Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast

Rob Colletti and Bill Meincke break down the trade deadline, the upcoming series, and Rob’s new Sox scarf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wow, it’s almost like the last episode was just last week! Dugout Metrics is back to appease a youth country hungry for this unique combo of stat analysis and playing experience, brought to you by Trevor Lines (Bellarmine University) and Luke Smailes (Coe College). What Brett Ballantini (TCU) is doing with them, we’re still not sure. Hey man, you might have heard, the White Sox made some trades last week. Luke and Trevor break each one down: César Hernandez is selling out for power, and is a slightly puzzling player who nonetheless brings more to the table than the other White Sox options. Was Konnor Pilkington too much to give up for him? Ryan Tepera had a rough start to his White Sox career, but at minimum he will be a key cog in the bullpen. Luke missed on the cost, but nailed the love connection between South and north sides for this one Where were you when you heard about Craig Kimbrel coming to the White Sox? Trevor was getting ready for a big work Zoom, so it’s good the negotiations didn’t stretch to the final minute Brett is forced to consider amending his No Kaplan Rumors in South Side Sox Slack Craig Kimbrel is a stud, yes, but he fell off the horse in his early Cubs career. With him good again, does it justify the price of Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer? What is it like, as a player, to juggle trade rumors while still needed to perform on the field? And finally, a scolding for Steve Stone, who kicked Madrigal when he was already out the door Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite juggling nightly, weekly and monthly minors updates and moving this podcast up a day to provide off-day content for you ravenous masses, Darren Black took an hour out to come back to the Farm podcast. This time around, he and Brett Ballantini are recovering from that whopper of a trade deadline. Wow, we need a cigarette. In fact, the content was so potent, midway through the recording, Darren’s wifi signal gave out. But he came back. Good thing, because we had lots to discuss: Darren breaks down all four players (Nick Madrigal, Codi Heuer, Konnor Pilkington, Bailey Horn) and sees the Cubs trades as win-win for both sides. Peace & Harmony Black, they call him A brief review of Javy Báez’s three true outcomes: strikeout, no-look tags, hamming it up to first base) We trace the likely White Sox career outcomes for quad-A guys like Micker Adolfo, Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets With the loss of Pilkington there any starting pitcher prospects left in the White Sox system — and does it even matter? In a discussion of possible internal options for second base in 2023, Darren admits that among all the experts we have on staff, Brett has the sharpest prospects eye, and no, Darren absolutely did not smirk when he said so. Nope Days of reckoning are upon us, for 25-odd new rookies from the draft (and undrafted free agents); without Great Falls, where will they all go? We envision the loitering at Camelback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right, we lost two players today and gained one, so we did the same with tonight’s final Trade Deadline podcast, as five South Side Sox staff (Brett Ballantini, Darren Black, Joe Resis, Chrystal O’Keefe and Tyrone Palmer) convened to talk about the Craig Kimbrel for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer trade, and the wild final day of dealing across baseball. Some highlights: Brett celebrates in the Virgin Islands, and may have gotten lost there How much does losing Nick Madrigal hurt? The SSS Indianapolis Field Office of Chrystal O’Keefe and Joe Resis are particularly bummed, but still on board with the move What ultimately made Madrigal expendable Darren heats up a casserole Mini-roundtable: What did the White Sox miss out on that they still need Among the sellers, who “won?” Brett taunts the jinx gods, while Darren is straight-out afeared of them Tyrone and Brett are united in the belief that the White Sox are now the favorites in the American League, and that losing Madrigal won’t set the team back for a second Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To match the acquisitions today by the White Sox, we upped our trade deadline podcast from four South Side Sox staff to six (Brett Ballantini, Darren Black, James Fox, Joe Resis, Bill Meincke and Zach Hayes) and, what ho, we had White Sox trades to talk about! The White Sox did well on Thursday, so there was plenty of time to celebrate a bit: The pivot from Eduardo Escobar to César Hernández was quick. How did it happen? Check out Zach’s terrific piece on Hernández, which ought to get you a bit excited about what he still has in the tank for 2021 How in the world did we snag Ryan Tepera — arguably the best non-closer relief pitcher on the market — for Bailey Horn? James has some interesting insight Roundtable: The most important area of weakness still to address before Friday’s 3 p.m. CT trading deadline, and who should be acquired to fill it Mike Rizzo strikes again! He did it to the White Sox in 2010 over Adam Dunn — did he pull the same shenanigans on San Diego tonight, in flipping Max Scherzer (and Trea Turner) a division rival in the Dodgers instead? Again, a reminder to temper expectations when it comes to the talent the White Sox can draw in; the prospects tank is empty (that didn’t stop Rick Hahn today, though) Is an intern frantically Fedexing Micker Adolfo’ highlights to the north side in hopes of landing Craig Kimbrel in a package? Most likely single player to acquire: According to our guys, the White Sox will be doubling their order of Frys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four of your very favorite South Side Sox staff — Brett Ballantini, Darren Black, Tommy Barbee and Tyrone Palmer — gathered in anticipation of the sprint to Friday’s 3 p.m. CT trading deadline. The White Sox haven’t done anything yet, so there was plenty of time to cover most everything: Yes, this is a second straight podcast where Brett can’t keep the program number straight, as this is mothership podcast 53, not 52 Eduardo Escobar, the presumably attainable White Sox trade target, is off to Milwaukee. Huh? The White Sox front office traditionally (and reasonably) detested teams agreeing to deals, then continuing to shop players in the agreement — most famously, Mike Rizzo backing out of the Edwin Jackson-Adam Dunn deal in 2010. But these White Sox trade leaks (from Sox lips to Bob Nightengale’s twitter account) as a means of pressuring teams is just as annoying. The Sox have now lost Joc Pederson, Manny Machado and Escobar due to such tactics, to some degree Roundtable: The most important area of weakness to address among second base, catcher and bullpen Again, a reminder to temper expectations when it comes to the talent the White Sox can draw in; the prospects tank is empty Thought exercise: Who among Yermín Mercedes, Gavin Sheets, Zack Collins and Jake Burger would you trade for Escobar? The answers, based on the comment thread on Luke Smailes pre-deadline spec piece, will surprise/disappoint you Tommy admits that when a deal gets made across baseball without Micker Adolfo’s name attached, he breathes a tiny sigh of relief Most important single player to acquire: two votes for Jonathan Schoop, two for Ian Kennedy An update on Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter The Cubbie stink question again rears its ugly head, wherein Tommy teaches Brett to love again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, celebrate the return of super-defender Eloy Jiménez, who had celebrated his own return the night before with a booming game-winner that’s probably still in orbit. (They also ... ahem ... note the error of their Yermín Mercedes assessment the week before, which shall not be mentioned after this moment by anyone. Including you.) With the cast recorded 50 hours ahead of the trading deadline, it is full of speculation, none of which will turn out to be true, but being wrong is in the spirit of the show. On the negative side, what’s with all the heavy use of White Sox starting pitchers, who have thrown many more games of more than 100 pitches than any other team, more than twice the MLB average? Is this really a good idea? Is the HOFBP that much smarter than the 29 other managers (well, he’s definitely smarter than Mike Matheny, but that’s just one, and he might not really count)? Should the Sox be wearing out their pitchers in a now-meaningless regular season, given the hideousness of the AAAL Central, or should they be getting a little less wear and tear going into October? Inquiring minds want to know. Oh, and how about Danny Mendick for catcher? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darren Black is back on the Farm podcast, and this time around he and Brett Ballantini are talking about some key hot prospects in the system, and what each has to do to establish (or re-establish) “hot prospect” status. And yes, you’re not hearing it wrong, Brett doesn’t know how many SSS Farm podcasts we’ve done. Highlights: Yes, this is just Farm podcast 12 ... plus, Darren turns Taylor Varnell into a righty! Has Yermín Mercedes completely killed what trade value he might have had? Is there any plausible scenario that sees Micker Adolfo still in the White Sox system at the start of the 2022 season? Varnell has had a fabulous 2021 ... how long before he transitions into “legit prospect?” Darren provides a telling contrast between Varnell and Konnor Pilkington Luis Curbelo has powered his way back onto the White Sox prospect radar. When he gets to Birmingham, what must he show to remain on the radar? Luis Mieses has done nothing but mash since his demotion to Kannapolis. Something has clicked there for him, finally ... should we anticipate him succeeding once he’s back with the Dash? Apropos to recent discussion on site, both Darren and Brett temper expectations about what the White Sox capital — the best of it, “older” prospects — can bring back in trade this week And, shout-out to the work of Adopt A Minor Leaguer. Visit the linked website to either donate or sign up to help sponsor a White Sox player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Killer B’s regroup in Episode 11 to reflect on the weird and wild first half of the season and what the Chicago White Sox need, but — let’s be real — probably will not get, at the trade deadline. Join Tommy Barbee and Keelin Billue to catch up on the latest news, and check in on old news. TOMMYstradamus Tommy made some pretty spot-on calls early in the season. The Bs recap on what came true (Micker Adolfo dominance and the arrival of Brian Goodwin) and check in with early-season doubts (depth). Some Pessimistic Trade Predictions What do the White Sox need? A FEW THINGS. Will they get it? EVERY DAY THAT GOES BY KIND OF MAKES IT SEEM LIKE MAYBE NOT. The Bs discuss relief pitching, infield, and catching needs while riding this flaming car into the future. Mercedes Recap Yermín Mercedes recently expressed very public frustration with his career, when he announced his retirement before rejoining the White Sox organization the following day. The Bs talk mental health and support for sports professionals. Checking in with Sticky Stuff It has been a month since the sticky substances ban has been in effect. Check in with why the ban is still happening, and how the MLB has changed game play and standards over time. To read more about the Spider Tack experiment by Danny Hacker that Keelin mentions, visit the tweet posted below. The Story of Analytics The discussion around baseball statistics and analytics continue to confuse folks. The Bs discuss how the purpose of analytics, the importance of context, and why they will be important for the future of the game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, the legend of Dugout Metrics lives on, the podcast you couldn’t live without is here again. Ex-players and metrics aces Trevor Lines and Luke Smailes hop on with Brett Ballantini to focus on the freshest news of the day, and trade deadline targets to fortify the White Sox for the stretch run. Yes, the goofy topics are being pushed by Brett: Trevor and Luke take a look at the Yermín Mercedes retirement/unretirement story from a unique angle: Imagining what his Charlotte Knights teammates are feeling about it Nelson Cruz has been dealt, potentially haunting the White Sox not in the regular season but the playoffs. Was the price too high? How will Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert return to the White Sox, given the long layoff: full strength, replacement level, or somewhere in-between? What is the status of Robert’s Domino’s pizza baby? Luke is prioritizing relief pitching help as his top target in the stretch run of trade season, and his top target is a Cubs reliever — but probably not the one you think. Also, Luke doesn’t think the Cubs are afraid to make a deal with the White Sox, and the White Sox will not be afraid of Cubbie stink invading this 2021 roster Trevor is option for second base help, preferably a left-handed hitter, and he’s shooting for the moon ... looking toward Pittsburgh and everyone’s favorite target Do we need to temper expectations for the deadline given a distinct lack of prospect capital to deal for the Adam Fraziers or Joey Gallos? And yes, no-look tags count for more outs than a “regular-look” tag. Thanks, @MLB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy five-Year anniversary of Chris Sale’s attempt to join Project Runway! On Episode 4 of The Estrogen Power Hour, join Colleen, Chrystal, Janice, and Keelin to celebrate this storied moment in White Sox history, as well as other uniform comments and what we want out of the trade deadline. Chris Sale doesn’t make it work. Colleen gives a rundown on the Chris Sale Jersey Slicing of July 23, 2016 (and mixes up 1974 and 1976). Janice asks the important question of “What type of knife is in the clubhouse that you could use for this?” (stay tuned for a MythBusters-style Patreon episode). If there are pictures from the incident, send them our way. 2016 was a fever dream. The girls talk about why the 2016 season was wild AF including jersey cut-ups, the LaRoches, a team of Some Guys, Angels legend Adam Eaton, and separating Robin Ventura the Player from Robin Ventura the Manager. Chrystal still makes fun of fans for this season, which is honestly well-deserved. Uniforms, uniforms, uniforms. The EPH speculates whether starting pitchers actually do get to pick the uniform on their day. They also try to determine if there is a curse on the City Connects and whether they are good-looking uniforms or just ugly. Colleen’s Conspiracy Corner. Colleen drops a conspiracy theory that Tony is the Manchurian Candidate and Miguel Cairo is managing. She’s also expecting a cease-and-desist from the White Sox any day. Satire, joke, or dumb? Normalize telling men they aren’t funny. If you have to say it’s a joke, it isn’t funny. Punching down isn’t funny. Chrystal has the best recommendation for how to deflect said “jokes.” Speaking of bad jokes ... Attendance jokes are classist. The South Side isn’t a monolith, and attendance jokes are boring. People have jobs, jabronis — not everyone can go on Monday night. Janice and Keelin also point out that Wrigley Field is marketed as a tourist attraction by the city. Pay the man. The Estrogen Power Hour fully supports signing an extension for Carlos Rodón. They also support paying players in general, as they discuss the 1994-95 strike and remind you to tip the workers at Guaranteed Rate Field because they’re working hard to feed your drunk bodies. Trade Deadline Wish List. A second baseman, a reliever, and maybe a catcher. Yasmani Grandal was seen jogging, so maybe not a catcher. Mostly a reliever and a second baseman, because we definitely need those most of all. Sports, sports, sports, sports. Fear the Deer, watch the White Sox, or do both at once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan his son and west coast correspondent, Will, are joined this week by cheesehead correspondent and Brewers fan Jonathan Schroerlucke, to preview the upcoming White Sox series in Milwaukee and the incredible matchups of starting pitchers on tap. Will the series be as it looks on paper and consist entirely of games that are 0-0 until the starters come out, with all runs then scored before the two dominant closers come in? Will former Sox players be the key to the Milwaukee offense? Who knows? But we guess. We also have a whole bunch of guesses and comments about the biggest White Sox news of the week, the announced retirement of April hero Yermín Mercedes. Naturally, it would all have been terribly brilliant except that since we recorded, Yermín decided to unretire, at least for one night, so all the speculation and bad-mouthing of the HOFBP is badly outdated. Not that bad-mouthing the HOFBP is ever out of line, but it doesn’t fit the story so well any more. After the break, it’s all White Sox versus Brewers and great pitchers, which we hope doesn’t get out of date as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It only took about three years, but this South Side Sox’s original bonus baby signing, Dan Victor, finally did get together with Brett Ballantini for an SSS podcast. The program is broken pretty much into two halves: 2021 draft review, and 2021 affiliate season highlights. Here are some specifics of the discussion: When will Dan’s big signing bonus arrive? For all the usual hype, 2021 was an unusually strong draft, with MLB basically punting 2020. To that end, the White Sox really did score three first round talents among their first three picks This podcast runs in conjunction with Dan’s overview of the draft, highlighting picks including some guys falling outside of the top five Sox picks: Theo Denlinger, Johnny Ray, Cam Butler and Shawn Goosenberg And, please don’t think it’s empty hype, but if you haven’t read the story, get on over to it and give it a read; it’s PHENOMENALLY well-sourced, one of the best stories we’ve run this year How losing Great Falls as advanced rookie play has adversely affected Low-A Kannapolis José Rodríguez, the man, the myth Plus, Dan’s other Kannapolis guys to watch — including a few who aren’t having the best on-paper seasons Romy González’s preposterously-low body fat, and other keys to forcing his way into the prospect conversation Other Victor faves, including Micker Adolfo, Luis González Why Jonathan Stiever is still Dan’s pitching pick to click — and watch out for Lane Ramsey, chucking under the radar No detailed teasers offered, but Dan has another fabulous feature coming at us next week, and we plan another podcast discussion to spotlight that, and perhaps dig deeper into the system as well Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darren Black and Brett Ballantini are back to a more traditional run-through-the-affiliates podcast, but given some news of the early week, the low-pay plight of minor leaguers hijacked the end of the podcast: Did Reynaldo López do anything more than earn $2.1 million this season in order to get called up this weekend? Is it too much, too late for super-hot Charlotte Knight Luis González? Eloy’s travails in the field at both Winston-Salem and Charlotte should play a role in his usage later this season in Chicago What is different about Romy González this season — and how does that help his promise as a future major-leaguer? Yolbert Sánchez has seemed to locate his hit tool, which he now packed with him to Birmingham in a promotion that finally gets him to an age-appropriate level Is a matter of when, not if, when it comes to a José Rodríguez promotion from Kannapolis? Darren says you should be disappointed in the young trio of next-wave arms (Matthew Thompson, Drew Dalquist, Jared Kelley). Worried? Nah How is it that the MLB draft is moving backwards when it comes to player bonuses (and yes, we call out the Cubs for paying a 10th-rounder $5,000, and a sixth-round pick for $1,000. Disgusting Meanwhile, photos of St. Louis Cardinals MiLB players sleeping across chairs in a hotel ballroom (or some such locale) are circulating at the same time Oakland A’s farmhands are said to be paying more for a couple of weeks of hotel stay than they are paid per month in salary. Reprehensible Sorry Sox, we vow to call you out if you play the same way (and yeah, at least one pick has signed for a paltry $10,000, we know) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Killer B’s, Tommy Barbee and Keelin Billue, are back to discuss the connections and kinship between the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox. Tim Ryder of The Apple, home of the “Simply Amazin’” podcast and independent New York Mets coverage, join The B’s to celebrate being “the little brother” in a major market, the “Bench Mob,” James McCann, what to expect for the second half of the 2021 MLB season, and more ... including Jack McDowell flipping off Yankees Stadium. Remembering Black Jack’s Flip Off Tim shares his first “White Sox” memory: Yankee-fied Black Jack McDowell flipping off Yankee Stadium. Catching Up on James McCann Tim catches the South Side Sox crew up on how former White Sox catcher James McCann is doing with the Mets. Spoiler alert: McCann is doing just fine. Being “the Other Team” Being a fan of the “little brother” team in a major market begs an interesting question: “How does fandom happen?” Winning With Your Bench The 2021 MLB season has been particularly notable in terms of proliferation of injuries, but both the Mets and the White Sox are still gathering wins with an unexpected crew of players. Season Expectations Tim, the B’s, and Colleen discuss hopes for the second half of baseball season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year is 2021. Thousands of Trevor Bauer bobbleheads gather dust in a warehouse somewhere. Minor leaguers cannot afford housing while working two jobs and “paying their dues.” ESPN’s Steven A. Smith proclaims you cannot be baseball’s top star if you do not speak English in interviews. On Episode 3 of The Estrogen Power Hour, join Colleen, Janice, Keelin and Chrystal to celebrate the Summer of ’54 IPA while breaking down the latest news from a different perspective. Summer of ’54 Tapping Event for The Lost Boyz Janice and Keelin attended the Summer of ’54 Tapping event for the Lost Boyz on Tuesday, July 13 at the Haymarket Pub + Brewery in Chicago. Summer of ‘54 is an IPA born of a random conversation between Chicagoans and collaborators Jay Westbrook, AKA “The Black Beer Baron” and a craft beer maker, and Shakeia Taylor, a beloved baseball journalist. The name pays tribute to the first summer both Chicago baseball teams had a Black player. Minnie Miñoso joined the White Sox in 1952, while Ernie Banks joined the Cubs in late 1953. The beer is a celebration of baseball and friendship. In that spirit, proceeds from the sale of each pint were be donated to Lost Boyz Inc, a South Shore based organization that provides instruction, training, and the competition of organized baseball and softball to youths who are not as likely exposed to the game and its many disciplines. Consider donating to Lost Boyz Inc. and grab Summer of ’54 from the Haymarket Pub + Brewery. Trevor Bauer Abuse Allegations Since the EPH last met, news broke regarding Trevor Bauer’s alleged sexual and physical abuse. The news has initiated several important conversations about consent, victim blaming, and MLB and the Dodgers organization’s awkward handling of sexual and domestic violence. The need for allies for victims is more important than ever. Listen in to hear the discussion. Pay Our Minor Leaguers Recently, Advocates for Minor Leaguers shared that minor league players for the Rangers and White Sox organizations were unable to afford apartments due to insufficient income. Listen in as the crew discusses the issue with romanticizing “the hustle” that minor leaguers must endure including working several jobs and not being able to make ends meet. Is it the Interpreters, or Are You Just Racist and/or Xenophobic? While baseball is often called “America’s Pastime,” the game of baseball is celebrated and played in many countries. Several MLB players, including stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoán Moncada, are from countries where English is not the native language. Recently, commentators for blog and media outlets (including ESPN and Barstool) made comments criticizing the previously mentioned players for utilizing an interpreters in interviews rather than “simply” speaking English. The EPH breaks down why this few is harmful — as well as a waste of time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, we just had a draft, and it was the BEST ONE EVER! Don't take our word for it, White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley said so. Anyway, Darren Black and Trevor Lines hopped on with Brett Ballantini to talk about their favorite sleeper picks of the White Sox draft, and we had some fun addressing those and the imminent return of Eloy Jiménez: Jeremy Karll was unavoidably detained by technical difficulties, which is a shame because he deserves more plaudits for SSS's killer coverage of the draft than anyone. Alas, as Eloy is now Earthbound, in Charlotte, Jeremy has ascended into the clouds to occupy his space. Rest in peace, Jeremy Darren likes the massive size and upside of fifth rounder Tanner McDougal, with solid heat and nice breaking stuff as an 18-year-old Trevor opts for the sheer lunacy of demonstrative Liberty University closer Fraser Ellard, and packs a scouting report from his ex-teammates and friends who've faced him Props to Luke Smailes, whose Trackman data extrapolation pointed to Haylen Green as having the second-best stuff in the draft; no, not the second-best stuff among White Sox pitching picks in the draft — the second-best stuff in the ENTIRE draft Brett had his Horned Frog Haylen pick stolen, so he's opting for Taylor Broadway, with very solid closer numbers and one of a few 2021 picks who might plug-and-play in the system Rumors of a Dugout Metrics podcast return Eloy will be back soon. Will he be back in left field on the South Side soon? And, related: Will he make it through the season without getting injured again? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s podcast, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, do a little All-Star Game review, mainly about audio — that being Liam Hendriks’ Aussie freestyling, and the announcers giving credit for the White Sox performance to Tony La Russa instead of the players, which they didn’t do with any other manager and team. That led to Will revealing just how sharp and insightful HOFBP fanboys are when you criticize him on Twitter, which is always good for a laugh. Back to baseball, as the pair talk about how tremendous the White Sox are against bad teams, and how much they struggle against good ones; that matters not a whit for the regular season because the AL Central is a glorified minor league, but becomes rather important in the playoffs. The conversation even includes a whole bunch of actual data, not just blather. One of those pieces of data is the fact Sox starting pitchers have tossed 100 or more pitches 31 times so far, way, way more than any other team, despite all the admonitions that pitchers will need special care this year because of the short 2020 season. Does the HOFBP know more than all the other MLB managers? Time will tell. And then there is speculation about what, if any, changes the Sox will make by the trading deadline, including the possibility of bringing in Yadier Molina so that the team will have a catcher who can actually catch while Yasmani Grandal is unable to do so. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MLB great John Kruk joins Sam Wilson, John Stolnis, Brady Klopfer and a host of community guests from around SB Nation to watch the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SB Nation’s all-star cast (Sam Wilson, John Stolnis, Eric Stephen and guest Jeremy Brener) breaks down everything that happened in the 1st round of the 2021 MLB Draft! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last off-day of the first half seemed a good time for a South Side Sox revue review of the White Sox to date, along with a look ahead to Eloy and the second half. We ended our time with a look at how the Los Angeles Dodgers handled the Trevor Bauer assault accusation. Chrystal O’Keefe, Tyrone Palmer, Scott Reichard and Darrin Brown jumped on with Brett Ballantini and provided some great stuff, including: Brett barely recognizes Scott, it’s been so long since his last podcast — and with due haste, the guitar maestro (podcast theme, coming soon) calls Brett a jerk Should everyone just lighten up about the White Sox leaving wins on the table while injured? Roundtable: Does Eloy play any left field in 2021? Who are the White Sox trade targets this month, and what is the priority position to pick up? Trevor Bauer, disgusting human But that said, listen to people when they tell you who they are. And, saving that, listen to women when they tell you who the abusers are Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SB Nation welcomes you to it’s coverage of the 2021 MLB All-Star Week, powered by T-Mobile! On today’s episode, Sam Wilson, John Stolnis, and Brady Klopfer break down the rosters, set the state of the league, discuss trade rumors PLUS Talking Chop's Demetrius Bell joins the show to talk about the move from Georgia to Colorado! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Delayed by Tropical Storm Elsa but not to be denied, it’s a first visit with a mainstay of our White Sox coverage, Mitch Ransdell! Feel free to peruse Mitch’s Meet the Players or take a peek at his lone extant piece of art from his time with us at South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated. And, as if you need to, here’s an index of all Mitch’s White Sox Player of the Week art and writing series. But we talked about a lot of great stuff, including: Mitch’s origins as a fan — and a possibly amazing coincidence of he and Brett celebrating a title on the same bridge 16 years ago! Field of Dreams appeal Getting started with White Sox art The terrifying dive into art — with Sharpies! Dig it! Mitch’s first sportswriting has come right here, right now, with the Player of the Week series How the contagious confidence of a winning White Sox team infects each youngster summoned from Charlotte Is there any legit MLB talent to tap in the reservoir of players left in Charlotte, or have we reached EMERGENCY TRADE ACQUISITION time? The White Sox player Mitch has most enjoyed drawing so far this year — and who he hopes to be sketching in the second half And finally, some extended admiration for what Liam Hendriks has brought to the club, and clubhouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s edition of Sharing Sox, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast corespondent, Will, have a whole bunch of stuff to talk about. There’s the good: Adam Eaton is gone, Adam Engel is back, Leury García is doing his best Babe Ruth imitation, and Billy Hamilton made a catch that is why it is so much fun to watch baseball. There’s also the bad: Some White Sox starting pitchers are showing signs of struggling with the new rules enforcement, and the bullpen is still shaky There’s also the really, really ugly: Yasmani Grandal is seriously injured, and the Sox are stuck with Zack Collins as their primary catcher. Then there’s the question of chili. The TV broadcast team — OK, mostly Stoney — recently saw fit to attack one of the seven wonders of the culinary world, namely Skyline Chili. To them we say, “Fie! Fie upon you!” whatever that means. Being former Ohioans — as is Stoney, but from the wrong end of the state — and incisive analysts, we not only take umbrage, we take at least two umbrages, and explain why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back from his brief IL stint, Darren Black hops on with Brett Ballantini to take a quick look at the lower reaches of the system, and then to discuss the White Sox prospects most likely to be included in a 2021 deadline deal. The options aren’t too inspiring: With Micker Adolfo certain to leave the organization after the season (he’d need to be on the active roster to be retained), is he out the door — and for what return? Is there any combination of players who could be used to acquire an oft-mentioned MLB impact player like Adam Frazier? A brief moment of acknowledgement heralding the current team with the most first-round draft choices on the active roster (yep, that’s the White Sox) Subpar performances or injury (Jared Kelley, Matthew Thompson, Benyamin Bailey, Blake Rutherford) guts any chance of a blockbuster Is cap-less Darren more, or less, insightful than capped Black? And how will a Kannapolis cap impact the Cannon Ballers record? Take the Arizona Complex League results with the biggest grain of salt you can find Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might have thought this day would never come: Jake Burger getting called up to the White Sox. This has nothing to do with lack of talent or ability, but many players just don’t come back from Achilles tears, let alone two of them. Jake Burger has done just that. After torching Triple-A pitching down in Charlotte to the tune of a line of .322/.368./.964, the 25-year-old third baseman will finally get his chance to show what he can do in the major leagues, on a first place White Sox squad. Keith Guttin is the head coach at Missouri State, and has been for the last 38 seasons. He has coached more than 20 major league players, and turned Missouri State into one of the best college programs in the country. He was gracious enough to take few minutes out of his day to chat about his former player, and let’s just say he's not at all surprised with Burger’s success; he even thinks the rookie could be President one day. Enjoy this chat with Missouri State Baseball Head Coach, Keith Guttin! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For once, we’re not doing a postgame or emergency podcast to talk about something tragic happening to the White Sox, but something wonderful! Brett Ballantini discusses this (mostly) glorious Twins series with sleeper agents Tyrone Palmer and Jeremy Karll, #SoxMath legend Joe Resis, and all-around man about town Tommy Barbee. Among the highlights: The much-delayed, long-awaited power surge from the White Sox offense! Thank you, Josh Donaldson! Hey, how about that Gavin Sheets, professional hitter Does Yoán Moncada need injured-listing ... and given his propensity for near-Alexei Ramírez theatrics, how can you tell? Speed round: Who replaces Yoán if necessary, Jake Burger or Tim Beckham? There are pros and cons with both Predictions for the nine games remaining in the first half, from Joe’s “they don’t need to win any” to Brett’s run the table with eight or nine, and all points in-between Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s edition of Sharing Sox is back to just SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will. But they harken back to last week’s guest, renowned expert on the physics of baseball Dr. Alan Nathan, as they look at the early returns on sticky stuff enforcement and reduced spin rates. Nathan had said reduced spin rates will most importantly impact high fastballs, but will make no more than an inch of difference on how much the heaters elevate. With Lucas Giolito being a high-heat guy, the duo looked at Tuesday night’s game against the Twins, when Lucas got only one strikeout, but had a ton of balls fouled back. Then there’s a look back over the past two weeks, a quick one because it’s not exactly filled with happiness for the White Sox, together with a little round of applause for the first game of Gavin Sheets (and acknowledgement of some good fortune therein). Not to mention admiration for Yasmani Grandal’s perfect bunt, which is, of course, something lefties should be doing on a regular basis to force opponents out of shifts. The deep look is at trade possibilities, wherein the two agree the White Sox could win the pathetic AL Central with the current lineup. Will expounds at length on the reasons the Sox shouldn’t use any trade chips to acquire a second baseman, instead saving what little we have in the way of prospects to acquire relief pitching — especially because the White Sox, while very unlucky in outfield injuries, have been remarkably lucky so far in avoiding pitcher injuries, which will inevitably be coming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go figure, Brett Ballantini talks with new SSS staffer Tyrone Palmer and neglects to discuss his most recent domination of Sox Twitter, as he brought attention to the White Sox dishonoring Loretta Micele. But, no worries, Tyrone is much more of a White Sox dynamo than a mere viral tweet that touched the hearts of more than 32,000 Twitter users ... Topics broached: Highlights from Tyrone’s Meet the Players profile, including his all-time favorite Simpsons episodes Reminiscing about 2008’s Blackout Game, which both Tyrone and Brett attended, with fond memories. And both still have their generic black “blackout” towels The majesty of seeing Frank Thomas clobber a home run to straightaway center in your first-ever White Sox game Offseason reactions, including revamped coaching staff Spending smartly vs. spending more Making sure the “window of contention” is not just a carrot dangling, merely masquerading as a World Series ring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alert the reply guys! Estrogen Power Hour, an all-White Sox, estrogen-based podcast focused on the intersection of inclusivity in baseball and sports at large, is back. Listen in to episode 2.75 “We’re Just Here So We Don’t Get Fined” as Janice, Keelin, Colleen, and Chrystal discuss topics such as: If You’re Reading This, You Probably Have Estrogen Some folks felt the use of “estrogen” in the podcast title was not inclusive. So, unfortunately, this episode has a brief science lesson at the beginning, for the slackers that hang out in the comments. Janice Does Pittsburgh Janice went to the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago White Sox series in Pittsburgh; ate a delicious, pierogi-topped sandwich; made new friends; and will be on some Pirates archival footage somewhere. Sports Expertise Barriers for Women and How You Can Help The burden of proof is higher for women (and especially women of color) when it comes to fandom and sports knowledge, and sometimes these conversations turn nasty, especially on social media. Learn how you can be an ally and support the women in your life. Janice gives a shout out to UK baseball fans, including Bat Flips and Nerds. Baseball’s Problematic Full Monty Moment As the MLB vs. Sticky Stuff saga continues, pants have come down, but at what cost? Early on, the sticky ban has been chaotic and promises to leave the MLB with an even messier legacy. However, bets are placed on who will moon the umps first or add some drama to the substance-check process. Pride Month Continues The White Sox “put their money where their mouth is,” as Liam and Kristi Hendriks are hosting a benefit for the Center on Halsted, an organization mentioned in Episode 2 of Estrogen Power Hour. Additionally, the crew discusses Carl Nassib’s coming out, how other MLB teams do Pride, and expanding the idea of Pride to everyone. Hey Guaranteed Rate Field! We Need Our Bags Back! Guaranteed Rate Field issued a policy to minimize bag size during the pandemic. However, as the stadium returns to full capacity, the 9´´x 5´´ bag size remains the same. The crew talks medicine, menstrual products, and other items that, uh, people kind of need to have with them and do not need to broadcast. It is time to update the bag policy. AND MORE! Do you like snakes? Exploding Snakes? Snakes heads on stakes? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chrystal O’Keefe and Joe Resis join Brett Ballantini for another podcast that seems Indianapolis invitation-only. It’s a quicker podcast than usual, because we wanted to focus on just a couple of concepts, beyond thanking any listeners still tuning in to Podcast 48 in 2023: What is up with the offense? Yes, there are injuries aplenty, but this isn’t a lineup of guys found at the bus stop, either How many of the 16 games (starting on Friday) do the White Sox need to win to feel good going into the All-Star break? (Bad news for Chrystal, who said 14 ... the Sox can only lose once more before mid-July!) Alternately, rather than sheer wins (with an eye toward the only real competition at the moment, Cleveland) how far up should the South Siders be by the All-Star break? The schedule from the All-Star Game to the end of August is not easy. Each of us has varying levels of terror over this fact We welcome the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to our stable of sponsors at SBN Also: a little more time travel! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sharing Sox this week, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, have a very special guest: University of Illinois emeritus professor of physics Alan Nathan, the world’s preeminent authority on the physics of baseball. Yep, two people pretending they know what they’re talking about are joined by one who really does. The podcast includes explanations of the physics of spin and spin rates, the types of pitches impacted (maybe not what you’d think), how much MLB cracking down on sticky stuff is apt to impact offense, and everything else spin-worthy. Then it’s on to the baseball itself, with explanation by Dr. Nathan — who was on the committee that studied the ball and its manufacturing process after MLB became worried about the home-run barrage — of what has and hasn’t changed, what does and doesn’t vary, and what could be done to make balls more consistent. And finally, we get the opinion of Dr. Nathan (a lifelong Red Sox fan, but nobody’s perfect) on what could and should be done to get baseball away from the Three True Outcomes and back to the excitement of balls in play, and catches and throws, and running on the bases and on defense. Trust us, it’s the most educational and informative Sharing Sox ever — and still fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After taking a look at the highest ceilings in the system during our last podcast and speculating on deadline deals in the last SSS mothership podcast, Darren Black hops on with Brett Ballantini to discuss the White Sox prospects most likely to make an impact during a pennant push in 2021. Indeed, believe it or not, there were some to discuss: Can Micker Adolfo leapfrog all the Charlotte outfielders and make an impact on the 2021 White Sox? Of the triumvirate most likely to ascend next to the White Sox, who has the edge among Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets and Tim Beckham? Will any starters — Charlotte or Birmingham — fill in ably as needed in the stretch run? Is Jason Bilous 2021’s answer to 2019 Jonathan Stiever? To that end, yes, it is Bil-OWS, but what does that surname mean in Ukranian? There is one easy DFA from the 40-man roster — wanna take a guess at who it is? Some cursory attention is paid Kannapolis and Bailey Horn/Luis Mieses Yes, Brett pronounces Evan Skoug’s name correctly, as he gets some shine as our weekly Winston-Salem MVP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A four-game losing streak? Podcast! Chrystal O’Keefe, Joe Resis, Tommy Barbee, Darren Black and Brett Ballantini gathered post-sweep to discuss the panic level (very low) and prospects for bringing in help to bolster the club (also, very low). Aside from Brett forgetting Chrystal’s name, here are some chat highlights: Another stirring Joe Resis introduction! We figured out that “the money will be spent” truly does translate into “the money has been spent (on rehabbing players we already have)” Chrystal/Cheryl gets an Edible Arrangement from Rick Hahn? True confessions of personalized jerseys: Do I hear a Dayan Viciedo from Darren? Innovative trade idea: Adam Eaton for a ham sandwich Speed round: Will the White Sox acquire more substantial infield help, or outfield help? (none of the above was not an option) Ruminations on the cornpone tones of Gordon Beckham Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this new segment from your friends at the North Side Sox Podcast, we invite you to get to know the guys of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the White Sox Low-A affiliate in the East League. We’re especially excited to bring you a hometown guy for our inaugural episode: Ballers third baseman DJ Gladney. The 19-year-old (soon to be 20) was drafted by the White Sox in the 16th round in 2019 out of Illiana Christian High School in Lansing, Ill. DJ is also an alum of the ACE (Amateur City Elite) program, run by the White Sox, which encourages the participation of underserved youth from Chicago (and the suburbs) in baseball. The ACE program offers the support, structure, and exposure young talent may not have access to, and also aims to help reverse and correct the trend of reduced participation by African-Americans in baseball. We asked DJ: To bring us into his day-to-day as a young minor leaguer — traveling, workouts, pregame rituals, and Zaxby’s and Mortal Kombat on days off His experience being mentored and coming up through the ACE program To reflect on his game, and what kind of player he is, and what he’d like to become What it was like growing up as a White Sox fan, and his favorite player as a kid! His thoughts on the big league club, and some reflection on Andrew Vaughn’s admiration from 2018 What it was like having his career disrupted by a global pandemic, and how he stayed sharp for the 2021 season We also asked him about any hobbies he might have picked up in 2020, and he shared that he writes and records his own music — experimenting with Pro Tools for beats, but writing flows with some allusions to baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and (usually) west coast correspondent, Will, prove their stick-to-itiveness as they delve into the world of (theoretically) disappearing illegal substances that prove their stick-to-itiveness on baseballs and what it might mean, while more sadly delving into the (all too real) disappearing of Nick Madrigal’s season and what it might mean. The two also go over the week that was, including a whole lot of brilliant starting pitching. There’s also worry about some things happening on the offensive side, including the Mariana Trench-level slump of Yermín Mercedes and its very negative impact on José Abreu. And they once again beg for the disappearance (just from the White Sox, we’re not violent) of Adam Eaton, knowing it will never happen. Plus the hoped-for reappearances of Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert. Plus, they throw in multiple plugs for next week’s program, to be recorded June 23, because it will feature University of Illinois Physics Professor Emeritus Alan Nathan, a renowned expert on the physics of baseball, talking about things like the baseball itself, spin rates and their impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The South Side on the Farm podcast focuses on the highest ceilings in the system, with our update maven weighing in on at least two players per affiliate who we should be keeping tabs on as future White Sox. So, let’s raise the ceiling: It is, in fact, the last hippie podcast for Brett, who is due to lose some locks on Tuesday José Rodríguez epitomizes this exercise, so there’s a lot of talk about our current player of the year in the system, with bonus speculation on what his eventual position will be in the majors All the prime beef in in Kannapolis, but Darren surprises a bit with his second pick Winston-Salem is a challenge, as evidenced by Darren’s first pick: Caleb Freeman Luke Shilling lives the dream — making the SSS on the Farm podcast When will Micker Adolfo reach Triple-A — or is he being showcased and unable to move from a roster where he is MASHING? As for Charlotte, Darren sticks with Gavin Sheets, and his second pick is a reliever — and a bit of a shocker Brett’s mispronunciation streak continues, as this podcast he isunable to pronounce the word “palpable” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Killer Bs to welcome special guest Max Bay in Episode 9. While Max is part of Dodgers Nation, he has become embraced by some in the Chicago White Sox community and beyond for his baseball modeling and statistical analysis. He has contributed to FanGraphs and recently developed the Stuff+ model with Eno Sarris. Tune into this episode, as Max and the Bs discuss a few of the latest hot topics for the Chicago White Sox, and baseball at large: Yasmani Grandal is playing poker: Max talks about Grandal’s frustrating time as a Dodger and the enigma of Yasmani Grandal’s splits. Yaz is getting fewer pitches in the zone, but it does not contribute to a massive walk rate that is probably not sustainable. Max contemplates that Grandal might be approaching at-bats with a no-swing mentality that’s tricking pitchers. Listen in for the entire conversation. Dodgers fans are just like us: Max shares the recent ups and downs with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, including season starts with high expectations and love-hate relationships with managers. MLB’s recent obsession with sticky stuff and juiced balls: Two months into the 2021 season, MLB has decided to focus on sticky substance usage. Max chats with the Bs about why this is an oversimplification of the issue, and why the timing is less than ideal. Additionally, this topic harks of the steroid witch hunt detailed in the Mitchell Report. Will this sticky substance conversation complicate players’ legacies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, once again we’re putting together an emergency podcast to address a potential season-ending injury for a White Sox starter. This time, it’s Nick Madrigal, who on Thursday was placed on the 60-day injured list. In the aftermath of yet another extended injury loss, Chrystal O’Keefe, Joe Resis, Trevor Lines and Brett Ballantini gathered to discuss the injury, and possible replacements. It seems clear Trevor was unable to successfully scalp his seat to this podcast, despite it being one of the final Hippie Brett podcasts before next week’s cut Initial reactions to seeing the injury on Wednesday, and feelings about the prognosis announced on Thursday Joe Resis, Madrigal superfan, vs. Trevor Lines, Madrigal doubter What is up with the sniper fire coming out of the stands to fell all of our players running to first base? And can we perhaps get a bullpen cart that can help guys off of the field when they, say, have torn their hamstrings? How this season’s dead ball couldn’t touch Madrigal Are the White Sox suddenly injury-prone, or is the rash of South Side injuries just a symptom of a larger, league-wise issue? Chrystal, who should already be employed by the White Sox as bottle opener, good-luck charm and animated cadaver, offers her services as yoga coach in response to all the soft tissue issues Everybody, downward dog during the break! Trevor is worried that Luis Robert will come back to the White Sox with a Domino’s baby Sorry, Domino’s! Is Madrigal injury-prone? Brett makes Joe worried, now Trevor has some wild solutions for the second-base opening, and he teased this morning’s article last night Trevor’s trade target: Adam Frazier The podcast crew winds up by time-traveling ahead to predict a White Sox win on Thursday before first pitch even happened — as far as you know Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While at no time going to their hats, mitts, uniforms or body parts to load up on gooey gunk to stick on their computers, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and (usually) west coast correspondent, Will, take a look at baseball’s latest dive into the scandals of substance abuse, emerging with suggestions for truly stiff penalties to dissuade both pitchers and teams from indulging in the dark arts (hint: sudden end of games, sudden end of careers). Do they have faith MLB will come up with truly devastating punishments for holders of Ph.B. degrees (doctorate of baseballs)? Um, well ... First they take a look at the week that was, with the Detroit series (ho-hum) and the very fine Tuesday performance against the Blue Jays, and even get into the issues raised by readers of Will’s column on White Six players and what soft drink each would be. (Yes, some bozo took that seriously ... really?) But it’s the latest ruination of the game that gets the heavy attention, just as it has done in media from Sports Illustrated to CNBC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The South Side on the Farm podcast turns the party line back on, as Brett Ballantini and Darren Black welcome in our Charlotte correspondent (did you know we have a Charlotte correspondent? WE HAVE A CHARLOTTE CORRESPONDENT!), Anders Johanson. The two cutie pies chatted each other up and decided to wear their compatible Charlotte caps, leaving Brett baldheaded and more clowny than usual. So, the two experts plus Brett talked Farm: Anders solves the puzzle of “How Did Kannapolis win just four games in six weeks?” Before the season, Chris Getz indicated there wouldn’t be too much player movement among affiliates this year, and in the first month of the season there were like 8,000. Bonus: Darren calls Brett a liar Brett and Darren, fellow LHS Wildcats with Evan Skoug, celebrate their countryman’s success in Charlotte, even though Brett can never remember it’s pronounced SKOWG not SCOOG. Some lifelong friend he is Anders talks about his very first Triple-A coverage, this past Sunday at Charlotte The Triple-A Paradox of being so close, but so far way from the majors Jimmy Lambert vs. Jonathan Stiever for Next Starter Up, with bonus party crashing by Reynaldo López Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part of our Meet the Players podcast series, so to speak, Brett Ballantini welcomes new addition Dick Reillo to the staff in this podcast. In addition to the colorful stories that mark Dick’s route to White Sox fandom, we catch up on where the first-place White Sox currently stand and look going forward. There’s a lot of good stuff, so dig in! Dick’s LiveJournal roots with White Sox coverage, connecting him with another SSS writer, Janice Scurio, who hooked him up with — ALDS Game 1 tickets in 2005! So, why was our new staff member half-dressed at the moment the White Sox won the World Series? The completely logical explanation of why one of Dick’s brothers is ... a Cubs fan Hey, are those signed baseballs from the souvenir stand ... not authentic? Someone give Dick a heads-up Call him a lucky charm, but you’ll never guess what Dick saw in his first game back at Sox Park — sadly though, it wasn’t the pitcher he wanted to see There is another sport rivaling Dick’s baseball fandom, not one Brett is very familiar with, and the connection that sport has to the steady trend of superhero movies The reaction in-park to the HBP that ruined Carlos Rodón’s perfect game Is the AL Central title being handed to the White Sox? The rotation is strong, but the depth is not. How terrifying is that? Is Rick Hahn up to making the necessary trade deadline deal to fortify the club for a true playoff run? (And, no, that means more than just hoping to get Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert back this season) Dick’s pick for the trade acquisition at the deadline? Oof, it’s rough — and hopefully, will not come true Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the second episode in what is now titled “South Side Sox Estrogen Power Hour,” an all-White Sox, estrogen-based podcast to focused on the intersection of inclusivity in baseball and sports at large. Occasionally, coverage includes how the White Sox can monetize major life events (primarily funerals). In this episode, tune in as the team discusses: Welcome Janice: A tripod becomes a rickety but free-standing chair, as Janice Scurio joins the Estrogen Power Hour. Lefties, Righties, Bunting — Fact or Myth?: Have you heard that White Sox crush lefties? The team discusses facts and myths about lefties vs. righties. Also, Colleen talks more about bunting, and she is ready for folks to stop trying to explain things to her. Sleeping with The Enemy: Waddle and Silvy of ESPN 1000, the flagship White Sox radio station, think the Chicago Cubs are the feel-good story of the year, but the group rolls unrolls a long sheath of papyrus to reveal a long list of reasons Waddle and Silvy are wrong. Pride in the MLB: White Sox social media shared an image featuring Liam Hendriks to acknowledge and celebrate Pride Month. Although this is a step forward for in terms of primarily male-dominated sports in acknowledging the LGBTIQA+ community, how can organizations and the MLB do better? In Chicago, organizations like Center on Halsted and Howard Brown Health on the North Side and the Brave Space Alliance on the South Side support LGBTIQA+ communities and could use some local love and support. Leave Naomi Osaka Alone: Recently, Naomi Osaka declined media interviews to protect her mental health, which resulted in a $15,000 fine and outrage from, primarily, older white guys. This treatment is a double standard. Surprise! Baseball Players Are Humans: It is no secret that Yermín Mercedes is not having the best month. However, some shock and surprise is undue. The crew discusses why fans should expect slumps and be patient, especially for players with longer contracts. Goodbye, Bad Guys! Mickey Callaway and Marcell Ozuna are off the job, thanks in no part to their abuse of women. How will organizations continue to address abusive coaches and players? How can we expect baseball to truly be “for all” when crimes like these go unchecked? Who Do Sox Fans Want to Dump This Week?: Eaton? Abreu? Grandal? Mercedes? García? Lamb? Mendick? Who stands where in the great debate of dumpage? Keelin Forgets Nomar Mazara’s Last Name: This is more of a correction that no one will probably read. More Death Stuff: Concession embalmments. Faygo embalming fluids. The usual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, yes, it’s “La Russa’s Second DUI Bust, the Movie” week on Sharing Sox, as SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, get to review the DUI arrest video obtained by WGN-TV through a Freedom of Information request. And, yes, one of the arresting officers had no idea who the HOFBP was, and the other one had to explain it to him — grievously insulting Michael Jordan in the process. On to actual baseball things, this week’s cast covers the Cleveland series that just ended, including Steve Stone’s observation of a black spot in James Karinchak’s mitt, which leads to a rant or two about pitchers doctoring baseballs and how enforcing rules against it could bring the game into better balance. Then there are observations on who’s up and who’s down playing-wise (hint: one YM way up, one YM way down), and, mainly, who’s likely to be up and down roster wise. Given that every time we say a player should be sent to Charlotte said player suddenly becomes Willie Mays or Sandy Koufax, and every time we say a player definitely needs to stay he turns into Mario Mendoza or Jaime Navarro, you may want to make your fantasy picks based on disagreeing with every comment made. And then the mater of pop-ups pops up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darren Black is back, discussing our first round of monthly MVPs (Gavin Sheets in Charlotte, Konnor Pilkington in Birmingham, Luis Curbelo in Winston-Salem and José Rodriguez in Kannapolis) in the system, and more: Jace Fry will get called up to Chicago before Adam Engel Will Gavin Sheets be called up to Chicago before Engel? What are the pitchers eating in Birmingham, and is it available for delivery? Darren Black calls out the voters for ignoring Ofriedy Gómez this week. Birmingham bats, hot and cold: Micker Adolfo and Romy González Next week’s guest, joining Darren and Brett: Venus Victor What is going on in Winston-Salem, with such a weird collection of players and performances (every Sunday, they end up at .500)? Benyamin Bailey was sent back to Glendale from Kannapolis, and what should we make of that sort of setback for a top organization prospect? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, are once again awestruck by the awfulness of the White Sox organization, which decided to dis a 60-year employee for no apparent reason other than to prove they can do it, thereby setting off the great Loretta’s Lounge controversy. Yes, we do rant a bit about that, as do pretty much all White Sox fans alive. Naturally, we take a look back over the past week’s play, including all the mistakes made by the person for whom Loretta’s Lounge is now named, the ease with which Dylan Cease loses all concentration, the brilliance of Carlos Rodón, the (we hope) minor injuries to Michael Kopech and Adam Eaton, and — mostly — ways to try to save the game of baseball from itself. That last includes seconding Steve Stone’s excellent strike zone advice and kicking the tails of pitchers who need two minutes between pitches to recover. And, oh, yeah — we pick a player to disappear when Adam Engel returns. Clue word: wool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White Sox ace Lucas Giolito did not start the year the way we would have wanted. His strikeouts have fallen, fastball velocity has dropped, and he’s also getting hit hard — a recipe for disaster. He’s had OK starts, and bad starts — he’s also given up nine home runs this year, already well past his eight in 2020’s shortened season. We think that Giolito is a much better pitcher than his 3-4 record and 4.35 ERA implies. Michael Ajeto of PitcherList and our Seattle Mariners sister site, Lookout Landing, agrees, and explains why in this excellent piece written earlier this month. In this in-depth conversation about Giolito’s mechanics, Mikey discusses what small adjustments Giolito needs to make to get himself right again. He may already be on the way to getting back to his old self, as his last start on May 19 he pitched eight innings, holding the Twins to one run off of two hits and striking out 11. We also discuss Mikey’s PitcherList article on Tony La Russa (yeah, yeah, him again) and the problems surrounding his hiring, and the nefarious implications behind the statements he made regarding Yermín Mercedes taking Willians Astudillo of the Twins deep on a 3-0 count last week. We’re always pro-player, always pro-fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, Julie Brady is back writing with us, after almost two years (with no minors) away! (If you click on her profile, you’ll see Brett made her a “Senior Writer” without having any idea what that entails. Maybe it’s just funny to him. Anyway, with occasional interruptions by Chico Marx, the cat, Julie helps Brett break down the system as we approach the month mark of the season. Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger are going ham in Charlotte Is there any hope offered by the starting pitcher reinforcements for the Knights? What stands out about Micker Adolfo, simply standing for the National Anthem? ROAM-Y or ROM-Y, no matter, the magic of González’s first month, at a new position What happens when Julie encounters the basketball-sized countenance of Lane Ramsey? The irony of the most hyped team in the White Sox system — perhaps in any system — being so darn lousy How many McD’s Dollar Menu runs has Jared Kelley had to treat his impoverished teammates to? There were otherwise no drag racing or train interruptions in this podcast, uncommon for Julie’s downtown environs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s edition of Sharing Sox, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, show incredible self-control by not delving into the world of 76-year-old arrogant jerks until the second half of the show — though they have a whole lot of fun when they get around to it, including a desperate search for Ken Williams’ and Rick Hahn’s respective manhoods. First off, though, there’s a whole lot of oohing and aahing about Lucas Giolito’s Wednesday performance against the Twins, great admiration for Billy Hamilton’s game-saving defensive work at the May 13 game the duo got to attend, and perhaps a gentle chuckle or two about a mysteriously garter snake-like route they watched Andrew Vaughn take on a routine fly ball. Mix in some observations on the Sox starting pitching in general, and it’s time to get to the occasionally DUI-ed elephant in the room. Once there, well, the conversation ranges from the rule that you praise in public and chastise in private, to the question of who the hell should actually be chastised — whether for actions of a baseball nature or a human nature, to very serious questions of why Williams and Hahn don’t have the guts to tell Jerry Reinsdorf that if Tony La Russa isn’t gone, they will be. As for who has an office and who has a locker — maybe it’s time that office got moved into the third stall from the left. And, oh, yeah — a theory, and a really good one, thanks to basketball coach Rick Pitino, of why a certain White Sox .130 hitter gets walked so often. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As much as we didn’t want to do this podcast tonight, we had to address the Chicago White Sox manager enforcing “Major League Baseball” “unwritten rules” on his rookie star. Highlights of our talk about the dumbfuckery of this Tony La Russa/Yermín Mercedes kerfuffle: Why in the world do we have to talk about La Russa’s clown act with the White Sox as the best team in baseball? Is there any aspect of this “controversy” that is acceptable, namely Yermín swinging through a take sign? Brett lets you know what the answer is probably no, as La Russa let another tell leak in his pregame Zoom today Boston runs on Yermín Mercedes when he was pitching earlier in the season and that’s OK ... but swinging the bat during an at-bat isn’t? Welcome Anders Johanson to South Side Sox, and he gets a trial by fire hopping right into this fray — and listen to how spectacularly Brett mispronounces his name, in unique MIDWESTERN fashion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices