Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast Sox Populi

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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