WEBVTT - MLB.com's Scott Merkin talks White Sox culture shift & more | Episode 126 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:09.400 Socks on thirty fifth is next doors open on the left. 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:12.440 How's it going, everybody? 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:14.200 This is your host, Duke Coffin and welcome to the 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.119 Socks on thirty fifth podcast. We are back with another 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:21.480 exciting episode covering yos Cargo White soxb dot COM's White 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:24.240 Sox Beat writer Scott Merkins our guest today. A pleasure 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:26.520 as always have you on, Scott. Thank you for making 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:27.520 some time for us here. 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:29.960 That's kind of a high tech opening there. I was 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:32.040 pretty impressed by that. Isn't that like just some fly 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:34.320 by night thing? How this that's we've. 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:36.240 Got to product. You've got some production value on that. 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.200 It's been a while since you've been on, but I 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.879 think we've we've upgraded our setup a little bit. 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:44.400 I'm impressed. I'm impressed. 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:46.839 Appreciate coming on. 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:50.080 Sure, no problem, but glad you guys gonna have me 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:50.919 getting ready. 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:54.120 Just before I pack and get ready to go to Texas, 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:55.760 where I think the mean temperature will be like one 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.120 hundred and seventeen and all three days were there, but 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.000 I remember the first time I went there, I think 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:03.760 for the new stadium. I stayed at the Sheraton which 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:07.480 they have since plowed and it's very close to the 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:10.080 old stadium, so you start walking in that heat and 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:11.560 you're like, oh, I'm almost there. That he gets to 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:13.960 the old stadium and realize it's still like a half 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:16.560 mile to the new stadium, and you're like looking for 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.279 any sort of worker who has a cart that can 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:20.880 take you the rest of the way because it's just 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:24.520 so damn out in Texas. But hey, it's July in Texas, right, 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:26.400 You're not expecting it to be sixty five or seventy 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:27.000 degrees all. 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:27.440 I think it was. 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:29.760 When I looked at the forecast last week, it was 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:32.320 like in the eighties last week, which is a cold 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:33.800 snap for Arlington. 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:36.720 Well, it really does just kind of blow you away 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:39.160 about the fact that they played in an outdoor stadium 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:40.080 down there for that long. 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.360 Yeah, I mean it's like, you know, I go to 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:45.800 Las Vegas a lot. I have a lot of friends 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:47.560 in Las Vegas, a lot of people I know out there, 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.120 and you know, from the beginning they were talking about 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:50.920 you could never put you. I don't understand how they 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.160 do it at I can't think of the name of 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:55.560 the Aviator's Ballpark, but it's in summerland, right in the 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.760 heart of like a really nice downtown Summerland neighborhood about 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:02.280 forty minutes from this, I think, But I just can't 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:03.640 imagine that you could ever played the game. 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:05.760 They're same with like Arizona Complex. 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:08.360 Like I was looking at Drew Thorpe's box score yes 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:10.640 day and their first pitch was at nine fifty nine, 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:13.160 which it pretty much has to be right because if 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:16.200 you play it like one, it's one hundred and fifteen degrees, 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:18.160 So you got to get it out before before it 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:21.400 really starts, you know. I'm more I'm all for like 0:02:21.400 --> 0:02:23.040 the ten am starts in the spring training once in 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:24.240 a while. I think that'd be kind of cool to 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:26.799 have a couple of businessmen special you know, maybe like 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:29.400 nine thirty, get it done, let the players have the 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.760 rest of the day, and that kind of thing. And 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:33.520 I ever saw that was the last day of spring 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:35.960 training a few years ago when this touched how long 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:38.520 ago was Brad Keller was with the team before he 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:41.240 hit it big with the Cubs and got paid. But 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:43.839 he pitched in and they had an inner squad game 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:46.440 the last day they were in Arizona, and it started 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:48.240 at like nine am, but there was no crowd or anything. 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.360 It was just kind of get the innings in, get out, 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.040 let's get on the plane and go to I forgot 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:54.800 I think they opened it home that year, but so 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:56.000 that that's about all I can remember. 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:58.120 But very very rarely will they have anything better. 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.799 Yeah, that's It's just a tough time to try to 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:07.639 play in a full baseball uniform. But as always, I'm 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:12.040 also joined by Jordan Lazowski and Nick Gower or Nick 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:15.000 actually got to travel to Colorado, which was probably a 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.880 little bit a little bit cooler than say, what Texas 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:19.239 is going to be to start the week here. 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:23.000 But overall, gentlemen, how was How was the last couple 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:23.480 of days here? 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:26.480 Good? Nice to have baseball back. 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:31.079 I mean, baseball wasn't not back, but White Sox baseball back, 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:32.280 I guess I'll say, so. 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:35.520 I gotta ask on, uh, you went to Colorado? I 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:37.400 know we're talking about the White Sox and not the Rockies, 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:40.200 but I know they have zero pitching right They're pitching 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:42.440 is a debacco, but they seem to have some offensive 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:44.320 players on that team that they're starting to develop. But 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:46.840 I like that Warren Schafer's seems like a good fit 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:50.240 as a manager there. But Hunter Goodman, like once every 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:52.080 two weeks has a three homer game. It seems like 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:54.480 at this point and they look like they've started the 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:56.160 smble of feet and maybe it looks a little like 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.200 the Socks of the second half of last year, where 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:00.680 the offense is they and you just got to kind 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:01.120 of round. 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.120 Out the team. Yeah, yeah, you can kind of see 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:03.480 the vision. 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:05.720 I want one of their games against the Marlins when 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:08.280 I was there at which they they won that game, 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:10.640 and I remember thinking, like, all these guys have an 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:12.600 ops like the eight Henders and nine. I know it's 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:15.480 course willed, everyone's inflated, but even then, it still feels 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:17.160 like they have a lot more of a formidable line up, 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:20.000 even beyond Hunter Goodman. So yeah, you can definitely start 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.200 to see, you know, see the team taking shape. I 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:25.680 don't know if they'll ever get the pitching they need 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:28.920 over there, but it's still a fun ballpark and hopefully 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.240 things get better for them because they've been at the bottom. 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:31.960 Of the NLS for a while. 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:34.559 The one prime they faced at the White six Stone 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.200 is the Dodgers are in that division and will stay 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:39.240 there unless they realigned, So that's always going to be 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:41.280 an uphill climb. I mean the Dodgers. I don't know 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:43.200 what you guys think. I don't think they've played particularly 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.520 you know, inspired dominant baseball this year. And they're still like, 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.719 what twenty seven games over five hundred, So they pretty 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:52.240 much from like spring training on just play for seeding 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.159 in the postseason, right because they know they're going in 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.119 some form and most likely going to win the division. 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.200 And now they're what thirteen fourteen games up, so they're 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:01.320 going to win the division. But it's just weird to 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:03.520 see that kind of dynamic every year where they're just like, 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:06.400 all right, you know, we're good. We'll see in see 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:07.680 in October and see what we can do. 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:09.360 Yeah. 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.279 Well, it's crazy that they have that dynamic in a 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:13.240 sport like baseball with how many games you have to 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.360 play compared to like the NBA, you know you can 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:18.400 you can get away with like sitting your stars so 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:20.480 many games because you know you're gonna end up being there. 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:23.279 Baseball it's quite completely different ball game. 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:27.080 And I'm glad you brought up Hunter out there in 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:29.440 Colorado because I think he's one of the more underrated 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:30.680 catchers in baseball right now. 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:31.800 You guys, does. 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:35.360 Play in a very hity hit or friendly ballpark. But yeah, 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:37.760 I don't. I don't know how you could convince any 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:40.640 pitcher into their prime, whether it's coming out of free 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:43.159 agency or whatnot, to want to go pitch in Colorado 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.840 just because you're you're really you're pitching against yourself every 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:49.200 time you pitch at home, and it's it's a tough one. 0:05:49.640 --> 0:05:52.120 You know, they didn't go to a World Series, right, 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:53.040 so it can be done. 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:55.920 But I hear you that, I don't think Colorado, even 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.960 with that offense behind you, I don't think Colorado is 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:01.360 like a prime target most high end pitchers, even that 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:03.479 they're willing to pay. But again, you know, we'll see 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:06.599 what happens after the whole labor stuff. But uh, money talks, 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:08.400 and if the right if the right money is out 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:10.280 there for all you need is one or two to click. 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:11.240 And you're and you're on your way. 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.320 So yeah, I mean they're they're still hoping for that 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:15.960 uh A ball over men as to kind of pop 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:16.320 out of. 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:18.000 Nowhere like uh rest pats right. 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.239 But it's great to hear, gentlemen. 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:22.919 Uh, we got quite a bit to cover yet in 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:24.720 this episode, and I haven't even got my ad read 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:27.240 jet out. But before we get started, we share subscribe 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:30.320 to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, anywhere else hear 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:33.200 your podcast, I'll sure check out the website Socks on 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:35.760 thirty fifth dot com, as well as following us on Facebook, Twitter, 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:38.479 and Instagram at socks on thirty fifth. For the record, 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:40.800 the ad reads are literally just for us, So thank 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:47.200 you Joe for supporting the podcast. Scott, you've covered the 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.400 White Socks in two thousand and three, so you've been 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:51.359 around the ballpark for quite a while. You've gotten to 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:54.000 see a lot of twists and turns with the clubhouse. 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:56.800 You got to see kind of where this team was 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.080 before they brought in a guy like Aasiyeen and kind 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.560 of the road that we've rone ever since. Then, where 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:05.000 does this turnaround we've seen this season rank among the 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:06.800 most surprising developments that you've covered. 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.240 I mean, it probably would be the most surprising because 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.760 if you look at like two thousand and five, they 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.160 were actually pretty good in Assie's first year, and then 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.920 I believe Frank and Maglio both had injuries and I 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.560 want to say season ending injuries, So they went from 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:23.360 maybe like one or two games in first place to 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:26.960 falling behind and garden Hires Twins ended up winning the division, 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:29.440 So I don't think it was that shocking. Maybe it 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.920 was shocking the dominance they showed in OH five, which 0:07:31.960 --> 0:07:34.680 is still underrated in my opinion. You know, Pillar to 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.920 post first place ninety nine wins, which still ties the 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.880 franchise record eleven and one of the postseason. The one 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:43.200 game they lost with some was a weird game where 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:45.559 the Angels flew across the country and Paul Byrd started 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.120 nothing against Paul Bird and you know they beat him 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.240 like three to two in game one of the Alcs, 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:52.920 and just you know, dominant across the board. They just 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:55.920 did everything right. I know they had the one no 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:58.920 team is perfect, and they they saw a fifteen game 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.880 lead go to one and half. But for the most part, 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.720 maybe that the breath of that, the scope of that 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:10.040 wasn't expected. But they were pretty good in two thousand four. 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:12.880 Maybe the falloff in two thousand and seven from a 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:15.440 good team in six was a little stunning, But in 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.440 terms of positive ways, I can't think of a Robin's 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.800 first year they had the similar kind of start as 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.200 Will's team this year did. They were six and thirteen 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:26.600 under Will this year I think they were seventeen and 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:29.600 twenty two and Robin's first year and they led for 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:31.840 We quoted the stat all the time and I can't 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:33.560 remember now, it's like one hundred and twenty two days 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.000 they had first plays in the Vision and then they 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:39.080 just ran a gas in September and could hold on. 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:40.760 And you hope that doesn't happen this year because it 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:42.280 is a young team that's going to be dealing with 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:44.800 new stuff. But you saw it a little bit last 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:46.600 year after the All Star break. You saw the way 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:48.000 they hit the ball off to the All Star Break. 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:50.679 You saw these young guys starting to gel together in 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:53.440 just a short time. And then you can't state enough 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:55.320 how much Murrakammie would attack on Murrak. 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:56.240 Commie has made a difference. 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:58.760 So I would say in the twenty four years i've 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.000 covered it for MLB dot, this is the most surprising 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:05.680 and not surprising that they're competitive, surprising that they're were 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:08.520 they fifty one and forty five and or maybe even 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:09.840 better than fifty two and forty six. 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:12.040 I want to say yeah, because they had sixty. 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.520 Seven coming out of the break, and you know, a 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:18.640 playoff team, a very secure playoff team, not like excuse me. 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.160 If they struggle for two weeks, they're gonna be six 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:21.640 games out. 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:22.120 Now. 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:25.160 The AL is not. But this is a good combination 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:27.400 of the AL is not good this year. You know, 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:29.200 Tampa was the best team for a while and they 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:32.120 just got taken apart by the red hot, unstoppable Boston 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:34.760 Red Sox, who the White Socks got taken down by two. 0:09:35.360 --> 0:09:37.000 But it's a good year for the Socks to jump 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.440 up because they are they are pretty solid. So while 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:43.120 the AL is not and it's Pinnacle, that's fine for 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.880 the Socks. You know, they're six over and holding a 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:47.800 one game lead in the division, you know, well ahead 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:50.200 in the wildcards. So I would to make a long answer, sure, 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:52.120 I would say this is the most surprising thing I've seen, 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:54.959 just in the depth of their success, not just that 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:56.439 they've been good. 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:59.560 Yeah, I think I did like what you add to 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:03.840 the five team, because even during our our outing last 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:06.000 weekend that we had as a as a company, we 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.560 kind of I kind of got I turned into the 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:10.520 old man of the group and started talking about how 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:12.719 crazy it was that the five team did what they 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.760 did considering what we did in the off season just 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:19.600 before that. You know, bringing in a guy like Jermaine 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:22.319 Die who was considered a failure out with the A's, 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.280 letting a guy like Maglio ordniez Go who is a 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:29.160 fan favorite, trading Carloss Slee a potential for forty home 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:31.600 run guy for a leadoff hitter named Scott pit Sednek. 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:33.600 It all seemed kind of crazy, so seeing it kind 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:34.600 of go to where it was was. 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:36.000 Really cool first. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.160 But I have to say real quick, I heard quite 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:39.800 a bit of damage done in that suite you guys 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:41.720 had when you guys were when you guys had the outing, 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:44.480 just chaos the whole time, you know what, the press 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:47.040 boxes just three or four down, and we kept hearing 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:48.960 you know, over the over the walkie talkie from our 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:50.319 press back tend and get into the suite. 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:52.600 There's problems going on. No I'm kidding, No, you're lying. 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.680 No, I've done but I want to have to rebuilt 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:58.040 with Fridge quite a few times. 0:10:57.800 --> 0:10:59.240 That's what it's the airport though. 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:01.600 I want to something real quick on that five team 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:03.959 in that My first socks Fest was I want to 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:07.319 say four, and that was when they had a pretty 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:08.920 decent team in O three and then lost it down 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:11.320 the stretch and I think they had seven free agents 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:15.000 and all seven left. So Socks fans were irate, and 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:17.840 it was kind of like a verbal fistfight in the 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:20.400 town hall meeting between the Socks fans and Kenny Williams, 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:22.720 who did not back down from anything. Kenny was ready 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.800 and Ozzie's first as a manager, So Ozzie's on stage 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:27.880 for the town hall, Kenny just watching Kenny go. And 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:32.280 there was one fan who stood up and said, Kenny, 0:11:32.320 --> 0:11:34.240 now that two thousand and four is over, you know, 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.800 making a joke, what are you gonna do for oh five? 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:38.760 Well, I think he answered that question right. 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:40.719 He went he won the first World Series in eighty 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:43.079 eight years, but that SOXS Fest was a beauty in 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.400 two thousand and four because fans were irate, even worse 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.360 than maybe some of the last few years or last 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:49.640 you know, ten years. 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:54.040 Yeah, I can only imagine with this current team, when 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.080 did you first start to believe that they could be 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.080 more than just a rebuilding club, Like was. 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.920 There a game? Was series? You know, you alluded to. 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:04.320 How how bad the start was, and I feel like 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.720 that's something that doesn't get talked about enough about how 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:09.800 dire it looked like it was about to start again. 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:12.840 Where did you see that turnaround really start to take 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:13.640 off with this team. 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:16.360 I mean, they got swept twice at home, right by 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:20.839 Tampa and Baltimore, who both are competitive teams. Baltimore, I think, 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.160 is two out of the wild card in Tampa's as 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:25.440 the best record in the American League. But even then, 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:28.240 you know, with the start in Milwaukee, the one and 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:30.960 five overall start, the six and thirteen start, you know, 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:33.959 you watched bad baseball for a good part of the 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.319 last I mean, you could even go back to twenty one. 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:37.360 I'm sorry that twenty one. 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:39.880 That's a good season, twenty two, which may have been 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.320 more frustrating than the three hundred lost seasons because that 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.520 twenty two team was never in it and never out 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:47.240 of it. They were never more than five over never 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.040 more than five hunders. So every time you thought, oh 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:51.280 they're on a run, here we go, they'd lose a 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:52.440 few and they'd be like, okay, they're out. 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:54.000 Then they'd win a few. So it was just maddening. 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.200 And then of course Tony got sick during the year, 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:58.800 which thankfully he's okay. You know, I would say, even 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:01.520 with the record and there was doubts. There's no question 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:03.160 there was talking among ourselves like, is this going to 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:06.040 be a four hundred last season? Can Chris go through that? 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.120 You know, is that part of the rebuild to lose 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:10.920 four straight one hundred low seaons, which is obviously not 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.560 going to happen now barring a complete collapse. I think 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:16.120 it was even back at Socksfest. I think you could 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:17.439 talk about it in the offseason or the end of 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.800 last year. You know, Davis Martin told me that he's 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:22.920 never been more excited to go into an off season 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:24.480 to get ready for the next year than he was 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.439 this offseason. Davis is kind of the the ful crumb 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:30.000 of that clubhouse, along with Mike Vassel, of course, but 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.120 you know he's he had that whole the whole pitching 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:36.280 staff out to his family's ranch during the offseason and 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:39.640 just in spring training. I'm sorry, in socks Fest, you 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.320 talk to the guys and you could sense they thought 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:42.960 something was up. 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.079 You could sense they thought something different was coming. 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:47.360 Now. I don't know if they knew Murakami was gonna 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:49.240 be such a huge impact right off the bat, but 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:53.760 no pun intended. But I think just spring training you 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:55.680 saw it in these guys. You saw the way they 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:59.280 played and you saw that even though the Cactus League games. 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:01.840 Mean nothing in the long run, really, you know nothing. 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:04.320 They're fun for the fans out there. It's fun to 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:06.319 see the players, but you can see the Socks took 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:09.720 things seriously. They really were ready, they really were working 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:11.880 to get better, and I mean, I can't think of them. 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:14.960 I would guess the moment where I thought, Okay, this 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:19.600 team should be and very well might be a playoff 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:23.080 team is the Brain Montgomery walkoff because Iglassie has had 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:27.520 been unhittable the entire year, and you know, for this 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:31.000 kid in his first game to go opposite field against 0:14:31.400 --> 0:14:33.680 the glass and when he hit it off the bat, 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:35.120 it didn't look much, but then you could see the 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:37.040 left fielder it was over his head and you're like, okay, 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:38.600 this is gonna tie it if nothing else, and then 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.240 it went out. So when that happened, I mean, any 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:43.800 of the seven walkoffs you could say, really, I mean 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:46.560 the the Edgar Carroll because the poor guy has had 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:49.280 such a bad Ragulars season, the home run off Ryan 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.600 Rowlison to beat the Cubs. I think that series kind 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:54.360 of turned it, and that does a lot with the 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:59.120 Cubs Socks series, and that you know, the Cubs had 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:02.000 been the team. The Cubs went to the NLCS last year, right, No, 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:04.040 they went to the NLDS and lost to Milwaukee. I'm 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.920 sorry they lost in fives Milwaukee. So they've been, you know, 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:09.440 above the Socks the last four or five years especially, 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:11.320 and to stand up and you know, you beat him 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:13.800 three times in spring training, whatever that means. But to 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.720 win that series and to win the way they did, 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:18.960 and just a great game. I mean, maybe not so 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:21.720 great for Socks fans when Confordo hit the three run 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:22.200 homer and. 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.040 The ninth, but I think that kind of put him forward. 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:26.840 But I would still go to the Braid Montgomery game 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.280 and then we who knew that it actually had a 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.480 bearing on their future too, because Rock Chelowski was at 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:35.240 the game as well and kind of walked away. I 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:37.000 will have to ask you, as I talked to him, 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:38.960 I want to know he said, you know, that first 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:40.640 night when he had dinner with Jets and Barfield, he 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.840 went walking till two am in Chicago. I don't know 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:44.960 where the heck he walked for three or four hours 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:47.480 in the city. It's a good walking city, but Anyways, 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:49.920 back to the answer, I would say the Braid Montgomery 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:53.040 homer or the home run by Carol off Rolison to 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:53.640 beat the Cubs. 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:56.840 Yeah, those are definitely two great moments in a very 0:15:57.160 --> 0:15:59.600 exciting season so far. And you were talking a little 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:02.240 bit just now to about the clubhouse impact, you know 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.680 what Davis Martin was saying, and I think it's worth 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:06.520 talking a little bit about Will Vennible. You know, as 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:10.120 obviously the manager upside the clubhouse. It's no secret that 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.920 Venable has been pretty different from some prior White Sox managers. 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:16.000 So for what you've seen, you know, when you've talked 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:17.920 with him, and just you know, obviously covering the team, 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.400 what is it about Venable that makes him different from 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:22.080 those other managers the White Sox they've had. 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:26.440 I love his accountability. I love his not laid back, 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:28.720 but even Keel that's better than laid back. Even Keel 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.600 approach Ember talking to one on one last year and 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.600