Jim Margalus

Guardians 9, White Sox 5: You've seen this one before - Sox Machine The opponent changed and other small details varied, but the opener of the Cleveland series looked much like a continuation of the past three days in Seattle, where an early deficit preceded a stirrin...

The White Sox's steady stream of adequate starting pitching has dried up.

When Hawk was asked what he was going to do in retirement, he just started crying.

The question shouldn’t have shifted the mood, but Jon Greenberg said Harrelson’s answers were even stranger before the game. I might’ve been shocked by Hawk saying, “All I’ve been doing is watching ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ and turning a lot of Smirnoff into urine,” except he told Carl Yastrzemski something similar over the phone on air back in May. Those awkward exchanges about retirement on Sunday took me back to Friday’s game, when Harrelson directed a similar inquiry to Jim Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 mission. The 90-year-old Lovell, clad in his mustard yellow NASA flight jacket, sat in on the broadcast for a half-inning after being saluted as the Hero of the Game. Hawk: How are you passing the time today? Watching a lot of TV? Lovell: [laughs] Yeah, lots of it is watching TV, I guess, but I try to do other things. I’m still doing things like I’m helping a foundation to build a museum for the American sailor up at Great Lakes [Naval Base].

Can't think about Jim Lovell without thinking about a telling exchange he had with Hawk Harrelson during Hawk's last weekend in the booth. www.nytimes.com/athletic/544...

Following up: Andrew Vaughn, the hitter Milwaukee made famous - Sox Machine A couple of weeks ago, I looked through the Statcast data to see whether Andrew Vaughn made any drastic changes with Milwauke that allowed him to discover the kind of power that eluded him most of the...

Whether the Brewers fixed Andrew Vaughn, or helped him get slightly better while avoiding the parts of his game that make him worse, it's another reason why the White Sox have chosen to emulate Milwaukee. soxmachine.com/2025/08/foll...

White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 7, 2025 - Sox Machine BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Of all the White Sox minor league affiliates, the Winston-Salem Dash have had the toughest sledding, and in a way that will look familiar to White Sox fans. They finished last in ...

Drove up to Bowling Green last night to see a Winston-Salem Dash game, talk to Patrick Leyland, admire Sammy Zavala's glove.

Podcast: Slugging White Sox Slip in Seattle - Sox Machine Chicago White Sox lead MLB in home runs hit post All-Star Break, but slugging couldn't prevent them getting swept in Seattle

Good morning, White Sox fans.

NEW @SoxMachine.com Podcast presented by Ankin Law

⚾ White Sox embracing Ball In Air offense (finally)

⚾ Should Sox talk extension with Colson Montgomery?

⚾ Why is Josh Rojas still on the team?

soxmachine.com/2025/08/podc...

A thoroughly A-ball game between Winston-Salem and Bowling Green.

Month in a Box: The White Sox in July 2025 - Sox Machine If linear development could ever be guaranteed, then it would be easy to see July as a turning point for the White Sox’s fortunes. They couldn’t quite secure their first non-losing month since June 20...

Writing the Month in a Box for the White Sox is becoming a less and less depressing exercise. July went about as well as a month could go without a winning record.

Mariners 8, White Sox 6: Jonathan Cannon digs too deep a hole - Sox Machine The White Sox offense made this game more interesting than it had any right being after Jonathan Cannon’s start made it as dreadful as possible, but while they came closer to erasing another gigantic ...

It was hard to imagine the White Sox bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning after watching Jonathan Cannon get knocked out in the second, so there's that. soxmachine.com/2025/08/mari...

No, because Nick Kurtz.

Fact and figures to watch over the White Sox's homestretch - Sox Machine At 10-6 since the All-Star break, the real key numbers to watch for the White Sox are finally the only ones that ever mattered: the gosh-dang final score! But West Coast games feel like they take fore...

Pretty sure Colson Montgomery and Luis Robert Jr. were already going to be a part of this @jrfegan.soxmachine.com post, but they did what they could to heighten interest in their power exploits.

Mariners 8, White Sox 3: Nayl'd once again - Sox Machine If the White Sox’s game plan was to not let Cal Raleigh beat them, then mission accomplished: The co-favorite for American League MVP finished 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. If only it were so simple....

Luis Robert Jr. hit his 100th homer, and Colson Montgomery backed it up with an impressive blast of his own. It wasn't nearly enough to overcome what happened over the first eight innings, but it was kinda cool regardless.

Farm Fortnight: White Sox start mixing in draft picks - Sox Machine While the length of a 100-loss White Sox season is always distinctly felt, the arrival of the minor league homestretch is a little surprising. It’s partially because minor league affiliates can’t poss...

Farm Fortnight looks back at the last two weeks of White Sox prospect progress, and looks ahead to the last full month of minor league baseball.

New @soxmachine.com Video presented by Ankin Law

Colson Montgomery has been showing off the power in his first 25 MLB games. I asked @jrfegan.soxmachine.com how much the torpedo bat is helping with the slugging?

The bat has helped Montgomery refine his swing.

Barons notes: Sam Antonacci a natural fit in Birmingham lineup - Sox Machine MADISON, Ala. — Since Sam Antonacci joined the roster during the All-Star break, the Birmingham Barons have won 13 of 15. Here’s where we mention that the Barons had already won six in a row when Anto...

I made an overnight trip to Huntsville to watch the Birmingham Barons play Rocket City. Talked to Sam Antonacci, Braden Montgomery and Guillermo Quiroz, and filled up a whole notebook with it.

Barons notes: Sam Antonacci a natural fit in Birmingham lineup - Sox Machine MADISON, Ala. — Since Sam Antonacci joined the roster during the All-Star break, the Birmingham Barons have won 13 of 15. Here’s where we mention that the Barons had already won six in a row when Anto...

I made an overnight trip to Huntsville to watch the Birmingham Barons play Rocket City. Talked to Sam Antonacci, Braden Montgomery and Guillermo Quiroz, and filled up a whole notebook with it.

Will playing better baseball cost the White Sox in the draft? - Sox Machine The Chicago White Sox have been playing great baseball since the All-Star break. Are they playing too well to hurt their draft standing?

Today on @soxmachine.com I respond to @hotdoglarry.bsky.social question about if the White Sox winning ways will hurt their draft positioning?

So I took a deep dive into the MLB Draft Lottery results.

Spoiler: Don't fret about the winning.

Unlocked for all:

soxmachine.com/2025/08/will...

Podcast: Colson Montgomery flexing the power - Sox Machine New Sox Machine Podcast deep dives into what is powering the early success for White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery

Good morning, White Sox fans.

NEW @SoxMachine.com Podcast presented by Ankin Law

⚾ How the Torpedo Bat has helped refine Colson Montgomery's swing and the results are powerful

⚾ Plan at 1B with Vargas on IL

⚾ Farm Report on the Barons

soxmachine.com/2025/08/podc...

My capacity for analogies is limited to objects directly in front of me.

The Sox are to Brewers what I am to Muji pens: "I'm down to my last three, better get more."

Will Venable: "Fetch me my Mead!"

I'd assume HSV coffee would have terrible mouthfeel, but it's pretty good.

White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 2, 2025 - Sox Machine The White Sox named their Minor League Players of the Month for July, and one of them came from off the board, at least if you consider the names we see in Minor Keys or Farm Fortnight posts “the boar...

Come for the photo of Oscar Colás admiring an animatronic dinosaur, stay for the notable performances in Saturday's White Sox minor league games.

Hoodoo Man Blues, Junior Wells

A cheap turntable wore down my first copy of this album, a cheap reprint from the old Jazz Record Mart. Found a superior copy at a local shop this week, and it's still so good.

White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 1, 2025 - Sox Machine Not only did Curtis Mead make his White Sox organizational debut in Charlotte Friday night, but he accounted for the winning run in the Knights’ 4-3 victory over Rochester at Truist Field. Granted, Dr...

Curtis Mead's first game in the White Sox organization ended with him drawing the first of four ninth-inning walks that allowed Charlotte to walk it off without putting a ball in play.

White Sox 6, Angels 3: Four homers simplify matters - Sox Machine Twice tonight, the White Sox’s backs were against the wall. Both times, the Angels’ baserunning bailed them out. When Los Angeles loaded the bases with nobody out against Shane Smith in the first, Zac...

On a weird night of baseball, the White Sox played it cool, hitting four homers and letting the Angels run themselves out of innings.

The Angels made their contribution to tonight's collective insanity.

White Sox notes: Colson Montgomery's torpedo bat - Sox Machine The very next at-bat after homering off Cristopher Sánchez Monday night, Colson Montgomery lifted another drive a few steps in front of the warning track in right that got the Rate Field fans briefly ...

[Leno voice] So, this was in the news, did you hear about this?

doo dah, doo dah

Ring of fire.