Major League A*Holes: Sox Type Thing

Just as the #Tigers completed their first winning month since Sept 2021, their best pitcher and position player, Eduardo Rodriguez and Riley Greene, go down with significant injuries in a 16-hour span | "Controlling The Strike Zone" is now a cliché much easier said than done, but Detroit certainly did on both sides of the ball against the #WhiteSox | How long can the Sox keep a struggling Lance Lynn in the rotation? | Rick Hahn doesn't make difficult decisions on major holidays like Memorial Day when he can push them off to the Fourth of July | #Cubs fans hold their collective breath as Justin Steele's elbow may have just melted down before their eyes | Embarrassing Billy Williams' bobblehead giveaway fiasco "shouldn't have happened." No shit | #SFGiants find themselves at a familiar .500 | Billionaire #Athletics owner John Fisher won't even show up to first formal proposal begging Nevada taxpayers for $400M | Zack Short is an improbable, yet very deserving Badass of the Week | Detroit's sacred jersey "desecrated" by a corporate sponsor is much ado over nothing, but will Chicago teams share the same fate?

#SFGiants flirt with .500 while Michael Conforto is a man on fire | The Miguel Cabrera situation is only going to get more awkward as the 2nd place #Tigers remain in contention | For what it's worth, Jed Hoyer takes blame for #Cubs bad bullpen | With 9 HRs in 12 games and 5 in the last 5, Christopher Morel obliterates the field to earn Badass of the Week | #WhiteSox feast on AL Central foes and finally start to look like division contenders | Tom Hamilton earns our Asshole of the Week dishonor for calling out Tim Anderson while ignoring the #Guardians' own SS deficiencies | #Athletics making the wrong kind of history on and off the field | No bird is safe in any #MLB ballpark these days | ASSTHETICS: #Orioles underwhelm with derivative and boring Nike City Connect uniforms

WARNING: This is a combined episode with In The Hole containing an obnoxious amount of Cubs content.

We hand out grades for each of the #Cubs, #Tigers, #WhiteSox, and #SFGiants, and it's NOT pretty | Reading Tim Anderson's lips leads to multiple interpretations, but there's no doubt about what Pete thinks about White Sox Nation | #Athletics take another major step on their brutal death march out of Oakland | Third time's a charm for Luis Robert Jr. as he finally claims his first Badass of the Week with honorable mentions to newcomers Christopher Morel and Casey Schmitt | Whether the public scapegoating of Willson Contreras was intentional or just incompetence, the #STLCards are assholes | Not-so-red #Reds Nike City Connect uniforms put a new spin on 150 years of history

WARNING: This is a combined episode with In The Hole containing an obnoxious amount of Cubs content.

#Cubs have overachieved against top competition while underachieving versus the lower rung leaving them right where we thought they'd be — just below .500 | Willson Contreras returned to Wrigley Field with a #Cardinals organization in complete disarray | #Tigers win 3 consecutive series and expose the #Mets for the hilarious mess they are | Eduardo Rodriguez might be the best pitcher in the league and should be traded at the peak of his value | Sean Manaea has been every bit as shitty as the #SFGiants felt after their trip to Mexico | Beyond loosening the #WhiteSox logjam at 1B/DH, moving on from Jose Abreu is looking more and more like the right move | As bad as the AL Central is, should the floundering Sox press on for a potential division title or cut bait and trade expiring assets like Lucas Giolitto? | Luis Robert Jr. will get plenty of chances to take our Badass of the Week honor so it's time to give it to E-Rod | Grossly entitled billionaire heir to The Gap fortune and #Athletics owner John Fisher is doing his best George Costanza impersonation as he begs for taxpayers' money to earn our Asshole of the Week dishonor | #Mariners Nike City Connect uniforms make waves, but did they miss the mark?

Andrew Vaughn's dramatic game-winning blast capped a dramatic and sorely needed #WhiteSox comeback victory Sunday for the first time in nearly two weeks | More good news as Tim Anderson is ready to return while long-awaited bullpen reinforcements are scheduled to arrive later this month when Garrett Crochet and even Liam Hendriks return to action | Major League A*Holes reunited on the Southside Friday to #DominateTheRate from the scout seats | Lance Lynn's no-hit bid collapses in spectacular fashion Saturday | Whether something got lost in translation or Luis Robert Jr. got caught in a lie, fans booed him lustily for not hustling | Pete completes the Sox Park premium seating trilogy with an unintended visit to the Miller Lite Lansing this Wednesday

WARNING: This is a combined episode with In The Hole containing a lot of positive Cubs content.

Drew Smyly's perfect game bid gets intercepted by Yan Gomes playing a completely different sport | Justin Steele has quietly become the best pitcher in baseball just last July, much like Jake Arrieta's ascension for the #Cubs in 2014 | Who will get the 100th Splash Hit into McCovey Cove for the #SFGiants? | #Tigers bullpen is following Scott Harris' mantra by "controlling the strike zone" with surprising success | Miguel Cabrera's going-away gift list is getting weird | Kenny Williams' "accountability" comments might put Rick Hahn on the hot seat for the #WhiteSox | Steve Stone suggests Lance Lynn might be too fat for #MLB's new pitch clock | There's a long way to go before the #Athletics can cash in their chips in Las Vegas | Kicking the shit out of cancer earns Liam Hendriks our most well-deserved Badass of the Week | Max Scherzer makes a martyr of himself over MLB's murky 'sticky stuff' rule enforcement, but was it really worth a 10-game suspension?

WARNING: This is a combined episode with In The Hole containing a lot of positive Cubs content.

#Cubs win their first series at #Dodger since 2014, but not without welcomed and expected scrutiny for David Ross | Joe Maddon continues to have Bitter Beer Face over the end of his time on the North Side so we created a new segment around it | Immediately following Javy Báez' benching, a five-game winning streak that included three walk-off wins in a row has raised #Tigers fans' hopes... slightly | Whether it's injury or underperformance, the bottom line is Rick Hahn has spent over $100M on a bullpen that blows | Just when we thought it was behind him, Mike Clevinger rekindled outrage with "Gold Digger" stunt simply because he's an idiot | Even a resident possum couldn't help the Oakland #Athletics out of the cellar of our Power Rankings | Cody Bellinger's 5-tool performance earns our second Badass of the Week with honorable mention to Jake Burger, Patrick Wisdom, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Lucas Giolito | #Rangers new Nike City Coonect uniforms are all hat and no cattle | Even with so much psitive momentu for #MLB, Rob Manfred just can't help himself from ruining it by waging his labor war against the players so publicly

The Wrath of Hahn curse is real when everything Rick Hahn touches seems to turn to shit as inexplicable #WhiteSox injuries continue to mount | Maybe Houston isn't so great? | No, this wasn't the worst home opener in Sox history — Pete was there in 1991 and lived to tell the tale | Seby Zavala channels his inner Ivan Drago after his collision with Oneil Cruz in Pittsburgh while Joe Kelly earns our Dumbass Injury of the Week | Body parts continue to fly in grizzly Minnesota series as Tim Anderson's knee, Kyle Farmer's teeth, and Byron Buxton's spinal cord all feel the expanding Wrath of Hahn curse | Is the Gavin Sheets situation a case of poor management by Pedro Grifol or poor roster construction by Rick Hahn?

April Fool's Day was appropriate for the 20th annual Major League A*Holes Fantasy Draft. Relive all the action, intrigue, sophomoric humor, and drama with us!

Our annual NostraDumbass prediction show is sure to get everything wrong for the 2023 season | Forbes Magazines' annual financial analysis reveals 'biblical valuations' and record revenues for #MLB once again proving owners like the #Cubs' Tom Ricketts are lying to their fans | #WhiteSox fans don't have Leury Garcia to kick around anymore, so who's next? | #Braves' new Nike City Connect uniforms seem very familiar... maybe TOO familiar?

All six #WhiteSox players in the #WorldBaseballClassic emerge (mostly) without a scratch | José Abreu took some unnecessary parting shots to earn a controversial Asshole of the Week dishonor | The sordid Mike Clevinger sage comes to a conclusion... for now | SOXUAL HARASSMENT: Complex ticket package price hikes push disgruntled fans further away | Last Comiskey documentary is a feel-good, must-see | Should Sox fans be worried about Dylan Cease's slow Spring start? | Who should be the Opening Day starter?

Should the #WhiteSox be praised for finally getting back to the fundamentals?  |  Mike Clevinger and Tim Anderson go to war on local media  |  Elvis Andrus is BACK in the building (how many times have you heard that joke already?)  |  The Piitch Clock is already reshaping baseball as we know it — and that's a GOOD thing  |  ASKHOLE: Why the fuck are the Sox allowing players in the WBC??

Offseason grades are not kind to Rick Hahn and the #WhiteSox | Does signing Andrew Benintendi create more problems than it solved while the same issues have remained from the last few years? | Could Eloy Jiménez be on the trading block? |  Wishing Liam Hendriks nothing but the best, how soon might he be able to rejoin the team? | We already knew Mike Clevinger was an asshole, but he’s taken it to a whole new level of allegations of domestic violence and child abuse are true

The Not-So Hot Stove hasn't produced much excitement for any of our ballclubs... yet  |  Almost anyone would've been a step in the right direction after Tony La Russa debacle, but will #WhiteSox new manager Pedro Grifol make a difference?  |  Stop buying the # Cubs' "intelligent spending" bullshit  |  #SFGiants make a few signings, but fail to land the big fish  |  What is Billy Beane's ultimate legacy now that he's leaving Oakland for greener pastures?  |  Scott Harris is rebuilding the #Tigers, starting with the lights  |  ASSTHETICS: Mixed reviews for the #Twins new uniforms "inspired by the past, but built for the future"  |   Fernando Tatis Jr. earns our illustrious Asshole of the Year dishonor for 2022

We break down the dramatic and bittersweet conclusion to Tony La Russa's and the #WhiteSox' tumultuous traveling circus we affectionately refer to as LaRussaPalooza  |  Was Bruce Levine simply using the oldest trick in the book for Chicago baseball writers to get some attention from both sides of town, or is there some legitimacy to his report that Sox legend, José Abreu might end up with the #Cubs next season?  |  While our preseason NostraDumbass predictions didn't turn out so well, this unprecedented #MLB #postseason has certainly delivered

CairoMania and LaRussaPalooza reached their dramatic conclusions as the #WhiteSox got swept out of the playoff picture over a miserable 6 days  |  Will Jerry Reinsdorf spend whatever it takes to keep his ballclub's championship window propped open?  |  How much blame does Rick Hahn share in the Sox failure? 

Ken Rosenthal's 'Open Letter to Tony La Russa' is an eye-opening indictment of the entire dysfunctional #WhiteSox organization  |  Miguel Cairo's firey 'Get the Fuck Out' speech could become the stuff of legend IF they can overtake CLE  |  Al Avila set a low bar for #Tigers' promising new president, Scott Harris  |  Trust us — pitch clocks, big bases, and shift bans will NOT ruin baseball  |  False claims about Freddie Freeman's former agent earn Doug Gottlieb our Asshole of the Week dishonor

Miguel Cairo improves to 9-4 as the #WhiteSox suddenly have the best offense in baseball  |  Tony La Russa "doesn't want to be a distraction" while creating the biggest distraction he possibly can  |  Elvis Andrus is proving to be the leader the Sox have been lacking  |  Can Tim Anderson get healthy in time?  |  It won't be easy with just 21 games to go, but it can be done — we did the math

Tony La Russa's sudden departure from the #WhiteSox due to a medical issue raises questions about his future with the ballclub and about Rick Hahn's leadership (or lack thereof)  |  CAIROMANIA! As TLR's cloud of misery lifts, Miguel Cairo fills the void with energy, power, and winning... and not a moment too soon  |  Lance Lynn leads the charge in another silly #MLB tickle fight that resembled scenes from an '80s music video  |  ASKHOLE? What happens to Elvis Andrus when Tim Anderson returns?  |  Pete almost witnessed history again as Dylan Cease's no-hit bid falls one out short, but did that performance make him the AL #CyYoung front-runner?  |  Sox Crawl ripoff earns the Promotions Dept. our Asshole of the Week dishonor

The #WhiteSxo place their faith in Jesus Night to save the 2022 season  |  After a series loss to the Orioles and a sweep at the hands of the lowly D-Backs, was Adam Engel's dropped foul ball the final breaking point?  |  Dr. Verniere believes dehydration could be the root cause of the shitload of hamstring injuries  |  Fan frustration shifts from blaming Tony La Russa to owner Jerry Reinsdorf with "SELL THE TEAM" sign(s?) prominently on display at Sox Park and on the TV broadcast  |  This Week in Sox Misery usually looks to history for crushing events, but Sox fans might be living through the most excruciating season ever

Just another typical week for the 2022 White Sox splitting two series against two good teams and losing to a shitty one  |  What’s LaRussaPalooza without another indefensible two-strike intentional walk?  |  Noah Weinstein takes Box Seat Manager to a whole new level  |  Add Yasmani Grandal and Michael Kopech to the long list of those who have felt the Wrath of Hahn  |  Project Birmingham seeks to maximize assets and resources of the Sox’ entire farm system in Double-A  |  Bob Nightengale sheds light on Tony La Russa’s future, but remains in the dark on Elvis Andrus move  |  Parents of the Year let their 11-year old run onto Guaranteed Rate Field delaying game for some ridiculous Shit awe Couldn’t Make Up  |  This Week in Sox Misery: Sox were Jerry Reinsdorf’s second choice in 1980

It's officially make-or-break time as another trade deadline came and went with little action from Rick Hahn and now a pivotal series against the league-best #Astros looms after the #WhiteSox sleepwalked thru the softest part of the 2022 schedule, going a mere 11-8 vs. chronically mediocre competition  |  LaRussaPalooza rolls on as Tony La Russa is caught asleep at the wheel again  |  More mysterious Wrath of Hahn bad luck with injuries to Luis Robert and now Tim Anderson continue the disturbing trend |  Plus, This Week In Sox Misery and some funny Shit We Couldn't Make Up

Much like Rick Hann's pre-trade deadline radio silence strategy, Smitty's selfish and poorly-timed vacation means Sox Type Thing is headed into 'stealth mode' for the next couple of weeks  |  Tony La Russa's questionable decision-making spawns LaRussaPalooza: The Curious Cast of Lance Lynn  |  The #Guardians continues to battle the #WhiteSox to a stalemate while "Go Tribe" apparently continues to be a thing in Cleveland  |  With the next 19 games vs. opponents adding up to a .411 winning%, consider this season OV-AH if the Sox don't go AT LEAST 13-6 over this critical span  |  Wrath of Hahn's injury curse continues with Luis Robert's mysterious symptoms landing him on the IL while the root cause remains fuzzy  |  Minnie Miñoso finally takes his rightful place the National Baseball Hall of Fame... far, far too late  |  Ray Durham traded to Oakland in exchange for some schmoe twenty years ago is just another Day in Sox Misery

Going 5 and 3 over Steve Stone's final 'Fateful Eight' games with CLE and MIN before the All-Star break lands the #WhiteSox right back where everything started at .500, but gives reason for optimism  |  Tony La Russa's LaRussaPalooza is a circus of his own creation as he's lost any benefit of the doubt  |  Bob Nightengale's latest bad tweet overstates Sox clubhouse situation and potentially expose Dallas Keuchel's treachery  |  Celebrity Death Match Ozzie Guillen vs Jon Heyman begins with a ton of bluster but ends with a whimper  |  Kenny Williams gets all up in White Sox clubhouse business  |  More Wrath of Hahn bad injury luck snares an obviously 'injury prone' Eloy Jiménez again and Luis Robert with a new mysterious ailment, but are Lance Lynn's struggles due to Smitty's jinx?  |  Do the Sox have enough to win the Juan Soto Sweepstakes or is the asking price skyrocketing out of reach?  |  Dylan Cease is only the latest egregious All-Star snub  |  Sneakerheads may snap up new "Mache Runner" but these two old men will pass on these old man's walking shoes

Eloy Jiménez and the #WhiteSox salvage the final game vs. the #MNTwins and maybe even saved the season as the red-hot #Tigers come to town  |  Sox sweep the #SFGiants in an eerily familiar way  |   The first 8-5 triple play exposes historically bad baserunning and lack of baseball IQ  |  Micheal Kopech hasn't been quite right since his "minor" knee injury  |  Whether it's the groin injury or off-field distractions, Tim Anderson is a shell of his usual self  |  Tony La Russa tells awkward 1982 bullet-proof vest story to try to relate to Highland Park tragedy  |  A*Hole Poll results are in!

We struggle to compartmentalize the positives and negatives of the 2022 #WhiteSox season thus far  |  Rick Hahn provides a new perspective on Chris Sales's 2016 meltdown over the World's Most Dangerous Uniform  |  Jake Burger gets his own signature hamburger while we attempt to talk down irrational White Sox Twitter from DFA'ing him and Gavin Sheets  |  Steve Stone is a man of enormous talent as a pitcher and broadcaster, but did anyone see him as a filmmaker?  |  Despite Tony La Russa's delusional declarations to the contrary, Leury Garcia is empirically one o the worst players in all of Major League Baseball

Is a big jump from Double-A to the big league club for top prospect, Lenyn Sosa going to help save the Sox?  |  Umpire Doug Eddings was so bad the Blue Jays hitting coach got himself ejected BEFORE the next game and PitchTrax may have to recalibrate going forward  |  The LaRussaPalooza circus rolls on as Tony La Russa has completely lost any benefit of the doubt  |  Another Box Seat Manager has some bad advice for the front office as Pete takes his home attendance record to 5-1  |  ASKHOLE?! What's wrong with Lucas Giolito?  |  It's not ESPN Sunday Night Baseball's fault they're out-of-town stupid, but their incessant off-field in-game coverage is completely out of control  |   We need a new name for our Twitter poll segment, but most agree a delusional Jerry Reinsdorf values his relationship with TLR over a #WhiteSox championship

The circus that is LaRussaPalooza started the week with not-so-subtle hints that the fanbase wants Tony La Russa fired but ended with a dominant sweep of the Tigers  |  Lance Lynn gets into it with Joe McEwing while TLR denies everything in typical TLR fashion  |  The Wrath of Hahn curse lives on as the avalanche of injuries continue to bury Rick Hahn alive  |  Tweet Bag: If fans actually got their wish, who would they want to replace La Russa?  |  NBC Sports Chicago censoring the critical inning of the infamous 1-2 Intentional Walk game replay was some Shit We Couldn't Make Up  | Tim Anderson's rehab is off to a nice start while Eloy Jiménez is MIA  |  Maybe Yoan Moncada just needed a little time to settle in?

Sox Type Thing becomes its own thing at a unique moment in White Sox history  |  LARUSSAPALOOZA takes it up another notch when Tony La Russa makes baseball history with 1-2 intentional, but that's only the tip of his iceberg of incompetence  |  Pete at the Park goes 4-1 as Box Seat Managers have some *interesting* advice for TLR  |  We power rank Steve Stone's broadcast booth partnerships over the last 40 years  |  We answer your questions on the @SoxTypeThing Twitter Bag  |  Eloy Jiménez is NOT injury-prone and has NOT suffered a setback according to Rick Hahn

Signing a big-name free agent SS and asking him to move to 2B isn't realistic. Neither is asking the face of the franchise, Tim Anderson to move out of his preferred position. But there are plenty of trade options out there to fill the #WhiteSox gaping hole in the middle of the infield. 

[NOTE: Apologies for Smitty’s shitty audio quality as we had some technical difficulties we were unaware of at the time of recording. We’ll do better next time.]

The #WhiteSox failed to make the fanbase happy with any splashy moves before Dec 1 artificial deadline, but Rich Hahn still has plenty of time and options to improve the roster for 2022.

Rick Hahn is making tough, but correct business decisions for the White Sox including not offering Carlos Rodón an $18.4M qualifying offer.

Rick Hahn needs to fill holes at RF and 2B for the 2022 White Sox, but defensive butchers like Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber shouldn’t be on his list.

As if Bob Nightengale‘s bad tweet announcing the Sox WILL sign and TRADE Craig Kimbrel THIS WINTER wasn’t dumb enough, pundits are now actually suggesting the Yankees would give up Gleyber Torres and/or Aaron Judge for the former closer at the lowest point in his value??

The WhiteSox vs. Astros ALDS had so many goddamn layers and storylines that we dedicated an entire fucking IN THE HOLE episode to it complete with Asshole of the Week, more funny Shit We Couldn’t Make Up, ASKHOLE?! and yet another one of Bob’s Bad Tweets. Plus, a brand new segment — Anti-Hero of the Week presented by Revolution Brewing.