Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast

In the fourth episode of the 2025 season Allie Wesel, South Side Sox writer/editor and Sox Populi podcaster, joins host Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and guest Jacki Krestel to discuss several topics related to baseball, sports, and our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you're a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there's something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab...

No, it's not Groundhog Day. The White Sox are shipping off to Boston to face the Red Sox. Unless Lucas Giolito is pitching for the Red Sox this coming Patriots' Day, the White Sox hopefully won't suffer the same fate they did in 2021. In a sillier episode that is a bit different from the usual series previews, I talked to a sleep-deprived Ed Hand about what happened last week in Chicago and the mo...

Duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and (for the moment as he performs in a play at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park) Ohio Valley Correspondent, Will, start off by eschewing reality as best they can, talking about some White Sox high points. Those include Edgar Quero about to make his MLB debut a few hours after they recorded the cast, the apparent upturn in enthusiasm and effort led by youngsters...

Die-hard Athletics fan and friend of the podcast Aaron Cameron joined to discuss the Athletics' recent developments, both good and bad. We also discussed the A's coming to Chicago for a series opener on Jackie Robinson Day. While we could've recorded for hours with many side quests, here is a bit of what our lively conversation consisted of: A temporary and frustrating move to Sacramento Growing p...

With the White Sox tumbling from first place (OK, they were 2-4, and they were tied for last place at the same time) to last, it was time for Brett Ballantini to assemble Chrystal O'Keefe, Joe Resis and Hannah Filippo to discuss the state of the team. The crux of this podcast was how similar or different this 2025 team feels from 2024: Backing that things are different are the run differential of...

The first laundry series of the season is ahead, as the White Sox host the Red Sox in Chicago. With Garrett Crochet and Lucas Giolito in the starting rotation, the White Sox might see some old friends. Bayleigh, known also as the co-host of Soxy Chicks, was on to chat about her Sox and preview the series. Here is what we discussed: What's new with the Red Sox Boston is willing to invest in players...

In the third episode of the 2025 season, Sox Populi podcaster Delia Ritchie joins host Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and guest Julie Swieca Gannon to discuss several topics related to our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you're a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there's something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a h...

Imari is back this season to discuss Cleveland's home opener and the series with the White Sox. Despite the Guardians making a deep run in the playoffs last season, the experts favor the Tigers and Royals. But the American League Central can be anyone's to win. On this episode, we talked about: What's new in Cleveland Grading the offseason The AL Central race Triston McKenzie's new role with the G...

Bayleigh and Chrystal chat about what's been happening in Major League Baseball since Opening Day. In this episode, they talk about: Tampa Bay Rays and the repairs to Tropicana Field Freddie Freeman's shower mishap Nathan Eovaldi's complete game Is it time for Max Scherzer to hang up his cleats? Colton Cowser is out and Gunner Henderson is back for the Orioles Atlanta is down bad, and perhaps karm...

Walker is back this season to discuss the Tigers and explain what the series might look like. Listen for player breakdowns, and stay for how funny we are. What's new with the Tigers Offseason moves It's not great in Detroit AL Central predictions Pitching matchups Who is even batting for the White Sox? Keys to winning the series Threats and fears The Dodgers probably won't win the World Series The...

Is that title a gag? No, actually, the White Sox have spent all but one day of this season in first place, including at the moment this podcast was recorded and published. Sure, the team has lost both of its series this season and sits 2-4, but so what? A five-way tie for first in a terrible AL Central still counts as first! Joe Resis, Brian O'Neill, Malachi Hayes and Hannah Filippo joined Brett B...

In the second episode of the 2025 season, Sox Populi/South Side Sox writer and editor Kristina Airdo joins host Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and our special guest, Ashley Sanders. Ashley is currently a Live Designer on MLB The Show's Live Team for Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Melissa and Kristina talked to Ashley about her role with SIE, and of course, we did fit in some White Sox talk. So, wh...

Jackson Nelson joined the podcast to chat about the White Sox hosting the Twins for the season's second series: What's new with the Twins? Grading the offseason Joe Ryan catchup Thoughts heading into the season The AL Central race Pitching matchups Why are so many pitchers down for the count? Tommy John surgery, even the kids are doing it! Keys to win Fears and threats The NL could wrap things up...

Just like we wrote it up, the White Sox romped over the Angels on Opening Day, 8-1, so naturally Brett Ballantini gathered some of his closest pals (Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Brian O'Neill and Joe Resis) to comb back over every luscious detail of a shocking start to the 2025 season: Sean Burke, facing adversity in the first and hard contact in the second, bristled up to deliver this Opening Day win...

To get you hyped for Chicago White Sox 2025 baseball and specifically this Opening Day, Brett Ballantini brought in Chrystal O'Keefe, Joe Resis and Hannah Filippo for thoughts on Thursday, the weekend series, and the season itself: A 121-loss team with nothing to play for opens the season with just four rookies on the roster, two of them Rule 5 picks and none among hitters. For a vaunted farm syst...

Welcome to season three of Visiting Dugout, our season-long White Sox opponent preview series! In this episode, AngelsFaithful joined to chat about Opening Day and this weekend's series between the White Sox and the Angels: What's new in Anaheim? A healthy Mike Trout is good for baseball Grading the offseason The White Sox to Angels pipeline Opening Day pitching matchup Keys to winning the series...

In the first episode of Ladies' Night for the 2025 season, our newest team member, Hannah Filippo, joins veteran Melissa Sage-Bollenbach to discuss several topics related to our beloved — or despised, depending on the day — South Siders. Whether you're a die-hard White Sox fan or not, there's something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home...

We can't avoid the reality of the 2025 season any longer, thus Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Hannah Filippo and Brett Ballantini sat down to discuss our predictions for the 2025 season, in the framework of the annual South Side Sox prognostication challenge. We focused significantly on the White Sox, but took a broader look at baseball as well: Season wins ran the gamut of sunny (Hannah, 55) to dour (B...

Bayleigh Von Schneider and Chrystal O'Keefe are back to start the season with MLB updates, opinions, and plenty of Ghostface sightings hidden in the background. Here is what they talked about: The Jackie Robinson of it all The Tokyo Series Please stay healthy, Mike Trout Abusers are back in the spotlight Mark Cahna Welcome to the show, J.C. Escarra The Tigers have some serious pitching depth City...

With a week to go until Opening Day, duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of what’s in store in 2025. The good? The food menu, of course. Through all their many name changes, White Sox stadia have featured some really good food, usually at very decent prices for event chow. This year brings a new twist — a heavy dose of Kor...

With pitchers and catchers reporting this week and games underway at the end of next, it seems time to cinch it up and hunker down to discuss the prospects of the 2025 White Sox. Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Chrystal O'Keefe, Hannah LaMotta, Joe Resis and Brett Ballantini gather to discuss the club as constituted, trying at the dawn of the season to skew optimistically: Things to be excited about? Yes...

With a week until pitchers and catchers report to start the old ball rolling again, duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, delve into some of the predictions made for the White Sox for 2025, in the process getting a good laugh at the computers that think the team will lose 100 or fewer games ... so much for artificial intelligence. The two do their best to find pla...

Sox Populi and South Side Sox had two writers attending the reimagined SoxFest this past weekend, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach for both days, and Kristina Airdo lucky enough to cover the better day, kickoff night on Friday. Both sat with Brett Ballantini to discuss the pluses and minuses of the event: First, the pluses, including a terrific leadoff night on Friday. Kristina took that in from the media...

Duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, ring in the new year (OK, a few days late) with a podcast dedicated to how they believe the White Sox will suddenly break through this season and become a major league team again, sweeping all before them en route to a season of 90, 100, 110 wins, or even more!! Now, that’s a lie, but they do manage to mostly avoid talking abo...

For one last time in Our Year of the Utterly Hapless 2024, our staff gathered for a mothership podcast. This time around it was Brett Ballantini hosting Chrystal O'Keefe, Joe Resis and Dante Jones. The program runs broad but obvious: Looking back at the horrors of 2024 and ahead to what may be different in 2025. The lowest moments of 2024 Highlights (?!?) of 2024 Just how bad was the White Sox off...