It is year's end, and what better time to look back and the best and worst of 2025, with Chrystal O'Keefe and Hannah Filippo joining Brett Ballantini for the proceedings. The good: Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, Friday winning, the signing of Munetaka Murakami, some Rule 5 success! The bad: The bullpen and the rapid descent of the franchise to an all-time worst state Plus, some hot takes on Teel and Quero playing together in games and whether the White Sox are a lock to lose 100 or finish in last place again in 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannah Filippo joins Brett Ballantini to discuss the unexpected holiday bounty of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami signing with the White Sox. The pair address the pros and cons of the move, as well as the anticipated effects the signing will have on the team, roster and front office. And yes, Brett mostly manages proper name pronunciation but, interestingly, turns Murakami's nickname from MoonAY into MoonEE throughout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off of her journey to the Winter Meetings, Hannah Filippo joins Brett Ballantini to provide details on the Take the Field event. We cover her first impressions and takeaways, team meetings and whether or not the event met her high expectations (A: yep!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Ballantini is joined by our pre- and post-Rule 5 South Side Sox writers, Hannah Filippo and Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, in an attempt to wrap our heads around what just happened with the White Sox at the Winter Meetings. That's not easy to do, as the White Sox gained a prime young arm in Jedixson Paez — but lost one much closer to the majors (and thus a more viable a Rule 5 pick) in Peyton Pallette. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, wrap up the year by praising the White Sox player/team executive of the year (hint: He’s known by just a three-letter first name and some Roman numerals) for his work in getting the team the first pick in next summer’s draft, then admitting they don’t know how to pronounce the name of the most likely player to be that pick. As for actions that have already happened, there’s a polite shrug of the shoulders for most offseason actions so far. The exception being mystification at using up two of your allotted 13 pitcher slots for 2026 on a couple of Rule 5 picks who have never played above Single-A, one of whom only threw 14 innings last year – the mystery basically being solved by, “Well, it’s the White Sox.” Then there’s the perpetual chat about what to do with Luis Robert Jr. and any other trade prospects, by which we mean Kyle Teel. Plus, best wishes for the new year for all White Sox fans, because we need all the best wishes we can get. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On episode 26 of Ladies’ Night Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Kristina Airdo, Hannah Filippo and Allie Wesel share their reflections, standout moments, and what it meant to be part of a night celebrating women in sports. Last Wednesday, they attended the Chicago White Sox’s Game Changers Summit, an event celebrating underrepresented voices in sports. The evening featured a live recording of Sidelined with Brooke Fletcher and Dani Klupenger, who were joined by special guest and Chicago-area native Kylen Mills for a candid conversation about storytelling, representation, and the evolving role of women in sports media. Special thanks to Sheena Quinn, the Sox’s VP of public relations, for inviting us to witness this inspiring discussion firsthand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The season now over for even the good teams, duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, delve into events of November – yes, there are some! We lead off with Justin Ishbia's in-person invitation to the Pope to throw out the first pitch for the first game at the new White Sox stadium (which, of course, does not exist and is unlikely to), though the invite could all just be a con job by the Sox to try to get holy intervention for a few billion bucks from taxpayers. From the Vatican it’s on to trades made November 18, not exactly blockbusters but worthy of note; catching a few thoughts on catchers; the latest prospect rankings, led by Noah Schultz and Braden Montgomery; and winding up with the possibility of no 2027 season and the likelihood the man working the hardest to destroy the season and baseball will be Jerry Reinsdorf, who now seems to not only hate players and fans, but the game itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Ballantini hosted Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Hannah Filippo and Joe Kiang-Resis to review our 2025 season predictions. Yes, forecasts from those not joining the podcast were also lauded ... and mocked. Highlights and lowlights from each prognosticator: Brett: Nailing the rookies and finishing second overall ... but picking the White Sox for 120 losses Melissa: Feeling good about the Yankees ... but thinking Andrew Vaughn would be team MVP Hannah: Picking Miguel Vargas as team MVP ... but finishing second-to-last Joe: Picking Aaron Judge as MVP ... but having Atlanta go all the way Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an audio-only joint, Malachi Hayes joined Brett Ballantini to discuss the inspiring (?) second half of the White Sox season and forecast what's to come for the club in the offseason: First off, the host can't even get the podcast episode correct, ah well Is the improvement in the second half real, or a mirage? There is evidence to support hope as well as cynicism; as Malachi puts it, best to just dip your toe in the waters of optimism, it's the White Sox after all Prediction we can immediately agree on: The White Sox and their lottery luck will find a way to NOT end up with the first overall pick in next summer's draft Second-most intriguing prediction(s): The White Sox will dump Andrew Benintendi or Luis Robert Jr. Most intriguing prediction: Either Kyle Teel or Edgar Quero will be traded   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bayleigh and Chrystal wrap up the season with their own baseball postmortem, and look ahead to the playoffs and 2026 season. Here is what was discussed: Chrystal's reaction to the White Sox season Bayleigh's reaction to the Red Sox season The Mets spent $300 million and went nowhere How are the Brewers so good, and is it sustainable? Daaa Yankeeees lose, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Derek Jeter's lack of personality Tigers or Mariners Phillies or Dodgers Cubs or Brewers Not supporting facists or homophobes The first time in almost a decade without the Yankees or Astros in the ALCS Locking up Pete Alonso, and celebrating retirements and new babies 2026 predictions for both Sox teams You can follow Bayleigh on Twitter and Chrystal on Bluesky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and (while he’s in Chicago acting in Ashland Avenue at the Goodman Theatre) next room correspondent, Will, do the expected evaluation of the 2025 White Sox season: the good, the bad, and the not-quite-as-ugly as the past two years. They also delve into the firing of four coaches the day after the season ended, most notably the dismissal of pitching coach Ethan Katz, who seemed to have done a very good job with a young and not particularly talented staff, many of whom were castoffs from other teams. What do Chris Getz and Will Venable have in mind? All they let on was the usual p.r. b.s.release, which no reporter with access to the team has bothered to follow up on. And, of course, because the podcast was recorded the morning before the start the playoffs, they make their predictions for the Wild Card round, not all of them totally sensible, but, what the heck, why not go with the gut. Or heart. Or anything but brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chrystal O'Keefe, Joe Resis, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and podcast rookie David James joined Brett Ballantini to look back on the 2025 season, from a few enticing angles: Hmm ... the return of Soxivus? Reviewing the final stats and standings for what ultimately was a disappointing White Sox team, whether you are on Team Chrystal (optimism) or Team Brett (pessimism) Vibe check on the 2025 White Sox, which features the brimming glass of David, Melissa's utter confusion, Chrystal's cautious optimism, and Joe's lingering doubts Brett challenges the sunny among us, particularly David and Chrystal, to explain what they anticipate in 2026 that will reward their faith Coaching staff changes for 2026, in light of Monday's breaking development that everyone but the manager was canned Is it fair to give Will Venable a pass for all the close losses the White Sox endured this season, and/or for a Pythagorean record that's 11 wins better than actual? Speed round: breakout player of 2026, 2026 win total, and ... with the White Sox be a last-place team next year? Please support our White Sox writing and podcasts.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Ballantini flies solo on this postgame podcast, addressing the ramp-up to 100 losses for the 2025 White Sox, and what infamy the club can still achieve in 2025: A rundown of the ins and outs of where the White Sox now stand (seventh-worst White Sox team ever) and can still fall to (sixth-worst ever) And with that, the second-half record is looking uglier; does the flat tire ending 2025 leave a bad taste in your mouth for 2026? Will the White Sox set a new losses high for this 2022-25 "era?" Two more losses will give the club the 11th-worst "era" in major league history It is the first time on the South Side, but how rare is losing 100 games three seasons in a row? Breaking down the club in terms of moving forward: the keepers, the pretenders, and the position moves that would make the most sense for a better 2026 Please support our White Sox writing and podcasts.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This edition of the mothership podcast features Dante Jones and Hannah Filippo, who join Brett Ballantini to discuss the encroaching and unprecedented third straight 100-loss season for the White Sox.  Believe it or not, some positives were discussed: Gut check! We all weigh in on how the season has transpired and the (brief) spike in performance in the second half; Dante's glass is half-full, Hannah has seen the floor and it's ugly On that note, this one's a freebie, White Sox Marketing Dept.: Chicago White Sox 2026: Everybody Has Shown Their Floor Concerns: No true reinforcements coming from Charlotte next year, with Hannah noting the lack of arms and Brett exposing the fact that there are ZERO bats on the cusp. Dante? He just wants Andrew Benintendi off of his team Brett reveals just how bad the past three seasons have been, against the backdrop of all of major league history Concerns heading into 2026 A brief digression into hate for the Crosstown team and an examination of rookies flying away from the team while in a playoff positioning fight Colson Montgomery crashed the majors prematurely, and that gamble paid off. Will that encourage the White Sox to be risky in moving players up ... and is that a good or bad thing? Does the flat tire at the very end of this season stain our outlook for 2026? Early, early, early predictions on the 2026 win total Please support our White Sox writing and podcasts.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stacey Gotsulias of Locked On Yankees joined Chrystal to chat about the Yankees and help set up the second-to-last White Sox series of the season. Here is what they talked about: What's new with the Yankees Jazz Chisholm Jr. just became the third Yankees player to join the 30-30 club Removing the antiquated facial hair policy Rediscovering players' personalities How the Yankees did at the trade deadline Rushing Anthony Volpe and allowing him to play through an injury The magic number and how the Yankees might do in the postseason Aaron Judge's chances to win another MVP Voter fatigue and only caring about two teams is not helping the league grow What to expect from Yankees' pitching A lot of Carlos Rodón love and appreciation Ashley Rodón's tweets Spring Training curing seasonal depression and Lucas Giolito talking about pitching Biggest threat to the White Sox Keys to winning the series Fears heading into the series The AL Wild Card race has been fun to watch Waiting for the Dodgers to fall off A little Astros hate and reliving the 2017 postseason You can follow Stacey on Bluesky, and subscribe to Locked On Yankees on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Kirby joined Chrystal to chat about the Padres and their upcoming postseason, while also helping to preview the final White Sox home stand of the season. Here is what they talked about: What's new with the Padres? The Wild Card is within reach What the metrics show vs. how the team is playing Was the trade deadline good for San Diego? Postseason odds and what needs to go right Dylan Cease is on his bad year Yu Darvish has not been the same since returning from the IL Worried about what Colson Montgomery will do Biggest threats to the White Sox Keys to winning the series The White Sox trades that will haunt, and old friends Starting pitching and bullpen stress Fears heading into the series Will we have repeat Cy Young and MVP winners? Cal Raleigh is very good and Aaron Judge is a robot Etsy witches are making the Mariners win? Stop using Twitter You can find Aaron on Bluesky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Thompson joined Chrystal to talk all things Orioles and preview the upcoming series. Liz, who has worked with the Orioles in the past, is still involved in baseball; Liz is known for her custom scorebooks and will be presenting a panel called "A New Scorebook" on Sunday, September 21, during the 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference. The conference is virtual this year, so be sure to check it out! Here is what Liz and Chrystal talked about in this episode: What's new and what happened to the Orioles this season? The injury bug hit hard Shady front office business, season ticket fiascos, and only signing Charlie Morton Growing pains with private equity ownership The last great draft year A terrible trade deadline in Baltimore What the Orioles need to do in the offseason Renovations and fixing a bad fan experience Pitching expectations for this series Who is the biggest thread to the White Sox? Keys to winning the series Fears leading into the series Anthony Rizzo's return to the Cubs Paul Skenes and the fun and young pitchers this season Letting go of expectations for your team to have more fun LOL Mets! The 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference You can find Liz on Bluesky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 17th episode of the 2025 season features host Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and guest Julie Swieca Gannon. Julie spent a decade at Chicago’s sports talk radio station 670 The Score, working as a reporter, anchor, and talk show host. She began her career there as a part-time producer and eventually hosted her own show. We're really grateful to Julie for agreeing to come back here at the end of the season 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. It's a fun podcast by the ladies, for the ladies (guys, you're welcome to listen, too)! So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite beverage because the girls hit a home run conversing about all things baseball, including: Overall take on how the Sox have looked lately Biggest differences between the first half and the second half of the season Young talent and rookies who have impressed the most Recent games and series that demonstrate where the team is headed Players most likely to stick around for 2026 Thoughts on Will Venable’s approach so far this season Offseason moves that could put the Sox on a better track Realistic timeline for the Sox to get back into contention Don't forget to check out the Sox Populi YouTube channel (and please subscribe) or listen on Megaphone below. If you love our White Sox coverage, consider supporting us on Patreon to keep the writing and podcasts going strong!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long-awaited and highly-requested guest Catherine Tinker joined Chrystal to talk about the Rays and help preview the upcoming White Sox series. A fan of two teams, Catherine talked about her hometown team and what to expect. Here is what they talked about: What's new with the Rays? Will things change or stay the same with new ownership? Rookies getting their feet wet The future of the Trop How baseball stadiums feel like home Losing Taj Bradley and Curtis Mead Pitching matchups The Rays' 2025 motto: "It's a surprise!" The biggest threat to the White Sox Bringing back plate discipline Keys to winning and fears heading into the series That Dodgers vs. Orioles game, from a Dodgers fan No juggernaut team this year Fearing the Pope Cal Raleigh's historic run Getting your name spelled wrong on TV You can follow the adventures of Catherine and her cat Cocoa (but only the latter when her teams are winning) on Bluesky and X/Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time to look back on the month of August in the White Sox affiliate world and drill down into the stories of the season that are pushing toward their conclusions. Brett Ballantini welcomes Joe Resis in to chat about the four full-season clubs active for all of August, from top to bottom: A rundown of all six teams in the system Do the White Sox have an overt (or vested) interest in having their key starting arms sidestep Charlotte? Would strong outfield play — using recent call-back Dominic Fletcher as the fulcrum — affect the decision of whether or not to pick up Luis Robert Jr.'s $20 million option for 2026 (Joe and Brett agree on the decision that should be made!) A salute to the playoff-bound Birmingham Barons, plus special citations for the key figures in a second straight season of stellar starting pitching A bit of a deep dive into Jeral Perez's season, and whether he's still on an accelerated pace to the majors Who will ultimately have the greater impact in the majors, 2024 trade deadline pieces Miguel Vargas or Perez? (Again, Joe and Brett agree!) Beyond All-Everything Caleb Bonemer, who is another intriguing name among the many middle infield prospects? Congrats to Lucas Gordon for his call-up to Double-A, it is well-deserved Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices