, of course
• Pete Alonso and the Mets are good
• The battle of staying healthy
• The Giants and Oracle Park

You can follow Kevin on Bluesky and Twitter. I would also recommend checking out his work on Pitcher List, The Royals Reporter, and his new podcast Crown Talk.

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This won’t happen, of course, but at least we were pulling for you, Luis.

On the bright side, the duo cover the excellent appearance of Edgar Quero and the post-adjustment success thus far of Miguel Vargas, and what appears to be a pleasant abundance of catching talent. This being the White Sox, the bright side on position players is limited, so the conversation ventures to the darker aspects, of which there are many, most notably Andrew Vaughn.

Five years in, the excuses for Vaughn’s weakness (now 0.0 bWAR for his career), while often valid, are wearing thinner than a Swedish pancake, so the question is asked, “Why won’t they give Tim Elko a chance?” Elko is tearing up Triple-A ball in Charlotte, so why not find out if he’s strictly a AAAA player, or if he can hack it in the majors? He can’t be worse than Vaughn defensively, because Charles Comiskey himself would be better, even while deceased — and maybe he can hit.

Otherwise, there is disagreement over whether to let youngsters take over and sit the 30+ has-beens or never-weres when they’re off the IL, and much praise for the excellent performance of the young starting pitchers. Will even ventures into the possibility the team could be adequate by 2027 or 2028.

Oh, yeah — Will also has a rant against the Colorado Rockies, for apparently trying to destroy the White Sox record for ineptitude just one year after it was set, leaving Sox fans nothing to strive for this season.

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Here is what was discussed:

• What's new in Houston?
• How would Anthony rate the offseason?
• Thoughts about the 2025 season for the Astros
• Pitching matchups featuring Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Lance McCullers Jr
• McCullers' first start since the 2022 World Series
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Keys for the Astros to take the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Losing pitchers
• Aaron Judge is not human
• Twins pitching and the American League Central
• José Abreu, lover of the heat but not humidity, or maybe he was just too old?
• White Sox city connects and terrible ownership
• First baseman woes
• Are the Dodgers who we thought they were or will they finally fall?
• Giants love
• The Mets -- is it finally going to happen?

You can find Anthony on Bluesky and follow along with his fantasy baseball work at SportsEthos.

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Career Reflections: Chrystal recounted her journey to becoming a writer and podcaster, sharing advice she has for women interested in the field. She also discussed her personal role model and how she serves as one to her own children.

2025 White Sox Lamenting: We couldn't pass up the opportunity to chat with Chrystal about her South Side fandom. She talks about surviving the last several years of awful baseball and who she has enjoyed watching so far this season.

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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• What's new with the Brewers?
• Rating the offseason, and an old friend alert on the mound
• Feelings on the season for the Brewers
• Pitching matchups — Freddy Peralta will dominate, but the other two games might be evenly matched
• Who is the biggest threat to the White Sox, aside from themselves?
• The keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• Jarren Duran, mental health, and saying harmful things to players
• Family will always name search on social media
• Torpedo bats, the National League, and Tigers love

You can follow Jordan on Bluesky.

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• An overall assessment of the feeling in 2025 vs. 2024 which, frankly still leaks out a bit more hope
• How the White Sox are better in 2025: The starting pitching, while not better up top than 2024's Crochet-Fedde combo, is holding its own and may be flexing more depth overall; the offense has had some strong bursts, despite its inconsistency; rookies to get excited about
• What is not different, 2025 vs. 2024: Luis Robert Jr. is bad, the in-game decision-making and team urgency hasn't proven to be better
• Will the White Sox finish better than the Colorado Rockies, who trail the White Sox by 2 ½ games as of this recording?
• Also a mini-Visiting Dugout preview with Brewers expert Hannah, who says, yes, the White Sox are about to get swept by the Brew Crew

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Topics:

• Haters
• Chrystal got to watch competent baseball, and that's why this episode is late
• Shohei Ohtani is the first MLB player to become a dad, apparently
• Aaron Judge and Eugenio Suárez are doing well
• Jarren Duran stealing home
• Paul Skenes is pitching out of his mind
• Lucas Giolito and Liam Hendriks return to the Red Sox
• Matt Strahm and the Declaration of Independence
• Injuries galore featuring Logan Gilbert, Shane McClanahan, Luke Keaschall, Blake Snell, Cole Ragans, Corey Seager, Martín Pérez, and Spencer Strider
• Travis Jankowski to the Rays
• Walt Jocketty
• Tommy Pham's gestures and food orders
• Javier Báez is washed
• Triston McKenzie's DFA
• Jorge López -- can you fight?
• Drama in Atlanta
• Chrystal's concert story
• Red Sox update

Follow Bayleigh on Twitter/X and Chrystal on Bluesky.

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Family ties: Jacki spoke with the ladies about growing up in a sports-loving family and how her early experiences with her dad helped her form a lifelong passion for softball and the White Sox.

Personal sports background: Jacki discussed her early love for softball, from her T-ball days to playing on a Division II college team.

Content creation: Jacki shared her introduction to content creation and why she took a step back last season. Also, despite how an outsider may view her as a natural at it, she does find it challenging.

2025 White Sox lamenting: We couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about the Pale Hose. The girls chatted about the current state of the team, and Jacki shared her good vibes with us.

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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In a sillier episode that is a bit different from the usual series previews, I talked to a sleep-deprived Ed Hand about what happened last week in Chicago and the most recent Red Sox vs. Rays series. We also discussed what the next laundry series will look like.

Here is a bit of what we talked about:

• I lied to Ed, apparently
• Garrett Crochet hates Chicago
• Sean Newcomb hate
• The many nicknames for Chase Meidroth
• The catcher conundrum in Boston, and old friend alerts
• Will anyone get hot on the Red Sox?
• Lucas Giolito update
• Boston's pitching depth
• Is Major League the best baseball movie?
• An idea for Jobu's latest sacrifice
• We need to know more about Roberto Clemente, and Ed's reading corner
• Are the Pirates just laundering money?
• Who will beat the Dodgers?
• The Padres and Dylan Cease
• The Giants are actually good
• The White Sox are winning it all and Meidroth is about to raise hell

You can follow Ed and his podcast on Twitter. You might even see a familiar face on a recent podcast.

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Then, of course, reality raised its ugly head and they ventured into a team hitting a robust .200 with a .579 OPS, which in turn led to an unfortunate evaluation of Luis Robert Jr. and what little, if anything, the Sox could get in trading him. The duo did, however, refrain from mentioning a slightly used rosin bag in that discussion.

As for Andrew Vaughn, well, uh, er, nuff said.

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While we could've recorded for hours with many side quests, here is a bit of what our lively conversation consisted of:

• A temporary and frustrating move to Sacramento
• Growing pains and a disadvantage at home
• Will Las Vegas work?
• One last trip to the Oakland Coliseum
• Rating the offseason, did the A's spend money?
• Contention windows
• Pitching matchups and the importance of a veteran pitcher
• Keys to winning a series
• Threats to the White Sox
• Fears heading into the series and bad bullpens
• What it's like to have a love-hate relationship with the Angels
• Ron Washington, Will Venable, Grady's Ladies, and a disdain for Mark Kotsay

If you don't already follow Aaron, you can find him on Bluesky and X. Join us in our threads where we just talk about a bunch of old guys who played baseball.

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The crux of this podcast was how similar or different this 2025 team feels from 2024:

• Backing that things are different are the run differential of only -3, as well as the team having won four games "already." The pitching staff is holding up OK, and the club already has more blowout wins in 2025 than a year ago
• Now on the other hand, 4-11 means the White Sox are still on track for 119 losses, and they currently sit in last not just in the division but the American League. Overall, the club still can't hit worth a damn
• The verdict? Three of us are skewing toward 2025 being more of the same as 2024, while sunshine Chrystal thinks the vibes of the club are too good not to make for a measurable improvement. We have 147 games to still to find out

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With Garrett Crochet and Lucas Giolito in the starting rotation, the White Sox might see some old friends.

Bayleigh, known also as the co-host of Soxy Chicks, was on to chat about her Sox and preview the series.

Here is what we discussed:

• What's new with the Red Sox
• Boston is willing to invest in players, and Jerry Reinsdorf  is not
• Rating the offseason moves
• Hopes for the season
• What to expect from the starting rotation
• Keys to win
• Fears heading into the series
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• State of the Red Sox

You can find Bayleigh on Twitter/X.

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Family Ties Julie talked with the ladies about growing up as a Chicago-area native who spent her formative years in Mt. Prospect/Arlington Heights and how her early experiences with her dad and rooting for her hometown teams really helped her form a lifelong passion for sports.

Career Reflections Julie discussed her educational background, experiences, and how she landed her position at 670 The Score. She also described some of her professional highlights, including coverage of the GOAT Michael Jordan and South Side fan favorite Mark Buehrle.

2025 Season Expectations Julie shared her thoughts on what she's looking forward to the most in 2025 and whether or not Will Venable has what it takes to right the ship. She also bravely provided us with her overall team win/loss prediction for the year.

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!

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On this episode, we talked about:

• What's new in Cleveland
• Grading the offseason
• The AL Central race
• Triston McKenzie's new role with the Guardians
• Pitching matchups and struggles
• Keys to winning the series
• Threats and fears
• Ex-White Sox Gavin Sheets is a certified Guardians killer
• No surprise: the teams that spent money are winning
• Terry Francona's in-state move and the Cincinnati Reds' rough start
• We don't want the Detroit Tigers to win it, but it'll be interesting to watch them

You can find Imari on Bluesky and Twitter, and listen to his podcast Bleav In Guardians.

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In this episode, they talk about:

• Tampa Bay Rays and the repairs to Tropicana Field
• Freddie Freeman's shower mishap
• Nathan Eovaldi's complete game
• Is it time for Max Scherzer to hang up his cleats?
• Colton Cowser is out and Gunner Henderson is back for the Orioles
• Atlanta is down bad, and perhaps karma is to thank
• Carson Kelly's cycle
• The Reds are breaking bad baseball records
• Lance Lynn's big news
• Garrett Crochet, Kristian Campbell, Ketel Martel, Jackson Merrill, and Brandon Pfaadt got paid
• State of our Sox

Follow Bayleigh on Twitter and Chrystal on Bluesky.

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• What's new with the Tigers
• Offseason moves
• It's not great in Detroit
• AL Central predictions
• Pitching matchups
• Who is even batting for the White Sox?
• Keys to winning the series
• Threats and fears
• The Dodgers probably won't win the World Series
• The downfall of Atlanta and how we love to see it
• Wouldn't it be funny if the Blue Jays won the World Series?
• Being too old to play baseball

You can follow Walker on Bluesky. 

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Joe Resis, Brian O'Neill, Malachi Hayes and Hannah Filippo joined Brett Ballantini for a roundtable discussion of the season's first week:

• The White Sox started the year on a rotation roll, waiting five starts before (sort of) even surrendering an earned run, who saw that coming?
• Given the certainty of slumps and injuries, do the White Sox have the reinforcements that will keep the rotation the strongest aspect of the team for a second straight year?
• Offensively, this team already has as many "blowouts" as all of 2024 (two). Is there something different about the bats this season that will help stave off double-figure losing streaks and another run at 120 losses?
• We all revisit why, after a 121-loss season and a GM now unsure whether his 2025 club can be better this year, there are no position player rookies on the White Sox RIGHT NOW
• Speaking of, it does seem that Chris Getz skews his roster more toward "swapping pieces out easily" than "GOOD PLAYERS"
• Can this White Sox team turn into something swinging upward, like the poor but promising squad of 2018?

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Melissa and Kristina talked to Ashley about her role with SIE, and of course, we did fit in some White Sox talk. So, whether you're a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there's something for everyone. We invite you to sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run conversing about all things baseball and life, including:

Career Reflections: Ashley's educational background and how she arrived in her position with MLB: The Show.

Game Content Creation: How long it takes to develop new editions of the game and some of her favorite elements, including the addition of Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way and the Negro Leagues Edition.

White Sox Chatter: How she became a Sox fan, her favorite player, surviving 2024, and realistic expectations for this current roster.

Don’t forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

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• What's new with the Twins?
• Grading the offseason
• Joe Ryan catchup
• Thoughts heading into the season
• The AL Central race
• Pitching matchups
• Why are so many pitchers down for the count?
• Tommy John surgery, even the kids are doing it!
• Keys to win
• Fears and threats
• The NL could wrap things up right now and let the Dodgers win
• Could the AL Central produce a team that makes it to the World Series?
• White Sox ownership rumors

Follow Jackson on Bluesky for his takes on all things Minnesota sports (and help build the baseball community).

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• Sean Burke, facing adversity in the first and hard contact in the second, bristled up to deliver this Opening Day win with six shutout innings
• Where has this offense been all our lives?
• Favorite moments/standouts of Opening Day
• Playoff-bound?
• Can the White Sox now sweep this opening series?
• Essay #1: Do you give Burke the ball to start the seventh inning?
• Essay #2 Do you boo Yoán Moncada, one of the Top 50 hitters in White Sox history, on his return to the only ballpark he's ever known?

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• A 121-loss team with nothing to play for opens the season with just four rookies on the roster, two of them Rule 5 picks and none among hitters. For a vaunted farm system, what in the wild wild world of tanking is going on here?
• How's the weather outside?
• Predictions on the series, and remarkably, three of us think the White Sox are gonna win this thing
• A review/range of White Sox wins predictions for 2025
• Popular "pitcher MVP" pick, Davis Martin and unpopular "hitter MVP" choice, Korey Lee. Passion defenses and takedowns of both players ensue
• If in fact Korey Lee is lousy (or, just, Korey Lee) this season, how quickly might that trigger catching reinforcements (Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero) from Charlotte?
• Favorite Opening Day memories

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• What's new in Anaheim?
• A healthy Mike Trout is good for baseball
• Grading the offseason
• The White Sox to Angels pipeline
• Opening Day pitching matchup
• Keys to winning the series
• Fears heading into the series
• The biggest threat to the White Sox
• Hot takes and predictions for 2025

Follow AngelsFaithful on Twitter/X.

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• Spring Training Reflections: What stood out to us in the preseason? We break down the highs and lows and which players impressed (and which ones disappointed).
• Prospect Watch: Who are we most excited to see develop this year? We share our top picks and who to keep an eye on in the system.
• Luis Robert Jr. Speculation: Will the White Sox trade him? If so, when? We weigh in on the options and what might happen with the talented outfielder.
• 2025 Season Expectations: What are we looking forward to the most in 2025? Is the ballpark food really the best thing we've got going for us?

Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below.

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• Season wins ran the gamut of sunny (Hannah, 55) to dour (Brett, 42), with Melissa (48) sidling almost exactly in-between
• Given no clear standout stars for the Sox (and the one we have, Luis Robert Jr., may not be in Chicago all season), our picks for best and worst White Sox in 2025 are packed with variety. In some cases, a single player is forecast as both best AND worst on the team this year
• Drilling down into the AL Central, which appears to be a three-team fight, at the very least. Will pitching rule the day — and which pitching will take a step forward in 2025?
• Storylines around the league jumping out at us include the improvements in Boston (Hannah) and the Shohei Ohtani Watch (Melissa)
• Will the White Sox have a winning March? With Midwest weather, will they even get all four games in?

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Here is what they talked about:

• The Jackie Robinson of it all
• The Tokyo Series
• Please stay healthy, Mike Trout
• Abusers are back in the spotlight
• Mark Cahna
• Welcome to the show, J.C. Escarra
• The Tigers have some serious pitching depth
• City connect jerseys
• Yu Darvish, and all of the Tommy John victims
• Player extensions
• The Paul Skenes card
• Red Sox and White Sox thoughts and predictions

If you're on Twitter you can follow Bayleigh. Chrystal is primarily on Bluesky now.

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The good?

The food menu, of course. Through all their many name changes, White Sox stadia have featured some really good food, usually at very decent prices for event chow. This year brings a new twist — a heavy dose of Korean items.

Will there be people on hand to enjoy the delights? Not often — even the Opening Day seating availability chart shows many thousands of empty seats. The rest of the season (other than Mark Buehrle statue day, Cubs games and big giveaways) may feature a loneliness usually reserved for Saudi Arabia’s Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter, for those of you who have forgotten your high school Arabic).

The bad?

That would be the defense, the offense and most of the pitching. The discussion about those things goes on for a while, but that’s the gist, for those of you without time to listen or watch. But, to be fair, all of the catchers in camp have hit really well, as have Brandon Drury, Miguel Vargas and Lenyn Sosa.

The ugly?

You may want to avert your eyes from the precipitous drop in the hitting of Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn as the Cactus Leauge has professed. Feel free to do other eye-averting as well, as the duo make their predictions for the season record.

But ...

What the heck, as this is recorded it’s the first day of spring, so hope springs eternal, and a 162-0 record is still a possibility.

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• Things to be excited about? Yes, truly: Pitching depth, hungry and healthy players, Noah Schultz continuing the "tradition" of White Sox power lefties, a better offense
• Several great thematic ideas for a second or third printing of the White Sox pocket schedule
• An aside that frames the 2024 White Sox as a team not just a handful of games worse than a replacement team, but perhaps a full dozen
• The relief of having Will Venable running the club vs. Pedro Grifol (or Tony La Russa), and the challenges that await him
• (Of course) win predictions on the season, ranging from 42 to 59
• Oh, and happy birthday to Billy OK and homeday to Willow OK!

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The two do their best to find places where the Sox have improved this time around, other than getting a manager with a basic understanding of the sport, but find it difficult to come up with much unless Luis Robert Jr. remembers he’s supposed to be good in odd-numbered years. Well, that and bidding good-bye to Martín Maldonado.

Still, the season will be fresh and new, and hope springs eternal and all that. Great thought, unless your hope springs so eternal you actually put money down on it. You’re welcome to point out all the places where we’re wrong. Or the computers are.

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• First, the pluses, including a terrific leadoff night on Friday. Kristina took that in from the media space, while Melissa and family was there in full fan mode — including an appearance on stage with son Sage!
• How the intimacy of the event (or, cynically, the "selective audience" the White Sox attract nowadays) made everything more satisfying
• Could the White Sox have hoped for SoxFest 2025 to go any better?
• Flops from the weekend, including a very disorganized Saturday night
• Melissa's tips on what to do and when, including the unbelievable intimacy of the re-envisioned After Party

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Now, that’s a lie, but they do manage to mostly avoid talking about how bad the 2025 Sox will be by talking about other teams, terrific players who happen to ply their trade elsewhere, free agents who are heading for distant parts, the future of the AL Central, and the amazing Traject Arc pitching machine, before wallowing into the unfortunate likelihood Jerry Reinsdorf will outlive everybody who has been born to date.

Then it’s on to Luis Robert Jr. — how likely is it he can somehow regain past glories after his dismal 2024, and that some other team will then provide the Sox with a lot of talented prospects while he gets to go play with an outfit that actually wants to win baseball games and has a reasonable chance of doing so?

Finally, there’s the magical question, “Don’t you ever think with a brain?” which seems reasonable under the circumstances.

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• The lowest moments of 2024
• Highlights (?!?) of 2024
• Just how bad was the White Sox offense? Finally, Brett provides the answer: third-worst in MLB history, sixth-worst in the record-keeping at Baseball-Reference
• What we're looking forward to in 2025: Will Venable, tall and dominant lefties like Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, young starters like Drew Thorpe and Nick Nastrini, and the killer kiddie catching corps of Edgar Quero and Ryan Teel
• Loss predictions for 2025: Brett is sticking with 120, but both Joe and Chrystal see it slightly sunnier, at 109
• Sorry, ladies, Joe Resis is taken! Congrats on the engagement, SoxMath champ!

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And this year, in fact, the crown is worn by two prognosticators — the veteran Year of the Hamster, and newcomer Enrique Silva.

We have a comprehensive rundown of the twists and turns of our 2024 predictions over at SSS, but here are some highlights of the podcast that Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Joe Resis and I did addressing them (and, I suppose, the moribund White Sox postseason and future):

• If not for the Dodgers, a lot of us would have been in trouble
• This trio all did well all told, with Joe finishing fourth of 18, Brett fifth, Melissa seventh
• Each of us review our favorite and oddball picks
• A look back at how remarkably non-dour the majority of our writers were about the White Sox season, silly people
• Our second half addresses some of the offseason, including the new manager, dead market, and hopes (?) for the season
• To end on a good note, we look ahead to the 20th anniversary of 2005 and our favorite non-obvious moments of that year

Have a look at the podcast at our the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and don’t be a flake — subscribe!) and/or listen on Megaphone below.

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On White Sox matters, the big news is of course the hiring of Will Venable to be the latest to try to convert sows’ ears into Bottega Venetas with the materials he’s being handed to manage. The duo are amenable to giving Venable a big opportunity to show he can get the Sox to play like major leaguers are supposed to play, and just hope he’ll get them to quit playing stupidly even if they don’t play well.

On other fronts, there wasn’t much to say about the the Sox not picking up the option on Yoán Moncada, which was inevitable, though a sad reflection on hopes of the last many years ... and a lot to say about whether to tender Andrew Vaughn, what would seem to be an easy decision being hampered by the big question of who else the Sox have to play first, the answer to which you probably already sadly know.

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The two agree it would have been handier if the big shots had torn into Jerry Reinsdorf and how he runs his mess of an organization a little earlier, preferably several decades earlier, but better late than never and all that. They tear Reinsdorf apart from every conceivable direction, and rightfully so — much fun, but to any avail?

They then venture into The Athletic’s take on another team, how the Kansas City Royals brilliantly and abruptly turned things around from 106 losses to the playoffs and raise the question of whether that’s possible for the White Sox. (Hint: The answer is a big “Noooooooo” — see Reinsdorf articles above.)

Then there is a jolly venture into the future, one of barely competent holdover players, possible trades of Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet, many solid pitching prospects, and basically nobody to play behind the pitchers. All leading up to guesses at how many games the White Sox will lose next year.

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The White Sox started the season against the Tigers, and Walker came on to chat about the Tigers. It's only fitting that the White Sox end the season the same way, and I finish off the second season of Visiting Dugout with Walker back in the hot seat. Oh, and Garrett Crochet opening the series.

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Tigers?
• This has been a terrible season
• Staying alive, maybe?
• Jason Benetti's first season in Detroit
• Pitching matchups
• Will we see Skubal?
• Threats, keys to win, and fears
• The White Sox's lack of offense
• Infield musical chairs
• Cy Young predictions
• Playoff runs and World Series picks

You can follow Walker on Twitter and over at Football Absurdity.

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• Reaction to the impossible happening: 120 losses. A shock, or long-anticipated?
• A rundown of the other milestones ahead: farthest out of first (56 1/2 games), worst team outright since 1899 (1916 Philadelphia A's), top five-worst MLB team outright (dating back to 1876) ... sigh
• Training the lens again on GM Chris Getz, who managed to put together a howlingly awful offense, which will become the only negative-WAR hitting or pitching group in 125 years of White Sox baseball
• Considering Getz will be given no money to spend in the offseason, looking ahead to how different things might be in 2025 (not very much!)
• How this utter abomination of a season affects our fandom

Have a look at the podcast at our the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and don’t be a flake — subscribe!) and/or listen on Megaphone below.

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The report? How little the Sox even warm up on the field before a game compared to other teams. How unconcerned the players in the dugout seemed during the 5-0 loss (Will was four rows behind them). How awful Luis Robert Jr. looks at the plate, even against an Angels pitcher who led the American League in earned runs surrendered this season. How the Sox even made errors in trying to be fan-friendly, when both Miguel Vargas and Nicky Lopez tried to toss Will a ball after an inning and threw to an Angels fan instead.

And as for the long article in The Athletic, it was a nice consolidation of things most White Sox fans already knew, like what a jerk Jerry Reinsdorf is, what a tightwad he remains in important spending categories, how backward his ideas about baseball are, how his personnel decisions guarantee a terrible team, etc., etc., etc. But the lede in the article was new to both of us — the plane.

Seems that while 29 major league teams charter planes with enough first class-type seats for all the players and staff, Reinsdorf has the White Sox fly on a dated aircraft with a total of six first class seats, and the rest coach. Coach! For sometimes very large people whose physical condition is worth millions of dollars to you. Sure, you don’t like to fly coach but you do, and we don’t like doing it either but we do, but that’s not the same — witness the 29 teams who put out a little extra money to potentially save tens of millions in player performance.

But that’s Reinsdorf. And those are the White Sox, who grind on toward officially having the most losses in history. And who already weren’t going to have any good free agents or respected management people join the team until Reinsdorf is gone unless they overpaid by at least 100%. But now that word spread about the plane, it may be 200%.

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• Reactions regarding Jeff Passan's Tuesday morning ESPN article discussing the clubhouse culture during a historically bad season
• Thoughts on 2025 and how the White Sox front office will use the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series to distract fans from the fact that the actual baseball being played isn't getting better anytime soon
• Opinions about whether or not the team will break the 1962 Mets modern-era record for losses

Have a look at the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and don’t be a flake — subscribe to the channel!) and/or listen on Megaphone below.

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Here is what we discussed:

• Grady Sizemore getting angry
• What's new in Boston?
• Proposing to Pete Alonso
• Liam Hendriks and Lucas Giolito
• Ice cold offense
• How to secure a Wild Card spot
• Do we like the Orioles?
• The skater boy of our dreams: Nicky Lopez
• Pitching matchups
• Don't let Andrew Benintendi get hot
• Threats, keys to win, and fears
• The next White Sox manager
• A lot of old friends
• Baseball masochism
• The Chicago Dogs and MiLB
• Is it Chris Sale's Cy Young year?
• Robots, Disney princes, and other baseball players
• World Series contenders

You can follow the delightful Ed Hand on Twitter and listen to Pod By The River and To The Show We Go.

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Wednesday night’s surprise victory over the Orioles notwithstanding, the Sox are definitely in line to set the record for awfulness, but the duo can’t quite come up with the math to make a west coast futility celebration probable. Possible, yes, but it now seems likely No. 121 will come at home, or even, if the Sox get hot, Detroit.

That computed, conversation goes on to the revivification of Michael Kopech now that he plays for a real team, the dismay (and bad play) of Miguel Vargas — and most importantly, what is going on with Luis Robert Jr.? Can the recent superstar can improve enough in the last few games to be a reasonably valuable trade chip in the off season, or are the Sox better off keeping him into next year?

Then there’s discussion of analytics departments, r&d and such ... things other major league teams find useful, and which the White Sox might want to try some day.

And, oh yes, a philosophical look at whether it’s a case that White Sox coaches don’t give proper instructions, or that the players just don’t listen.

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Points Brett made while talking to himself:

• All the White Sox have to do now is win out, and Brett nails his preseason prediction of 107 losses
• Today's new research factoids, centering on losing streaks of 10 or more games in history
• The dubious, solitary partner the 2024 White Sox have in owning three such streaks in 2024 alone
• Looking ahead to 2025, really? Really! Really.
• And finally, the podcast ends as Brett's injured list vocal cords finally blow and give out

Watch the podcast over at YouTube if you so choose, or listen on the podcast player below.

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• Futility Watch updates
• Horrid offensive WAR updates
• Watching the White Sox loss on Saturday go final (yes, the podcast started before the loss was in the books because, well, 105 prior losses would tell you a comeback wasn't in the works)

Reviewing the prior end-of-season projection that had started with the Yankees series, and despite all the details of each series being wrong ... the final record projection is still dead on, and DEAD UGLY

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An invigorating trade deadline added depth to their lineup, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have been on a roll lately, and overall better baseball is being played in Queens.

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Mets?
• How to make the playoffs
• The deep hatred for Atlanta
• Trade deadline thoughts
• Pitching matchups
• Keys to win, fears, and the biggest threat to the White Sox
• Nicky Lopez vs. Nick Madrigal
• The Mets would really like to forget about 1962
• The kids are alright

You can follow Tim on the artist formally known as Twitter, listen at Simply Amazin', and read The Apple.

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Tigers
• Trade deadline thoughts
• The future and prospects
• Booth drama
• Detroit fans don't respect Jason Benetti
• The epic downfall of Javy Báez
• White Sox Twitter
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, keys to win, and fears

You can follow Rogelio on Twitter and be sure to follow along at Motor City Metrics and the Tigers ML Report.

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Britt of Casual Diehard joined me again this season to chat about what the Giants are up to and what the White Sox should expect in the series.

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new in the Bay?
• Climbing up in the division
• Matt Chapman's future
• Trade deadline thoughts
• Pitching matchup
• Robbie Ray's decline but also his tight pants
• Logan Webb
• Tyler Fitzgerald and all of his home runs
• Hitting with RISP
• Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals playing competitive baseball
• It's been a fun season overall
• The Evil Empire vs. the Ewoks
• Aaron and Gus Judge

You can follow Britt on Twitter and listen to her chat about baseball and F1 on a Casual Diehard podcast near you.

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Well, er, uh ...

Meanwhile, back at the White Sox, there’s is time for a little reveling in the 12-2 win over the Yankees before reality sets in and conjecture runs rampant on whether the Sox can overtake the 1962 expansion Mets to become the worst team in major league history (alright, sticklers, “modern” major league history). Can the march to history be ruined by playing six games against the Angels and three against the A’s in September?

And will somebody please help poor Miguel Vargas overcome the doldrums of being traded from the Dodgers to the White Sox?

Ah, the tension mounts.

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• Reactions to the firing of Pedro Grifol and the hiring of interim manager Grady Sizemore
• Thoughts on who we'd like to see in the manager's chair and what characteristics are most important
• Observations over the past five games: what's different, what's the same old, same old
• Wish lists for the remaining 40 games
• Opinions about the concept of a six-inning starting pitcher requirement

Look for another Ladies’ Night podcast in late August!

Have a look at the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and don’t be a flake — subscribe to the channel!) and/or listen on Megaphone below.

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Here is what we talked about:

• How the Astros clawed their way back to the top
• José Abreu and his downfall
• What's new in Houston
• Trade deadline thoughts
• Pitching matchup
• Garrett Crochet's trade deadline move
• Everyone is injured always
• Keys to win, threats, and fears
• The Yankees vs. Orioles for the division
• The Dodgers
• Mike Trout and Jacob deGrom
• Hot takes

You can find Thomas on Twitter. Be sure to also check out Pro Sports Fans and Bourbon & Baseball.

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I had the pleasure of chatting with Emily Nyman again this season about her Yankees. For two teams who happen to be polar opposites, we had a wonderful time.

Here is what we talked about:

• What's going on in the Bronx?
• A sibling rivalry with the O's
• Visiting Yankee Stadium in 2023
• Trade deadline thoughts
• Carlos Rodón's year and Gerrit Cole's late start
• Speaking of pitchers, Garrett Crochet and his controversial requests
• Pitching previews
• Threats, keys to win, and fears heading into the series
• Oh yeah, Pedro Grifol is outta here
• A whole lot of Aaron Judge and his tiny family

Follow the delightful Emily Nyman on Twitter and listen to her over at Breaking Balls Podcast.

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Brett Ballantini did a postgame podcast he mistakenly branded as a mothership joint. Join him, and tread where others dared not:

• A rundown of the numbers, including it being almost 25,000 days since the White Sox were last a losing team, and a White Sox fan would need to be at least 75 years old to have experienced any of the last losing era
• Breaking down what records are necessary in the final 43 games to avoid the looming milestones including worst-ever 162-game team, worst AL team ever, worst White Sox club and most White Sox season losses
• Tracking the remaining schedule to see how difficult it will be for the White Sox to avoid these milestones
• Is there enough talent in the pipeline (or on the roster, snapping four-month slumps) to appreciably change the performance on the field?

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Me, neither. In fact, it's not.

However, with the surprising news that Pedro Grifol had been fired by the White Sox (about a year too late, conservatively speaking), the mothership had to lift off again to discuss the timing, ramifications, and managerial job search. This time, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Chrystal O'Keefe joined Brett Ballantini to cover it all, with some input from Willow O'Keefe as well:

• The move was due for, roughly a year, and Pedro shouldn't have been hired in the first place; reactions to Grifol's dismissal
• Despite how long we've been waiting for this day, was firing Pedro, right now, a good or bad move?
• Insight into how the managerial search will transpire this time around (aka How Big a Joke Will it End Up Being?)
• Quick predictions on the Crosstown series/will we be talking again to commemorate an under-.500 franchise as soon as Saturday?

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Here is what we discussed:

• What's new with the Cubs
• The Cubs probably won't make it to the postseason
• The National League is silly
• Trade deadline thoughts
• The final player from the 2016 team, Kyle Hendricks won't be a Cub next year
• Pitching breakdowns
• Keys to winning, threats, and fears

You can find Sara on Twitter and our sister site Bleed Cubbie Blue.

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• The 21-game losing streak, and how (or whether) it wore us all down
• Re-casting the White Sox as a "losing franchise," something it hasn't been "on paper" in the W-L column since 1956 — are we even able to be stigmatized by such a franchise fall, at this point?
• Rooting to lose: Does hoping that the White Sox embarrass themselves make you a "bad fan?" And is there any downside, down the line, to supporting a team of infamy?
• A breakdown of the Garrett Crochet situation, and who blew it — Crochet, his handlers, Chris Getz, or all or none of the above?
• Quick predictions on the Crosstown series, and whether we'll be talking again to commemorate an under-.500 franchise as soon as Saturday

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The delightful Aaron Cameron joined me to chat about the A's and preview the upcoming series in Oakland, for the last time.

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new in Oakland?
• Solidarity in horrendous ownership
• The Coliseum is honestly a special place
• The future of the A's
• Grading the trade deadline
• Mason Miller and why representation matters
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, keys, and fears
• Baseball roots run deep
• Finding comfort in broadcasters and Twitter friends

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But enough of the enjoyable part — they also do the mandatory review of the trading deadline bit, amazed as everyone else at how little Chris Getz managed to acquire for what he gave up, while acknowledging a lack of expertise about 18-year-old middle infielders in very low minor leagues. Having a few post-deadline games to view, they note how every player traded by the Sox has started out very well with his new team, while the only new player in a Sox uniform has fit right in by stinking. But wee, teeny sample size and all that.

There’s a tad bit of rant about control freak Jerry Reinsdorf, which is always fun.

If you love diatribe, though, hang around for what they have to say about Garrett Crochet and his ridiculous and arrogant comments, from attempted extortion before the deadline to brain-dead claims afterward that what he threatened had no impact on possible trades. Were they once Crochet fans? Of course. Are they still? Well, er, uh ...

Have a look at this episode on the Sox Populi YouTube (and don’t be a flake, subscribe to the channel!) and/or listen on Megaphone below.

Please support our White Sox writing and podcasts by clicking our Patreon link.

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In the sixth episode of the Ladies' Night podcast, Kristina Airdo, Hannah LaMotta, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, and Allie Wesel discuss several topics related to our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you're a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there's something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run conversing about all things baseball, including:

• Weeding through how bad this team really is and the frustration that it leaves in its wake
• Would it feel different at all if Pedro gets fired
• Plans for a 2031 documentary on the fall of the 2021 White Sox
• Regarding the new, young players who has some potential
• Sorting through the trade deadline moves

Look for another Ladies' Night podcast sometime in August!

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It's a quick-hit format for those of you unable to find the precious 20 minutes necessary to listen to a podcast or watch YouTube. Or, if alarm bells ring in your brain when you have to think about the White Sox for more than five minutes, TIME OUT is for you! Short, to the point, profane, with cameos by exquisite English toy spaniels Lucius and Harry.

This started as Five Managers I Would Like to See With the White Sox but turned on a dime into Five Things I'd Rather Do Instead of Watching the White Sox. See if you agree with her.

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Here is what they talked about:

• Will the Tigers hold onto Tarik Skubal — or could Jackson Holliday sway them?
• The Dodgers will continue to spend all the money
• Where will Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde land?
• If Luis Robert Jr. gets traded, who will the White Sox build a team around?
• Red Sox needs
• White Sox pitchers are always better elsewhere
• Bad ownership and censoring fans
• The Astros will be buyers
• How do you score seven runs against the Rockies and still lose?
• The Orioles have a surplus of good players
• Cal Quantrill brings up Reese McGuire's "car-jacking" incident and benches clear

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Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Royals?
• Hey now, you're an All-Star
• Seeing all your exes in the same place
• Pedro Grifol and Nicky Lopez
• Draft picks and the looming trade deadline
• Climbing up the American League Central rankings
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
• The shelf-life of Salvador Pérez
• Will an underdog make the playoffs?
• Thoughts on the second half of the season

You can find Kevin on Twitter, and follow along at The Royals Reporter, Farm to Fountains, and Pitcher List.

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There are also the draft results to discuss, particularly the hope that 17th-round pick Lyle Miller-Green some day makes it to the majors, because his story is phenomenal — a Siberian-born orphan originally named Oleg adopted by an American couple in his infancy who has come on to become a right fielder for Austin Peay and a professional ballplayer. And not only is his story phenomenal, so is his nickname — the Siberian Sultan of Swat.

Then, of course, there’s the question of who might be going where in the next two weeks, and what skeleton of a team will be left ... which, in turn, leads to predictions of whether the White Sox will succeed in achieving the worst record in modern-era major league baseball.

Plus, there’s the small matter of the Sox achieving yet another dubious distinction, with an organization that polls readers about TV announcing teams placing the White Sox dead last in that category, as they are in so many others.

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Charles joined the podcast to chat about the Pirates and help preview the series. Here is what we talked about:

• What's new with the Pirates?
• Breaking records and scoring a lot of home runs
• All-Stars Paul Skenes and Bryan Reynolds
• Can the Pirates claw their way to the Wild Card?
• Why is Aroldis Chapman?
• Was Michael A. Taylor a terrible signing?
• At least there is Oneil Cruz
• Trade deadline needs
• Dollar Store team
• Does anyone know who is pitching?
• Pitching matchups, sort of
• Keys, threats, and fears
• Down bad in the Bronx
• High school with Mr. Met
• Good things shouldn't happen to the Cardinals

You can find Charles on Twitter or Bluesky, and follow his podcast ALAB Series.

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Oh, and I hope you like references from The Simpsons!

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new in Minnesota?
• Royce Lewis and the curse of the right adductor strain
• Please ice your injuries
• How confident is Josh?
• Bullpen woes and searching for a cheap fix at the trade deadline
• Twins All-Stars, but you can only pick two
• Joe Ryan, isn't he dreamy?
• How do you replace Sonny Gray?
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, keys, and fears
• Sonny Gray and Erick Fedde might be the same
• Baseball is unfortunately better when the Yankees are good
• The Mariners won't win the West
• Your daily Dodgers hate

You can follow Josh on Twitter and check out Puckett's Pond.

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Ely Sussman, creator of Fish On First joins to talk about the Marlins ahead of the series. (As a side note, Tim Anderson had not yet been designated for assignment at the time of this recording.)

Here is what we talked about:

• What's new in Miami?
• The Marlins aren't even in rebuild mode
• Tim Anderson and Jake Burger aren't doing so hot
• Kim Ng's revenge plot
• Bad ownership
• Trade deadline needs
• Is there an All-Star on this team?
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, keys, and fears
• MLB thoughts

You can follow Ely on Twitter and check out Fish On First.

Please support our White Sox writing and podcasts by clicking the Patreon link below:

Become a member!

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Here is what we talked about:

• Remembering Orlando Cepeda and Willie Mays
• What’s new in Cleveland?
• The shared history between Cleveland and Chicago
• José Ramírez and Steven Kwan are seriously good
• The second-best team in all of baseball right now
• Confidence in staying on top
• Wanted: A starting pitcher ... like Garrett Crochet?
• Too many All-Star contenders to count
• Pitching matchups
• Keys, fears, and threats
• Do people still want to see the White Sox at home?
• MLB thoughts

You can follow Pat on Twitter. You can also find his portfolio for sites such as the Red Black Green baseball blog, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, and the Clubhouse Conversations Interview Series on his website.

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• Who might want Garrett Crochet sooner rather than later in order to control his workload and have him in prime condition in October?
• The Sox wanting to put Andrew Vaughn on the market right away to take advantage of his annual June resurgence and maximize value before Vaughn’s annual July swoon
• The likelihood Luis Robert, Jr. will be playing elsewhere come August (unlikely)
• And the same for Michael Kopech, John Brebbia, Paul DeJong, Tommy Pham and a host of others (likely)

Then they wander into wondering what the team might look like in 2025, which is scary.

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Here is what we talked about:

• What’s new in Detroit?
• A whole lotta bad baseball
• The demise of Casey Mize
• Booing Javy Báez
• Trade bait
• All-Star picks
• Pitching matchups
• Greener pastures for former White Sox pitchers
• The endless rebuild
• Keys, fears, and threats
• MLB thoughts and the red-hot National League

You can follow Chris on Twitter and keep up with his work at Motor City Metrics and Tigers Minor League Report.

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Here is what we talked about:

• What’s new in Houston?
• An Astros fan in Chicago
• The José Abreu of it all
• Father Time doesn’t stop for anyone
• Should the Mariners even be in first?
• The AL West could be up for grabs
• All-Star picks
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
• What it’s like not to have a real starting rotation
• People are eyeing Erick Fedde, Garrett Crochet, and Michael Kopech?
• It’s a weird season
• Underdogs might just pull it off again
• Will a ground swelling motion happen in the second half?
• The Chicago Dogs!

You can follow Andy on Twitter and enjoy his blog All Blogs Go To Heaven, described as Chicago’s online home for pure, uncut, sickos-grade non-MLB baseball coverage.

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• The renovated, gorgeous Rickwood Field, which opened just a month after the Comiskey Park did, in 1910 — and the similarities that Regions Field incorporated from Rickwood
• The Barons have paid tribute to the Negro Leagues and Birmingham’s baseball heritage since 1996, with Turn Back the Clock Days. What does it still mean to Jonathan for his team to play at Rickwood and honor the Negro Leagues?
• The biggest challenge of not just moving to Rickwood for a game, but this time in coordinating with Major League Baseball for a “Rickwood Week” (Barons-Biscuits on June 18, Cardinals-Giants on June 20)
• Did you know: Hall-of-Famers Satchel Paige and Willie Mays both began their organized baseball careers in Birmingham with the Black Barons?
• Other Negro League greats came through Birmingham, including Mule Suttles and Willie Wells — and Country Music Hall-of-Famer Charley Pride, as well
• Does Brett get in trouble for wearing his Chicago American Giants jersey, when that club upset one of the greatest Negro League teams ever, the 1948 Black Barons, in the World Series?
• The underplayed, but extremely rich, baseball heritage of Birmingham
• Worth reminding once more: The Barons play at Rickwood Field ON MLB NETWORK at 6 p.m CT on Tuesday, June 18!

Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.

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The duo cover high points of the Seattle series (yes, there really were some), including pitching performances from Garrett Crochet, Drew Thorpe (Will thinks Thorpe’s a real old school bulldog type) and Jonathan Cannon and long balls hit by Luis Robert Jr. (among his strikeouts).

That naturally leads to trade deadline talk, about both Robert and Crochet as well as the many other players expected to shed white socks soon.

That in turn leads to long discussion of Leigh’s fantasy of the White Sox getting rid of every veteran, both on and off the field, and fielding an all-rookie team next year in the front office and the dugout and on the field. Will actually likes the idea (how often do sons like their dad’s ideas?) and had some more points to make along the same lines. Heck, he even agreed it would be good idea to go completely outside the lines of professional ball and bring in a successful college coach to manage the very young team.

As we said, fantasy. But likely a more successful than reality is going to be.

Alas, they find out just before ending the recording that José Abreu was released by the Astros.

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• Stats review: Just how dominant have the Barons been?
• Drew Thorpe gets the call straight to Chicago ... and will his ability to pitch overshadow his lack of a “big arm?”
• Duke Ellis gets the call straight to Chicago. Jonathan feels some generational pride there, but also warns of the danger of speed like his ... to opponents
• Oh, and yeah, we’re just tossing out some crazy comps for these players
• Thorpe was great in Birmingham, but two starters (Mason Adams and Ky Bush) have been essentially as good
• No better way to patch a Thorpe-sized hole in your killer rotation than, oh, to call up the No. 1 pitching prospect in the system, Noah Schultz
• What’s the plan for Noah the rest of the summer?
• Looping back to speed, even with Ellis gone the Barons are stealing bases at a killer rate (85.8% success as a team, and they’re coming in bunches)
• What has surprised Jonathan most about this Barons team?
• And, what ho, as we wrapped up our podcast, the Barons had surged ahead in their Blue Wahoos brunch battle
• Plus! Bonus Jonathan Nelson content next week, when we run our Rickwood Field/Birmingham Black Barons podcast!

Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.

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On this episode:

• The Astros lose Cristian Javier and José Urquidy to the dreaded Tommy John surgery
• Corey Seager’s hamstring woes
• The Yankees are about to get even better
• Alek Manoah’s tough year
• Knee discomfort 0/10, do not recommend
• Tucupita Marcano learns a valuable lesson about betting
• The ripple effect led by Marcano
• Pedro Grifol isn’t going anywhere this season
• The White Sox broke a record with 14 consecutive losses
• John Henry, the idiotic billionaire
• Steve Cohen responds with “Hold my beer”
• Bryce Harper wants MLB players in the 2028 Olympics
• Kevin Gausman’s first shutout
• The Astros and Angels series
• News and rumors ahead of the trade deadline
• The Martín Maldonado All-Star Game voting
• The London series including a celebrity double play and a rare double play for the Mets
• Phillie Phanatic: cheating rumors and serving tea

Be sure to follow their Twitter account Soxy Chicks. You can also find Bayleigh and Chrystal on Twitter.

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Our guy in Charlotte, Jonathan Lee, is here with us to talk about some key Knights figures ... look a bit into the future:

• The team is about what was expected, arguably (based on past seasons, at least) better than hoped
• Bryan Ramos skipped Charlotte on his way up to the majors, and now is rehabbing/reloading with the Knights. Jonathan and Brett chat on what Bryan brings to the table beyond his enormous talent
• Colson Montgomery is continuing to struggle between jaw-dropping flashes. He’s young, and struggle is to be expected — but Jonathan has caught something in Montgomery’s self-awareness that could prove valuable as he moves toward the majors
• Sean Burke’s lower-level rehab was completed and he’s flashed some “old Burke” since arriving in Charlotte
• Literally as the pair were discussing Birmingham’s rotation and what Drew Thorpe has to prove in Double-A, first word was breaking that Thorpe would be promoted to the White Sox for a Tuesday start
• Philosophical discussion on the nature of Triple-A and how often Double-A Barons might outright skip Charlotte, as we’re seeing with Ramos, Duke Ellis, and Thorpe
• The value of a core of guys playing together at each step up toward the majors
• Estimated dates for when we might start to see the rich Birmingham talent move east to Charlotte, possibly to create a very different Knights roster in the second half!

Follow Jonathan Lee on Twitter @followmefor3.

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Here is what we talked about:

• What’s new in Seattle?
• T-Mobile Park is a top-tier ballpark
• Ice-cold bats
• Only two teams will survive in the AL West
• Grading the offseason
• All-Star picks
• How to stay in first place
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
• Questions for Chrystal!
• No one is safe during a fire sale
• Hot takes and predictions
• The Mets are going to Met and the Dodgers are going to Dodger

You can follow Aaron on Twitter and follow First Pitch Strike, a father-and-son tandem podcast talking about all things MLB.

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• Is it possible for major-leaguers to play the game of baseball worse than the White Sox and Cubs did this week?
• Will the Sox actually break the modern MLB record for losses?
• Should Tommy Pham and John Schriffen be traded to the WWE for Rick Flair’s hair?
• How far should the Sox go in selling off? Should Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. really be on the market?
• How firmly will Pedro Grifol have to affix his lips to Jerry Reinsdorf’s keister to keep from being fired?
• If that miracle did occur, is Tony La Russa going to make another comeback?
• And more stuff about how much could be gotten for whom as the Sox clear out Erick Fedde, Pham, Paul DeJong, Michael Kopech and more?
• Can the team be competitive by 2027, or is this decade out of consideration?

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Here is what we talked about:

• What’s new in Boston?
• The Celtics are good
• How much Willow likes to bark
• Juan Soto and the damn Yankees
• Is there a way to compete?
• Ending the mental health stigma
• Pitching matchups
• An ode to Tanner Houck
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
• All-Star picks
• Get Martín Maldonado to the All-Star Game
• Boston still won the Chris Sale trade
• Reynaldo López and Chris Sale are dominating in Atlanta
• Soxy Chicks will be back soon!

You can follow Bayleigh and our podcast on Twitter.

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• With Di covering for South Side Sox on Tuesday and Melissa Wednesday, how are they both feeling as the White Sox head to Wrigley Field?
• Vibe check: How are we feeling now, compared to entering the season with some trepidation?
• Pedro Grifol review: the hiring, the player handling, the poor personality .. and the risk of keeping him around to usher in the youth movement later on this year
• Di expresses frustration with Facebook
• What are the desired outcomes of the season? We have hopes for the rookies on the way — and for a change in the manager’s seat

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• What’s new on the North Side?
• Kyle Hendricks
• Trading high on Cody Bellinger 
• Is there a way to compete with the Brewers, or even finish second?
• The Nick Madrigal and Ian Happ of it all
• Everyone is hurt and the owners are terrible — a Chicago tale
• Wrigleyville is just a giant tourist trap
• Pitching matchups
• Threats and keys to winning the series
• The lack of power hitters
• Luis Robert Jr.
• Shohei Ohtani will always be worth the money
• The Yankees are scary
• Juan Soto needs a blank check
• Atlanta is down bad

You can follow Jay on Twitter and check out everything Uncommon Commentators Podcast offers.

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• What a difference two weeks makes ... 14-16 as of May 10, the Cannon Ballers blistered to first place by winning 12 of 15
• What’s it like to broadcast a 22-1 win?
• The CBs are hitting the hide off of the ball, but better yet, pitching exquisitely, a rare and dominant combination at any level
• Ryan Galanie’s emergence seemed to spark the offense on its run to first place — but Dan says this has pretty much been Galanie from Day 1 in Kannapolis
• The Unbearable Lightness of Rikuu Nishida
• Don’t shortchange Caden Connor, who’s been every bit the hitter Galanie has in the early going
• A peek in a very young stars Ronny Hernández and Ryan Burrowes
• Three quick Meet the Players questions for Dan
• Seth Keener, the workmanlike ace
• Lucas Gordon, hoss
• Aldrin Batista’s upside, and getting Drew McDaniel packed off to Winston-Salem
• Billy Seidl’s current and future role in the bullpen
• Longer looks ahead: end of the first half June 20, Kannapolis’ 30th reunion on June 22
• Not many home games left in the first half, but a review of promotions to wind up the first half

Follow Dan Helotie on Twitter @Dan_Helotie, the Cannon Ballers @KCannonBallers, and find tickets to an upcoming Cannon Ballers game by clicking this link.

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Instead, this edition of Sharing Sox with the geezer and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, asks (and, of course, answers) many of the usual questions, such as:

• Is Pedro Grifol trying to get fired to end the humiliation but keep the paycheck?
• Could Garrett Crochet be on the trading block come deadline time?
• Is the pitching being 27th or so in key categories a sign it’s much better than the offense, which is dead last in most?
• Did nobody get the memo about playing good defense?
• Is the schedule coming up for real, or are they just terrorizing us?
• As for praise, some goes out — unfortunately, to members of other teams, even one in our very own city.

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• The advantages and hazards of promoting Noah Schultz before he’s ever thrown five innings in one pro outing
• Tyler Schweitzer is back on the scene, bigtime. If Birmingham ever matriculates one of their six starting aces, the lefty might be heading west
• Peyton Pallette is not looking good on paper, but is that paper telling a lie?
• Jacob Gonzalez elicits awe, and mea culpas from at least one of our hosts
• Is there upside for solid hitters like Shawn Goosenberg and Wes Kath despite gaudy K rates?
• Breaking down two other “disappointments” on paper, Samuel Zavala and Loidel Chapelli
• Possible Joe Resis dance floor footage?

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Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• What’s new in Baltimore
• Grading the offseason
• Jackson Holliday
• How to beat the Yankees
• Confidence going into 2024
• The O’s have a new owner
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
• The AL Central
• Tommy Pham
• Royal rejects and terrible ownership
• If you don’t trust someone to pick you up from the airport, they shouldn’t be president (or running day-to-day baseball operations

You can follow Dream on Twitter and find great betting content at FTN Betting.

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• The automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system. What do we think of the two different approaches, and how would it change the game
• The AL Central teams are actually killing it this year. How did this happen, and will the Sox ever be relevant again
• A glimpse around the Chicago minor league system. The Birmingham Barons starting rotation is impressive, but does it really mean anything
• A walk down memory lane regarding players from other teams who absolutely crushed our White Sox souls

The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in June.

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Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• Toronto Centre updates
• Grading the offseason
• Contract years and dark times as a fan
• It’s a good year to get to Oakland
• Confidence going into 2024
• Pitching matchups
• Using our voices to call out abuse
• Mickey Mouse Cy-Young winner
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• The up-and-down Astros
• Ruth takes on Chicago soon

You can follow Ruth on Twitter.

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Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• What’s new in the Bronx?
• Does anyone know about Juan Soto?
• Gerrit Cole’s timeline, and how hilarious he is
• Grading the offseason
• How to stay in first place
• Are Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson freaks of nature?
• Confidence going into 2024
• Pitching matchups, and Carlos Rodón
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Thoughts for the 2024 season
• The downfall of the Astros
• It’s time for Jerry Reinsdorf to pay some therapy bills

You can follow Nick on Twitter and check out his work at SportsLine.

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• Despite losing five of six to the Blue Wahoos, the Barons have won five of their last 10 and remain a half-game better than their fellow division-leading counterparts, Pensacola
• How manager Sergio Santos has handled the first tough turn of the season
• Inside baseball: How Jonathan works hand-in-hand with this field manager
• A preview of this week’s home series hosting the Chattanooga Lookouts, worst in the Southern League
• Bryan Ramos’ call-up and delightful character
• Will Brooks Baldwin ever stop hitting
• The phenom, Wilfred Veras
• The most terrifying offensive weapon in Birmingham? It could very well be a healthy Duke Ellis and his speed demonry
• How is catcher Edgar Quero shaping up as a leader and game-caller?
• Three quick speed-round questions with Jonathan off-the-field
• Is Mason Adams the surprise ace of the Barons?
• Eric Adler arrives in town to give Birmingham another late-inning killer
• The southpaw starting pair of Jake Eder and Ky Bush
• How the Barons brass on the ground in Birmingham plays into any promotion/demotion decisions
• Do these podcasts provide the good luck for the team, meaning that soon Brett may need to be packing his bags for Birmingham?

Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.

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And the timing was pretty good, given they trio talked on the heels of the only good week of baseball we’ve enjoyed with the White Sox this season. Naturally, such sunshine was not quite reflected in the podcast itself.

• The podcast kicks off with general introductions, plus the traditional singing hello from Rob to Bill
• Is it better to be historically bad, or to see good performances/wins that will yield improvements to the system and improve the next wave of White Sox talent?
• As it comes up in the podcast, Rob wrote a very popular piece on South Side Sox last month, addressing the horribleness of the organization
• Rob, and the rest of the crew, are hyped about ... the Double-A Birmingham Barons
• A sober assessment of Andrew Vaughn and his future in Chicago
• Loss predictions for the 2024 season
• A broader assessment of the MLB season will play out
• Weighing in on John Schriffen as our new play-by-play guy, and seeing it turn into a rough assessment of Hawk Harrelson
• Will has the only proper read on generosity toward the Cubs and Cubs fans

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Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• What’s new in the nation’s capital?
• If we stop the season right now
• Grading the offseason
• Hockey?
• Confidence going into 2024
• Commonalities and old friends
• Black Friday bargain bin shopping
• Pitching matchups
• Trevor Williams, CJ Abrams, and other likable guys
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Thoughts for the 2024 season

You can follow Davy on Twitter and check out his work at Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs.

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• Our favorite City Connect jerseys and most-anticipated new reveals. Plus, if we each had a gift card to buy just one, which one we would choose
• Who’s hot and who’s not around the league covering teams and players — and lament and celebrate the success of Dylan Cease with the San Diego Padres
• White Sux moments over the last few weeks. There is still plenty to complain about despite a few recent wins
• The trade of Robbie Grossman to the Texas Rangers for right-handed minor leaguer Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa

The podcast will air bi-weekly, with the next episode dropping in late May.

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Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• What’s new in Cleveland?
• Injury woes
• Grading the offseason
• How to lead the division
• Confidence going into 2024
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Thoughts for the 2024 season
• Really bad owners
• How to make baseball fun again

You can follow Jeff on Twitter, and follow along at Locked On Guardians.

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So, naturally, we took a moment at the onset to shamelessly plug the Jerry Seinfeld movie Unfrosted, because Will is in it (both face and handwriting) and it opens on Netflix on that very day. The movie is more or less about the origin of Pop Tarts, which is a much more tasty subject than the White Sox, no matter how you feel about breakfast foods that fit in a toaster.

But, unfortunately, it becomes necessary to return to the subject the podcast is supposed to be about, and to delve into the psychology of whether we fans now want the Sox to win games, or to keep up the bad work so we can all say we were there and watching when the record of the 1962 Mets was crushed.

This naturally led to discussion of whether it’s better to play aged veterans who will be gone or of no use by the time the White Sox have a chance to be good (check the longevity charts for 88-year-olds named Jerry to see when that might be), or to flood the field with young players who are lousy now but have a chance to be better some day.

Oh, sure, we also look at a bunch of statistics that confirm what we already know about how terrible this team is in every aspect of the game (hint: that light at the end of the tunnel is definitely a train). And there’s even a bit of chat about TV announcers, which isn’t nearly as harsh as you’d expect.

Or, just a normal White Sox podcast.

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You thought the Royals-to-White Sox pipeline was bad? Just wait! We spent a lot of time chatting about the connections between the Sox and the Cards, with the likes of Lance Lynn, Tommy Pham, Dominic Leone, and many more.

Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• What’s new in St. Louis?
• Taylor’s hit tweet
• Grading the offseason
• Confidence going into 2024
• Animal cameos
• Pitching matchups
• Cardinals to White Sox pipeline
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Predictions for 2024
• Will Marmol be fired?

You can follow Taylor on Twitter, read his work at Redbird Rants, and check out Ben’s Friends.

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• An overview of the four affiliates, playing around .500 ball collectively and with one club (Birmingham) already pointed toward the postseason
• We spontaneously determined that 60 at-bats is enough to earn this award, so congratulations, Danny Mendick, you are Charlotte’s winner! Kudos to him, against all odds FORCING HIS WAY back onto the White Sox roster — leaving the team no other option, really
• Drew Thorpe wins a nail-biter in Birmingham, where any one of three starting pitchers could have earned the honors. We speculate a bit on possible call-up or MLB debut dates for Drew
• An award with an actual reward comes for Eric Adler, who was gem-perfect in Winston-Salem and got his call-up to Double-A at the end of the month
• In Kannapolis, it was more of a runaway choice, with Aldrin Batista crushing Low-A batters to earn April plaudits

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• An introduction for Joe, taking on a bigger minors role than ever for South Side Sox
• Noah Schultz: Please with his first month, or no?
• A review of Dash Players of the Week on the pitching side, Juan Carela and Manuel Veloz
• Everyone’s favorite LHS Wildcat, Riley Gowens
• A closer already promoted to Birmingham, Eric Adler
• Glue guy José Ramírez
• The Dash hitting has been weaker, although Jacob Gonzalez has been performing as expected
• Wes Kath: resurgent
• Zavala superfan Joe explains hot prospect Samuel’s flat first month
• DJ Gladney’s struggles and frustrations

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The wonderful Brandon Warne of Locked On Twins and Access Twins joined me to chat about the bottom-dwelling White Sox and the low-on-the-list but still way-better Twins.

Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• The Bucks are in the playoffs
• Grading the offseason
• Confidence going into 2024
• A rundown of Twins’ pitching
• Pedro Grifol, sigh
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Are ballparks trying to give us diabetes?
• Predictions for 2024
• The O’s are scary
• Lance Lynn on Father’s Day

You can find Brandon on Twitter, and follow his work at Locked On Twins and Access Twins.

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Spoiler alert: It did.

• Watch as the game turns from a scoreless tie to an eventual loss immediately after we begin
• Impressions of the first month
• The inability to commit to a rebuild is not wearing well in the early going, with the major league club or the organization as a whole
• Pedro Grifol’s hand in all of the mess
• What are you looking forward to in the season’s final five months?
• Predictions you’re regretting (or, crowing over?)

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• Jonathan’s take on the 8-12 Charlotte start: .400 ball, he’ll take it!
• Danny Mendick’s amazing power stroke that forced him back onto the White Sox active roster
• Conversely, the jerking around of Lenyn Sosa and Oscar Colás, never truly able to settle in a spot or role
• Colson Montgomery’s bat has been flaccid, but his shortstop defense stout. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
• Carlos Pérez, Chuckie Robinson, and the curious catching conundrum with the Knights until Edgar Quero arrives
• A rotation in shambles, but with brighter days (returns from injury, promotions from Birmingham) ahead
• Justin Jirschele: Next White Sox manager? (he learned a lot from losing in 2023!)
• How Nick Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon rank as valuable Charlotte starters and future MLB rotation arms

Follow Jonathan Lee on Twitter @followmefor3.

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Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

• What’s new in Minnesota?
• The Twinkies are second-to-last, in front of the White Sox
• Everyone is injured and bats are cold (wait, that sounds familiar)
• Grading the offseason
• Confidence going into 2024
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Byron Buxton is pain-free and feeling good
• Predictions for 2024
• Hot Twins takes

You can find Ben on Twitter and follow his writing on Twinkie Town or podcast Twins Talk.

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First, it’s a deeper dive into the six players who are arguably (unquestionably) the future of the staff and rotation on the South Side. The upside is pretty phenomenal, and the down side is ... undecided? For a Chicago White Sox podcast, that is GLOWING positivity!

• Garrett Crochet: The source of his mysteriously-appearing cutter, his surprising dominance (yes, we recorded before last Friday’s challenging start) and his realistic workload going forward
• Malachi admits a change in philosophy when it comes to handling pitchers
• Michael Kopech is now in the pen, as de facto closer — is it the right move?
• For all the similarities, one key difference between Nick Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon
• Stepping down a level to the utterly dominant Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, who’s more quickly ticketed for the South Side?
• A bonus seventh pitcher: Noah Schultz, and his possible timeline to the South Side could be

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This edition, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, disagree as to whether Garrett Crochet will have a higher WAR than number of wins. It’s close call either way, so here’s your chance to make a guess (hint: as of recording, his bWAR is 0.8, record 1-2):

Since Sharing Sox was recorded on the same day The Athletic raised serious doubts the White Sox will have fewer losses than the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120 and inspired the famous Casey Stengel quote, “Can’t anyone here play this game?” So, what the heck, here’s another chance to vote.

As for other matters, the duo discuss how the pitching is better than expected (though not great) and the two newbies did well, how the promise of defensive improvement was apparently meant as humor, and how the Mendoza Line is so far above the majority of the White Sox lineup that it’s barely visible up there.

Of course, the billionaires seeking billions in handouts gets some discussion.

Then there’s Tim Anderson coming to Chicago to play the Cubs and being quoted about Sox players not really caring about winning. We’d noticed, Tim.

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Thankfully we won’t see Ranger Suárez in this series, who just tossed a complete game shutout. It was against the Rockies — but it still counts. This will be a tough series, and Nick Nastrini’s first real test as an MLB pitcher.

Here’s what we talked about in this short but fun episode:

• What’s new in Philly?
• Grading the offseason
• So many home run hitters
• That one time we thought Bryce Harper to the White Sox was confirmed
• Deaths, national disasters, and drive into deep left field by Castellanos
• Confidence going into 2024
• The new City Connect jerseys
• Pitching matchups
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Predictions for 2024
• John Schriffen, a man of the people

You can find Brett on Twitter and follow his writing at Sox on 35th.

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• Congratulations to recent Barons grad Jonathan Cannon on his pending MLB debut!
• Birmingham paying tribute to the Negro Leagues with the No. 42 uniform honors
• The amazing pitching duo of San Diego acquisitions Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte
• A peek at a player still finding his footing, starter-to-relief arm Jared Kelley
• Catcher Edgar Quero: Not only mashing to start the season, but commanding the field with his leadership and game-calling
• The bittersweet nature of sending players up to Charlotte or Chicago, never to see them again
• The (somewhat) surprise of Brooks Baldwin’s assignment to Double-A and the energy he brings to the club
• Extremely different players, but similar three-outcome mashers, Terrell Tatum and Wilfred Veras, and what makes them both so special as prospects
• The game-changing speed of Duke Ellis, back to health and out the gate hot
• Impressions of Sergio Santos in his first games managing at Double-A
• How to deal with an ump show (Or: Making sure the pregame food spread is delicious and fluffing those couch cushions in the umpire’s room)

Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.

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• The most recent chatter around the possible, but unlikely, new White Sox stadium deal — big Jerry getting told by Springfield AND Chicago where he can stick it 
• The impending expiration of the NBC Sports Chicago contract and what might be around the corner by moving the broadcast to Stadium
• The good, bad, and ugly of the club’s historically terrible 2-14 start. Highlighting the impressive pitching, including Nick Nastrini’s MLB debut, and ripping on the anemic and absent offense
• The team’s signing of Tommy Pham and what, if anything, does it mean for the direction of the franchise

The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in May.

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• What’s new in Cincy?
• What’s it like to have lost the veteran presence of Joey Votto
• Grading the offseason
• Confidence going into 2024
• Pitching matchups and breakdowns
• Is everyone injured?
• Let’s clone Chris Sale
• Bring back the dad bod
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Predictions for 2024
• RIP Oakland Coliseum 

You can find Wick on Twitter and check out his work at Red Reporter.

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Content warning: Around the 40-minute mark the show is about domestic abuse and assault. We understand if that is something you would prefer not to listen to.

On this episode:

• The White Sox are down bad
• And so are the Red Sox, actually
• Shall we blame the pitch clock for all the pitching injuries?
• The Naylor brothers hit bombs in the same inning on National Siblings Day
• Welcome to the show, Jackson Holliday!
• The A’s have one thing to celebrate
• Jacob deGrom update
• Shohei Ohtani drama
• Julio Urías is in a lot of legal trouble
• Putting bad people on pedestals
• Breaking news — O.J. Simpson has died

Be sure to follow their Twitter account Soxy Chicks. You can also find Bayleigh and Chrystal on Twitter.

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• What’s new in Cleveland?
• What’s it like to have so many players on the White Sox now?
• Can former catchers manage a team?
• Grading the offseason
• So many young guys and injured pitchers
• Confidence going into 2024
• The Guardians starting rotation
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Who will fans taunt now that Tim Anderson is gone?
• Best White Sox offseason move: the milkshake
• Miami Marlins are winless but still good
• Predictions for 2024

You can find Imari on Twitter and check out his podcasts Rockin at the Jake and find his work at FearTheSword.

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• Our 2023 review notes ... you may want to be sitting down for this ... there was a White Sox affiliate with a winning record ... the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers!
• Sure, let’s start with a player NOT on the Cannon Ballers any longer, Noah Schultz
• And one more, Colson Montgomery!
• Chat of a few players who will be with the CBs on Opening Day or soon thereafter: Ryan Burrowes, Ronny Hernandez and George Wolkow
• And one more might not be: Eddie Park
• The curious case of player-turned-bench coach, Daniel Millwee, and what he brings to the roster under manager Pat Leyland
• Gorgeous Atrium Health Ballpark, now in its fourth year, including the robust build-up in downtown Kannapolis
• Interests and promotions for the new season

Follow Dan Helotie on Twitter @Dan_Helotie, the Cannon Ballers @KCannonBallers, and find tickets to an upcoming Cannon Ballers game by clicking this link.

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Early on, they rave about the brilliant performance so far of Garrett Crochet, and, as a grand finale, wander into the one great new addition to the Sox this year, an addition that singlehandedly raised the White Sox from the absolute bottom of the annual ESPN team watchability list. OK, it was only up to 29th place, but it was still an accomplishment, and a very tasty one at that.

In between, well, the mostly doom-and-gloom bit pretty much had to dominate, because that’s the reality. And looking at the Sox offense would make anyone doomier and gloomier, whether its being dead-last in team OBP or watching the team’s one star flail feebly at breaking pitches to the tune of a 50% strikeout rate.

Much other ground is covered, including the mysterious small-sample-size stats of MIchael Kopech and Deivi García, where two numbers in each case show wild divergence in evaluation, to the most recent Sox acquisition, which is a giant middle finger in the face to much of the remaining White Sox fan base.

Oh, yeah — there’s also a little chat about the recent vote in Kansas City, the A’s moving to Sacramento, and Jerry Reinsdorf’s current attempt to again rip off the people of Chicago and Illinois.

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• What’s new in Kansas City? A lot, apparently!
• What’s it like to have so many players on the White Sox now?
• At one point, K.C. had faith in Pedro Grifol
• Grading the offseason
• It’s kind of sad being fans of these teams
• Confidence going into 2024
• The Royals starting rotation
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Predictions for 2024

You can find Michael and his podcast Royal de Lux on Twitter.

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• Who’s hot and who’s not around the league, including the Pittsburgh Pirates’ surprising 5-0 start. Unfortunately, they had to discuss the Yankees, too
• The good, bad, and ugly of the White Sox 1-4 start, highlighting the incredible pitching of Garrett Crochet and the immense disappointment of the $75 million-dollar man
• How the new milkshake at Guaranteed Rate is not widely available, as the franchise even dupes fans about the food offerings
• An in-podcast live reaction to the Pale Hose’s first win

The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in mid-April.

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• Can the theme of affiliate experts named Jonathan extend through all four affiliates?
• Nelson gives us his amazing history in the sport, and specifically with the Barons, dating back to Michael Jordan
• Pouring out a 40 for the heartbreaking 1983 White Sox
• Sergio Santos, manager? Sergio Santos, manager!
• The immediate talent and immense potential of catcher Edgar Quero
• Colson Montgomery’s growth from Project Birmingham newbie to star on the rise, one year later
• Some behind the curtain thoughts on bringing new players into the system midseason, after trades, as well as coordinating his roster needs with the big club up north
• A look back at Project Brimingham, two years on
• Highlights of the 2020s so far
• Opening Day is on the horizon! Is anyone thirsty on Thursday?

Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.

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• What’s new in Atlanta?
• Grading the offseason and Aaron Bummer
• Confidence going into 2024 with a chip on their shoulder
• Pitching matchups with old friends and aces
• Garrett Crochet: good at pitching
• Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series
• Predictions for 2024
• Tommy’s 90 matchup for the World Series
• Making baseball fun again with steroids

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Bayleigh, a Red Sox fan formerly at Pesky Report, and Chrystal, a White Sox fan and pillar of this site, bring their love of baseball and knowledge to a bi-weekly podcast. They’ll talk about everything happening in Major League Baseball, and a little of their thoughts about their respective teams.

On this episode:

• Introduction and move to South Side Sox
• Thoughts and predictions on the 2024 season as fans
• Shohei Ohtani drama
• Pablo Sandoval’s career ... is it over or will he continue?
• Our least favorite disgraced pitcher, because unfortunately, we need to talk about him and move on
• All of the Reds are injured!
• Actually, a ton of people are injured
• The Orioles have been busy lately
• An ode to Tony Kemp
• Has Scott Boras lost his luster?

Be sure to follow their twitter account Soxy Chicks. You can also find Bayleigh and Chrystal on Twitter.

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• Brett, as a veteran of dubious MacGyvering of video and files all across American League ballparks, pays homage to Jonathan’s amazing job of it in getting his end of the podcast set up in the first place, from outside the press box
• One of the coolest offices to work out of in all of baseball, Charlotte’s Truist Field
• The around-the-batting-cage scuttlebutt from some of the newest Knights, including an impressed MLB vet, Brett Phillips
• The past two seasons have featured a preposterous number of openers/bullpen starts, but in 2024 Charlotte runs out a real, live, solid rotation
• Top prospect Colson Montgomery is in town, and Jonathan has a sneaky/subtle key to his presumed success this summer
• Middle infield woes for Lenyn Sosa and José Rodríguez, who find themselves still plying their wares in Triple-A while retread vets occupy real playing time on the South Side
• Justin Jirschele impressions, from his debut Triple-A season in 2023 to now
• Plenty of nuance of covering the minors from Jonathan, a veteran of Boston Red Sox World Series coverage

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• The upside and downside of Garrett Crochet, Opening Day starter
• Breaking down the relatively sunny season projections for the White Sox from FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus
• Why do the relatively similar Opening Day lineups in 2017 and 2024 feel so much worse this year?
• Zeroing in on what it will take from Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada to force the White Sox to pick up their options for 2025
• The best starter in the current White Sox rotation
• The next great right fielder on the South Side, if not Dominic Fletcher

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Walker Kelly, new to the pod, joined to chat about the Motor City Kitties, the opening series, and how the team might fare in a pitiful American League Central.

• What’s going on in Tiger land these days?
• Grading the offseason acquisitions — is the best Jason Benetti?
• Confidence levels for the 2024 Tigers
• Pitching matchups
• The keys, the fears, and what player will have the most impact on the series
• Thoughts and predictions for 2024

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• White Sox: Universal last-place club
• Diving into three-way battles to win the AL Central and AL East
• Largely avoiding the C-word but discussing the NL Central and the foregone conclusions of the NL East and West
• Not so fast on those Dodgers, sez Chrystal
• The challenge of picking an player and pitcher MVP for these White Sox
• Speed rounds: Grifol and Getz’s future, who is the true ALC rival to the White Sox, will the Chicago defense or offense be worse, and were we too optimistic or pessimistic predicting the White Sox record?

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Just how important are preseason results? Well, we have to hope not at all in the case of Luis Robert Jr. and his .158 average, but totally meaningful in the case of Gavin Sheets’ .333. (If you believe either of those averages predict the regular season, I have a bridge over the Chicago River at Michigan Avenue you might be interested in purchasing.)

We try to solve the mystery of why there has been no word from the White Sox on why Eloy Jiménez skipped four games and then forgot how to hit, after crushing the ball before ... but we can’t.

Speaking of Sheets, he’s hitting waaaaay better than any other right field hopeful, so should the White Sox play him there, just for laughs — or should they upgrade the defense by drawing the name of a random fan at that day’s game out of a hat and letting him or her play right?

And speaking of right field (and catcher) hopefuls, we delve into the question of why in the world you would even consider players well past their prime as starters on a team that faces a miserable season (or two, or three) instead of giving youngsters a chance to learn to compete in the big leagues.

Despite such questions, we go through the outlook for the season for both pitchers and position players. There’s even praise for a few, whom we have to hope Sox mismanagment won’t destroy.

And, finally, noting that ticket sales for Opening Day are terrible, we launch into attacks on the miserable treatment of fans by the White Sox (and other MLB teams, but especially the Sox) who seem hell bent to destroy any desire of kids to ever return to the park — wherever that park may be.

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• What the hopes and dreams are for the podcast and the importance of building a community specific to women’s fans, for once ... or, in Jacki’s words, “you belong here, let’s go!”
• Fun facts about each of our guests — including four of five playing high-level softball or baseball!
• Thoughts on Garrett Crochet being announced as the Opening Day starter
• Opinions about Michael Kopech’s move to the bullpen
• Experiences of being a woman in a man’s sports world

The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in early April.

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• Temperature check on the return for the team ace
• Dividing right along hairstyle sides, Brian and Dante are partial to Samuel Zavala, while Melissa and Brett think Drew Thorpe is the prize of the deal
• The strange smokescreen of GM Chris Getz predicting ill-prepared Jairo Iriarte will jump from Double-A to the majors this year
• The [redacted] rumors, to our universal dismay
• What will the White Sox have to do to erase this flirtation for fans?
• Brian turns virtue signaling on its ear and bemoans the insipid state of the world with its predilection for VICE signaling
• Updated win totals for the White Sox in 2024, including one more dire than Brett’s

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SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, actually manage to get in a lengthy chat about the team before turning to the main topic of the day (week, month, year, decade) and addressing the incredible, grasping greed of Jerry Reinsdorf (not that we harbor any dislike for him or anything).

On the baseball front, there are congrats to Tim Anderson on signing with the Marlins, Liam Hendriks on signing with the Red Sox, and anybody else we can think of who escaped the White Sox. Then there is lengthy talk of what in the world should be done about Dylan Cease, both with regard to possible trades and with regard to possibly encouraging him to throw strikes; a look at the probable starting lineup as it stands now, with hopes there are now some fielders who can catch the damned ball; and careful avoidance of predicting the 2024 record.

Then it is, of course, on to Reinsdorf’s desire that taxpayers stuff his pockets with more than a billion dollars, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s apparent openness to the scheme. The word is “no,” Mr. Mayor. To be followed by, “Never, ever a penny. Get out of my office you greedy, grasping jerk.”

Not that we oppose the idea of bankrupting the city and state for the benefit of billionaires, of course.

Listen below, on our built-in Megaphone player:

or follow along with every episode at Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or wherever you consume your podcasts. Or, you can watch the podcast on the Sox Populi YouTube channel.

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• Where everyone is at with the White Sox on the Excitement-o-Meter™
• Breaking down the 150 Games Guarantee™ from Eloy Jiménez, Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr.
• Can having a preponderance of AAAA guys actually be a good thing aka Getz might be pretty good at this, part II?
• A breakdown of Brett Phillips’ middle name (sorry, either look it up or do the right thing and listen) making it all the easier to root for him
• Chrystal as Dr. Evil
• Brian reads T.S. Eliot
• The 78 update, now with B-I-I-I-I-I-G numbers

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• A victory for all? Hat-tip to SM getting a seat at the table
• An assessment of Chris Getz’s two Saturday deals, shipping out Cristian Mena and Gregory Santos for a variety of useful pieces
• Has Getz already established himself as a different sort of general manager than Rick Hahn, rather than the photocopy we feared?
• Temperature check: Feeling better, worse, or the same about the coming season?

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SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, delve into the new concept, and then have a good laugh over the possibility Jerry Reinsdorf et al. would actually pay for it with their own money, rather than try to soak the taxpayers of Chicago and Illinois.

But, that’s not all! Heck, no.

There’s trying to cajole Hall of Fame voters to make sure Mark Buehrle stays on the ballot for another year.

There’s reviewing all the incredible moves the White Sox have made this offseason to improve the team for 2024 and beyond (did you miss them?).

There’s discussion of the immediate futures of Dylan Cease and Eloy Jiménez.

There’s even an apology to the people of Kansas City for badmouthing the Sox for their dependency of the Royals for staff and players. We had previously wondered why the White Sox would want personnel from one of the only teams in MLB worse than themselves, which was totally unfair, because pretty much every prognosticator predicts the Royals will be better than the Sox in 2024. And probably beyond. Well beyond.

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• The understated, and should be understood, greatness of Adrián Beltré
• Joe Mauer support seemed to have come out of nowhere; how big a surprise is his likely first-year election?
• Apparently, Todd Helton’s time has finally come
• Three cusp candidates (Andruw Jones, Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield), controversial in their own ways
• The ongoing Hall debate over steroids and cheating
• Mark Buerhle and his disappointing and apparent slide off of the Hall of Fame ballot
• What gives: Andy Pettitte v Buehrle?
• What gives: Bobby Abreu v Scott Rolen v Carlos Beltrán?
• How much stock do you put into WAR?

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• Melissa broke the rules right off, coming up with two resolutions that sound “easy” for the White Sox to accomplish — but will be nigh impossible to accomplish given this ramshackle roster
• Joe focuses on the strength of the farm system, something that will be essential to improve in order to fuel a run at a title later this decade
• Dante nearly begs for something that would seem so very simple from an entity that is not just a business, but a source of civic pride: Honesty in act and word from the White Sox franchise
• A brief discussion of how goofy the fake SoxFest at the Field Museum is going to be
• Brett strikes a familiar chord: The White Sox need to dramatically improve their sense of morality and conduct themselves with a greater sense of dignity and pride
• Joe admits his White Sox addiction, a malady Brett will aim to exploit during this woebegone 2024

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To wind things up, we predict the White Sox for 2024. (Our companion piece to this podcast is available to read, featuring some writers not appearing on this podcast.) Straightforward, right? Well, also, it wasn’t easy to come up with any!

• Tommy goes big, and says (hopes?) the rebuild works this time
• Brian chooses a fake miracle (Jake Eder becomes a guy) and a real one (Yoán Moncada stays healthy!)
• Brett stays off the field and chooses an SSS-centered miracle: The White Sox invite us to press row for nightly home coverage
• We kick off the second half of the podcast with Father Soxivus hiring on Brian as Soxivus Elf!
• In the second half, we freelanced up a series of predictions, some bordering on miracles ... take a listen
• And yes, this concludes our podcast year, so thank all of you for reading, listening and watching. We’ll be back soon into the new year

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This time, we predict who or what will prevail during the course of this latest don’t-call-it-a-rebuild rebuild of the White Sox. (Our companion piece to this podcast is available to read, featuring some writers not appearing on this podcast.)

• Tommy, bearish on the idea of either Dylan Cease or Luis Robert Jr. sticking around to see the end of next season, makes a sucker-punch of a choice: Tony La Russa
• Brian straddles on- and off-field, opting for perennial grinder Romy González as The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave, but in reality it’s Roger Bossard who will be left standing at Sox Park, forever. Pray for him
• Brett’s heart hopes that Robert can be the Mike Trout of the White Sox, but the reality is far uglier. Go ahead and listen for the ugly details, but the winner of Feats of Strength is another MLB team entirely
• We touch on some of our other staff answers for Feats of Strength winner, including Michael Soroka, who perhaps wins because he won’t ever have to pitch for the White Sox
• In the second half of the podcast, we address the news of the week — namely, the price of SoxFest going up from a few hundred dollars (or whatever it was, it’s been like 25 years since the team held one) to several thousand, as The Fest Formerly Known as Sox is rebranded into some sort of Season Ticketholder Event brought to you by Bushwood Country Club
• A brief preview of our final event of the month, Soxivus Miracles

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Well, OK, not necessarily good ... but news, anyway.

What news? Well, there’s getting a bunch of players in trades and free agency, some of them even capable of pretending to have major league ability for days at a time, or at least innings at a time.

Then it became holiday speculation time, from what may be reaped in trades of Dylan Cease or Eloy Jiménez or the beer guy that usually patrols left field seats. There’s also speculation about the next year and the next century and how many more centuries Jerry Reinsdorf will live and keep the White Sox from being any good.

And after speaking of Scrooge, there’s much talk about players past, players present, and players future (see how I worked in A Christmas Carol there?), followed by a long lament on the loss of Jason Benetti, who was often the only reason to watch a Sox game on the tube.

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Watch and participate, as we all drag out our pitchforks and stab the White Sox into swiss cheese.

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We kick off the festivities by looking within, to discover what it is about this team that holds our fandom. (Our companion piece to this podcast is available to read, featuring some writers not appearing on this podcast.)

• Brian kicks things off, with a Joycean paean about the tragic sensibility of fandom, inextricable from romantic optimism. If you haven’t read The Dubliners, that means in part that he’s surprised the White Sox still matter to him — but they do
• Chrystal is sunk too deep into baseball, writing 135 game stories a year, and is left with little choice
• Dante and Tommy both speak of the hope of personal history
• Malachi still feels that no one entity, even the owner of the team, can take his Sox fandom from him
• Brett, honestly, has lost the passion for the team, but not for South Side Sox
• Father Soxivus previews our coming events, which include a live program on December 10, the Airing of Grievances; December 17 (Feats of Strength); and December 22, Soxivus Miracles
• A quick speed round toward the end asks whether there is anything that could ever happen to cause any of us to completely lose our Sox fandom
• Chrystal’s crack research indicates that, yes, we are all members of the White Sox cult, and also coins a solid pocket schedule theme for 2024 ... White Sox: Please Be Mediocre
• And sorry, Papa Jones, Dante still ain’t crossing over to the north side

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No, really.

• First and foremost, we all thank you, our wonderful readers and community here at South Side Sox. It’s said ad nauseam, but without you and your passion, there is no site. Thank you dearly for sticking it out with us, when it would be much easier not to
• And without all of us and our passion, collectively as fans, there is no White Sox (something, perhaps, to keep in mind this holiday season, White Sox)
• Brian is thankful that he still cares about the team, even when the emotions are usually anger, repulsion, disgust, shock or disappointment. There’s something about baseball, and the White Sox, that stirs him as no other sport does
• Melissa is taking advantage of the, um, pause in actual MLB competitiveness to learn and care more about the prospects in the system. Ah, youth, not spoiled by what has become the reality of 21st Century Soxdom
• Joe still sees the joy in the players, from the unlikely heights of Seby Zavala to the continued dominance and flair of Luis Robert Jr.
• Brett is happy, for the first time in his life, not to be a White Sox employee
• Bonus viewing note: See how visibly uncomfortable compliments make Brian. We should to it every podcast
• After the break, extended mawkishness toward the site and even the host, absolutely the hidden agenda for this Thanksgiving podcast
• We take the end of the podcast to discuss whether or not my contract has an out clause the offseason prospects for the White Sox, summed up by Melissa: meh
• Brian and Brett are willing to allow some sunshine to poke through the clouds, but realistically nothing will really move the needle; Joe and Melissa are too savvy even to allow for the possibility

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