Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast

The second edition of SSS on the Farm was so damn good, we duplicated the scene this week, as Weekly Update writer Darren Black comes back to review the system. He and Brett Ballantini run through most of the streakers and flaggers in the White Sox minors so far this season. Here are some of the highlights of our affiliate tour: OK, so Darren still isn’t wearing his Vox/SBN/SSS-issued “Down on the Farm” wear, but Brett wears his proudly Explanation for the Kanny (1-11) Madness How big an advantage does Matthew Thompson and Drew Dalquist have as 2019 draftees vs. 2020 draftee Jared Kelley? Benyamin Bailey needs to add weight? Benyamin Bailey needs to add weight! Dude might make Eugenix Frank Thomas look small by comparison when he does Get your Kannapolis Second-Half Division Winners gear ready, people Kudos to Dan Metzdorf, who is the first (and perhaps only in 2021) player on two Cold Cats lists — good enough to be promoted from Low- to High-A, but with two bad outings so far What are you hiding from, SSS scouting ace Dan Victor? Birmingham doesn’t just have the solid slugging bats so far this season, but some stellar starting pitching, with Konnor Pilkington possibly turning the corner early this season The good and bad of Blake Rutherford’s stellar week in Charlotte And Jake Burger is thisclose to the majors, who’d a thunk it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite a masculine rhetoric and presence in the MLB, 45% of women in the United States consider themselves “casual” or “avid” MLB fans. Despite this statistic, there is dearth of representation in baseball media by women. Join Chrystal O’Keefe, Colleen Sullivan, and Keelin Billue for the first of many relaxed and casual conversations about how and why baseball is for everyone. While this podcast explores the experience of women in baseball, it was also entirely unscripted and takes some interesting twists. Join us for what can only be described as an immersive experience, sprinkled with baseball including topics such as: What Angry Man Yells at You on the Internet? The crew compares notes on what fan base yells at them the most and what baseball topics created e-rage. Sometimes Athletes Are Attractive: Are grunting women tennis players a fetish? How may straight men would give it up for Kopech? Getting Buried at Guaranteed Rate Field: We all know you can get married at Guaranteed Rate field, but why have they offered burial packages yet? Join marketing geniuses/funeral planners to plan Chrystal O’Keefe’s after life plans and where Part 1 and Part 2 will go. So Your Significant Other Isn’t Big Sports Fan: There is a cultural narrative that women care less about sports, but what is it like when your reality is flipped? The crew discusses dating people who are not sports fans. Colleen Could Win a Cy Young on the Reds: You read it here first. Is Adam Engel a Clone? He has been recovering, and we’ve seen video of him, but is it really him? Can we clone more of him to put in the outfield? The crew covers the ups and downs of Adam Engel over the past three years. Are There Actually Rules for How Long a Suspension Is? It really doesn’t seem like it, and we are confused. Baseball Jail: Who wants to go on a tour? Thanks for Listening, Dick!: We know that @SavesTuesday is probably the only person who will make it to the end of this podcast. Take our trash as a sign of gratitude. MORE: To be honest, this was all over the place. Will this happen again? Hopefully. Enjoy the ride for now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Kansas City Royals are a ball club in a state of flux going into May: their hot start in April where they once had the best record in baseball has since gone tepid. Going into Friday, they’ve lost their last 11 games. They’re still packed to the brim with talent, and sit third place in the AL Central, 6.5 games behind the Good Guys. So what’s going on with those Royals? To answer the questions on everyone’s minds, we brought on a friend whose work on Royals coverage we deeply admire: Kevin O’Brien, a.k.a. the Royals Reporter. Kevin’s grassroots coverage started in 2019 where he wanted a forum to share his thoughts on the Royals along with his passion for baseball and sabermetrics. Our deeply informative conversation with Kevin includes: Royals prospects and rookies we should keep our eyes on: Kyle Isbel, Brady Singer, Sebastian Rivero Danny Duffy’s hot start Other Royals on a tear: Salvador Perez, Whit Merrifield, Carlos Santana, Andrew Benintendi A walk down memory lane: the Royals actually won a World Series with Ned Yost as manager Kevin wrote not long ago that he believes the White Sox and Royals will contend for the AL Central. We ask him why, and if he expects Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit will put up any kind of fight for the division. Kevin shares his KC hot spots with us: BBQ, cool neighborhoods, and a place we’d love to visit someday: the Negro Leagues Museum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can Major League Baseball be saved from itself? On Tuesday night, Jason Benetti and Steve Stone got into a long conversation about the great need to reverse the trend to all-strikeout-and-home-run-Three-Basic-Outcomes games in order for baseball to once again become exciting and to have its fan base increase instead of dwindle. Wednesday SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son, Will, usually the west coast correspondent but this week the living room correspondent during a visit to Chicago, took what Stoney and Jason were talking about and ran with it, looking at all the possibilities to make pitchers less dominant while also cutting home runs — complete with statistics and the advice to seek help from NASA, the Air Force, or Fermi Labs. After that ranting and raving, the duo take a long and analytical look at Dylan Cease’s toes, and how the angle at which they point in his delivery are a complete indication of whether he’ll have control and/or command of where the ball is going. Of course, there’s also plenty to talk about when it comes to the White Sox’s terrific week and the schedule’s terrific weakness, not to mention how Billy Hamilton’s running mitt means he only needs to fall down from his lead to reach the next base. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second edition of SSS on the Farm features Weekly Update writer Darren Black, reviewing the first six games of the season for each affiliate. We review most of the players Darren highlighted in his piece, including all of the MVPs of the week. Here’s some of the stuff we drill down into: The two of us travel through the southeast, in both the SSS on the Farm-mobile, and also using the SSS on the Farm parasail, lack of Vox Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance be damned Are they using the old MLB balls in Birmingham, by way of explaining the Barons early slugging? Gavin Sheets is selling out for power, and will the resulting poorer K/BB rate hurt his shot at the majors? Darren has a theory for some early and exotic position changes (Romy González, Bryan Ramos): It’s the White Sox’s new “just stick some players anywhere” theory Talk about the K&K Boys in Birmingham, and the J&J Boys in Winston-Salem Eventually we will see and read that law school slacker Julie Brady on the podcast, but meanwhile Darren and Brett have to carry the mail Hey, you might have heard Brett is high on José Rodríguez. He maybe mentions that again in this podcast Yes, Brett remembered to plug in his microphone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a podcast. Well, OK, yes, this is a podcast. But it’s so, so much more. Really, though, it’s up to you to determine what it is, exactly. When we flip the baseball card over, it says that this is the boldest crossover event to date in South Side Sox history, as the Killer B’s (Tommy Barbee, Keelin Billue) invade North Side Sox (Janice Scurio, Sam Sherman). The result is as many laughs and expletives as you can pack into 103 minutes of White Sox audio. How do the Killer Side Sox/North B’s reveal themselves? Let us count the ways: Host Daddy Mendick is wearing a salmon shirt, which turns him ribald Killer B alter ego Horny La Russa is “not a big stats guy” Tommy Barbee writes for South Side Sox so you don’t have to Is 45-year-old Albert Pujols a fit for this team? Janice is practicing cheerful nihilism this season Do managers really matter? Bigfoot Mercedes’ long road into Major League Baseball Moneyball deleted scenes A very long story about Jonathan Lucroy’s season with the Nationals Jerry Reinsdorf has reached Bill Wirtz status A Charles Comiskey seance preview The Christmas lights mummy in Colorado Daddy Mendick doesn’t understand why we fear death, and that invites a long conversation about covering games during a pandemic last year, and reintegrating into society this year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Big Blurt, Rob Colletti and Bill Meincke talk injuries, outfield replacements, offensive woes, and closing out games. Tune in and get excited, because the Sox are in sole possession of first place! Let’s take a look at what’s inside the show: The new intro music! Is Tony La Russa going to manage his way out of the Hall of Fame? How many games has La Russa lost for the White Sox this year? Perhaps Albert Pujols should join the White Sox — to manage, not play Dylan Cease resurgence Who in the AL Central can overtake the White Sox? Some Minnesotans are eatin’ some crow dere, bud The Awful Josh Donaldson The injury bug — letting Eloy and Luis take the season off, and rely on the pitching Brian Goodwin, and other trade possibilities for the team as the season plays on Kris Bryant for Jonathan Stiever? Jared Kelley? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Waiting to record until after Wednesday afternoon’s White Sox game sure provided a whole lot of new material for Sharing Sox. SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan, his son and west coast correspondent, Will, and their special guest, renowned theatre director/artistic director/founder/lifelong Sox fan Jim Sullivan, get to lace into all the dumb moves Tony La Russa made in the 10th inning alone, then go back to tear up the Hall-of-Famer Baseball Person over past stupidities. As you can imagine, delineating La Russa incompetences took quite a while, but the trio managed to also praise the starting pitching, question the bullpen, and, of course, worry over the repercussions of Luis Robert’s absence. Naturally, that last included sage advice to the aforementioned HOFBP on how to proceed. Other questions included wondering why the h#*! Yermín Mercedes wasn’t given a chance to catch in one of the games in Cincinnati, where he was lost to the offense because of the lack of a DH; what the h#*! Luis González was brought up for if he isn’t going to get a chance to play and demonstrate he’s not a major leaguer; and, of course, when will we get to see Dylan Ohtani take over in center field. Oh, yeah — then there was a whole bunch of ranting and raving about the incredible boredom of games that are all strikeouts, walks and homers, and the profound need of MLB to wise up and change the balls and the rules to stop it before the audience is completely gone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a minor league season debuting tonight, it seemed a good time to unveil a new site podcast, SSS on the Farm. It’s envisioned as a weekly or bi-weekly snapshot of the system. We should chat with everyone on a routine basis. Heading into the season, here’s our lineup: Jake Mastroianni (Birmingham Barons) Julie Brady (Winston-Salem Dash) Dan Victor (Kannapolis Cannon Ballers) Tiffany Wintz (Kannapolis Cannon Ballers) Sean Williams (Arizona) Kim Contreras (Arizona) Non affiliate-based writers who will be working on Minor League Updates, including Darren Black, Joe Resis, Brett Ballantini and Year of the Hamster. Darren and James Fox (minors at Future Sox, majors at SSS) both hopped on with Brett to debut the podcast, so you know we’re not messing around. Yet somehow, these two prime experts (who often have fiery behind-the-scenes debates on our SSS Slack and Twitter), agree on almost everything. No fisticuffs, raised voices, or derisive laughter. Do better next time, guys. Highlights of the premiere: Are the only interesting aspects of the White Sox system residing in Kannapolis? The new trend of aggressive assignments ... and how the White Sox are contributing to the trend What does the loss of the Great Falls Voyagers do to the White Sox system, and how might MLB make accommodations for losing an entire “class” of minors? Pet prospects from both of our experts Conversely, James and Darren peg their most overhyped prospects How much of Double-A and Triple-A will serve solely as showcases for trade deadline deals to fuel a White Sox playoff run? What will be the effect of full-year play for guys hitting the ground running at Single-A, given some have never endured such a long season? Is Jimmy Lambert (Opening Day Charlotte starter) going to be Michael Kopech Phase 2 in the majors for the White Sox this season? “Engineer” Brett Ballantini fails “host” Brett Ballantini and “podcast producer” Brett Ballantini by failing to fully plug in his “fancy” podcast mic, leading to low volume and incidental audio noise. It’s only been like 100 podcasts, people, but I’ll promise again to avoid such pratfalls in the future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luis Robert is out for the foreseeable future, and naturally some of the South Side Sox crew got together to pour one out, commiserate, lash out, and speculate on what form of signed jersey-and-batting gloves tribute will be hanging in the visitor’s dugout come Tuesday night in Cincinnati. Highlights of our talk together: Just how big a chunk of the preseason starting lineup and starting outfield is already lost in 2021? Is this somehow Adam Eaton’s doing? The utter lack of outfield depth does not suit a division title favorite Whither Melky Cabrera? Does the starting rotation’s success and presumed sturdiness belie any worries over having two-thirds-plus of the starting outfield currently sidelined? Would Rick Hahn ever repeat a challenge trade with the Cubs — say, to acquire Kris Bryant — after winning the Quintana-Jiménez-Cease trade so decisively? There has never been this much gallows humor in a South Side Sox podcast Likewise, this is a record number of heads-in-hands for an SSS podcast, so you may want to watch over on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the Killer B’s are joined by special guest Darrin Brown, who had a big month in April after winning #SoxMath, being blocked by Steve Stone, and turning 20. Darrin joins Tommy Barbee and Keelin Billue as “The Third B” to discuss the latest Chicago White Sox news and takes: Who’s Our Ace?: As Lucas Giolito struggles, the rest of the rotation still keeps surprising under Ethan Katz’s leadership. Carlos Rodón, Michael Kopech, and, most recently, Dylan Cease are stepping into their new roles as aces and potential aces. Spanked by Steve: Darrin recently had an interesting run in on Twitter with White Sox color analyst Steve Stone. Honestly, you will just need to listen to the story. The B’s hands were tied on if they should share it, but it is sure to whip up some laughter. Please don’t block us, Steve. A Different Field: In Chicago sports at-large news, the Chicago Bears did something good for once. Tommy and Darrin discuss the latest on the Chicago Bears draft, including the addition of Justin Fields. We Justifiably Believe in Yasmani Grandal: Yaz has not had the best season, and his performance has been questioned widely among fans. The B’s discuss why you should believe in Grandal not as a feel-good story, but the stats are behind this bet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharing Sox got recorded a day late this week, but a few minutes too early to include news about Garrett Crochet going on the IL with a back strain ... so, naturally, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, had talked about how his reduced velocity should mean Crochet gets hurt less often. Both will turn in their medical licenses. On matters they don’t have to take back, it’s “Let’s Get Tony” week for pitching decisions such as the fiasco of leaving Lucas Giolito in waaaaaay too long, lineup decisions aplenty, and, to top it off, the imminent collapse of La Russa’s animal rescue charity and the waaaaaay too racist joke he told at a public event of the charity’s. All in all, a case of wondering just how La Russa’s alleged baseball acumen is making up for the arrogance and other baggage. Then it’s on to arguing that Michael Kopech needs to be in the starting rotation — under strict pitch/innings limits — and bemoaning the bullpen and the catching situation. And, oh yeah — a little knocking of Stoney and Jason for calling the Sox schedule so far this year difficult. In other words, a normal week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just half of the Indianapolis Field Office, South Side Sox Flash Feature Writer, Six Packer, and Lead Baker Chrystal O’Keefe managed to hop on for a post-sweep, post-winning streak SSS Podcast 42. Yes, it’s the Brett & Chrystal Show! Highlights of our talk together: Apparently fellow SSS Indianapolis Field Office member Joe Resis was circling the block, hoping for one of those famous O’Keefe churros, instead of prepping for a podcast Is it surprising how well Michael Kopech has hit the mound running? Apologies for Brett’s annoying scraping noise, which apparently is related to his lame-ass apple headphones. The issues shall be remedied in future Interesting, every Billy OK mention on the podcast seems to involve him napping during a game. Sorry, B O’K. We had a two-O’Keefe gamethread recently, and the universe did not fold in on itself The White Sox skipped Lucas Giolito’s fifth-day turn last week ... and now he’s missing starts after his water bottle mishap. Throw your ace every five days New position for prospective White Sox intern Chrystal: clubhouse bottle opener And yes, amazing O’Keefe managed to juggle cooking dinner and wrapping up Sunday’s Six Pack, with no sauce splashes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s another paisan podcast, and who doesn’t love those? New South Side Sox writer Hannah LaMotta is our regular Sunday recapper, spot feature writer, and soon-to-be AL Central roundup writer, so sit tight, a lotta LaMotta heading your way. As part of our new writer podcast weekend, Brett got a chance for the first time to catch up with her and talk some White Sox! Highlights of our talk together: Hannah’s first favorite season, and the random players she still can count among her favorites The strange pull of Gordon Beckham — and how much of it is that walk-up song Who among us hasn’t teared up watching the Paul Konerko farewell video on the bus on our way to school? We figure out who “must have” inspired Hannah into sports journalism with his stellar beat work covering the 2011 White Sox Are the White Sox on the verge of a breakout? Early 2021 MVPs: Luis Robert and Michael Kopech Early Cold Cats: Garrett Crochet and Andrew Vaughn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may be familiar with new SSS writer Jeremy Karll via Meet the Players, or possibly through his considerable writing on site already. But as an early favorite for Best Newcomer in 2021, it was past time to sit down and have a podcast chat together. However, no cameos from Sadie, Jeremy’s dog ... yet. Highlights of our talk together: Jeremy’s route to the White Sox — and South Side Sox The talk Mr. Karll had to have when young Jeremy came home from school one day deciding he needed to change allegiance from White Sox to Cubs Confirmation that, yes, South Dakota does actually exist A Bummer of a disappointment for Jeremy in the early going Acknowledgement that Adam Eaton has been a net positive so far Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With brilliant timing, Sharing Sox this week was recorded mere moments before the White Sox Wednesday game in Cleveland was postponed — a huge break for the Sox — thereby making moot the point that poor TBD is often listed as a starting pitcher, but never gets to actually take the mound. Fortunately, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, also delve into the question of when it’s justified to put a position player on the mound, the brilliance of Carlos Rodón (and the possible unbrilliance of letting him throw 110 pitches on Tuesday), the stupidity of Cleveland’s Josh Naylor, the equal stupidity of throwing fastballs to Yoán Moncada (thank you!), the woes of the Sox bullpen, the batting breakthroughs of Luis Robert and José Abreu, the looming catastrophe of Sox catching (why isn’t Yermín Mercedes given a chance, given the alternatives?) and just how long you keep Leury García around to be awful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlos Rodón’s story is one of resilience. For Rodón, 2020 was supposed to be a hopeful bounce-back from Tommy John surgery, but instead, that year saw some disastrous relief appearances, a shoulder injury, and finally, being non-tendered. And then he threw the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history. Though we at North Side Sox were admittedly unclear on Rodón’s future on the South Side, there was one person who never had a doubt, and we brought him on the pod. Rod Whitesell is the baseball head coach at Holly Springs High School, in Holly Springs, N. C., and knew Carlos back in his formative years. We ask Coach Whitesell: His coaching philosophy, and his early observations of a young Carlos Carlos can hit, too! Coach Whitesell recalls some great offensive performances Roberto Pérez was hit with a pitch, marring the perfect game. Knowing Carlos has a sense of humor, what was he likely thinking? Beyond talking to Rod about the one and only Hard Karl, we also discuss: The defensive plays by José Abreu and Leury García that saved the no-no The Yermín Mercedes hype is real, and it’s spectacular Is it too early to worry about the bullpen? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this fantastic episode of The Big Blurt, White Sox Twitter phenom Janice Scurio (SSS writer, and co-host with Sam Sherman of the North Side Sox podcast on the SSS Podcast Network) joins Rob Colletti and Bill Meincke to meet the boys and share her brilliant thoughts on fantasy baseball tips, trade deadline targets, “The ’Los No-No,” Yermín Mercedes’ hot start, Tony La Russa’s silly mistakes, In N Out’s silly french fries, and Steve Stone and Jason Benetti’s impending Broadway debut! Plus, so much more. Dive head-first into The Big Blurt! (And don’t miss the bag like Josh Naylor on a swinging bunt.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a couple of years since I first approached the irascible and energetic SSS comments champ AnoHito to contribute a bit more to the site, and have been gently rebuked. All it took was one of his favorite players throwing a no-hitter to get him to reconsider! In a first for the South Side Sox, but hopefully not a last, one of our active community members hopped above the fold for some podcast time! This Carlos Rodón-focused program hits some unexpected highlights: Did AnoHito watch any of the no-hitter live — and what role did superstition play in his decision? The London Fog of Rodón’s first start for the White Sox The role that Hard Karl’s gaming persona has played in AnoHito’s fandom Tracking how the rest of Rodón’s 2021 season could play out Assessing the 6-7 start for the White Sox, and positive signs (road games, run differential) point optimistically to the future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, it was already a successful game, based on the bats coming out like they did in the first inning after getting shut out on Tuesday. But things got better; did you hear, Carlos Rodón threw a no-hitter! Brett Ballantini, Joe Resis and Chrystal O’Keefe abandoned the “let’s talk about the night in baseball” format due to the celebration of specialness that was Rodón’s no-hitter (and near perfecto). Highlights: Do we blame Roberto Pérez for the cheesy HBP that ruined the perfect game in the ninth? Only four big xBA hits from Cleveland — and three of them came in the last third of the game Unsung MVP of the game? No, not Zack Collins, but Andrew Vaughn, for not turning anything routine into a hit or a controversial error Better game score, Lucas’s 2020 no-hitter or Carlos tonight? How hard did we cringe when Mercedes came barreling out of the dugout after the final out? 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, do respectful oohing and aahing about the contest between pitching masters Lucas Giolito and Shane Bieber on Tuesday night, with some minor booing and bahing about losing the game. The oohing and aahing continues for all the White Sox pitching lately, from Lance Lynn’s complete-game gem to relievers like Evan Marshall and Liam Hendriks recovering from their poor starts and making it look like the bullpen may live up to its hype after all. Then the booing and bahing comes back for the offense, which isn’t living up to the smallest hype you could find, the team — less Yermín Mercedes — hitting an anemic .198, without much power to speak of. Sure, Adam Eaton and Danny Mendick are hitting fine and so was Billy Hamilton ... but the rest? Yikes. So who should be sent down and/or out when Tim Anderson, Adam Engel and Hamilton return from the IL? We tell the front office who should go where (refraining from telling them where they themselves should go), but will they listen? Fat chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bit of a crushing loss in extras for the White Sox, after a Lucas Giolito-Shane Bieber classic. Brett Ballantini and North Side Sox Podcast co-host Sam Sherman debuted a postgame show that drilled down a bit into the White Sox loss, and took a short look around the league as well. Highlights: Yes, that Roberto Perez GWRBI in the 10th had an expected batting average of .040. Over/under on Yasmani Grandal’s catcher’s interference calls this season? Tonight’s in the 10th was a .110 WPA play in favor of Cleveland. The White Sox “offense” (three hits, no runs) broke the Win Probability Added box score The Cubs had six hits in a comeback win tonight ... call the authorities Oakland es en fuego Top commenter in tonight’s gamethread: AnoHito, with 27 comments at recording time obnoxious american with the top-rec’d comment tonight. Yes, I read it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, this was a much more fun postgame podcast than a week ago, on the heels of a dominating Lance Lynn performance and more Yerminating. The Indianapolis branch office, staffed by Joe Resis and Chrystal O’Keefe, again joined me for the discussion: Did anyone adhere to Opening Day traditions, and do any involve watching Parks and Recreation” episodes? Learn how Chrystal juggled her obligation to her daughter’s Girl Scout troop and her need to boo Tony La Russa for pregame introductions What were the odds of this game even getting played? How much should we ascribe Lance Lynn’s domination today to him hailing from Indianapolis? What did La Russa and Lynn discuss in the dugout before the ninth inning? It took Yermín just four pitches today to cement his White Sox legacy How will the rest of this Royals series play out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the heels of a rough, 3-4 trip for the White Sox, South Side Sox girded its collective loins and brightened its collective spirit to band together for a DELIGHTFUL pregame podcast in anticipation of Thursday’s home opener. So much covered, in so little time: Tommy Barbee manages to crash the podcast early enough for a spectacularly profane rant from Colleen Sullivan. NSFW, but worth the price of admission Is the defense beyond saving? Trevor Lines doesn’t think so Tony La Russa was a problem for the White Sox months ago, and lingers as a problem, like a bad smell Chrystal O’Keefe will not be making Opening Day churros, but will be cheering the hell outta Yermín Mercedes Story time: Who among us has taken a fly ball off of our heads, a la Luis Robert, in our careers? Again, Joe Resis’ confession truly is worth the price of admission Trevor sees a dominant pitching staff, based on this first week — perhaps superior to the offense Tommy wonders why anyone should apply a “learning curve” to a Hall of Fame manager Should Tony be booed on Opening Day? Chrystal will be booing from her couch, and doing so in Seussian style Our personal Opening Day traditions, or lack thereof Wind Colleen up, and watch her crap on the Royals! A huge week on South Side Sox, which is a product not just of the outrageous amount of content we’re producing but of you, the readers and listeners who make up our community. So, thank you for being here for us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Naturally, the White Sox waited until SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, were recording this podcast to put Tim Anderson on the IL, so we talk about him maybe being back for the home opener. Guess that’s what we get for lashing out about the stupidity of ESPN’s apparent love affair with Tony La Russa. Will attended the Little League game in Anaheim Sunday night — sorry, that’s unfair to Little Leaguers everywhere — and cringes in horror at the memory. Otherwise, of course, this is a paean to Yermín Mercedes, José Abreu being on pace for a 64 grand-slam season, Billy Hamilton’s .300 average, and the great pitching surprises from Carlos Rodón and Michael Kopech. On the down side, there’s the awful defense to ponder, including wondering whether Nick Madrigal — a favorite of both but in a terrible funk — would be well served to spend time in Charlotte, if only there were a viable alternative. There’s the equally awful offense against righthanders to ponder, including whether Andrew Vaughn would be well served by some time in Charlotte once Adam Engel is back. And, of course, there’s a lot to worry about when it comes to starters other than Rodon and Lucas Giolito. With any luck, though, by the time you hear this, the Sox 12-game losing streak against righties will be over, given they were facing the No. 6 starter of a terrible team on Wednesday afternoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sunday, we had two staff writers and podcasters at the ballgame, chilling together in the Angels Stadium center-field stands, high-fiving over ... four unearned runs on three singles? Well, no matter, it was live baseball, and while Will Allan wasn’t able to join us (check out his reax to a live game on Wednesday’s Sharing Sox), Bill Meincke hopped on with Brett Ballantini to talk about the experience, and exchange early takes on the White Sox, and other goofiness: A singing intro from Brett? A singing intro from Brett! (h/t Rob Colletti) The sheer joy of being back in the ballpark — and, in California, being surrounded by Sox fans Masked fandom was Bill’s first experience at Angel Stadium — and so was Brett’s, a decade earlier Unearned runs offense! The Curious Case of Cease’s Hook Bill’s road to writing for South Side Sox (which includes stopovers at Second City, network TV, and even Kings writing for Los Angeles Sports Nation Neither Brett nor Bill were taken in the MLB draft — but what about the Wiffleball draft? Concerns for the club going forward, after the 1-3 start, including a rotation taking too many pitches to cover too few innings Things to be excited about coming out of the weekend, including Tony La Russa vibing with this team, the Yerminator and that megadeep pen Do the pair predict a series sweet at Seattle? Yes, the pair predicts a series sweep at Seattle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, look who’s back! Our resident minor league update grinder and big-club analyst Darren (Black) Jackson hops on the podcast to talk about the near-misses of the White Sox roster. Nearly all of those near-misses have piled into the VW bus and driven north to Schaumburg, where they will work out at the alternate MLB site in hopes of getting into (or back into) the Show, not sent to Charlotte. Key points in our tour of near-misses and four-A falderal, including a take on the White Sox roster that has proven hilariously bad three games in: The pros and cons of Andrew Vaughn in left field The unlikely battle for the last roster spot: Jake Lamb vs. Danny Mendick Who’s the weirdest choice to break camp with the team? And how much do both Brett and Darren regret their pick, made last Friday, about right now? Is there any hope of redemption for Reynaldo? The loss of Bernardo Flores Jr. and the utter lack of starter depth high in the system Who’s missing from the Schaumburg roster? Darren lists three surprises Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Someone you might know from this very busy first week of White Sox coverage, Colleen Sullivan — you know, from the gamethread Sullivans, the recap Sullivans, the Know Your Enemy Sullivans, the season preview Sullivans, or even the Meet the Players Sullivans — jumps on the podcast with Brett Ballantini to dress down the rest of baseball, in our “trash the opposition” special. Actually, not all of our time was spent trashing opponents. There are also some kind words, and one incredibly precise prediction that’s already come true: Are the Dodgers all that? Yeah, but Brett has words for the moaning “hadn’t won a World Series since 1988” set Are the Yankees all that? Heh, they never are Things are looking up for the Mets. One of us NAILS the Francisco Lindor extension a full day before it was announced, and I’ll give you a hint: It’s not the guy who isn’t a Mets fan Does the pair have any kind words for our crosstown neighbors? (heh) Brett picks the low-hanging Central fruit as his pick for worst division — will Colleen agree, or go rogue? The person who detests Trevor Bauer manages to mention him twice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK, well, that sucked. Somewhat amazingly, it was three SSSers living in the Eastern Time Zone who managed to limp onto the podcast to discuss that painful, fall-from-ahead loss in Anaheim tonight. Topics broached: Play of the Game: Tony La Russa’s non-challenge of the Nick Madrigal CS, or Madrigal’s botched throw that turned a double play into runners on first and second? Wither Ashley Sanders? A defense of Adam Eaton? White Sox, where do we send flowers to the recently-departed Eloy Jiménez? How long did BillyOK last — and are we all secretly envious of him? Joe is to blame for this loss. Bet you can’t guess why At what point did Chrystal shift from Vanilla Coke to tea? Brett is to blame for this loss, because of a cockamamie idea to run two podcasts celebrating the return of baseball When are we doing this again? (Next Thursday, for the home opener) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We run a full five-pack of SSS writers at you, talking White Sox Opening Day! Aside from crafty Sun-Times and Vanilla Coke product placements from Chrystal, here’s what went down, as the minutes tick toward opening pitch: Is the Central Division’s improvement going to pose a problem for the White Sox? Tommy wins the best Opening Day gear battle, with a rocking ~1917 throwback The left field dilemma — or will Andrew Vaughn forever destroy the arbitration cases of left fielders by playing passable, even good, left-field defense? Yes, Eloy in left is addressed Chrystal wins the well-cropped studio background battle — and reveals her key to putting BillyOK to shame when it comes to her devotion to the South Siders Bask in the awesomeness of the White Sox bullpen Tim Anderson’s mouth — unsung MVP of the White Sox “Outfit man” Joe Resis explains his support for Luis Robert for Sox MVP, possibly even without threats from his Las Vegas sources Are we out of danger when it comes to playing a full, healthy season as a pandemic still rages more than whimpers? Which of our Eastern Time Zoners will make it until game’s end for our postgame podcast? (Answer: ALL OF THEM!) Yes, there will be a postgame podcast And, of course, predictions for tonight’s game! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the regular season finally starts, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, naturally delve into predicting what lies ahead, with an explosive device attached to the recording to make sure it self-destructs before they are proven so very, very wrong. They delve into such questions as: Are the brilliant Dylan Cease of Tuesday and the equally brilliant Carlos Rodón of all spring for real? Does that mean that, contrary to all earlier expectations and recent history, the Sox will become a team where the pitching makes up for the hitting? Is it just blind fan-ness that makes us write off the bad things in spring training as meaningless, yet maintain that the good things are true indicators of what’s to come? Can we really trust the backup catchers? Did the Sox make the mysterious signing of Jake Lamb out of a sense of tradition, a bold move to continue the decade of horrible designated hitters? And even more, probably. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Super Joseph Resis hops on the podcast to elucidate and defend his thorough 2021 season predictions piece, as well as address our dozen-plus staff predictions on the season. Here’s what’s in store, as the season creeps one day closer: How bad does Brett get roasted for being the only staff member not to predict playoffs for the White Sox? At the same time, 97 wins? 96? Someone is drinking the Kool-Aid, and it is mighty refreshing In the battle of the Centrals, which division will suck worse? What are the sneaky reasons why guys like Billy Hamilton or Reynaldo López — neither likely to be on the roster for very long in 2021 — will be Chicago’s weakest performers? How can anyone pick a White Sox player outside of Garrett Crochet as best rookie? Joe is super-bullish on Luis Robert. Bask in his reasoning Will Minnesota finally end their postseason losing streak? The pair disagrees Easier call: Mike Trout as AL MVP or Ke’Bryan Hayes as NL Rookie of the Year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer/photographer Sean Williams is back for a third episode of Camelback Confidential, as he’s just shot his third Sox home game — yep, another win. His price is going up with every game, White Sox. Here’s what’s on the docket: Sean shares some of his between-the-lines observations of the team, from the photo pit Hey, ever since he started shooting the Sox, the team has caught fire, now guaranteed to avoid a losing Cactus League slate. Does it mean anything, getting hot into the regular season? Is there concern over the relative inefficiency of Lance Lynn, Dallas Keuchel and Dylan Cease? What in the world is going on with the final cuts for the club? Is the team in such need of a Gatorade dumper to replace Yolmer Sánchez that Yermín Mercedes makes the team? Jake Lamb. Huh? Any yes, the return of good cop (Sean)/bad cop (sign, Brett) Sean guarantees a 7-0 start on the opening road trip — if the Sox hire him to shoot it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I wanna play where you play, with the Angels.” We all want to be in Anaheim this Thursday, as the White Sox open their season vs. the Los Angeles Angels of Orange County, for what is guaranteed to be one heck of a 2021 debut for our beloved Pale Hose. To help us Cut to the Feeling, the witty and talented Eric Stephen from our SB Nation sister site, Halos Heaven, joins us to break down the Angels, and what Sox fans can expect out of this series. Pitching matchups: The Angels are rolling with a six man rotation, including two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. Who else will we see? This offseason, the Angels upgraded their roster in a few spots, and oh yeah, they still have the best player in baseball. What else should White Sox fans know about the Halos? Let’s make a deal: we ask Eric what it would take to bring some of our favorite Angels players over to the South Side. (Cue Thanos: Everything.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Killer B’s for their last episode before Opening Day as they discuss: Beer and Mushrooms (the food): The Killer Bs take a brief detour on the way to baseball to discuss opinions on types of beers (IPAs or nay?) and other controversial ingestible items. Hitting the Wall: Eloy Jiménez’s pectoral tear and 5-6 month recovery period highlights the glaring depth problems of the Chicago White Sox. What do we do now? Tommy and Keelin discuss potential solutions. Trade Options: The gap Eloy has left and the Marlins in the hunt for a trade leaves some looming questions. Additionally, the team takes a look at who is left in free agency to fill gaps. Pitching: As the outfield and hitting issues loom, pitching looks pretty good heading into Opening Day. What are some areas that look good, and what still needs some work? See You in the Stands: Tommy and Keelin are spending Opening Day at home, but you can also catch them in the stands this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Big Blurt, Rob Colletti and Bill Meincke talk about the Eloy Jiménez injury, the DH situation, Oscar Colás, and more! Tune in and get excited because Opening Day is in arms reach ... but don’t reach too far, Eloy. On tap for today: Rob sings to Bill! Eloy Jiménez is out five to six months — do the White Sox have options? The DH situation in years to come looks loaded José Abreu’s tenure and future on the team Zack Collins is turning into the player he was destined to be Marco Paddy, Oscar Colás, and Yoelqui Céspedes Spring training monsters ... and underachievers The Bottom Nine: Bulls, Bears, MLB, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just when you thought you wouldn’t hear from the Dugout Metrics crew again until late May, BAM, we’re back. Trevor Lines and Luke Smailes are back to break down the Eloy Jiménez dilemma, Oscar Colás addition, and final roster cuts: Can you “tell” a player — in this case Eloy — to play the field at less than full tilt? Luke Smailes deftly sneaks “his guy,” Zack Collins, into a question about ... left field Has the time come to state unequivocally bar Jiménez from left field? And if so, how does being a (young) DH ding a player’s overall value? How do the White Sox end up, year after year, with like a dozen DH-only types? Is it absolutely insane, or just merely insane, that Andrew Vaughn is making his post-Little League debut in left field three games before Opening Day? Yep, Trevor called Colás to the White Sox more than a year ago, in his first SSS piece! He provides a breakdown of his game, if reading isn’t your thing The Ethan Katz connection will factor into the final pitching slot for the Sox, which is good news for Nik Turley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IMPORTANT NOTE: This show was recorded before the terrible news about Eloy’s shoulder. That would have dampened the frivolity a whole bunch — and changed some roster predictions. You heard it here first — an (indirect) assessment of the man she knows as Uncle Kenny by someone who should know because she’s part of a famous baseball family! As for actual baseball stuff, South Side Sox duty geezer and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, talk about Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease and the rest of the White Sox staff, but fail at trying to figure out who will take the place of the newly departed Reynaldo López on the Opening Day roster. On the failure front, neither can fathom why anybody would ever walk Billy Hamilton on four pitches, as happened twice in one game this week, but they agree that Hamilton will be the roster replacement for the injured Adam Engel. And, of course, there’s the usual banter about the usually-less-than-immortal Zack Collins, including speculation Collins might finally have quite swinging like he has to drive the ball into the next state and become a more intelligent batter, leading to his success this spring. Plus, Will may become the first SSSer to see a real game this year, since he has tickets for the weekend of the opening series in Anaheim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer/photographer Sean Williams is back for another episode of Camelback Confidential, as he’s just shot his second Sox home game — just happening to be another win. Good luck charm, much? Here’s what’s on the docket: Sean switched out his fleece for shorts to shoot Saturday’s game — get the inside skinny on the action (the ballgame, not the wardrobe change) The ramifications of the Adam Engel injury, specifically Leury García vs. Nick Williams vs. Billy Hamilton Fourth and fifth starter talk: Reynaldo López vs. Carlos Rodón, with a sprinkling of Dylan Cease Jimmy Cordero’s injury, and the impact it has on a major league bullpen he wasn’t likely to break camp with Does the weak depth in the rotation and fourth outfielder confirm a failed offseason? And before you answer, Sean brings some good cop mojo to my bad cop garrulousness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a brief hiatus, North Side Sox is back, and stirring the pot, as we are wont to do. To help us stretch our legs and get ready for the regular season, we’re joined by baseball mind extraordinaire and White Sox fan Zach Hayes of PitcherList, to discuss some of our favorite spring training story lines. While we love Yermín Mercedes, how does he fit in? We also discuss Jonathan Lucroy, Zack Collins, and the backup catcher contest. The early spring showings of Dylan Cease, Carlos Rodón, and Jimmy Lambert have been impressive so far. Should we be worried about Reynaldo López? How far does the Ethan Katz effect extend? A tale of two Adam E’s: What should we expect from the right field platoon? Hot take SZN: Can Nick Madrigal win a batting title on singles alone? It’s been done once before in MLB history. Enter the White Sox multiverse: If you were to staff a whole field of nine copies of the same White Sox player, who would you pick? Sam, Janice, and Zach give their universe-crossing answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was it really Ethan Katz who chased the snakes out of Ireland, or has he just chased the shakes out of some White Sox pitchers? In Sharing Sox this week, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast corespondent, Will, bow to the (OK, just so far) miracles apparently wrought by the new White Sox pitching coach, at least where Dylan Cease and Carlos Rodón are concerned. Then it’s on to how good the Sox pitching has been (OK, just so far), and how weak the hitting has been (hopefully, just so far), with the Sox giving up the fewest runs in the Cactus League, but also scoring the fewest. Is it the (marginally) more deceased ball? Or is it (marginally) more deceased bats? Side trips to the backup catcher scene (yes, Zack Collins is hitting like crazy, just as he does most springs) and the roster cuts from Tuesday lead to Will’s story of the strange Sox Opening Day lineup and roster in R.B.I. Baseball 21. And then there’s the strange case of how damnably secret the Sox are about pretty much everything, and how that’s bound to get much, much worse with the media-despising, insipid arrogance of you-know-who. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few weeks ago, a player who had been featured in our Top 100 Prospects series reached out to provide a photo (DSL players are extremely hard to illustrate for these profiles). But the player, Frander Veras, couldn’t reach out directly, for reasons including a very straightforward one: the Spanish-English language barrier. So he got in touch with White Sox minor league education coordinator Erin Santana (who, as it turns out, has been doing a little PR for South Side Sox by letting her students know when they’ve been featured by us) — and from that seed, this podcast grew. Erin was gracious enough to give us a lot of time, and hopefully that comes from a place of mutual respect and even admiration — we were adding diacritics to Spanish names before MLB or Baseball-Reference, after all! From our end, it’s easy to see what a godsend Erin has been to our Latin players In our wide-ranging conversation, we hit on a lot of core stuff about the White Sox player education system, but stretched far beyond. Please do yourself a favor and give this one a listen! In what we hope is the first of many talks, the podcast touches on: As a granddaughter of a college pitcher, was Erin destined to work in baseball? How she came to the White Sox in the first place, after growing up rooting for the other Sox The importance of a huge advocate like director of player development Chris Getz being so closely involved Being so committed to making sure her player-students succeed that doors get pounded on to make sure tests aren’t missed Yes, it’s true, “son” Harvin Mendoza made her tear u Surprise student Michael Kopech sitting in on classes and helping to kick-start a sort of study-buddy system What responsibility do native English-speaking personnel (teammates, executives, media) have to aspiring bilingual players? And of course, an obligatory Billy Russo question Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Side Sox Podcast 28 features Brett Ballantini talking to writer/photographer Sean Williams about his first photo pass experience at Camelback Ranch, and much more: Sean steps us through his day, which worked out almost impossibly well Was anyone among the minor leaguers vamping for Sean — literally the only person there watching drills — on the back fields? The White Sox won yesterday in a nail-biter, and given he shot them doubling their win total to two, shouldn’t the team plan on having Sean shooting every game? How did Sean hold off the media hordes following Shohei Ohtani, the Angels starting pitcher on Saturday? Reynaldo López vs. Carlos Rodón: Battle for the fifth starting spot Jonathan Lucroy vs. Zack Collins: Battle for the backup catcher spot The continuing amazement that is Andrew Vaughn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heh, yeah, so what if it’s been two months since our last episode? (The plans are for another one out within the week!) Dugout Metrics, which features South Side Sox college ballplayers/metrics mavens Trevor Lines and Luke Smailes breaking down the news of the day, is back, and as the SSS Top 100 Prospects list enters its final 50, we’re talking prospects, baby! We set this up as a sort of “draft” of prospects, highlighting some of the differences in ranking between Trevor’s and Luke’s lists. Brett was there to insert jokes and offer his far less valuable opinions on prospect rankings. The eternal question: Is youth and upside more important than professional achievement? Werefore art thou, Hunter Schryver? What role should injury (e.g. Jake Burger) play in how a prospect is ranked? Good luck charm challenge: Will Luke’s labor supplying bats to DJ Gladney this offseason outpace Trevor’s major league debut-inducing interview of Zack Burdi last year? Is James Beard just sporting a great-looking NFL halfback look, or can he increase his contact to fulfill his fourth round choice promise? Will Trevor have lived in all 50 states by Episode 50? Luke and his two-win Kohawks throw down the gauntlet and challenge the one-win White Sox to start getting their spring training asses in gear Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, wonder where all those starting pitchers have disappeared to instead of being in games so far this spring, whilst also wondering about the rant of Lance Lynn, one of the starters who did pitch this week and barely managed at one stretch to keep a bunch of his pitches in easy driving distance of the plate. From pitching, we wander into the hitters who are and the hitters who aren’t so far, which naturally leads to the still-missing Yasmani Grandal and the plethora of backup catcher candidates, which in turns leads to the philosophy of catching on one knee and why it’s scary to think of Zack Collins trying that with men on base. Which, just for snicks, brings us to two questions about Nicks. First, just how are you really supposed to pronounce Nick Madrigal’s last name? No announcers seem to be able to agree, which leaves the rest of us at a loss as to whether the accent is on the first or last syllable, or maybe not there at all. Second, could Nick Williams be the best choice for 26th man? Williams has only had five at-bats so far, but hitting .600 with a double sure would seem like a reason to give him more spring shots against actual major league pitchers to see if he might be the pleasant surprise of the spring and the left-handed bench bat the Sox need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phoenix is back in the house! South Side Sox Podcast 26 features Brett Ballantini, talking to writer/photographer Sean Williams about Cactus League play. Sean is one of the few of us in the world to have seen a live baseball game this month, attending this past Sunday’s White Sox loss at Camelback Ranch. Here’s what we’ve got going for you: A sigh of relief over seeing Yoán Moncada in apparent full health, and José Abreu (hopefully) avoiding obvious debilitation from his coronavirus infection Fighting for spots in a perhaps already-full White Sox bullpen Zack Collins, and the battle for backup catcher (and how Jonathan Lucroy’s quest for a Cactus League batting title could affect things) Shout-out to the White Sox, who have issued SBN/SSS some unprecedented access and given Sean a pass for the photo pit for a few games this spring Sean’s challenge in shooting “from the stands” when covering the Arizona Rookie League and Fall League play Sean also was at Sunday’s game at Camelback Ranch, and shares his experiences there, and how it may or may not apply to games in Chicago next month The science behind a gambling outlet issuing a small-sample drinking survey (pegging White Sox fans as “top drinkers”) that briefly set White Sox Twitter aflame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Killer B’s are back, baby! Tommy Barbee and Keelin Billue reunite and welcome very special guest and fellow South Side Sox writer, Chrystal O’Keefe as “The Third B.” In this episode, Chrystal, Tommy, and Keelin discuss: The Journey to White Sox Fandom: How did we get here? Enjoy three very different stories about the common threads woven together to make up the Pale Hose. Spoiler: All journeys involve the C*bs. Season Predictions: What are some bold predictions for these season? The team discusses Nick Madrigal’s development, Moncada’s post-COVID performance, and the bullpen. Back at G-Rate: Will or when will spectators be allowed to attend games? (This conversation occurred before the City of Chicago said fans would be allowed into games on Opening Day; tune in to find out how right or wrong the Killer B’s predictions were.) Who is The Top Adam E.?: Tommy, Chrystal, and Keelin weigh in on who the preferred Adam E. is and continue discussing how the right field question was never really answered. What Lies Beneath: Early projections reflected the lack of depth in the Sox roster. As spring training continues and Opening Day looms, can the team survive a full season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Big Blurt, Rob Colletti and Bill Meincke talk about the offseason in retrospect, spring training, drunk Sox fans, and more! Tune in and get excited because the Sox actually are No. 1 at something! (consuming alcohol, according to a study) On tap for today: It’s almost shorts weather in Chicago! Do the White Sox did enough in the offseason? Is Lucas Giolito already out of the team’s price range to re-sign? Early spring takes Dioner Navarro somehow was traded to Seattle for Alex Colomé Zack Collins vs. Joanathan Lucroy vs. Yermín Mercedes Going gaga for Andrew Vaughn Props to Jake Burger and his recovery ... and future at second base Sorting out the bench, with Leury García and Adam Engel in key roles Predicted top players for the 2021 season ... and underachievers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yea! Baseball! Well, sorta, if you think baseball is when you just stop an inning whenever you feel like it. Which, admittedly, requires its own sort of strategy. This week, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and son and west coast corespondent, Will, have fun lashing into the incredible stupidity of a multi-billion dollar organization so incompetent it can’t decide what rules and lineups half of its members will play under in a season that begins in less than a month, as well as enjoying the concept of end-an-inning-any-old-time spring training. There is a serious disagreement — is MLB run so badly if the commissioner headed Amazon it would just be a corner store in Iowa somewhere, or would that store have closed by now? As for actual baseball, we look at the good things the White Sox have shown so far (Lucas Giolito! Andrew Vaughn! Adam Engel! Just about all the hitters who will actually be on the team!) And then we delve into the one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad thing made much more obviously worse by Jonathan Lucroy’s defense Tuesday — the fact the Sox really have no backup catcher better than randomly picking a fan out of the stands (even one of those Covid-induced cardboard fans). But, there’s baseball! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Side Sox Podcast 25 features Brett Ballantini and Joe Resis. Aside from Joe’s recent study program and Brett’s harrowing past internship, what was the scuttlebutt? The early bright spots of White Sox gameplay, featuring Andrew Vaughn The surprising twist in the Garrett Crochet-Michael Kopech 2021 story Will there ever be another nine-inning Cactus League game? The second base extras rule, continued Brett’s favorite White Sox coach of all time Stepping lightly given the nature of our host, jumping into the hotbed topic of the week, unpaid internships Is there something noble in doubling down on exploitation? How long was Brett working on the railroad? The over/under on Joe running his first MiLB team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices