Episoder
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The wonderful Josh Hill of Puckett's Pond is back this season to talk about the Twins, who are heading to the South Side of Chicago to take on the White Sox. The Twins are in second place in the American League Central and have a team full of potential All-Stars this season. While many people think of the Twins and White Sox as rivals, it's more friendly fire, at least on Twitter. Besides, the real enemy are the Guardians.
Oh, and I hope you like references from The Simpsons!
Here is what we talked about:
What's new in Minnesota?
Royce Lewis and the curse of the right adductor strain
Please ice your injuries
How confident is Josh?
Bullpen woes and searching for a cheap fix at the trade deadline
Twins All-Stars, but you can only pick two
Joe Ryan, isn't he dreamy?
How do you replace Sonny Gray?
Pitching matchups
Threats, keys, and fears
Sonny Gray and Erick Fedde might be the same
Baseball is unfortunately better when the Yankees are good
The Mariners won't win the West
Your daily Dodgers hate
You can follow Josh on Twitter and check out Puckett's Pond.
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The White Sox extend their road trip to Miami to take on the now Tim Anderson-less Marlins. With a record not much better than Chicago, the Marlins continue to face similar struggles, in their case, it seems like every pitcher is injured.
Ely Sussman, creator of Fish On First joins to talk about the Marlins ahead of the series. (As a side note, Tim Anderson had not yet been designated for assignment at the time of this recording.)
Here is what we talked about:
What's new in Miami?
The Marlins aren't even in rebuild mode
Tim Anderson and Jake Burger aren't doing so hot
Kim Ng's revenge plot
Bad ownership
Trade deadline needs
Is there an All-Star on this team?
Pitching matchups
Threats, keys, and fears
MLB thoughts
You can follow Ely on Twitter and check out Fish On First.
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Manglende episoder?
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The White Sox head to Cleveland to take on the second-best team in baseball, and the clear leaders of the division, the Guardians. Pat Ellington Jr. joined the podcast to talk all things Guardians and the upcoming bloodbath ... I mean series. Pat’s baseball knowledge is insurmountable and made this conversation delightful from start to finish.
Here is what we talked about:
Remembering Orlando Cepeda and Willie Mays
What’s new in Cleveland?
The shared history between Cleveland and Chicago
José Ramírez and Steven Kwan are seriously good
The second-best team in all of baseball right now
Confidence in staying on top
Wanted: A starting pitcher ... like Garrett Crochet?
Too many All-Star contenders to count
Pitching matchups
Keys, fears, and threats
Do people still want to see the White Sox at home?
MLB thoughts
You can follow Pat on Twitter. You can also find his portfolio for sites such as the Red Black Green baseball blog, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, and the Clubhouse Conversations Interview Series on his website.
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It may be a month to the trading deadline, but SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, are ready to start swapping and get the clearing-out done early, if anybody will go along:
Who might want Garrett Crochet sooner rather than later in order to control his workload and have him in prime condition in October?
The Sox wanting to put Andrew Vaughn on the market right away to take advantage of his annual June resurgence and maximize value before Vaughn’s annual July swoon
The likelihood Luis Robert, Jr. will be playing elsewhere come August (unlikely)
And the same for Michael Kopech, John Brebbia, Paul DeJong, Tommy Pham and a host of others (likely)
Then they wander into wondering what the team might look like in 2025, which is scary.
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Chris Brown is back this season to chat about the upcoming series with the Detroit Tigers. Both teams are down really bad, with the White Sox holding on to the bottom spot of the American League Central. Friends, we’re about to watch some extremely mid baseball, so buckle up.
Here is what we talked about:
What’s new in Detroit?
A whole lotta bad baseball
The demise of Casey Mize
Booing Javy Báez
Trade bait
All-Star picks
Pitching matchups
Greener pastures for former White Sox pitchers
The endless rebuild
Keys, fears, and threats
MLB thoughts and the red-hot National League
You can follow Chris on Twitter and keep up with his work at Motor City Metrics and Tigers Minor League Report.
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It’s time to put Arizona in the rearview mirror and focus on the next homestand, starting with Houston. Andy Brown is back for an update on the 2024 Astros ahead of the series against the White Sox, and a bit of José Abreu banter.
Here is what we talked about:
What’s new in Houston?
An Astros fan in Chicago
The José Abreu of it all
Father Time doesn’t stop for anyone
Should the Mariners even be in first?
The AL West could be up for grabs
All-Star picks
Pitching matchups
Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
What it’s like not to have a real starting rotation
People are eyeing Erick Fedde, Garrett Crochet, and Michael Kopech?
It’s a weird season
Underdogs might just pull it off again
Will a ground swelling motion happen in the second half?
The Chicago Dogs!
You can follow Andy on Twitter and enjoy his blog All Blogs Go To Heaven, described as Chicago’s online home for pure, uncut, sickos-grade non-MLB baseball coverage.
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It’s a special edition of Sox Pop on the Farm! This one is devoted to the special Negro Leagues tribute game on Tuesday, with the Birmingham Barons hosting the Montgomery Biscuits at 6 p.m. CT on the MLB Network. The Negro League Birmingham Black Barons will be honored by our Double-A club, and more broadly the game will be played in tribute to Black Barons alum Willie Mays (who will be unable to attend). Barons president and GM Jonathan Nelson sat down with Brett Ballantini for a program devoted to the broad Birmingham baseball heritage and the specific mark the Negro League Birmingham Black Barons have made on baseball history:
The renovated, gorgeous Rickwood Field, which opened just a month after the Comiskey Park did, in 1910 — and the similarities that Regions Field incorporated from Rickwood
The Barons have paid tribute to the Negro Leagues and Birmingham’s baseball heritage since 1996, with Turn Back the Clock Days. What does it still mean to Jonathan for his team to play at Rickwood and honor the Negro Leagues?
The biggest challenge of not just moving to Rickwood for a game, but this time in coordinating with Major League Baseball for a “Rickwood Week” (Barons-Biscuits on June 18, Cardinals-Giants on June 20)
Did you know: Hall-of-Famers Satchel Paige and Willie Mays both began their organized baseball careers in Birmingham with the Black Barons?
Other Negro League greats came through Birmingham, including Mule Suttles and Willie Wells — and Country Music Hall-of-Famer Charley Pride, as well
Does Brett get in trouble for wearing his Chicago American Giants jersey, when that club upset one of the greatest Negro League teams ever, the 1948 Black Barons, in the World Series?
The underplayed, but extremely rich, baseball heritage of Birmingham
Worth reminding once more: The Barons play at Rickwood Field ON MLB NETWORK at 6 p.m CT on Tuesday, June 18!
Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.
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SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, are actually recording the day after a victory, an event so huge it mandates a change in poet James Russell Lowell’s famed “what is so rare as a day in June” to the more currently appropriate “what is so rare as a day in June with a White Sox win?”
The duo cover high points of the Seattle series (yes, there really were some), including pitching performances from Garrett Crochet, Drew Thorpe (Will thinks Thorpe’s a real old school bulldog type) and Jonathan Cannon and long balls hit by Luis Robert Jr. (among his strikeouts).
That naturally leads to trade deadline talk, about both Robert and Crochet as well as the many other players expected to shed white socks soon.
That in turn leads to long discussion of Leigh’s fantasy of the White Sox getting rid of every veteran, both on and off the field, and fielding an all-rookie team next year in the front office and the dugout and on the field. Will actually likes the idea (how often do sons like their dad’s ideas?) and had some more points to make along the same lines. Heck, he even agreed it would be good idea to go completely outside the lines of professional ball and bring in a successful college coach to manage the very young team.
As we said, fantasy. But likely a more successful than reality is going to be.
Alas, they find out just before ending the recording that José Abreu was released by the Astros.
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Once more it’s Brett Ballantini’s favorite week of the month, when he gets to again call on president and GM of the first-place Birmingham Barons, Jonathan Nelson. Somehow again talking during a tough series pitting the two best teams in the Southern League against one another (Birmingham and Pensacola), the two catch up on all the good coming out of Double-A:
Stats review: Just how dominant have the Barons been?
Drew Thorpe gets the call straight to Chicago ... and will his ability to pitch overshadow his lack of a “big arm?”
Duke Ellis gets the call straight to Chicago. Jonathan feels some generational pride there, but also warns of the danger of speed like his ... to opponents
Oh, and yeah, we’re just tossing out some crazy comps for these players
Thorpe was great in Birmingham, but two starters (Mason Adams and Ky Bush) have been essentially as good
No better way to patch a Thorpe-sized hole in your killer rotation than, oh, to call up the No. 1 pitching prospect in the system, Noah Schultz
What’s the plan for Noah the rest of the summer?
Looping back to speed, even with Ellis gone the Barons are stealing bases at a killer rate (85.8% success as a team, and they’re coming in bunches)
What has surprised Jonathan most about this Barons team?
And, what ho, as we wrapped up our podcast, the Barons had surged ahead in their Blue Wahoos brunch battle
Plus! Bonus Jonathan Nelson content next week, when we run our Rickwood Field/Birmingham Black Barons podcast!
Follow Jonathan Nelson on Twitter @JonathanN_Bham, the Barons @BhamBarons, and find tickets to an upcoming Barons game by clicking this link.
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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.
On this episode:
The Astros lose Cristian Javier and José Urquidy to the dreaded Tommy John surgery
Corey Seager’s hamstring woes
The Yankees are about to get even better
Alek Manoah’s tough year
Knee discomfort 0/10, do not recommend
Tucupita Marcano learns a valuable lesson about betting
The ripple effect led by Marcano
Pedro Grifol isn’t going anywhere this season
The White Sox broke a record with 14 consecutive losses
John Henry, the idiotic billionaire
Steve Cohen responds with “Hold my beer”
Bryce Harper wants MLB players in the 2028 Olympics
Kevin Gausman’s first shutout
The Astros and Angels series
News and rumors ahead of the trade deadline
The Martín Maldonado All-Star Game voting
The London series including a celebrity double play and a rare double play for the Mets
Phillie Phanatic: cheating rumors and serving tea
Be sure to follow their Twitter account Soxy Chicks. You can also find Bayleigh and Chrystal on Twitter.
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One of these things truly is not like the other, as for the first season in ages the White Sox are fielding a competitive slate of affiliates, including two first-place and playoff-bound clubs. The exception, as you might have figured, is the Charlotte Knights, struggling to fill out a pitching rotation and to get some wins under them.
Our guy in Charlotte, Jonathan Lee, is here with us to talk about some key Knights figures ... look a bit into the future:
The team is about what was expected, arguably (based on past seasons, at least) better than hoped
Bryan Ramos skipped Charlotte on his way up to the majors, and now is rehabbing/reloading with the Knights. Jonathan and Brett chat on what Bryan brings to the table beyond his enormous talent
Colson Montgomery is continuing to struggle between jaw-dropping flashes. He’s young, and struggle is to be expected — but Jonathan has caught something in Montgomery’s self-awareness that could prove valuable as he moves toward the majors
Sean Burke’s lower-level rehab was completed and he’s flashed some “old Burke” since arriving in Charlotte
Literally as the pair were discussing Birmingham’s rotation and what Drew Thorpe has to prove in Double-A, first word was breaking that Thorpe would be promoted to the White Sox for a Tuesday start
Philosophical discussion on the nature of Triple-A and how often Double-A Barons might outright skip Charlotte, as we’re seeing with Ramos, Duke Ellis, and Thorpe
The value of a core of guys playing together at each step up toward the majors
Estimated dates for when we might start to see the rich Birmingham talent move east to Charlotte, possibly to create a very different Knights roster in the second half!
Follow Jonathan Lee on Twitter @followmefor3.
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As I write this blurb, the White Sox are down 11-0 in the sixth against the Red Sox. I’m just going to assume the White Sox will get swept in the series. Seattle could be a fresh start, as the Mariners seem to be in an offensive slump. Aaron Casey joined the show to talk about the first-place Mariners and brought a few questions about the White Sox.
Here is what we talked about:
What’s new in Seattle?
T-Mobile Park is a top-tier ballpark
Ice-cold bats
Only two teams will survive in the AL West
Grading the offseason
All-Star picks
How to stay in first place
Pitching matchups
Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
Questions for Chrystal!
No one is safe during a fire sale
Hot takes and predictions
The Mets are going to Met and the Dodgers are going to Dodger
You can follow Aaron on Twitter and follow First Pitch Strike, a father-and-son tandem podcast talking about all things MLB.
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As the White Sox losing streak reached 13, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, pondered deep philosophical questions, such as:
Is it possible for major-leaguers to play the game of baseball worse than the White Sox and Cubs did this week?
Will the Sox actually break the modern MLB record for losses?
Should Tommy Pham and John Schriffen be traded to the WWE for Rick Flair’s hair?
How far should the Sox go in selling off? Should Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. really be on the market?
How firmly will Pedro Grifol have to affix his lips to Jerry Reinsdorf’s keister to keep from being fired?
If that miracle did occur, is Tony La Russa going to make another comeback?
And more stuff about how much could be gotten for whom as the Sox clear out Erick Fedde, Pham, Paul DeJong, Michael Kopech and more?
Can the team be competitive by 2027, or is this decade out of consideration?
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It’s laundry time! No, not the tedious chore, but the laundry series between two Sox teams. Bayleigh, my podcasting partner and favorite Red Sox fan, joined to chat about all things Red Sox, a few old friends, and the White Sox vs. Red Sox series. Willow O’Keefe also joined the podcast with her several opinions, but since she is a dog, we couldn’t quite make out what she meant with her barking, or the Morse code via a toy that squeaks. Apologies if you hate dogs.
Here is what we talked about:
What’s new in Boston?
The Celtics are good
How much Willow likes to bark
Juan Soto and the damn Yankees
Is there a way to compete?
Ending the mental health stigma
Pitching matchups
An ode to Tanner Houck
Threats, fears, and keys to winning the series
All-Star picks
Get Martín Maldonado to the All-Star Game
Boston still won the Chris Sale trade
Reynaldo López and Chris Sale are dominating in Atlanta
Soxy Chicks will be back soon!
You can follow Bayleigh and our podcast on Twitter.
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Hey, it’s been more than a month since the mothership landed, but Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Di Billick and Brett Ballantini got on board in advance of Crosstown play to talk White Sox, and quite a bit of other stuff. Buckle in:
With Di covering for South Side Sox on Tuesday and Melissa Wednesday, how are they both feeling as the White Sox head to Wrigley Field?
Vibe check: How are we feeling now, compared to entering the season with some trepidation?
Pedro Grifol review: the hiring, the player handling, the poor personality .. and the risk of keeping him around to usher in the youth movement later on this year
Di expresses frustration with Facebook
What are the desired outcomes of the season? We have hopes for the rookies on the way — and for a change in the manager’s seat
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It’s time for part one of the Crosstown Classic! Jay Holloway joins the show to talk all things baseball, emphasizing our neighbors to the North, the Cubs. While it seems like all of the Chicago sports teams are awful, we focused on just how bad baseball is for both fanbases while predicting what this two-game series might look like:
What’s new on the North Side?
Kyle Hendricks
Trading high on Cody Bellinger
Is there a way to compete with the Brewers, or even finish second?
The Nick Madrigal and Ian Happ of it all
Everyone is hurt and the owners are terrible — a Chicago tale
Wrigleyville is just a giant tourist trap
Pitching matchups
Threats and keys to winning the series
The lack of power hitters
Luis Robert Jr.
Shohei Ohtani will always be worth the money
The Yankees are scary
Juan Soto needs a blank check
Atlanta is down bad
You can follow Jay on Twitter and check out everything Uncommon Commentators Podcast offers.
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The Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers were given a mandate from South Side Sox: No more podcasts until first place. The good news is that we only had to wait two months to get there, so Brett Ballantini welcomed back play-by-play broadcaster and Kanny jack-of-all-trades Dan Helotie in to talk about the potent club brewing down there, plus highlight some of the stars that have pushed the team nearly to the top of the Carolina League:
What a difference two weeks makes ... 14-16 as of May 10, the Cannon Ballers blistered to first place by winning 12 of 15
What’s it like to broadcast a 22-1 win?
The CBs are hitting the hide off of the ball, but better yet, pitching exquisitely, a rare and dominant combination at any level
Ryan Galanie’s emergence seemed to spark the offense on its run to first place — but Dan says this has pretty much been Galanie from Day 1 in Kannapolis
The Unbearable Lightness of Rikuu Nishida
Don’t shortchange Caden Connor, who’s been every bit the hitter Galanie has in the early going
A peek in a very young stars Ronny Hernández and Ryan Burrowes
Three quick Meet the Players questions for Dan
Seth Keener, the workmanlike ace
Lucas Gordon, hoss
Aldrin Batista’s upside, and getting Drew McDaniel packed off to Winston-Salem
Billy Seidl’s current and future role in the bullpen
Longer looks ahead: end of the first half June 20, Kannapolis’ 30th reunion on June 22
Not many home games left in the first half, but a review of promotions to wind up the first half
Follow Dan Helotie on Twitter @Dan_Helotie, the Cannon Ballers @KCannonBallers, and find tickets to an upcoming Cannon Ballers game by clicking this link.
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When SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan headed off for a cruise in Europe, the White Sox started winning, or at least not losing so much, so he had visions of a team payout for him to stay on the other side of the Atlantic. Alas, before the payoff could come, the Sox returned to their abysmal ways, so a bribe won’t be forthcoming.
Instead, this edition of Sharing Sox with the geezer and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, asks (and, of course, answers) many of the usual questions, such as:
Is Pedro Grifol trying to get fired to end the humiliation but keep the paycheck?
Could Garrett Crochet be on the trading block come deadline time?
Is the pitching being 27th or so in key categories a sign it’s much better than the offense, which is dead last in most?
Did nobody get the memo about playing good defense?
Is the schedule coming up for real, or are they just terrorizing us?
As for praise, some goes out — unfortunately, to members of other teams, even one in our very own city.
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Two big departures from Winston-Salem dominate each half of our podcast this time around, as Joe Resis analyzes the Dash roster along with Brett Ballantini.
The advantages and hazards of promoting Noah Schultz before he’s ever thrown five innings in one pro outing
Tyler Schweitzer is back on the scene, bigtime. If Birmingham ever matriculates one of their six starting aces, the lefty might be heading west
Peyton Pallette is not looking good on paper, but is that paper telling a lie?
Jacob Gonzalez elicits awe, and mea culpas from at least one of our hosts
Is there upside for solid hitters like Shawn Goosenberg and Wes Kath despite gaudy K rates?
Breaking down two other “disappointments” on paper, Samuel Zavala and Loidel Chapelli
Possible Joe Resis dance floor footage?
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