Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast Sox Populi

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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