Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast

The delightful Ben Jones of our sister site Twinkie Town joins the show to discuss the Minnesota Twins. Sitting just above the White Sox, the Twins are also riddled with injury and only rearranged their roster, aside from parting ways with Sonny Gray and Jorge Polanco in the offseason. But with heartthrobs like Joe Ryan pitching and a healthy Byron Buxton, the team might be able to contend this season. Here’s what we talked about in this episode: What’s new in Minnesota? The Twinkies are second-to-last, in front of the White Sox Everyone is injured and bats are cold (wait, that sounds familiar) Grading the offseason Confidence going into 2024 Pitching matchups Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series Byron Buxton is pain-free and feeling good Predictions for 2024 Hot Twins takes You can find Ben on Twitter and follow his writing on Twinkie Town or podcast Twins Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it’s been many months for our most, er, “exclusive” Sox Populi podcast. But Dugout Metrics is back, with a couple of pitching-themed programs ahead. First, it’s a deeper dive into the six players who are arguably (unquestionably) the future of the staff and rotation on the South Side. The upside is pretty phenomenal, and the down side is ... undecided? For a Chicago White Sox podcast, that is GLOWING positivity! Garrett Crochet: The source of his mysteriously-appearing cutter, his surprising dominance (yes, we recorded before last Friday’s challenging start) and his realistic workload going forward Malachi admits a change in philosophy when it comes to handling pitchers Michael Kopech is now in the pen, as de facto closer — is it the right move? For all the similarities, one key difference between Nick Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon Stepping down a level to the utterly dominant Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, who’s more quickly ticketed for the South Side? A bonus seventh pitcher: Noah Schultz, and his possible timeline to the South Side could be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Er, uh, um, this was recorded before Friday’s night’s slaughter in Philadelphia, so the lavish praise for Garrett Crochet may need a tiny dab of correction. Nah, what the heck, he’s one of the only decent things to happen with this team, so let’s plow on.] This edition, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, disagree as to whether Garrett Crochet will have a higher WAR than number of wins. It’s close call either way, so here’s your chance to make a guess (hint: as of recording, his bWAR is 0.8, record 1-2): Since Sharing Sox was recorded on the same day The Athletic raised serious doubts the White Sox will have fewer losses than the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120 and inspired the famous Casey Stengel quote, “Can’t anyone here play this game?” So, what the heck, here’s another chance to vote. As for other matters, the duo discuss how the pitching is better than expected (though not great) and the two newbies did well, how the promise of defensive improvement was apparently meant as humor, and how the Mendoza Line is so far above the majority of the White Sox lineup that it’s barely visible up there. Of course, the billionaires seeking billions in handouts gets some discussion. Then there’s Tim Anderson coming to Chicago to play the Cubs and being quoted about Sox players not really caring about winning. We’d noticed, Tim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox head to Philadelphia to face the Phillies. Sitting dead last, the White Sox will deal with the pesky bats of multiple home run hitters, with a top three consisting of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper. This series can also push the Phillies to first place in the National League East as they are just two games back (at the time of this episode being recorded) from Atlanta. Thankfully we won’t see Ranger Suárez in this series, who just tossed a complete game shutout. It was against the Rockies — but it still counts. This will be a tough series, and Nick Nastrini’s first real test as an MLB pitcher. Here’s what we talked about in this short but fun episode: What’s new in Philly? Grading the offseason So many home run hitters That one time we thought Bryce Harper to the White Sox was confirmed Deaths, national disasters, and drive into deep left field by Castellanos Confidence going into 2024 The new City Connect jerseys Pitching matchups Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series Predictions for 2024 John Schriffen, a man of the people You can find Brett on Twitter and follow his writing at Sox on 35th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To keep the Sox Pop on the Farm Podcast canon taut, we went back in time to fill in the phantom podcast 49, and in doing so created a doozy of a look at the jewel of the system, the Birmingham Barons. And in doing so, Brett Ballantini again called on president and GM of the club, Jonathan Nelson, to get us up to date on this promising club: Congratulations to recent Barons grad Jonathan Cannon on his pending MLB debut! Birmingham paying tribute to the Negro Leagues with the No. 42 uniform honors The amazing pitching duo of San Diego acquisitions Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte A peek at a player still finding his footing, starter-to-relief arm Jared Kelley Catcher Edgar Quero: Not only mashing to start the season, but commanding the field with his leadership and game-calling The bittersweet nature of sending players up to Charlotte or Chicago, never to see them again The (somewhat) surprise of Brooks Baldwin’s assignment to Double-A and the energy he brings to the club Extremely different players, but similar three-outcome mashers, Terrell Tatum and Wilfred Veras, and what makes them both so special as prospects The game-changing speed of Duke Ellis, back to health and out the gate hot Impressions of Sergio Santos in his first games managing at Double-A How to deal with an ump show (Or: Making sure the pregame food spread is delicious and fluffing those couch cushions in the umpire’s room) Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the third episode of the Ladies’ Night podcast, Delia Ritchie, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, and Allie Wesel discuss several topics related to our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you’re a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there’s something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run chatting about all things baseball, including: The most recent chatter around the possible, but unlikely, new White Sox stadium deal — big Jerry getting told by Springfield AND Chicago where he can stick it The impending expiration of the NBC Sports Chicago contract and what might be around the corner by moving the broadcast to Stadium The good, bad, and ugly of the club’s historically terrible 2-14 start. Highlighting the impressive pitching, including Nick Nastrini’s MLB debut, and ripping on the anemic and absent offense The team’s signing of Tommy Pham and what, if anything, does it mean for the direction of the franchise The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in May. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wick Terrell of Red Reporter is back this season to chat about the Reds, how fun Elly De La Cruz is, and what to expect from the opponent for this White Sox homestand. Cincinnati had a busy offseason and welcomed a slew of young players to the team, but have also faced the injury bug — just at a much slower pace than the White Sox. What’s new in Cincy? What’s it like to have lost the veteran presence of Joey Votto Grading the offseason Confidence going into 2024 Pitching matchups and breakdowns Is everyone injured? Let’s clone Chris Sale Bring back the dad bod Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series Predictions for 2024 RIP Oakland Coliseum You can find Wick on Twitter and check out his work at Red Reporter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you up to speed on everything happening around Major League Baseball right now? Tune in to hear Bayleigh and Chrystal talk about the White Sox, Red Sox, and noteworthy topics from the week. Content warning: Around the 40-minute mark the show is about domestic abuse and assault. We understand if that is something you would prefer not to listen to. On this episode: The White Sox are down bad And so are the Red Sox, actually Shall we blame the pitch clock for all the pitching injuries? The Naylor brothers hit bombs in the same inning on National Siblings Day Welcome to the show, Jackson Holliday! The A’s have one thing to celebrate Jacob deGrom update Shohei Ohtani drama Julio Urías is in a lot of legal trouble Putting bad people on pedestals Breaking news — O.J. Simpson has died Be sure to follow their Twitter account Soxy Chicks. You can also find Bayleigh and Chrystal on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imari McPherson is back this season to talk about the Cleveland Guardians and help preview their home opener against the White Sox. With Cleveland being in the path of totality, fans will be able to catch the solar eclipse in the ballpark. Will that eclipse turn the White Sox around, or will the Beibs and company make us wish we stared directly at it so we don’t have to watch this team anymore? What’s new in Cleveland? What’s it like to have so many players on the White Sox now? Can former catchers manage a team? Grading the offseason So many young guys and injured pitchers Confidence going into 2024 The Guardians starting rotation Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series Who will fans taunt now that Tim Anderson is gone? Best White Sox offseason move: the milkshake Miami Marlins are winless but still good Predictions for 2024 You can find Imari on Twitter and check out his podcasts Rockin at the Jake and find his work at FearTheSword. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unfortunately we ended up skipping Winston-Salem on the podcast dial, forever creating a phantom Podcast 49, but now it’s time for a look at the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Brett Ballantini welcomes in play-by-play broadcaster and Kanny jack-of-all-trades Dan Helotie in to talk about stars past and future, as well as the beautiful and still pretty-new ballpark there: Our 2023 review notes ... you may want to be sitting down for this ... there was a White Sox affiliate with a winning record ... the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers! Sure, let’s start with a player NOT on the Cannon Ballers any longer, Noah Schultz And one more, Colson Montgomery! Chat of a few players who will be with the CBs on Opening Day or soon thereafter: Ryan Burrowes, Ronny Hernandez and George Wolkow And one more might not be: Eddie Park The curious case of player-turned-bench coach, Daniel Millwee, and what he brings to the roster under manager Pat Leyland Gorgeous Atrium Health Ballpark, now in its fourth year, including the robust build-up in downtown Kannapolis Interests and promotions for the new season Follow Dan Helotie on Twitter @Dan_Helotie, the Cannon Ballers @KCannonBallers, and find tickets to an upcoming Cannon Ballers game by clicking this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, this White Sox season will be mostly gloom and doom, but SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, begin and end this session of Sharing Sox on high notes. Early on, they rave about the brilliant performance so far of Garrett Crochet, and, as a grand finale, wander into the one great new addition to the Sox this year, an addition that singlehandedly raised the White Sox from the absolute bottom of the annual ESPN team watchability list. OK, it was only up to 29th place, but it was still an accomplishment, and a very tasty one at that. In between, well, the mostly doom-and-gloom bit pretty much had to dominate, because that’s the reality. And looking at the Sox offense would make anyone doomier and gloomier, whether its being dead-last in team OBP or watching the team’s one star flail feebly at breaking pitches to the tune of a 50% strikeout rate. Much other ground is covered, including the mysterious small-sample-size stats of MIchael Kopech and Deivi García, where two numbers in each case show wild divergence in evaluation, to the most recent Sox acquisition, which is a giant middle finger in the face to much of the remaining White Sox fan base. Oh, yeah — there’s also a little chat about the recent vote in Kansas City, the A’s moving to Sacramento, and Jerry Reinsdorf’s current attempt to again rip off the people of Chicago and Illinois. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first series in what feels like 87 this season, the White Sox travel to Kansas City to face the Royals — or what I consider, their future teammates. Michael Farina is back this season to preview the first series with the Royals. Michael hosts the Royal de Lux Pod and contributes to Farm to Fountains. What’s new in Kansas City? A lot, apparently! What’s it like to have so many players on the White Sox now? At one point, K.C. had faith in Pedro Grifol Grading the offseason It’s kind of sad being fans of these teams Confidence going into 2024 The Royals starting rotation Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series Predictions for 2024 You can find Michael and his podcast Royal de Lux on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second episode of the brand-new Ladies’ Night podcast, Kristina Airdo, Jacki Krestel, Hannah LaMotta, and Melissa Sage-Bollenbach discuss several topics related to our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you’re a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there’s something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run chatting about all things baseball, including: Who’s hot and who’s not around the league, including the Pittsburgh Pirates’ surprising 5-0 start. Unfortunately, they had to discuss the Yankees, too The good, bad, and ugly of the White Sox 1-4 start, highlighting the incredible pitching of Garrett Crochet and the immense disappointment of the $75 million-dollar man How the new milkshake at Guaranteed Rate is not widely available, as the franchise even dupes fans about the food offerings An in-podcast live reaction to the Pale Hose’s first win The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in mid-April. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next up for our affiliate previews, after a look at Charlotte (and a talk with our first Jonathan), is the Birmingham Barons. Team president and general manager, Jonathan Nelson, took a moment out of his club’s busy season prep for a read of the 2024 Barons season: Can the theme of affiliate experts named Jonathan extend through all four affiliates? Nelson gives us his amazing history in the sport, and specifically with the Barons, dating back to Michael Jordan Pouring out a 40 for the heartbreaking 1983 White Sox Sergio Santos, manager? Sergio Santos, manager! The immediate talent and immense potential of catcher Edgar Quero Colson Montgomery’s growth from Project Birmingham newbie to star on the rise, one year later Some behind the curtain thoughts on bringing new players into the system midseason, after trades, as well as coordinating his roster needs with the big club up north A look back at Project Brimingham, two years on Highlights of the 2020s so far Opening Day is on the horizon! Is anyone thirsty on Thursday? Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pod guest extraordinaire and top-tier South Side Sox contributor Tommy Barbee returns to discuss the second series of 2024, vs. Atlanta. The White Sox face off against the Braves and a few old friends in Atlanta’s rotation. Just barely missing Chris Sale, the White Sox will likely see the likes of Reynaldo López and Aaron Bummer, now working with better pitching coaches. What’s new in Atlanta? Grading the offseason and Aaron Bummer Confidence going into 2024 with a chip on their shoulder Pitching matchups with old friends and aces Garrett Crochet: good at pitching Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series Predictions for 2024 Tommy’s 90 matchup for the World Series Making baseball fun again with steroids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bayleigh and Chrystal have brought their show Soxy Chicks to South Side Sox! Bayleigh, a Red Sox fan formerly at Pesky Report, and Chrystal, a White Sox fan and pillar of this site, bring their love of baseball and knowledge to a bi-weekly podcast. They’ll talk about everything happening in Major League Baseball, and a little of their thoughts about their respective teams. On this episode: Introduction and move to South Side Sox Thoughts and predictions on the 2024 season as fans Shohei Ohtani drama Pablo Sandoval’s career ... is it over or will he continue? Our least favorite disgraced pitcher, because unfortunately, we need to talk about him and move on All of the Reds are injured! Actually, a ton of people are injured The Orioles have been busy lately An ode to Tony Kemp Has Scott Boras lost his luster? Be sure to follow their twitter account Soxy Chicks. You can also find Bayleigh and Chrystal on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Brett Ballantini invites Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Malachi Hayes to chat about what is looking to be a chilly Home Opener against the Tigers on Thursday: The upside and downside of Garrett Crochet, Opening Day starter Breaking down the relatively sunny season projections for the White Sox from FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus Why do the relatively similar Opening Day lineups in 2017 and 2024 feel so much worse this year? Zeroing in on what it will take from Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada to force the White Sox to pick up their options for 2025 The best starter in the current White Sox rotation The next great right fielder on the South Side, if not Dominic Fletcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back, friends! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the White Sox are, well, attempting to play baseball this season. The White Sox will host the Tigers for the first series of the season, and again about 70 times. I kid, but it certainly feels that way. Walker Kelly, new to the pod, joined to chat about the Motor City Kitties, the opening series, and how the team might fare in a pitiful American League Central. What’s going on in Tiger land these days? Grading the offseason acquisitions — is the best Jason Benetti? Confidence levels for the 2024 Tigers Pitching matchups The keys, the fears, and what player will have the most impact on the series Thoughts and predictions for 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s that time of year again, and Dante Jones, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Chrystal O’Keefe and Hannah La Motta join Brett Ballantini to address the White Sox and Major League Baseball outlook for 2024: White Sox: Universal last-place club Diving into three-way battles to win the AL Central and AL East Largely avoiding the C-word but discussing the NL Central and the foregone conclusions of the NL East and West Not so fast on those Dodgers, sez Chrystal The challenge of picking an player and pitcher MVP for these White Sox Speed rounds: Grifol and Getz’s future, who is the true ALC rival to the White Sox, will the Chicago defense or offense be worse, and were we too optimistic or pessimistic predicting the White Sox record? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, record this edition the White Sox have the worst record in either spring training league, which normally would mean absolutely nothing, but this year, well, uh ... Just how important are preseason results? Well, we have to hope not at all in the case of Luis Robert Jr. and his .158 average, but totally meaningful in the case of Gavin Sheets’ .333. (If you believe either of those averages predict the regular season, I have a bridge over the Chicago River at Michigan Avenue you might be interested in purchasing.) We try to solve the mystery of why there has been no word from the White Sox on why Eloy Jiménez skipped four games and then forgot how to hit, after crushing the ball before ... but we can’t. Speaking of Sheets, he’s hitting waaaaay better than any other right field hopeful, so should the White Sox play him there, just for laughs — or should they upgrade the defense by drawing the name of a random fan at that day’s game out of a hat and letting him or her play right? And speaking of right field (and catcher) hopefuls, we delve into the question of why in the world you would even consider players well past their prime as starters on a team that faces a miserable season (or two, or three) instead of giving youngsters a chance to learn to compete in the big leagues. Despite such questions, we go through the outlook for the season for both pitchers and position players. There’s even praise for a few, whom we have to hope Sox mismanagment won’t destroy. And, finally, noting that ticket sales for Opening Day are terrible, we launch into attacks on the miserable treatment of fans by the White Sox (and other MLB teams, but especially the Sox) who seem hell bent to destroy any desire of kids to ever return to the park — wherever that park may be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of the brand new Ladies’ Night podcast, Kristina Airdo, Jacki Krestel, Hannah LaMotta, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, and Allie Wesel discuss several topics related to our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you’re a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there’s something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run chatting about all things baseball, including: What the hopes and dreams are for the podcast and the importance of building a community specific to women’s fans, for once ... or, in Jacki’s words, “you belong here, let’s go!” Fun facts about each of our guests — including four of five playing high-level softball or baseball! Thoughts on Garrett Crochet being announced as the Opening Day starter Opinions about Michael Kopech’s move to the bullpen Experiences of being a woman in a man’s sports world The podcast will air bi-monthly, with the next episode dropping in early April. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dante Jones, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Brian O’Neill join Brett Ballantini to address the formal surrender of the 2024 season, as the White Sox dealt Dylan Cease to San Diego for three prospects and a bullpen arm. Thoughts on that, and who might replace him in the rotation: Temperature check on the return for the team ace Dividing right along hairstyle sides, Brian and Dante are partial to Samuel Zavala, while Melissa and Brett think Drew Thorpe is the prize of the deal The strange smokescreen of GM Chris Getz predicting ill-prepared Jairo Iriarte will jump from Double-A to the majors this year The [redacted] rumors, to our universal dismay What will the White Sox have to do to erase this flirtation for fans? Brian turns virtue signaling on its ear and bemoans the insipid state of the world with its predilection for VICE signaling Updated win totals for the White Sox in 2024, including one more dire than Brett’s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baseball is back! Even if the sport is just a secondary thought where the White Sox are concerned. SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, actually manage to get in a lengthy chat about the team before turning to the main topic of the day (week, month, year, decade) and addressing the incredible, grasping greed of Jerry Reinsdorf (not that we harbor any dislike for him or anything). On the baseball front, there are congrats to Tim Anderson on signing with the Marlins, Liam Hendriks on signing with the Red Sox, and anybody else we can think of who escaped the White Sox. Then there is lengthy talk of what in the world should be done about Dylan Cease, both with regard to possible trades and with regard to possibly encouraging him to throw strikes; a look at the probable starting lineup as it stands now, with hopes there are now some fielders who can catch the damned ball; and careful avoidance of predicting the 2024 record. Then it is, of course, on to Reinsdorf’s desire that taxpayers stuff his pockets with more than a billion dollars, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s apparent openness to the scheme. The word is “no,” Mr. Mayor. To be followed by, “Never, ever a penny. Get out of my office you greedy, grasping jerk.” Not that we oppose the idea of bankrupting the city and state for the benefit of billionaires, of course. Listen below, on our built-in Megaphone player: or follow along with every episode at Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or wherever you consume your podcasts. Or, you can watch the podcast on the Sox Populi YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready or not, Chrystal O’Keefe and Brian O’Neill join Brett Ballantini to address the official-unofficial start of the 2024 season, as spring training officially gets underway in Glendale, Ariz.: Where everyone is at with the White Sox on the Excitement-o-Meter™ Breaking down the 150 Games Guarantee™ from Eloy Jiménez, Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. Can having a preponderance of AAAA guys actually be a good thing aka Getz might be pretty good at this, part II? A breakdown of Brett Phillips’ middle name (sorry, either look it up or do the right thing and listen) making it all the easier to root for him Chrystal as Dr. Evil Brian reads T.S. Eliot The 78 update, now with B-I-I-I-I-I-G numbers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Side Sox progeny, or papa, Sox Machine is heading to press row, with James Fegan in tow. That’s much more interesting and inspiring than anything the White Sox have done this offseason, so it’s how Chrystal O’Keefe, Joe Resis, Brian O’Neill, Dante Jones, Malachi Hayes and Brett Ballantini open our latest podcast: A victory for all? Hat-tip to SM getting a seat at the table An assessment of Chris Getz’s two Saturday deals, shipping out Cristian Mena and Gregory Santos for a variety of useful pieces Has Getz already established himself as a different sort of general manager than Rick Hahn, rather than the photocopy we feared? Temperature check: Feeling better, worse, or the same about the coming season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ah, The 78! No, that’s not how many games experts think the White Sox will win this year ... even if you include spring training. It is, of course, the proposal unveiled this week for a new Sox stadium on the south edge of the South Loop. SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, delve into the new concept, and then have a good laugh over the possibility Jerry Reinsdorf et al. would actually pay for it with their own money, rather than try to soak the taxpayers of Chicago and Illinois. But, that’s not all! Heck, no. There’s trying to cajole Hall of Fame voters to make sure Mark Buehrle stays on the ballot for another year. There’s reviewing all the incredible moves the White Sox have made this offseason to improve the team for 2024 and beyond (did you miss them?). There’s discussion of the immediate futures of Dylan Cease and Eloy Jiménez. There’s even an apology to the people of Kansas City for badmouthing the Sox for their dependency of the Royals for staff and players. We had previously wondered why the White Sox would want personnel from one of the only teams in MLB worse than themselves, which was totally unfair, because pretty much every prognosticator predicts the Royals will be better than the Sox in 2024. And probably beyond. Well beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Accompanying our SSS Hall of Fame ballot on site comes our traditional, accompanying podcast discussing the candidates and sometimes arguing about Billy Wagner. In on the discussion are Malachi Hayes, Dante Jones, Joe Resis and Brett Ballantini: The understated, and should be understood, greatness of Adrián Beltré Joe Mauer support seemed to have come out of nowhere; how big a surprise is his likely first-year election? Apparently, Todd Helton’s time has finally come Three cusp candidates (Andruw Jones, Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield), controversial in their own ways The ongoing Hall debate over steroids and cheating Mark Buerhle and his disappointing and apparent slide off of the Hall of Fame ballot What gives: Andy Pettitte v Buehrle? What gives: Bobby Abreu v Scott Rolen v Carlos Beltrán? How much stock do you put into WAR? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Launching into 2024, we decided to pick the one thing we must see from the White Sox in 2024, and while our companion piece to this podcast is available to read on site, four writers (Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Dante Jones, Joe Resis and Brett Ballantini) also opted into discussion our choices: Melissa broke the rules right off, coming up with two resolutions that sound “easy” for the White Sox to accomplish — but will be nigh impossible to accomplish given this ramshackle roster Joe focuses on the strength of the farm system, something that will be essential to improve in order to fuel a run at a title later this decade Dante nearly begs for something that would seem so very simple from an entity that is not just a business, but a source of civic pride: Honesty in act and word from the White Sox franchise A brief discussion of how goofy the fake SoxFest at the Field Museum is going to be Brett strikes a familiar chord: The White Sox need to dramatically improve their sense of morality and conduct themselves with a greater sense of dignity and pride Joe admits his White Sox addiction, a malady Brett will aim to exploit during this woebegone 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our special early gift under the tree for Week 4 is the finale of our South Side Sox Soxivus Celebration: Soxivus Miracles! To wind things up, we predict the White Sox for 2024. (Our companion piece to this podcast is available to read, featuring some writers not appearing on this podcast.) Straightforward, right? Well, also, it wasn’t easy to come up with any! Tommy goes big, and says (hopes?) the rebuild works this time Brian chooses a fake miracle (Jake Eder becomes a guy) and a real one (Yoán Moncada stays healthy!) Brett stays off the field and chooses an SSS-centered miracle: The White Sox invite us to press row for nightly home coverage We kick off the second half of the podcast with Father Soxivus hiring on Brian as Soxivus Elf! In the second half, we freelanced up a series of predictions, some bordering on miracles ... take a listen And yes, this concludes our podcast year, so thank all of you for reading, listening and watching. We’ll be back soon into the new year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A slightly-delayed Week 3 of the South Side Sox Soxivus Celebration rolls out, this time with Feats of Strength! This time, we predict who or what will prevail during the course of this latest don’t-call-it-a-rebuild rebuild of the White Sox. (Our companion piece to this podcast is available to read, featuring some writers not appearing on this podcast.) Tommy, bearish on the idea of either Dylan Cease or Luis Robert Jr. sticking around to see the end of next season, makes a sucker-punch of a choice: Tony La Russa Brian straddles on- and off-field, opting for perennial grinder Romy González as The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave, but in reality it’s Roger Bossard who will be left standing at Sox Park, forever. Pray for him Brett’s heart hopes that Robert can be the Mike Trout of the White Sox, but the reality is far uglier. Go ahead and listen for the ugly details, but the winner of Feats of Strength is another MLB team entirely We touch on some of our other staff answers for Feats of Strength winner, including Michael Soroka, who perhaps wins because he won’t ever have to pitch for the White Sox In the second half of the podcast, we address the news of the week — namely, the price of SoxFest going up from a few hundred dollars (or whatever it was, it’s been like 25 years since the team held one) to several thousand, as The Fest Formerly Known as Sox is rebranded into some sort of Season Ticketholder Event brought to you by Bushwood Country Club A brief preview of our final event of the month, Soxivus Miracles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox didn’t get Shohei Ohtani, but they did get Chuckie Robinson, so SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and far, far, far west correspondent Will , who’s coming live and in color direct from Honolulu where he’s doing an episode of NCIS: Hawaii, have plenty of good news to talk about. Well, OK, not necessarily good ... but news, anyway. What news? Well, there’s getting a bunch of players in trades and free agency, some of them even capable of pretending to have major league ability for days at a time, or at least innings at a time. Then it became holiday speculation time, from what may be reaped in trades of Dylan Cease or Eloy Jiménez or the beer guy that usually patrols left field seats. There’s also speculation about the next year and the next century and how many more centuries Jerry Reinsdorf will live and keep the White Sox from being any good. And after speaking of Scrooge, there’s much talk about players past, players present, and players future (see how I worked in A Christmas Carol there?), followed by a long lament on the loss of Jason Benetti, who was often the only reason to watch a Sox game on the tube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tommy Barbee, Chrystal O'Keefe, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Dante Jones and Brett Ballantini gathered together during the Soxivus season to take on the biggest of our celebrations: The Airing of Grievances. Watch and participate, as we all drag out our pitchforks and stab the White Sox into swiss cheese. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Year 3 of the South Side Sox Soxivus Celebration! We kick off the festivities by looking within, to discover what it is about this team that holds our fandom. (Our companion piece to this podcast is available to read, featuring some writers not appearing on this podcast.) Brian kicks things off, with a Joycean paean about the tragic sensibility of fandom, inextricable from romantic optimism. If you haven’t read The Dubliners, that means in part that he’s surprised the White Sox still matter to him — but they do Chrystal is sunk too deep into baseball, writing 135 game stories a year, and is left with little choice Dante and Tommy both speak of the hope of personal history Malachi still feels that no one entity, even the owner of the team, can take his Sox fandom from him Brett, honestly, has lost the passion for the team, but not for South Side Sox Father Soxivus previews our coming events, which include a live program on December 10, the Airing of Grievances; December 17 (Feats of Strength); and December 22, Soxivus Miracles A quick speed round toward the end asks whether there is anything that could ever happen to cause any of us to completely lose our Sox fandom Chrystal’s crack research indicates that, yes, we are all members of the White Sox cult, and also coins a solid pocket schedule theme for 2024 ... White Sox: Please Be Mediocre And sorry, Papa Jones, Dante still ain’t crossing over to the north side Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the occasion of the holiday, and perhaps before everything is buried in football and turkey and drunken political arguments, Sox Pop 164 assembled with Joe Resis, Brian O’Neill, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Brett Ballantini to give thanks for our White Sox fandom. No, really. First and foremost, we all thank you, our wonderful readers and community here at South Side Sox. It’s said ad nauseam, but without you and your passion, there is no site. Thank you dearly for sticking it out with us, when it would be much easier not to And without all of us and our passion, collectively as fans, there is no White Sox (something, perhaps, to keep in mind this holiday season, White Sox) Brian is thankful that he still cares about the team, even when the emotions are usually anger, repulsion, disgust, shock or disappointment. There’s something about baseball, and the White Sox, that stirs him as no other sport does Melissa is taking advantage of the, um, pause in actual MLB competitiveness to learn and care more about the prospects in the system. Ah, youth, not spoiled by what has become the reality of 21st Century Soxdom Joe still sees the joy in the players, from the unlikely heights of Seby Zavala to the continued dominance and flair of Luis Robert Jr. Brett is happy, for the first time in his life, not to be a White Sox employee Bonus viewing note: See how visibly uncomfortable compliments make Brian. We should to it every podcast After the break, extended mawkishness toward the site and even the host, absolutely the hidden agenda for this Thanksgiving podcast We take the end of the podcast to discuss whether or not my contract has an out clause the offseason prospects for the White Sox, summed up by Melissa: meh Brian and Brett are willing to allow some sunshine to poke through the clouds, but realistically nothing will really move the needle; Joe and Melissa are too savvy even to allow for the possibility Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all the season’s-end awards issued, Sox Pop 163 assembled with Joe Resis, Brian O’Neill, Chrystal O’Keefe, Ryiin, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Brett Ballantini to review the good and bad of the 22 SSS prognostications on site before the 2023 season. (Also read our predictions-in-review article to accompany this podcast.) The host takes a victory lap Tip for next year: copy Chrystal Seventh-place finisher Brian quickly outs himself as the worst White Sox predictor of the bunch Random cap-tips and drive-bys for great and terrible picks, among them several picking the Mets as best in the NL (and special dispensation for Tommy Barbee picking them to win the World Series), Allie for both good (Gavin Sheets is terrible, Andrew Vaughn not bad!) and bad (one of many tabbing Lance Lynn as best pitcher) Celebrating the demise of the New York Yankees, and confirming inescapable loserdom of [redacted] and the Cubs A new round of loss predictions for 2024, among them Ryiin saying Pedro gets fired quick (nuh-uh replies Brett), Joe foresees a Soroka resurgence, and Chrystal is on board the losing train by seeing 118 losses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The experts are out with their predictions of what free agents will end up where for how much and how long, so the resident non-experts, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, decide to toss in their two yen worth as well. First, though, while they are admirers of mlbtraderumors.com, the two take time out to have a real big laugh at the MLBTR thought that the White Sox might be suitors for Eduardo Rodriguez or Teoscar Hernández in the four-year, $82-million range. Yeah, right, and when did Jerry Reinsdorf sell the team? Then it’s on to the predictions involving recent White Sox players like No. 50 on the MLBTR list Tim Anderson (is he better off trying to sign with a big-market team, or to avoid media coverage in a small market?), No. 49 Liam Hendriks, No. 29 Reynaldo López and No. 17 Lucas Giolito (two years, $44 mil, Lucas? We’re rooting for you.). And those the White Sox might reasonably pursue, like Cuban Yariel Rodriguez (recently of the Chunichi Dragons) and Whit Merrifield, who is getting a whole bunch of people saying he’ll be joining the Sox at the tender age of 35, maybe just because he has hit more home runs and drawn more walks against them than any other team ... or maybe because Jerry thinks he can get him to play second base and right field at the same time and save some payroll. After that, there’s trepidation at the thought Bob Nightengale might possibly be right and the Cubs are working hard to lure Shohei Ohtani to Wrigley (is that possibly why more and more Japanese restaurants are popping up in Lakeview every week?). And there’s speculation whether recent United International Baseball League draftee Bartolo Colón will be able to extend his career for another few decades by playing in Dubai. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the occasion of having to say goodbye to franchise leaders and stalwarts Tim Anderson and Liam Hendriks, Sox Pop 162 assembled with Joe Resis, Dante Jones, Chrystal O’Keefe and Brett Ballantini. Sadness, and hilarity, ensued. Were either of the cuts, Hendriks or Anderson, a surprise? Push-back from the host, then: Was cutting either player a smart move for the White Sox, from a roster construction or prospect return sense? Cap-tips for what both players did for our community Cap-tips to Chrystal for her unflagging domestic violence donations for every [redacted] start A new round of loss predictions for 2024: Dante has the self-driving hope it doesn’t crash plan, Joe brings a rare no-math approach, and Chrystal just can’t bear more nausea than she already experienced in 2023. Thus, no one else has woken up to join Brett on that 107-loss island. It’s happening, people. Plenty of room on the sad bus Finally, though the predictions review podcast/article was promised in mere days, we can’t officially roll that out until all player awards are issued, so we’re still about 10 days off. Brett’s a tease Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s World Series time, and SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, just naturally talk World Series on the day before it begins, and just as naturally disagree in picking a winner. They also take a look at the rosters of the Diamondbacks and Rangers and match them up with the White Sox lineup to see how many members of the Sox would make an All-Star team also made up of players from just one of those teams (hint: The entire Sox position player share of the team was born in Ciego de Avila, Cuba, on Aug. 3, 1997). There was naturally conversation about former White Sox players who will be taking part in the Series, and how the two Rangers have a combined 2023 bWAR just a hair shy of that of the entire Sox team. There was also discussion of the difficulty of spelling the name of the player received in trade for Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, et. al, which isn’t easy, so it won’t be attempted here. On the actual White Sox front, the two started listing all the teams that will be in the playoffs before the Sox make it there again, with agreement that only Oakland is unlikely. And, in talking about managers and GMs on the move, there was complete agreement that no actually qualified person in his right mind would come to the White Sox while a certain person remains in control. Plus, there’s a bonus movie review of The Saint of Second Chances, including agreement about the benefits of pigs delivering baseballs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As brusquely noted at the top of the podcast, it only took about 500 of these to find Brett Ballantini finally falling in as the junior in a multi-guest program, as site historian Mark Liptak and duty geezer Leigh Allan hop on to cast their votes on The Worst Year in White Sox History. All three came up with different answers, among at least a dozen solid contenders: Right off the bat, it’s Gut Check time: How are Mark and Leigh feeling, as fans of what’s become an awful team and pretty reprehensible organization Leigh takes us through his late 1990s search for a new team, post-Albert Belle signing A query about feeling unable to defend the White Sox mediocrity and amorality vis-a-vis our Crosstown rivals descends into a bit of Cubs-bashing, which is never a bad thing A focus on 1970, given that Leigh’s article was the impetus for this podcast and discussion: I am hardly born, Mark is a teenage fan, and Leigh not yet a Chicago resident — but we all have thoughts on the depths, and the turnaround, of a 106-loss team In the second half, we trot out our Worst Years, all within our lifetimes. Leigh’s seeming “joke” pick would never have been made at the time — but in retrospect, 1981 resonates as a terrible turn for the team Mark sticks with 1970, given the three seasons of pathetic baseball and off-field drama that had the White Sox possibly leaving Chicago With a dramatic bow to what had to be the worst year to be a White Sox fan or any fan (1929), Brett chooses, yes, 2023 — the year that gutted him, perhaps permanently, as a South Side rooter We wind up with a gut check of a different sort, premature predictions of 2024’s loss total Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, manage to first avoid talking about the White Sox by venturing into playoff land and the many odd things that have happened in both leagues, leading off with opinionating on whether having a week off after the regular season was fatal to the Braves, Dodgers and Orioles. Then there’s the comeuppance of the mighty AL East and its 0-7 playoff record, as well as the oddity that the feeble AL Central produced a champion who managed to go 3-3 before bowing out. But, alas, this being a White Sox blog, the White Sox must be covered, so talk wandered to the question of what the Sox should do about the three players for whom they must make option decisions by five days after the end of the World Series, and whether it would be doing them a favor to let Liam Hendriks and Tim Anderson go. As for Sox-related rumors, they agree that Salvador Perez would be a good acquisition — as a manager instead of the Kansas City failure we have now. And they scoff at the idea that Kim Ng would be willing to come to a team with a micromanaging control freak chairman when she left Miami to avoid being controlled. Then they look at the prospective Sox lineup for next season, and somehow manage to keep from breaking into tears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It wasn’t just the last White Sox playoff victory (and, perhaps, one we’ll have to savor for many more years to come), but the ALDS Game 3 win over Houston in 2021 is important to South Side Sox for another reason: It connected Allie Wesel to Jacki Krestel, and therefore Allie to us at South Side Sox! We review the genesis of the buddy comedy of Jacki and Allie, and much more: We intended a companion podcast featuring many more of our writers at Game 3, but it fell through; I wasn’t hallucinating during this podcast. So next year, we’ll revisit what is sure to be our more recent playoff win once again! Kicking off with a clip from a podcast a year ago, we get additional details on how Jacki and Allie met, and what the game was like together. Yeah, it was a bit lively The atmosphere of the game, including Jacki’s thoughts on Blackout 2008 vs. Blackout 2021, as she attended both The mood pregame, and in the early going as Houston jumped out a bit Top moments of the game, beyond just Leury García’s massive home run A detour, discussing the dirty rotten scoundrel Astros, and examining José Altuve’s Hall of Fame case The what-if aspects of the game/series ... how might the past two seasons be different had the White Sox fought harder, or advanced in this series? Then and now: Walking into or out of Game 3, did either Allie or Jacki think just 61 wins was Chicago’s destiny just two seasons later? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Ballantini, unsure what he is doing hosting a podcast for a 101-loss team, is joined by Joe Resis, Dante Jones and Brian O’Neill, none of them certain why they are sitting around talking about a 101-loss team. For that matter, why are you reading a post about a podcast about a 101-loss team? Well, that said, we’re glad you’re here with us. We’re family, in good and bad times. And given this is the first mothership podcast of the offseason, it’s a good time to thank you for reading, watching, and listening. Now, let’s figure out how we spent an hour talking about the sixth-worst team in White Sox history. After some brief confirmation of just how bad this team was in 2023, we launch right into rewinding back to March and imagining what we thought the worst-case scenarios were for this year’s club. It doesn’t need be said that no one imagined 101 losses So as not to immediately suffocate in negativity, we touched on some positives coming out of the season — although some involved players on other teams. (Brian even had two, just don’t fact-check them) Turning back ugly again, we take an early peek at whether the White Sox will be better or worse in 2024. Only Brett, now at 107 losses, thinks the club will be worse; the other three writers still believe in Santa Claus Brett flexes his wrestling IQ And finally, a preview of coming attractions for the site this offseason, including some adjustments to the normal calendar, and one or two things we haven’t done before Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Ballantini, unsure what he is doing hosting a podcast for a 98-loss team, is joined by Ryiin, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Malachi Hayes, none of them certain why they are sitting around talking about a 98-loss team. For that matter, why are you reading a post about a podcast about a 98-loss team? Well, that said, we’re glad you’re here with us. We’re family, in good and bad times. And given this is the final mothership podcast before season’s end, it’s a good time to thank you for reading, watching, and listening. Now, let’s figure out how we spent an hour talking about the likely fifth-worst team in White Sox history. As often happens, top of the podcast runs down the numbers, and of course, they’re not pretty. However, the White Sox have played two games better than he anticipated looking at the final three series Because, no joke, what are we going to talk about that hasn’t been said, the podcast is filled with speed-round questions and season reminiscing, kicking off with ... Will the White Sox be better or worse in 2024? The decision was split Will the White Sox set their record for losses in a season next year? Malachi and Melissa think the team will be better; while Ryiin says maybe, and Brett guarantees 106 losses in 2024 And on the flip side, we discussed positives coming out of the season — and neither firing Rick Hahn nor Luis Robert Jr. came up immediately! Deep cuts! A preview of upcoming podcasts, including more DISH Deluxe history podcasts and a postgame podcast after the Sunday finale Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends, we’ve made it. This cursed season of White Sox baseball has come to an end. A lot of people wisely checked out early into the season; others, let's call them the masochists, stayed through the bitter end. When I look back on this season and all the games I needed to watch to keep my gig here at South Side Sox, I think about the end of one of my favorite movies. I am in fact Winona Ryder at the end of Heathers. On the final episode of the 2023 season, I hosted Javier Reyes of Locked on Padres. Like the White Sox, the Padres are also a huge disappointment, without hope in their respective divisions. We both concluded that baseball is pain and despite all the frustration that comes with it, we keep coming back for more. “It’s the hope that kills you.” - Ted Lasso What happened in San Diego this season? Javier’s biggest season takeaway The Padres MVP Offseason targets and 2024 predictions Baseball is pain How many Let’s Go Brandon T-shirts does Manny Machado own? Is there still bad blood over gestures broadly Rick Hahn and his many seats at the table We’re recording early, so no pitching matchups — just a breakdown of our rotations The keys, the fears, and what player will have the most impact on the series Out backup plans for both divisions and thoughts on who might win it all You can follow Javier on Twitter (not calling it by the other name), over at Just Baseball, and his podcast, Locked On Padres. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just six games to go in the White Sox quest to reach 100 losses, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, look into the question of the ages — does winning one game thanks to a 311-foot opposite-field Pesky Pole nudger and another thanks to the intervention of tropical storm Ophelia mean the baseball gods have determined they want the White Sox to lose a measly 98 or 99 games instead of 100? With three of games against a Diamondbacks team with everything to play for, but the tail end of their rotation scheduled to pitch, and then three against a red-hot Padres team, presumably ending the season vs. Blake Snell, can the will of those gods be overcome? Then there’s another big question — how good are the chances multiple players who were with the White Sox in 2022 (and in most cases also most of 2023) will be in the World Series? There’s also the question of whether someone on the Sox coaching staff should have thought to suggest to Jake Burger that he not swing so hard, the apparent advice he was given in Miami that has raised his batting average and OPS each by about 100 points since he was traded to the Marlins? While we’re on questions, what do the latest reports on the mystery shooting at the GURF mean? And where is Hercule Poirot when you need him? And finally, are the odds longer on winning the Powerball or that Joe Kelly was serious when he told Will he wants to play on Will’s slow-pitch softball team after the baseball season is over? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends — baseball is almost over, at least for these two teams. The Red Sox will likely finish last in 2023, worse than .500 at the time of this recording. The White Sox sit in fourth place, just slightly better than the somehow sadder Royals. The Red Sox fired their chief baseball operator Chaim Bloom. The White Sox replaced bad with worse in the firing of Rick Hahn and Ken Williams, only to hire within by bringing in Chris Getz. But as Bayleigh Von Schneider points out, the Red Sox will probably be good next year — and their owners will spend money. Some of you might remember Bayleigh, my co-host for Soxy Chicks. She also contributes to The Pesky Report, and the two of us often have each other on for other podcasts. We break down the woes for both teams and try to determine how this series might go. What happened in Boston this season? Thoughts on Chaim Bloom’s firing Bayleigh’s pick for MVP Off-season targets and 2024 predictions Chicken pot pies, Boston accents, and that time David Ortiz dropped the F-bomb Old friend alert and pitching matchups The keys, the fears, and what player will have the most impact on the series Out backup plans for both divisions and thoughts on who might win it all. Somehow we never talked about the Scream series! You can follow Bayleigh on Twitter (not calling it by the other name), and our podcast, Soxy Chicks, ahead of next season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the White Sox make it to 100 losses? SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, ponder the odds of making the magic number, as the Sox press onward toward the famed century mark. The duo also delve fundamentally into fundamentals, starting with the lack thereof on the part of Oscar Colás and on to the lack thereof on the part of most of the White Sox, with Will reporting on how hard he sees other major league players working — players on good teams — compared to the visible (lack of) work ethic of the White Sox and other underachieving teams. Gee, could it be the dysfunction of the whole Sox organization leads to dysfunction on the field? After a look into all the categories of hitting, fielding and pitching where the White Sox are at or near the bottom of the majors, it’s on to questions of the future, including what will be Chris Getz’s first big decision (well, first except for where to plant his lips on Jerry Reinsdorf’s keister, be it a new spot of the one he’s used for the last seven years): Whether to pick up Tim Anderson’s 2024 option. Both think TA wants out, so would it be better to decline the option, or take it and try to trade him? Of course, any look into the future of the White Sox wouldn’t be complete without contemplating how many years (decades?) it might be before the team could become competitive — even competitive in the AAAL Central. But, lest all be despair, the two try to guess how incredibly high the ceiling is for the play of Luis Robert Jr. PLUS >>> a lesson in major league mound preparation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Ballantini and Brian O’Neill sat down with to discuss, just a few days since our last podcast together, what’s changed with the abominable 2023 Chicago White Sox. While not much really has, aside from an embarrassing near-sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, Brian does feel worse than he did just a few days ago And yes, Brett’s “numbers rundown” of how bad the White Sox are right now — and how the team compares to the 123 years of the franchise in total — may have helped that bad feeling Wednesday’s win flipped the script a bit, as the 2023 team has eased back ahead, barely, of 2018 — but yes, another brief discussion on the contention window slammed shut and the likelihood of competing even in a horrible AL Central any time soon A chicken-and-egg discussion of White Sox players traded (Lance Lynn, et al.) and suddenly doing better with their new teams A rundown of where the White Sox stand in terms of “star” players on poor teams; truly, only the 1948 team, losers of 101 games (in a 154-game season) and second-worst in club history, had less star power than the 2023 club And by the end, Brian could take no more, having to throw the flag on a White Sox September 2023 podcast lasting longer than a half-hour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox barely avoided a sweep from the Royals in time to head over to Detroit to face the third-place Tigers. Brandon Day of Bless You Boys joins the show to chat about all things Tigers and helps preview what will likely be an uneventful series. The pitching matchups are slightly up in the air, as Michael Kopech and Matt Manning have question marks looming over their heads. The Tigers also play poorly at home. As I’ve said before, this might be a mid-off, and certainly doesn’t matter now that both teams aren’t postseason-bound. But hey, it was a fun chat! What kept the Tigers out of contention? We all love Austin Meadows Brandon’s biggest takeaway from the season Who is the MVP for the season? On the other end, who is the White Sox leader? What happened to Andrew Vaughn? Or Yasmani Grandal? More questions from Brandon All the AJ Hinch discourse your ears can handle That one time the White Sox had Hinch’s signature on a picture of Tony La Russa Off-season targets The post-Miggy era A mid-life crisis break Why do bad things happen to good players? How much money has Chrystal donated this year to domestic violence organizations? Pitching matchups and a series preview Fears, threats, and the keys to winning the series Around the league Find Brandon on Twitter and over at our sister site, Bless You Boys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices