The White Sox Podcast w/ Chuck Garfien

If MLB decides to add 2 expansion teams in the future(Montreal and Portland are reportedly the favorites), the league would likely have to realign. How should they do it? Esteemed baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby comes on the podcast to talk about his fascinating proposal in Baseball America that has the baseball world talking.He regionalizes the entire league, putting the White Sox and Cubs in the same division along with the Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Rangers, Royals and Rockies. The other 3 divisions would have rivals like the Yankees/Mets, Giants/A's, and Dodgers/Angels playing in the same division as well. How about 4 wildcard games and a 156-game schedule with every team getting a day off every week? Ringolsby explains his plan on the podcast. Chuck Garfien, Dan Hayes and Ryan McGuffey then break it all down and explain why it should strongly be considered in the future.

With the Cubs back in the NLCS, White Sox fans have had to deal with another post-season of Cubs this and Cubs that. How does one escape it? Diehard White Sox fan John Kass of the Chicago Tribune comes on the podcast to talk with Chuck Garfien about his recent column entitled "Searching for a safe space in Cubslandia." Kass talks about how he's dealing with the Cubs success and how White Sox fans can find this safe space. He tells the story about taking the White Sox World Series trophy into a Chicago Tribune board meeting in 2005 to rub it in the faces of the Trib's executives who were all Cubs fans. Kass talks about how he watches the Cubs in the playoffs, the Chicago media coverage of their playoff run and how Cubs fans will react if they don't repeat as champions. Garfien and Kass also discuss the White Sox rebuild, the Cubs losing in 2003 and why Kass will be calling Cubs Pre and Post host David Kaplan in the middle of the night if and when the Cubs are eliminated.

To celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the podcast we opened the show up to our listeners to ask all the questions and choose all the topics in this All-Request White Sox Talk Podcast. We hit a wide variety of topics ranging from possible White Sox trades, Tim Anderson's future, Rick Hahn's best and worst deals, making Carlos Rodon a reliever and many more. Every fan who had his/her question randomly selected wins a prize: everything from a Frank Thomas rookie baseball card to a Hawk Harrelson Alarm Clock.

With the 2017 season in the books, Chuck Garfien, Dan Hayes, Ryan McGuffey and Chris Kamka take a look back at what happened with the White Sox in 2017 and look ahead to moves the White Sox might make this off-season and into next season.Garfien, McGuffey and Kamka look back at the predictions they made back in Marchand compete for a prize off the Jason Benetti/Steve Stone prize shelf---a broken White Sox gnome. Then they all discuss what deals the White Sox could make during the off-season. Plus, who will be the White Sox center fielder and third baseman in 2018? When will Michael Kopech be called up? Who will start Opening Day? Why Rick Renteria is the long term answer as White Sox manager and a whole lot more.

Twelve years after hitting one of the greatest home runs in baseball history, Scott Podsednik comes on the podcast and reveals that the top moment of his baseball career profoundly changed him forever--both for better and for worse. In an interview with Chuck Garfien, the former White Sox outfielder talks emotionally about his walkoff home run from Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. He reflects back on his 9 years in the minor leagues and how he almost quit baseball before making it to the major leagues. Podsednik also tells the story of being on Saturday Night Live after the 2005 World Series, appearing on Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He tells untold stories from the 2005 playoffs, what it's like to be a baseball hearthrob and more.

How do you call two White Sox games and one college football game over a thousand miles away in less than 24 hours? Ask Jason Benetti. The versatile broadcaster came on the podcast to talk with Chuck Garfien about his crazy journey over the weekend when he called a White Sox/Royals game, flew to Tallahasse overnight to broadcast the Florida State/N-C State football game the following day and then returned that evening to Chicago to be on the mic for the White Sox/Royals once again. Benetti takes us inside his weekend, which was actually much wilder than anybody thought. Then Jason talks about the White Sox futures of both Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia, and when Eloy Jimenez might make his White Sox debut. Benetti and Garfien, who both went to Homewood-Flossmoor High School close the podcast expressing their desires to go back to their roots and call a Homewood-Flossmoor basketball game this winter.

Bill Melton's baseball career is the stuff of legend--some for what happened on the field, but also for what happened off of it. The former White Sox slugger speaks with Chuck Garfien about winning the 1971 home run crown on the final day of the regular season--this after partying on Rush Street in Chicago into the wee hours the night before (8:00). He had a huge public battle with then White Sox play-by-play announcer Harry Caray (23:00), he partied at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club (27:00), hung out with Frank Sinatra (30:00), fought with his former Angels manager Dick Williams (40:00). Melton tells these stories and many more about the wild days of playing major league baseball in the 1970's. Plus, you'll hear a lost interview from 1971 when Brent Musburger interviewed Melton right after he became the home run king.

It's a fight to the finish between the White Sox, Phillies and Giants for the top pick in next year's MLB draft. But with the talent in the draft expected to be some of the best in years, how much will it really matter if the White Sox draft first, second or third? Chuck Garfien and Chris Kamka speak with Jim Callis, senior writer for MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com. He says the 2018 draft will be the best since 2011.
Will the White Sox go with a high schooler or a college player? Does Seth Beer fit into their plans? He breaks down the top names and predicts who he thinks the White Sox will draft with their number-one pick. Callis also analyzes key players in the White Sox farm system: Kopech, Jimenez, Burger, Rutherford, Adolfo, Dunning and many more. Then later, Garfien and Kamka talk about what Jose Abreu has meant to the White Sox both on the field and off of it. Kamka shares some incredible statistical data that puts Abreu in a class by himself.

We've got 2 special guests on this edition of the podcast. Lucas Giolito sits down with Chuck Garfien to talk about his first 3 starts with the White Sox, what it was like facing Miguel Cabrera(he went 0-3 vs. Giolito), how he got 10 strikeouts against the Rays and why he's a different pitcher now vs. last year with the Nationals. He tells the story about getting a beer shower from his White Sox teammates after collecting his first major league win, how he blew out his arm in high school and needed Tommy John surgery, plus the crazy coincidences between himself and Atlanta Braves rookie pitcher Max Fried and explains why Michael Kopech "will be here very soon." Then, it's a conversation with White Sox play by play man Jason Benetti. They talk about Giolito, Eloy Jimenez and the chemistry inside the White Sox clubhouse despite their last place record.
Benetti gives behind the scenes info about how he prepares for calling White Sox games, where he gets his old school references, and why he didn't make a radio documentary at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. Garfien did and he's not happy about this. There's also a cameo appearance by somebody in the booth. All this and more on the White Sox Talk Podcast!

It's been six weeks since the White Sox and Cubs made the José Quintana trade, and early returns are unanimous: Cubs fans are freaking out. They feel like the Cubs gave up too much in Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease and 2 more prospects. This became apparent after Quintana gave up 6 runs to the last place Phillies last Friday. On the podcast, Chuck Garfien, Ryan McGuffey and Rob Wiatrowski bring on resident Cubs expert David Kaplan who in a spirited conversation says that the White Sox received a Mercedes-type return for Quintana who he believes is only a Buick.
Later in the podcast, Chris Kamka comes on to talk about Quintana, Lucas Giolito getting his first major league victory, Alec Hansen's Double-A debut and more.