Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast

Ah, the Chris Getz era of Sharing Sox begins, as SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, wade into the swamp that is the mind of Jerry Reinsdorf and the resultant morass that is the Chicago White Sox to wonder whether promoting a man who has proven an utter, catastrophic failure in his current post is a sound baseball, or business, strategy. First, though, the duo venture into happier thoughts, praising the Cleveland Guardians for picking Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López off the waiver wire and wondering if that will be enough for the Guardians to catch the Twins, even with three of their own starters coming off of the IL in coming weeks. Unfortunately, no one claimed You Know Who, be it for ethical or monetary reasons, so the Sox are stuck with him for the rest of the season. And, of course, no podcast this week would be complete without a look at the Fan Fat Fold Firearm Fiasco, which remains unsolved because, well, because, this is the White Sox, where nothing ever gets solved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Resis, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Jacki Krestel, Malachi Hayes, Ryiin and Brian O’Neill sat down with Brett Ballantini to reassess our fandom in light of the pending decision to elevate Chris Getz to Chicago White Sox general manager. Put bluntly, can our fandom survive? Ryiin and Brett are the most broken by the succession of moves made through the entirety of the Rick Hahn Era, but now extending beyond — and seemingly getting more egregious by the day Malachi Hayes brings up a point echoed by others, however, than his fandom will outlive Jerry Reinsdorf and this ugly, horrible, short-sighted, terrible era of White Sox baseball We have had so many things taken from us in the past decade, as the team’s traditionally-proud and competitive nature has evaporated Likewise, we can’t even street-fight defend the White Sox any longer; go ahead, ESPN, forget 2005, or report only on guns in the park, or ... whatever. The White Sox have stolen the fight from us Where do we go from here? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox are about to face the Tigers and Royals. Blah blah blah. Instead of talking about this team, and some other bad baseball teams in the American League Central, I decided to go in a different direction. Dollars for Dingers was started in 2019 by the wonderful women over at A Pod of Their Own. What started as something small between friends has turned into a much larger and incredibly influential fundraiser. Linda Surovich and Allison McCague join the podcast to talk about something that sadly intertwines quite a bit with baseball: domestic violence. How Dollars for Dingers came to be The monetary goal for this year Women’s Night at Citi Field, and what it’s like to have a good owner Not a Mets fan? You can still make a pledge! Funny and creative pledges — just make sure you can find the amount in the box score Other ways to give if you can’t afford to donate Donating for [redacted] starts and when other abusers play Light commiserating on a terrible season You can follow along with A Pod of Their Own, Allison McCague, Linda Surovich, and Home Run Applesauce. Want to pledge? Sign up here. If you happen to be in the area, don’t miss out on the in-person event. If you are experiencing any abuse, visit the National Domestic Violence Network. Resources & support for anyone in the U.S. affected by intimate partner violence 24/7/365. 1-800-799-7233. Chat at http://thehotline.org | Text “START” to 88788 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rumor has it that while the White Sox have been blah on the field lately, events off the field have been pretty exciting. Thus SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, after due commiseration with and best wishes for Shohei Ohtani, take a few moments to consider all that has happened and all that might. Do they cheer mightily for the termination of Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn? Of course. Do they think Jerry Reinsdorf, apparently aided by his swell buddy and one time waaaaaay back in history HOFBP, will do anything but something exceedingly stupid? Of course not. Do they believe that Reinsdorf will shake down Chicago and every other city in North America for every tax dollar he can gouge from them to add to his billions? Of course. Do they believe he will actually sell the team when it might cost him to actually pay some taxes himself? Of course not. Do they believe anything anybody in the White Sox front office, now or then, ever says or leaks? You’ve got to be kidding. Do they believe any experienced general manager with an iota of sense or self respect would ever work for the White Sox while control-freak Reinsdorf controls the team, thus relieving us of the dreaded specter of Chris Getz? For the sake of whoever might be thus tempted and their sanity, let us hope not. Well, you get the picture. Probably nothing you haven’t thought and said yourself. On the other hand, it’s a really fun rant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Really, this title pretty much says it all, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t ask us how they got out there among the hoi-est of polloi — actually, Brett did ask! — but Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and her husband and partner-in-ballpark-travels, Shaun, take us through the magical, inaugural Field of Dreams Game, two years ago today: Getting tickets! “Shaun, I’ve got some good news, and some bad news ...” Hey, let’s get in the car and drive four hours to a baseball game! And back! Did Melissa employ a “Queen’s wave” as Iowans lined the roadways to greet fans attending the game Pregame outside the park, including Steinbrenners cutting the concession lines Pregame inside the park, with kudos for MLB putting on an A+ show In-game, including Hands across America, as fans of all stripes show up for the game to unify in rooting against the Yankees The corn went Hollywood José took one to the corn Mood swings late — and was it the White Sox or Cubs fan who preached patience and practiced optimism as the South Siders appeared ready to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? THE ENDING Where this game ranks as an attendee, all-time A “bonus” discussion of Field of Dreams, the movie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a dramatic weekend and an embarrassing week, the White Sox are hopefully looking ahead to this weekend's series after taking two straight sets. Ideally, the dirty secrets are over and maybe the news will break that there are several coaching and front office jobs opening up. (It won’t happen, but a girl can dream.) Jordan White joins the show to talk about the first-place Brewers. You might know Jordan from Pitcher List, and the recently-ended podcast In The Deep. He’s also your go-to guy if you want advice on fantasy baseball pickups. The pitching matchups look promising, so long as Michael Kopech can maintain the magic from his previous start, and Dylan Cease can bounce back from what was probably his worst start ever. Jordan’s Pitcher List departure has him watching baseball for fun again. The Brewers are in first place, but the National League Central is still wide-open What’s going on in Milwaukee, anyway? The Cubs' annoying hot streak Baseball butts: Mark Cahna edition Jordan’s MVP on the Brewers A White Sox and Brewers trade Twitter questions! Pitching matchups and a series preview Fears, threats, and the keys to winning the series Chrystal and Jordan make unconfirmed plans because baseball is better with friends Around the league Find Jordan on Twitter and see some of his work on Pitcher List. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Side Sox duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, manage to take a moment off from this week’s White Sox weirdness to agree wholeheartedly with an article in The Athletic bemoaning the fact official scorers are terrified of ruling errors any more, to the point any routine booting of a grounder or drop of a fly is deemed a hit, and only throws into at least row Q will be scored with a big E. That example of players not being held responsible for their actions then just naturally led to the White Sox Week That Was, full of a bizarre boxarama (spoiler alert: We politely suggest some mental health help for a certain member of the Sox who has appeared very troubled this year) followed by accusations of a deceased culture in the Sox clubhouse, reinforcement of that accusation, denial of that accusation, and then a whole bunch more accusations of lax effort or attitude on the part of certain players. Whew! And if that wasn’t enough, there was Rick Hahn, holder of law and business degrees giving the business in a way no lawyer would ever advise to all the players who were traded at the deadline by saying they got rid of the problem people. Who did he mean? The pitiful Chicago media forgot to ask, so all six of those traded except Keynan Middleton, who got a separate blast from the pitiful GM, are open for speculation. None seem likely culprits, but maybe there was a six-player conspiracy. Got a favorite? Feel free to take a guess in the comments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, two bitter baseball fans chat about their below-average teams. That’s right, we’re talking about the White Sox and Yankees! I also had a headache while recording, so things get a little loosey-goosey. That being said, Asher Dratel from Pitcher List joins to chat about the Yankees, and why everything is so bad right now. Twitter brought a lot of good questions, and as a content warning, we do discuss alcohol abuse and domestic violence in light of recent events involving Domingo Germán. The lack of a pitching matchup at the time of the recording is also discussed, as both teams face pitching woes. At least the Yankees have Gerrit Cole. We also talk break down our expectations for the series, and move on to teams that are way more fun to watch right now. The White Sox are bad, but the Yankees are, too! What’s going on in the Bronx, anyway? Despite Aaron Judge returning to the lineup, it’s a little too late to mount a comeback The Yankees MVP not named Aaron Judge Will Carlos Rodón get better? How badly did the Yankees fumble the trade deadline? Old friend alert, though Twitter questions! Pitching matchups are non-xistent at the moment, and that’s pretty telling Touki Toussaint appreciation break Fears, threats, and the keys to winning the series Around the league Find Asher on Twitter and over at Pitcher List. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an unprecedented burst of activity, the often elusive Dugout Metrics podcast goes back-to-back episodes, this time tapping Luke Smailes and his article series on the 2023 collegiate picks for the White Sox. Luke, fresh off of Lumen Field in Seattle, where he was so close to the draft he could smell Harold Reynolds’ aftershave, sat down with Brett Ballantini to share his many insights: First off, yes, Brett claimed that he re-signed Luke to a more lucrative Dugout Metrics deal, but Luke spilled the real beans, that he simply invoked the no-trade clause in his deal. Smart man, because he got to come back on better terms than ever — thus a first-ever Dugout Metrics one-on-one! With a nod to top pick Jacob González, Luke reveals his Best Pick of the White Sox draft — a tweener whose selection was met with more groans than cheers As Most Intriguing Pick, it’s a pitcher with pedigree, and the confidence to match it Least Exciting Pick is a tough category, but Luke did find two guys in the Top 12 to highlight as question marks Most Out of the Box Pick is the funkiest and quirkiest pitcher of the bunch We addressed another six picks beyond that, covering almost all of the collegians, and even found time to celebrate the George Wolkow coup Draft trends for the White Sox: BB/K ratio, College World Series pedigree, and lefty bats. What of those traits are most important to Luke? An assessment, early though it may be, of the two Mike Shirley drafts Bonus Horned Frogs and Joe Kelly content, for the Dugout Metrics superfans! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After almost two years away, Dugout Metrics is back, and bolstered by a new teammate, pitcher/analyst Malachi Hayes, who sits down with Trevor Lines and Brett Ballantini to review Rick Hahn’s Big Trade Deadline Adventure. Dugout Metrics left field Luke Smailes has been traded! We needed pitching, badly Up top, did Hahn execute at this deadline about as well as expected, better, worse? Breaking down everything, trade by trade. Importing some catching, good; expecting greatness of hurlers jettisoned by a pitcher-strengthening organization like the Dodgers, a bit dicey But, broadly, Hahn took some big swings, a necessity for a team in the bottom-five in baseball, and a minors system no better A dive into players not dealt, which of course features a ton of Dylan cease talk but also moves into both, hmm, why not Aaron Bummer and, hmm, who in the world else has any luster for other clubs? Malachi makes a strong case for why Tim Anderson was never close to being dealt, and never should have been On a scale of 1-10, how did Hahn do? What is Hahn’s future with the club, as his post-deadline comments indicate there might be some writing on the wall Also, just kidding, Luke was dealt away for this podcast, but he’s back tomorrow to break down the 2023 draft class! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Side Sox duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, took time out from warming up in case the White Sox need them to fill out the bullpen to talk about the heavy activity and non-activity on trade deadline day. The final Sox tally, pending judicial review, was six pitchers gone, along with Jake Burger, who is headed to Miami. Incoming are a whole bunch of prospects of various minor league levels, almost all pitchers, but including two well-regarded catchers (thank goodness). The pitchers weren’t a surprise, but Burger was, because he’s second on the team in home runs with 25, though admittedly seldom gets on base unless he’s hit the ball at least 500 feet. Burger’s departure is some more cleaning out of the crowd of Sox DHs, so there are only about 10 left. Also left are Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal, for some reason. That made the Sox by far the most active AAAL Central team, as the Twins apparently didn’t pay their phone bills or forgot what time of the season it was, and the Guardians inexplicably traded away their only healthy veteran pitcher, Aaron Civale, as well as Josh Bell. Speaking of the inexplicable, the most bizarre twist of the day was Eduardo Rodriguez refusing to waive his no-trade clause so the Tigers could trade him to the Dodgers. We figure it must be because he doesn’t want to have to play baseball in October. But now all that is done, so Will and Leigh naturally have lots of advice for how to organize lineups the rest of the season. Hint: Let the kids play, OK? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not all of our DISH Deluxe history podcasts will be about a single date in White Sox history — in fact, quite often they won’t be. This episode is our first such podcast. The 1977 club was selected now, because at 22-6, it remains the best July club in White Sox history. And the South Side Hit Men spent the entire month in first place, stretching nearly into mid-August. Mark Liptak and Brett Ballantini discuss the overwhelming sense of fun associated with that club, and more: Not only the best July club in White Sox history, but the only one better than .500 from 1973 to 1982, and the best team overall between 1966 and 1982 Setting the scene — Bill Veeck and Roland Hemond’s clever/desperate Rent-a-Player strategy The key trade made at the dawn of the season — and the bonus ace who was almost stuffed into the deal! Opening Day: snow Heating up/highlights as the White Sox made their ascendance Where it started to falter and fall off The legacy of the South Side Hit Men The unsung hero of that 90-win club Miraculous ... defensive? ... achievements! The overlooked pitching staff How close were the White Sox to bringing Oscar Gamble back to Chicago? Player spotlights: Chet Lemon, Eric Soderholm, Steve Stone, Lerrin LaGrow, Oscar Gamble, and others Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With PECOTA now giving the White Sox just a 1% chance of winning the hapless AAAL Central, with a predicted 72.6 wins (that last six-tenths of a win is always the hardest), SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, indulge in the Sox fan merriment of the moment and try to guess who might go where by the trade deadline, and in exchange for what. Much of the discussion is on Tim Anderson — where will he go, if anywhere? Will he play second base wherever he goes? Will the change of scenery be good for both TA and the new team? And after all the dust settles, who should play what position(s) for the White Sox the rest of 2023? How about in 2024, which is apt to be a write-off, barring miracles and other hopey stuff? Can 2025 really be a big turnaround year, the one that’s been promised since Richard Daley was mayor? Ah, so many questions, such as how much salary the White Sox would have to eat to get some team to take Yasmani Grandal. And even occasional answers, such as to whether Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jiménez should be deemed protected from the trading block. Oh, yes, there are also games to be played. Not that most of them matter any more ... except against the Cubs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where were you 13 years ago today? Almost undoubtedly, you were either glued in front of the television from the first inning forward, or at least got to a screen after Hawk implored all White Sox fans to call their mothers, daughters, sons and fathers. If you were really lucky, and some of you may have been, you were in the park. Malachi Hayes and Brett Ballantini were, unwittingly sitting just a few seconds apart on the home dugout side. The pair revisit the game and gush some trivia. In a season like this one, maybe memory lane ain’t such a bad place. Setting the scene — including the fact that the White Sox were right in the first-place hunt on the occasion of this game Tracing some highlights: Josh Fields, Gabe Kapler, box score details, Dewayne Wise ... Audio-visuals! Ramon Castro talks to Brett about the perfect game a year later, one of Brett’s snaps from the game, the split-second before Kapler almost broke all of our hearts An “exclusive” “premiere” at our Sox Populi YouTube channel: Brett’s footage of the final out, from Section 143 The worthy case to be made for Mark Buehrle in the Hall of Fame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Little did we know when we began our latest “livestream” (to @SouthSideSox on Twitter, Sox Populi on YouTube and South Side Sox on Facebook) that we’d be mourning more than just another lost White Sox season. Midway through, Dante Jones broke the news to Brett Ballantini, Sam Sherman, Chrystal O’Keefe, Malachi Hayes, Kristina Airdo and Ryiin that Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López had been traded to the Angels. That changed the temperature of the room, quite a bit. With the loss, the White Sox dipped back to worse than .400 as a team, and again cracked the 10 worst winning percentages in club history Sam found the Crosstown losses so bad, so embarrassing, it shook him back out of indifference and into rage, particularly at an executive class that seems to hold fans in disdain To that point, you can flip fans the bird with a rebuild, or by throwing a tantrum at Reggie’s, or hiring Tony La Russa, because the team is planning or in ascendance; today’s bird-flipping (we’re still rooting for the rebuild to fail, Rick?) doesn’t fly, because we know the outcome of the rebuild — and it wasn’t success Similarly, per Sam, being inscrutable with every move (management, personnel, spending, the daggone injured list, for crying out loud) works if you WIN; when you lose, you’re coming across as at best obstinate, at worst, aggressively dumb Debate over whether this White Sox team is predestined to be worse in 2024 — Malachi, for one, doesn’t think that’s a foregone conclusion Tears will be shed over the loss of Lucas, even though we all knew it was coming sometime this year, during or after the season; hang in there, Chrystal and Kristina! Surprisingly, the return for two rental pitchers, catcher Edgar Quero and lefty arm Ky Bush — is FAR richer than any of us was expecting Imagining what the final, painful, two months of the season will be like Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a little different this week — it’s all Chicago-centric! It’s also a merger of SB Nation and Fans First Sports Network misfits. That’s right, I’m talking about a Crosstown Classic Crossover episode! Sara Sanchez of Bleed Cubbie Blue joins the show to talk about what’s going on north of Sox Park and preview the upcoming Crosstown series. The White Sox are fresh off getting swept in Minnesota, while the Cubs took three of four away from their own rivals, the Cardinals. Sara also comes with a few questions of her own. Everything is awful in the American and National League Central What’s going on with the North Side team, anyway? Where will the Cubs be sitting by September? Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger — will they still be Cubs in August or next season? Who is untouchable for the trading deadline, and who is the MVP? Pitching matchups for part one of the series, and how easily matched they might be Fears, threats, and the keys to winning the series The best parts of each ballpark, and our favorite player from the other team Around the league with love for Kim Ng, Joey Votto, and Elly De La Cruz There was a special guest joining the show. Here’s a hint — she barks A LOT Find Sara on Twitter as well as over at Bleed Cubbie Blue and BaseballHQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Past Crosstown podcasts have mostly just consisted of getting together and trashing the Cubs. Not that there isn’t plenty of garbage to talk about on the north side, but buried almost 20 games south of .500 is not a circumstance for healthy trash talk. So it’s part humility, part curiosity that drove Brett Ballantini to invite the first of several (OK, at least two) “mixed marriages” on the podcast to talk Crosstown fandom. Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and her husband, Shaun, take the plunge as we unveil this new, odd podcast feature. The origin story of both Melissa and Shaun, and given their hometowns, both make good sense What do each think about the others’ favorite team? How does their star-crossed fandom play out in terms of raising their two kids as baseball fans? And how does that play out in terms of the makeup of the baseball “family cave” in the basement? What is easiest to tolerate about the other fan base — and the one thing they most hate about the Crosstown club Addressing a disappointing 2023 on both sides of town, with additional thoughts on Grandpa Rossy Impressions of Truist Park in Atlanta, the latest ballpark adventure for the couple And finally, the ultimate challenge: The Newlywed Game, Crosstown Edition! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With less than half of the season left, the American League Central could be up for grabs at this point, if any team gets hot. (Except for you, Kansas City. Sorry.) The Twins and Guardians have stayed close to one another, constantly hovering at the top while the Tigers stand by, ready to pounce. The White Sox, well, they are somewhere. Teams are usually a dreaded injury or a hot streak away from losing or gaining traction before their almost guaranteed first-round exit. Josh Hill, content director for Puckett’s Pond over on FanSided joins to chat about the Twinkies, the sibling rivalry, and what to expect during the series. Everything is awful in the American League Central The Twins and Guardians race to see which team wins the division — and if it’ll be with a .500 record or not The sibling rivalry between the White Sox and the Twins What’s going on in Minnesota, anyway? Byron Buxton and his now chronic battle with injury Will Sonny Gray retire? Will the Twins be in first by September? Who is untouchable for the trading deadline and who is the MVP? Questions from Twitter that range from serious to silly, with the mention of donuts and fraternal or identical twins Series matchup without knowing who gets the start each day Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Josh’s thoughts A World Series matchup, and a way for Jacob deGrom to get a ring Find Josh on Twitter, over at Puckett’s Pond, and for those interested in the NFL, at The Pewter Plank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before I make the trip to watch my National League team host my American League team, I talked to Tim Ryder of The Apple and Simply Amazin’ about the lukewarm Mets. There isn’t a whole lot to be impressed with, and these teams seem to be eerily similar. Between bullpen woes, injuries, and leaving runners in scoring position, watching the Mets feels like looking in the mirror. Will this be the matchup that helps the White Sox get hot, or are they destined to stay mired in mediocrity? Everyone is way behind Atlanta in the National League East The Mets are 18 1⁄2 games back with just a .462 winning percentage, so what’s going on in Queens? What’s the common denominator with Edwin Díaz, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Pete Alonso? Their time away with injuries has really impacted the team Alonso’s terrible pitcher in the Home Run Derby Will the Mets get hot, or will the season end in September? Who is untouchable for the trading deadline? The lore behind Mrs. Met’s cheating allegations Series matchup, without knowing who gets the start each day Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Tim’s thoughts An Andrew McCutchen, Joey Votto, Jake Burger, and Luis Robert Jr. love-fest. Find Tim on Twitter, at The Apple, and on Simply Amazin’ Pod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While our plans for daily history podcasts are pushed back to the offseason, we are still set to unveil a new podcast at Sox Populi, the DISH Deluxe. Every couple of weeks, we’ll sit down and address events from the rich, 120+ years of Chicago White Sox history. Upcoming podcasts will take a look back at Mark Buehrle’s perfect game, the Field of Dreams game, and the 1977 White Sox. We’ll have a rotating group of guests discussing our history, with Mark Liptak, our site historian, as a featured, recurring guest. Our debut addresses the two most famous All-Star Games in all of Chicago history, 1933 and 1983 Both, obviously, hosted at Comiskey Park — but Mark reveals the surprising origins and justifications of the 1933 game, hosted by the White Sox You ever notice that there are more All-Star Games than there are years the game’s been played? Mark addresses why multiple games were played in the late 1950s and 1960s The unique event that occurred in the 1983 game, and how it may have turned the fortunes for the American League A team that ended up winning 99 games had just one All-Star selection: Ron Kittle Largely overlooked in all the attention over the 50-year anniversary was the was the Old-Timers’ Game the day before Bonus content: Mark reveals the one horrible White Sox performer in All-Star Games: Luis Aparicio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our latest “livestream” (to @SouthSideSox on Twitter, Sox Populi on YouTube and South Side Sox on Facebook and, natch, here on the “home page”) featured a review of the 2023 draft and look ahead to the second half of the regular season. Adrian Serrano and Dante Jones joined Brett Ballantini to talk about the best and worst picks and trends of the draft, and what in the world the White Sox are going to do while wheezing through the last 70 games of the regular season. The familiar theme of not having nearly enough starting arms to attack a 162-game regular season — and how that, sadly, was not addressed in an otherwise inspiring draft Melissa Sage-Bollenbach checks in and demands some cussing on the program, after she had to witness Friday night’s debacle in Atlanta in person The front office finally finished reading Moneyball! And the shocking change in tone, with picks who can get on base and don’t whiff Excitement over local prep George Wolkow — and whether his closest draft-steal comp, Jared Kelley, provides hope or horror in the seasons to come Addressing the Chris Sale-Yoán Moncada-Michael Kopech trade, which breaks back full circle into a philosophical look at how to approach a rotation in the 21st Century Cameos from B.B. the Cat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The All-Star Break is over and we’re back to the unfortunate reality — the White Sox still have the second half of the season to play. The trade deadline is looming, no one seems to know who is pitching each day, and everyone is likely playing through some kind of injury. This first series should be fine though. Right? Oh, never mind. Tommy Barbee, SSS’ Southeast correspondent, is back on the show to break down another team in his backyard — the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta is the best team in baseball and sits comfortably at the top of the NL East, eight games ahead, with a .674 winning percentage. Will the White Sox get swept yet again, or will they do that weird thing where they win against the best teams but barely beat the bottom-dwellers? Everyone is way behind Atlanta in the National League East Post-Freddie Freeman era seems to have little to no effect, they’re still good Thoughts on the All-Star break and Atlanta’s franchise record of eight players in the ASG Sean Murphy has been excellent both behind the plate and at bat, and also had a special ASG moment Will Atlanta let anyone get close, or will they still be at least eight games better than everyone in September? Who is the MVP on a team full of MVPs? Who is untouchable for the trading deadline? Twitter Questions, featuring a chat about the ’98 Braves and the whole racism thing Series matchup and pitching breakdowns — and perhaps a hug watch? Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with the Orioles, Mariners, and how awesome the Reds are doing The Chicago Blackhawks??? Find Tommy on Twitter and read all the excellent work he does for our site. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, consider first how incredibly dysfunctional an organization has to be to send an entrant to the Home Run Derby without realizing he has no family to be with him and no teammates who are All-Stars and therefore needs to have someone from the club there cheer him on or commiserate, as the case may be. Unlike every other contestant, poor Luis Robert Jr. had to just stand by himself and look lonely. And to add to it, he got hurt. But that’s the past. It’s time to look ahead to the future and guess how may current White Sox players will still be with the team come August 1. Will Jerry Reinsdorf’s typist, Bob Nightengale of USA Today, be correct and three starting pitchers and three relievers all be traded? How about his 50-50 prediction on Tim Anderson, given TA has almost no value at this point? (We delve into TA’s career hitting vs. good and bad teams. It ain’t pretty.) Or will Jon Heyman of the New York Post be more accurate, when he says the only players who are considered untouchable are Robert, Dylan Cease, Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jiménez (and, if so, why are Eloy and Vaughn in the same category as Luis and Dylan)? Only The Shadow knows, but the rest of us will find out before the end of July. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first round of the 2023 MLB draft, we opted for another “livestream” (to @SouthSideSox on Twitter, Sox Populi on YouTube and South Side Sox on Facebook and, natch, here on the “home page”). Malachi Hayes and Tommy Barbee joined Brett Ballantini to talk about the early draft overall, and speculate on the White Sox pick. Watch, in real time, as our hopes our crushed and the bounty of a rich draft is left on the table, again: Early thoughts on the speculation that Pittsburgh would veer away from one of the two (more expensive) LSU options, which turned out not to be true Watch as the trio’s hope builds, with off-the-board picks coming from several teams you’d think would know better in a rich, rich draft ... ... and then falls, as the safe, pedestrian, duplicate pick of Jacob González is announced. Even the spin heard on MLB Network — which spins every pick into sunshine, pretty deep into the draft — rings a bit hollow Discussions of launch angle and organizational draft philosophy Speculation over how Rick Hahn picked the lock on the door to break out of wherever Ken Williams stashed him — and how he managed to sully this pick, halfway out the door to a new job Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is something about those Central teams, both National and American League, that are just not good. Maybe because most teams sit in the Midwest that makes them “mid” as the kids say, but among the 10 teams, only three sit at .500 or better. The Cincinnati Reds actually hold the best record between the divisions at .547 at the time of this recording. Yes, the Reds. The St. Louis Cardinals, sitting at the bottom of the NL, come to visit the AL Central’s second-to-last-place Chicago White Sox for a battle that one team is going to have to win — no matter how hard they try not to. Taylor Streiff of Redbird Rants joins to talk about the Cardinals, his primary team, and the other team he fell for during his time in Chicago. The American League and National League Central are total bummers What’s going on in St. Louis? Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? What happened to the Devil Magic? Evil genius Mike Girsch And why is Oli Marmol still there? Bring back steroids: the Mark McGwire years, and the best of times with Scott Rolen and Albert Pujols Questions from Twitter Series matchup and pitching breakdowns, and White Sox pitching that is breaking down Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Taylor’s thoughts Find Taylor on Twitter and over at Redbird Rants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it’s our debut “livestream” (to @SouthSideSox on Twitter, Sox Populi on YouTube and South Side Sox on Facebook), featuring Malachi Hayes, Tommy Barbee, Joe Resis and Brett Ballantini. In addition to brusquely navigating the live feeds, the quartet found time to talk current Sox and bigger-picture items: Vibe check: Is there anything encouraging about this team, beyond the fact that the division is so bad we’re just 5 1⁄2 games back of first? What was the biggest misstep of the rebuild? There was free agency lamentations, but not exclusively the one you might expect When did the White Sox make us happiest? The answers center on 2005, but everyone picks an additional moment, from 2006-20 When did the White Sox make us saddest? There is still recency bias, but given that this is the White Sox, we ultimately range from 1983-2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming off of an embarrassing series loss that was nearly a sweep by the worst team in the league, the White Sox return home to start fresh. The Blue Jays have a winning percentage of .529 in the hardest division — yes, they sit in fourth place with a winning record. Heading into Monday’s action, every team in the AL Central is worse than the worst team in the AL East. Justin Havelock joins the show to break down the series and Bo Bichette’s luscious locks. In the American League East, all teams are above .500, yet the Blue Jays sit in fourth What’s going on in Toronto? Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? Vlad Jr. returns to the home run derby Updates and opinions on the Rogers Center remodel Questions from Twitter Series matchup and pitching breakdowns Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Justin’s thoughts Find Justin on Twitter (before it burns to the ground), and follow our podcast, Out Pitch Pod, or the accompanying Substack. You can also find Justin at Pitcher List and QB List. If you would like to donate to an organization close to our hearts, check out Proud To Be In Baseball. Here is an excerpt from their About page: Created by openly gay professional baseball player Bryan Ruby, Proud To Be In Baseball is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.Our mission is to empower and advocate for the next generation of LGBTQ people in baseball. A player-driven organization, leading with messages of love and acceptance, Proud To Be In Baseball provides resources, and educational opportunities, and raises awareness while building the LGBTQ community in America’s pastime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The power trio of Malachi Hayes, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and Brian O’Neil weather smoke, technical difficulties and the encroaching sunset with Brett Ballantini to talk about where the White Sox stand, possible paths to the playoffs, and the pleasant surprises/bitter disappointments of 2023’s first half. Vibe check: Can this team play into October? Nuts and bolts vibe check: What combination-clicks need to occur for the the White Sox to find that next gear and get to .500/division lead? Brian learns it’s not always wise to be polite ... ... and then exacts a little revenge on Malachi A short dive into the travails of Tim Anderson and the emotional impact he has on the White Sox, for both better and worse How many more “bitter disappointment” candidates did we have than “pleasant surprises?” Who gets moved this month, and a revisitation of the trade Lucas vs. keep Lucas debate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, get to rejoice this week in the fact the White Sox are only 11 games worse than .500 and heading to Oakland. Then they take a look at the underlying statistics, which show the team is feeble in every aspect of the game, whether hitting, fielding or pitching, and get on with the business of deciding who should be sold at the deadline, should there be any takers. This naturally leads to a discussion of what you get if you traded Rick Hahn. (Spoiler alert: maybe not an entire hot dog vendor.) Not that there’s no praise to be spread around, mainly for Luis Robert Jr. and, uh, uh, uh ... oh, yeah — Zach Remillard, at the time of the recording with a higher batting average than Luis Arráez, who gets way more publicity. And then there’s admiration for Lucas Giolito, who may be in his last month with the White Sox. Or not. At any rate, the cast does give you a chance to consider what you think you could get in trade for Hahn — not on his own of course, but if the Sox tossed in Robert, Giolito, Dylan Cease ... And, ah, yes ... we lament the sad passing of the 538 baseball predictions, beloved but now gone forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox sit in 24th place out of 30. And what team do they play next? The team in last place, coming in at No. 30, the Oakland Athletics. The novelty of the Moneyball tactic is long gone, departing shortly after the movie adaptation was released in 2011. With the team on the cusp of moving to Las Vegas to follow the Raiders, and fans flocking to the Coliseum for a reverse boycott, things are grim; owner John Fisher is under constant scrutiny by fans who wish he would sell the team. Wait, that sounds familiar. Oh, right. White Sox fans dream of the day Jerry Reinsdorf sells the team, and find creative ways to not give Reinsdorf any money this season. From not buying any merchandise and bringing snack packs into the ballpark to avoid paying for concessions, fans of the team are hoping something changes. (It won’t, but I’m all for not spending money at the ballpark.) Freelancer John Hickey, with decades of A’s knowledge, sits down to discuss the upcoming series in Oakland. The American League West has three teams well better than .500 — and the A’s are at .250 What’s going on in Oakland? The move, and what that means for the fans Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? Questions from Twitter Series matchup and pitching breakdowns Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with John’s thoughts Find John on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we head toward the decision time of the trade deadline, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, ask the musical question, “Is there anything at any level that the White Sox do well, or at least adequately?” (Spoiler alert: We didn’t include groundscrew, batboys or ballgirls in the evaluation, so you may already know the answer.) Then there’s the follow-up musical question, “Is there anybody the White Sox shouldn’t try to trade at the deadline?” (Spoiler alert: See spoiler alert above.) (Corollary, which we neglected to discuss: Is it possible to hire James Click as a consultant with veto power for the trading period, so decisions aren’t left up to the three stooges?) Then there’s, “Is there any statistic that shows the White Sox as a team are even average, or close to it?” (Spoiler alert: This is meant as a joke. You definitely know the answer.) But then we get to the real issue that will confront a few AL teams in September — if you know you have a Wild Card spot, how far should you go to make sure you lose enough to be the sixth seed and get to play whatever team slogs through the pathetic AAAL Central so you get a sure first-round victory? Suggestions include have batters hit from the opposite side of the plate, have pitchers throw underhand, and have fielders leave their mitts in the dugout, but you may have better ideas. Not that we’re feeling at all down, or anything like that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox look to make up for the abysmal Rangers series by hosting the Red Sox this weekend. Boston might be sitting in last place in the American League East, but that doesn’t mean they’re not having a great season. Boston sits 12 games back in the division, but comfortably at .520. Unfortunately for Boston, they’re in a divisional fight with the Rays, Orioles, Yankees, and Blue Jays ... also known as a good division. I wonder what that’s like. The Red Sox were on the other end of a complete game against the Twins yesterday, but that doesn’t mean this series will be easy for the White Sox. Ed Hand of Pesky Report and SoxProspects.com joins to talk about all things Red Sox and breaks down the upcoming laundry series. The fast-paced American League East where everyone has a winning record What’s going on in Boston? The Trust-O-Meter An unwelcomed visit from the injury bug Who is pitching over there, anyway? Our old friend alert that just can’t stay healthy Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? Questions from Twitter Series matchup and pitching breakdowns Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Ed’s thoughts Find Ed on Twitter, over at The Pesky Report, Sox Prospects, and read his blog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Liptak sat down with Brett Ballantini to talk about where the White Sox stand, how little will change in the near term, and whether there is a historical precedent for the 2023 team. Coming soon, history podcasts! The pair discuss the incredible dysfunction inside the White Sox clubhouse and in the organization at large — and how unlikely things are to change as long as Jerry Reinsdorf owns the team While eminently mockable, there is something to a “Cardinal Way” or “Dodgers Way” approach, something the White Sox don’t have, and haven’t for 60 or 70 years The down side of the WBC, manifested in Yoán Moncada Rick Hahn committed a cardinal sin by questioning the tone and optimism of his fan base Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox lost the series in Seattle and are heading home to host the first-place Rangers. We’ll see some familiar faces, like Marcus Semien and Dane Dunning, who will likely have the South Side of Chicago a little envious. But envy isn’t the issue Pedro’s Boys should be concerned with — the .620 the Rangers have held on to, the star players, great pitching, and a somewhat functional bullpen should be the main focus. Casey joins the show to discuss the Rangers from top to bottom, and how much we love Jacob deGrom. Happy birthday to my birthday twin Jacob deGrom, by the way! Dabbling back into the American League West What’s going on in Texas? A bullpen reset, and a rookie that might just win all the awards this season Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? Jacob deGrom’s return next season, and what he’ll be like at 36 with two Tommy John surgeries behind him Questions from Twitter Series matchup and pitching breakdowns Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Casey’s thoughts Find Casey on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox continue their West Coast road trip to Seattle, taking on the Mariners. Seattle is in a tough division, ranking fourth despite hovering around .500. Both teams seem to have turned a corner, or at the very least are peeking around the corner. Two-time SABR award winner and contributor to Baseball Prospectus Mikey Ajeto joined the podcast to preview the series, chat about the Mariners, and talk about baseball and life. Content warning: There is talk about deep depression. The wild American League West What’s going on in Seattle? How do the Mariners get out of their slump? Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? The Paul Sewald fan club, and how it saved a life A round of questions from Twitter about best friends, best players aside from Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr., and Mikey’s love for Nirvana Series matchup and pitching breakdowns Why can’t [redacted] join his friend [redacted] in Japan? Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Mikey’s thoughts Find Mikey on Twitter and follow along at Baseball Prospectus and It’s Never Sunny In Seattle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chrystal O’Keefe and Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, frankly a little bored and finding so little to do South Side Sox-wise lately, chat it up with Brett Ballantini about where the White Sox stand and what lies ahead for the team. The first half of our intended short show (spoiler: It was not short) was devoted to the bright spots of the season. Chrystal chooses Romy González, Melissa the sturdy starting rotation, and Brett, with reluctance, the mere 4 1⁄2 -game deficit the White Sox face despite being, by all accounts, a lousy baseball team Mid-show we roll out some site news, including South Side Sox intern Sage Bollenbach spearheading our new TikTok (@southsidesox_) channel, Melissa’s efforts on Facebook (@SouthSideSox), ever-entertaining guests for Chrystal on Visiting Dugout (the podcast that never sleeps), and the looming likelihood of a daily history pod And, on to the bad ... Chrystal’s heart breaks a bit in talking about Lance Lynn, Melissa takes down the entire lousy offense, and Brett goes biggest off all, castigating the utter and complete lack of reinforcements at the Double-A or Triple-A levels, at any position Predictions on what happens with Lucas Giolito And yes, Brett defends Rick Hahn. Not gonna tease it any more than that. The position taken is utterly plausible, but the mere notion of defending Rick Hahn in the year of our lord 2023 seems ... wrong Plus, cameos from Freddie Sage-Bollenbach and Willow O’Keefe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox lost the Marlins series with two of three of the more embarrassing losses of the last few years. Now Chicago is off to Los Angeles to start a West Coast road trip, starting with the Dodgers. AJ Gonzalez of Dodger Blue and REMEZCLA joined the show to chat about his team and the upcoming series. The good and bad surprises going down in the National League West A light razzing of the Padres What’s going on in LA? Who is the team’s current MVP, and who could be on the trading block? Remembering the great Vin Scully with a special moment for AJ A round of questions from Twitter asking about trades, how deep the minor league system is, if the Dodgers ownership would like to buy the White Sox, and general Mookie Betts appreciation Series matchup and pitching breakdowns Why can’t [redacted] join his friend [redacted] in Japan? Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with AJ’s thoughts Find AJ on Twitter and over at Dodger Blue and REMEZCLA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, enjoy the week that was, relishing winning five out of six, including two out of three from the Yankees, while, being White Sox fans, wondering why the *%&#$ the Sox absolutely cannot hit pitchers just brought up from the minors, where they had ERAs around seven. They then look at the week ahead, agreeing that it would be cool to see Luis Arráez of the Marlins go 10-for-12 and raise his average even farther past .400, as long as he’s erased in a double play every time. After Miami comes a west coast trip, starting in Dodger Stadium, where Will will get to attend White Sox games without putting any money in Jerry Reinsdorf’s pocket — win, win!! The discussion naturally led to pitching matchups — some next week favorable, some not — and a general despair about much of the Sox starting pitching (the exceptions being Lucas Giolito and, often, Michael Kopech) and general delight with how the bullpen has turned things around from its horrendous performance in April. Will thinks the energy of Liam Hendriks and Keynan Middleton has gotten into the minds of the other relievers as well, to the benefit of all, and both think Garrett Crochet finally having a strong performance in New York is an excellent sign for the future. They discussed the homer barrage in Thursday’s first game, but, alas, forgot to credit Seby Zavala for singlehandedly being the offense on Tuesday. Please accept our apologies, Seby. Which leads to the musical question — how in the world does Rocco Baldelli keep his job? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox bounce out of the New York haze for a homestand against the Marlins. Both teams are struggling a bit, but one is in second place at the time of the recording, and the other is fourth in the worst division in baseball. Tommy Barbee, fellow contributor at South Side Sox and Southeast correspondent, joins the show to talk about the Marlins. Will the Marlins figure out Jake Burger and even Romy González? This series might be a close one, with both teams dealing with inconsistency. The winning Marlins are sneaky-good, sitting comfortably in second in the National League East What’s going on in Miami? The Marlins are good but not great, just like the White Sox! Old friend alert, featuring Jorge Soler Did Jazz Chisholm Jr. get the cover curse? Sandy Alcántara has been struggling, and no one knows why The race to the Wild Card Fears, threats, and the keys to win the series Around the league with Tommy’s predictions and thoughts Find Tommy on Twitter and over at South Side Sox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox learned from their previous Tigers series by sweeping Detroit this past weekend. The Yankees are also winning, and sit well better than .500. What will this series look like? Emily Nyman of the Breaking Balls Podcast joins me for a preview of the White Sox road trip to Yankee Stadium. The American League East is a wild place, where every team is better than .500 Will the Rays ever regress? Emily’s feelings on the Yankees season so far Aaron and Gus Judge create wholesome content, but Giancarlo Stanton keeps everyone swooning Gerrit Cole is so wonderfully weird Both teams are high off recent wins, and Emily is confident The biggest threat and the keys to winning the series Iowa was ugly, so we stay away from Twitter when the bad blood resurfaces Taking out the trash on both teams Around the league with Emily’s predictions and thoughts Find Emily on Twitter and over at Breaking Balls Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chrystal O’Keefe, Brian O’Neill, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Malachi Hayes, Dante Jones and Brett Ballantini reviewed an excellent weekend of White Sox baseball, and took out the pocket schedule to study some stern stretches ahead: After the sweep of Detroit, the White Sox project as a 93-loss club and at 26-35 are just 6 1⁄2 games out of first place Yes, it’s just the Tigers — but Ws are Ws Individual thoughts on the weekend triumphs of Liam Hendriks, Michael Kopech and Jake Burger Re: Burger, Melissa points out that only one player (Aaron Judge) has a better average exit velocity — so PLAY HIM MORE, Pedro! Yankees writer, White Sox fan and Mets aficionado Malachi continues to preach quiet confidence, surmising that a “nothing to lose” attitude could play well for the White Sox. Also: Superbullpen! According to one future podcast guest, the White Sox might win one this week in New York A full breakdown of the month of June, which is going to be a bear for the White Sox to succeed through Brett learns what the wrestling term “put through a table” means. Always learning ... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan is back from spending May on the other side of the Atlantic. So he and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, delve into all the things that have happened with the White Sox in the past month, as they soared from 13 games worse than .500 to, uh, well, er, 12 games worse. Well, at least Liam Hendriks is back and looking healthy. The duo go from the optimism of actually having a winning month, to the pessimism that the record was only 15-14, and only that because of playing 20 games against the fellow dregs of the dreggy AAACentral. Somehow, they managed to do it without ever mentioning Jerry Reinsdorf or Rick Hahn. Meanwhile, there is discussion of the starting pitchers’ woes, the bullpen’s mixed performance, the aggravating inconsistency of the offense, and even more aggravating horrible consistency of the defense. But what about strength of schedule? Yes, that’s in there, too, just to add to all the excitement the White Sox generate on a daily basis. Or weekly basis. Or ... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just days ago the White Sox were humiliated by the Tigers after losing three of four. In this episode, Rogelio Castillo from Motor City Metrics and Tigers Minor League Report (and so much more) shares his thoughts on the Motor City Kitties and their upcoming trip to Chicago. Do you get déjà vu? The White Sox play the Tigers yet again Rogelio’s feelings on the season so far are not as doom and gloom as Chris Brown’s With a lot of prospect knowledge, Rogelio talks about who he is looking forward to seeing Go see a minor league game! They’re actually a lot of fun! The biggest threat and the keys to winning the series Around the league with Rogelio’s predictions and thoughts Find Rogelio on Twitter and follow along at Tigers Minor League Report, FanSidedMLB, Call to the Pen, and Motor City Metrics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tommy Barbee, Malachi Hayes, Ryiin, Dante Jones and Brett Ballantini took a hard look through the looking glass into the future to decide how this failed White Sox roster will transform in the coming weeks: There are just two teams worse than the White Sox, and the team projects as a 98-loss club currently, in case you are seduced by being just 6 1⁄2 games out of first place On that note: Memories of the White Flag Trade A “speed round” of evaluating the coming contract options, free agents ... and Yoán Moncada Is Jerry looking to slash costs? The range of opinions seems to be Malachi’s no-moves/ride it out to Tommy’s FIRE SALE The ONE most significant move the team will make this season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Brett Ballantini grills Darren Black on the players who are soon due (or well overdue) for promotions. Alternately, we discuss some players who should have already moved up, but instead are stuck in place trying to figure out a next gear. First, a cursory rundown of the past few weeks of MVPs, including the likes of DJ Gladney and Connor McCullough who should have been promoted already Darren shares his “key stat” for determining progress in the minors The most obvious upward movement in the system appears to be at first base, where DJ should be moving up to Birmingham and Tim Elko to Winston-Salem Why a pause on a player like Terrell Tatum would be wise, in spite of his obvious outclassing of his level through two months The José Rodríguez conundrum, trading contact for power but now beginning a slow-start trend that could torpedo his career Quick speed round, just for laughs: Who is the “next man up” into the White Sox rotation from Charlotte (or Birmingham), if necessary? The answers will shock and horrify, and not because Brett and his Wiffleball frisbee throws his hat in the ring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off of dropping three of four games against the Tigers, the White Sox look to bounce back on their home turf, welcoming the likes of Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and the rest of the Angels. What it feels like to have two of the greatest players on your team Angels rundown The biggest threat, fears, and the keys to winning the series Around the league More women in sports, please Swilly is on Twitter at, what else, @SwillySports. Also, check out Swilly’s linktree. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off of a much-needed series win in Cleveland, the White Sox head to Detroit to take on the second-place Tigers. In this episode, Chris Brown from Motor City Metrics and Tigers Minor League Report talks about everything going on up north. The Tigers aren’t even supposed to be good this year A few Korn references because Chrystal and Chris are old Rough starts and hot streaks Miggy’s treasure trove of weird farewell gifts Free agency drama Comerica is not only fun, but it has delicious street tacos and happens to be across from Mom’s Spaghetti The biggest threat, fears, and the keys to winning the series Around the league Find Chris on Twitter and follow along at both Tigers Minor League Report and Motor City Metrics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Given that the White Sox have again been exposed for a significant lack of upper-minors depth, Darren Black answers a number of questions from Brett Ballantini that center on the organization’s philosophy regarding the minors, how things have improved (or gotten worse), and the overall outlook for this batch of young players. As easy as it is to talk about what’s wrong, we started out with what’s right about the White Sox and their approach to the draft and minors. Yes, there was something positive, but no, it was not inspiring A key flaw in how the White Sox have approached the draft and their minors: The “filling a need”/fantasy baseball philosophy When the playing field is even, the White Sox are exposed as one of the worst organizations in the majors All that said, Darren is significantly more optimistic about the direction of things under Mike Shirley A Chris Getz assessment (or: How Loud Will Darren Howl if Getz replaces Rick Hahn?) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox travel to Cleveland to face the Guardians for the two teams’ second series matchup of the season. The last round was good for the Pale Hose, winning a rare series, but they also didn’t face Sox-killer José Ramírez, and only saw Josh Naylor for one game. Somber vibes and hard times in Cleveland When will Triston McKenzie return, and will he be the same? The revolving door of injured pitchers and rookies Farm report The biggest threat, fears, and the keys to winning the series Around the league Find Imari on Twitter, over at Pitcher List, and follow along with Rocking at the Jake Podcast and Bleav in Guardians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices