Chicago White Sox - Nick Murawski- a South Side view of the Front Office - Good Guys Talk Back

Chicago White Sox - Nick Murawski GGTB BaseballBiz 209

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: welcome to BaseballBiz on deck. I am Mark Corbett, your host. And with me today, I have returning that man who knows everything about the White Sox. And I'm talking about Mr. Nick Murawski, Mr. Good guys, talk back podcast himself, him and Pat Hester, I believe.

[00:00:14] Mark Corbett: But today we're very fortunate to have Nick here. Hey, Nick, how you doing today, man? 

[00:00:19] Nick Murawski: Mark, it is a pleasure. Thank you so much for bringing me back and wanting to talk Chicago White Saks during this season. 

[00:00:27] Mark Corbett: Hey brother, I know it has been a tough year. I know we talked earlier, just beginning as the season starting to roll out.

[00:00:34] Mark Corbett: And there was some question about what's happening here at the beginning and this Pedro, is he able to pull things together and what's his mindset? And how's that going with the team? But it has not been the season that. Danny White Sox fan would have liked to have had thus 

[00:00:49] Nick Murawski: far. Yeah I drank the Kool Aid as I know a lot of Sox fans did bought into everything that Pedro Grifol had said in the off season.

[00:00:59] Nick Murawski: He [00:01:00] was an outside of the organization hire that hasn't happened in a long time. It was different. And after 2022, we needed something different. However when you pull a lot of those layers back, you realize that the folks making the decisions that were still around and yes, Pedro Grifol was different.

[00:01:22] Nick Murawski: He brought in a a different coaching staff to support him. I love the focus in the off season. I loved what he had going on at Camelback ranch in Arizona during spring training. And yeah with the management saying, Hey, look, if we could get some health, if we could get guys to bounce back to a custom levels or just simply levels that we think that they can execute at, I think we've got a shot here in this AL central and I did buy into that and quickly, yeah, I [00:02:00] would say things went sideways and tires were just spinning.

[00:02:05] Nick Murawski: And obviously you saw what happened at the trade deadline. They had to make some serious decisions. 

[00:02:13] Mark Corbett: Yeah, we're going to talk about some of the decision making from that front office too, because it has been curious at best. But before we dig into that, I want to take a look at who the Sox were at the beginning of the season and who they are now.

[00:02:26] Mark Corbett: I think opening day, I'm looking real quickly here at the C. Sharks up, Tim Anderson, center field, Luis Robert Jr. First base Vaughn was playing there. Designated hitter on that particular game Jimenez. Third base Moncada and . Left field been attendee, a catcher. Yasmani Grandal. Elvus Andrews for second base, right field Gonzalez and Dylan Cease was pitching that day.

[00:02:54] Mark Corbett: Of that staff, what, who are we seeing of those guys that are still with us? All of them? Some of them? 

[00:02:59] Nick Murawski: There are several. [00:03:00] Yeah. Of all those names, the position players that you rattled off. Just about everybody is still there, and we haven't really had major injuries. Tim Anderson missed some time Moncada probably of all of those has probably missed the most.

[00:03:17] Nick Murawski: I haven't looked at those those numbers or games played in a while. The pitching staff is different. With everything that has happened at the trade deadline and with some injuries and the bullpen has just been such a rotation. Again, guys have been traded, guys have been hurt some guys have been DFA'd.

[00:03:41] Nick Murawski: Some moves are just head scratching and some moves you say as an armchair GM or coach. Yeah, I could have saw that. I could have saw that happening a long time ago. I guess glad you guys finally figured it out. So the other thing [00:04:00] is that core that you just talked about in opening day.

[00:04:04] Nick Murawski: That core is pretty much been around the entire season. Luis robert jr is having just an absolutely amazing season and that is the real positive. It's such a shame. We finally get a Luis robert jr that's healthy. He can play in what 85 90 percent of the games, if not more.

[00:04:25] Nick Murawski: Which is unheard of. He's in uncharted territory right now with games played and you're seeing the offensive numbers and the defense that he can put up on a regular basis. And to have it lost to the season. That's a real shame. 

[00:04:40] Mark Corbett: Yeah, it is. When you look at what some of the top players in the game. And and their ability to stay healthy.

[00:04:48] Mark Corbett: Looking across, you look at the Yankees with Judge. Oh the poor guy runs into the walls at so many games. And he had injuries in the past. He was very smart about negotiating his [00:05:00] contract as he did so well with all those home runs last year. But everybody knew that Judge has been injury prone.

[00:05:08] Mark Corbett: And they're eating some of that money. Now, if you look at traditionally what, with the angels, Mike Trout he cannot, he has not been able to stay healthy all year long. Every team faces this, but it seems sometimes like the top tier talent, the top dollar talent that happens with, but it sounds with Robert junior, you guys are, he's staying healthy.

[00:05:30] Mark Corbett: I'm glad to hear that. Yeah, he 

[00:05:33] Nick Murawski: is. That has been a change for the last couple of years. We have had all kinds of injuries whether he's jamming a thumb sliding or a hamstring issue or a hip problem he's such a talented athlete and he, I just feel he goes and he does things almost effortlessly everything [00:06:00] that's in motion whether he's stealing bases or trying to leg out something or tracking down a ball in the outfields and the stuff he's doing at the plate, like there's only, you're almost bound to pull something.

[00:06:11] Nick Murawski: You've got so many muscles and you got so much happening. And it's he's changed some things, I think in the off season, I think his focus has been though to stay in the field and we're seeing what can happen when you get a healthy Luis Robert jr. 

[00:06:29] Mark Corbett: Let me ask you this, Nick.

[00:06:30] Mark Corbett: Are Sox fans saying, this is not necessarily all of the elements I want to see on the field right now. Are you willing to spend some money, Jerry? Is the owner and the 87 year old owner willing to put somebody in there maybe with a little bit more pop or talent that you're currently not seeing on the white Sox.

[00:06:52] Nick Murawski: Jerry will say that he spends money and the Sox do spend money, but it's often [00:07:00] how it's allocated. I don't think they spend money and in the right ways. And I think they sometimes limit their themselves and say this should be good enough. Especially with the division that we play in, I, I want to see the Saks are one of the few teams.

[00:07:16] Nick Murawski: I think there's maybe three out there that have yet to assign a player to a 100 million contract. And that again, the money sometimes doesn't equate success. We've seen it in baseball, we've seen it in other sports where we're seeing it right now. I think with owners that have thrown a lot of money and they're not getting the results that they want.

[00:07:41] Nick Murawski: I think what sacks fans are saying is just try it. Can you try it once, Jerry? And we'll see. I have talked to so many white sacks fans and they've reached out to me and whether it's just on social media or in person or family, friends.

[00:07:59] Nick Murawski: [00:08:00] Lifelong Sox fan season ticket holders for 1825 years, and they're saying, No, I cannot invest the money moving forward. They have not. They've broken me pretty much is what a lot of folks are saying. And I got my invoice just a couple days ago of the payment plans and how that all can be set up.

[00:08:25] Nick Murawski: And I have to have a conversation with my rep who I love. He's an absolutely outstanding rep, but I gotta, I have to wait to see what direction you're going in in this off season. What are you doing? Cause what you did with the shakeup, okay, but that was not enough not enough. I look 

[00:08:45] Mark Corbett: at what the white socks.

[00:08:47] Mark Corbett: How they stand with the owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, 87 year old man who wants to move forward. What was he said the other day? I'll play it here in a bit, but it's basically that it's been a nightmare this [00:09:00] past year. It's been the worst of the 43 seasons that he has been involved with baseball and his answer to address that.

[00:09:10] Mark Corbett: Has been, I think, a lot of people scratching their head, maybe a little curious about what action are you really taking here, 

[00:09:17] Nick Murawski: Jerry? Yeah. Yeah he, I've got his I got part of that quote pulled up. He said, if I were a fan, I'd be... Pissed. I'd be very angry. But at the same time, this is the first really bad year.

[00:09:32] Nick Murawski: We won the division in 2021. We were 500 last year. That's nobody's goal to be 500, but that's still average. This is the first disaster. This is the first real disaster. That is completely wrong. There have been a lot of disasters while he has been at the helm since 81, 82. There've been a lot of underperforming, a lot of bad seasons.

[00:09:57] Nick Murawski: So in his big and I give him [00:10:00] credit for getting in front of the microphone when the new general manager Chris Getz was hired, he actually spoke to the media. But what you got from Jerry was a glimpse into his mind and how he thinks and to say things like we were 500 last year.

[00:10:18] Nick Murawski: Sure. I know that's nobody's goal, but that's average give us a break almost. And to say that this was the first really bad year it's clouded and he's so out of touch. I think. I just think people want an owner that I get everybody every fan wants their owner to almost be a fan with them and spend money like you, you would want an owner to spend and be aggressive every year and to be in it but to be in the type of market that the Chicago White Sox that are in Chicago, one of the largest markets in all the country.

[00:10:56] Nick Murawski: And to and the way he has built his [00:11:00] his organization, it's a mom and pop thing. It's a corner shop. When you look at how many executives, how many baseball minds are in the building compared to some of these other very competitive, high performing organizations, it's night and day and.

[00:11:16] Nick Murawski: So we can get into kind of what he has done right now. And who he is brought in with getting rid of Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams, but bringing in Chris Gatz without doing a real search, an actual search. It is puzzling, it's disappointing and it's upset everybody every fan that I've talked to.

[00:11:41] Mark Corbett: You and I know this if whatever recipe you're making a cake with, if you use the same ingredients time over time, and you're going to get the same cake, you're not going to get anything different. And then if you start using inferior products or in there, the cake's going to taste worse.

[00:11:56] Mark Corbett: And I'm not saying that's the case with your new GM. We're [00:12:00] bringing a guy up from the minor league and. Let me say something and forgive me about this. I looked at MLB's rating on the farm system at the beginning of the year, and they had the White Sox as number 25. And I'm looking at that saying, if that's the case for the farm system, do I really want to bring the guy up?

[00:12:18] Mark Corbett: Who's heading up all my minor teams is he the one that I'm have faith in I think is basically is he just a mirror of the thoughts of Jerry He to me personally, he's a guy that is going to be a yes man. He's a guy that's not gonna ruffle the feathers. He's not going to sit there and tell Jerry Reinsdorf this is how it's actually done in successful organizations.

[00:12:46] Nick Murawski: This is how you, what you need to do. You need to spend this type of money. You need to bring these types of people and you need to fill these types of roles. Jerry doesn't want to hear that. He does not want to be told at 87, [00:13:00] almost 88 in February how things should really be done. He got rid of Han and Williams who were collectively there for over 20 years, okay?

[00:13:10] Nick Murawski: So he made that... Absolute monumental. That was huge that happened in season. I never really thought that would happen. Both of them gone at the same time. It was long overdue and you essentially just bring up Chris gets and you fill both senior VP and general manager with a guy that I'm sorry, the resume doesn't speak for that.

[00:13:34] Nick Murawski: It does not. He does not have the credentials. He does not have he hasn't even gone through one of these processes of evaluating players in the off season, bringing in talent during free agency and the potential trades and the winter meeting stuff. He's got to learn sometime.

[00:13:51] Nick Murawski: I get that. But if you are saying that you're short on time, Jerry Reinsdorf, and you need to get this right now because you still believe in [00:14:00] your core, which I'm doubtful, I'm sorry. You're dealing with a learning process now, just like you did with Pedro Grifol when you brought him in. Wasted years in my opinion.

[00:14:12] Mark Corbett: Yeah, I've got to worry about that too when I'm hearing that. Did you ever see The movie Draft Day, Kevin Costner and all them, 

[00:14:21] Nick Murawski: it's football. Yeah. 

[00:14:22] Mark Corbett: And the whole idea is it's the day when everybody's making their picks and which player they're going to select. And while all these GMs, they take shots from the different cities, what's going on in Baltimore, what's going on in Chicago, etc.

[00:14:36] Mark Corbett: And. Then what I'm saying who's that new GM who's that guy? He said, cause maybe he'll take this fella and you feel like it's somebody that they want to take advantage of. And I'm sorry, I feel that way for gets, I feel like he's somebody that, and part of what I was listening to your show the other day, you were referencing about how Mr.

[00:14:56] Mark Corbett: Getz was talking to reaching out to other [00:15:00] baseball teams and asking them, I think, for their magic mixture formula. 

[00:15:05] Nick Murawski: Yeah, he had a quote where he basically said like we're going to be reaching out to different almost organizations to we're gonna, we're going to flip up any rock we can to get this thing.

[00:15:18] Nick Murawski: And I'm like, are you seriously going to be calling other organizations and telling and asking them? What's the magic here? How do you do this? He said that the sax fans deserve different and that he is different that's just that's lip service.

[00:15:37] Nick Murawski: That's just talk. In my personal opinion, he has got a very difficult job ahead of him and he might be he might be successful one day. He might be actually in the long run, a really good general manager. But when you get rid of Rick Han and Kenny Williams that have been around forever. And you just bring in a guy [00:16:00] that has been in the system for a little while without doing a serious search and trying to bring in somebody that knows how to do this and has got a track record.

[00:16:12] Nick Murawski: I'm sorry, that's insulting to the fan base. I think 

[00:16:17] Mark Corbett: so as well. And this may be a little flippant, but I wonder if a man approaching 88 saying I've got to do something quick while I'm standing here and I'm going to everything else be damned. I know that I really need to make some decisions that may take a little longer to get everything in play, but.

[00:16:32] Mark Corbett: I've got to have something for myself right now. A gentleman who owns both the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox. Sure. Yeah. I'm assuming, who will, without being morbid, what, where would the baton be passed once Mr. Reinsdorf passes? 

[00:16:50] Nick Murawski: That's a good question. His I believe his son, Michael Reinsdorf does a lot of the day to day with the Chicago Bulls and [00:17:00] does not have.

[00:17:01] Nick Murawski: A lot in on the White Sox. I've heard a lot of different rumors over the years about what Reinsdorf, Jerry Reinsdorf has said to his kids or the next in line. And what I have heard is. Basically, keep the bulls, sell the white socks and so I don't know, I don't think that would stay in the family.

[00:17:21] Nick Murawski: I have a feeling that might get the organization group the brain trust, whatever they might find a different ownership group if he does if he does pass or it sounds like he is not willing to sell at any time soon. Despite some of the rumors, the things that have come out from Bob Nightingale or other sources the other troubling thing with this whole GM hiring and Chris gets his press conferences.

[00:17:52] Nick Murawski: He went out and he actually said that Pedro Grifol is safe. His job is safe for 2024. And [00:18:00] when you see what has been happening with the White Sox, they are lifeless. It doesn't look like this core, this team that a lot of these players will be around, I think in 2024. It doesn't look like they are ready to play or have ever been ready to play for Pedro Grafal have almost given up.

[00:18:17] Nick Murawski: He does not have their ear. He can't command that. And I wonder if that's also because of his lack of resume. He's a first time manager. And yes, he was different, fresh. I thought maybe he'd be eager, wanting to prove and maybe he just cannot do this and didn't know how to do this. Things got off the tracks and he didn't know how to get it back on.

[00:18:40] Mark Corbett: I would have been interested to see if someone like Joe Maddon could have been a manager for the white socks. Now, Joe's very unique. And I think he makes a connection with his players, but he also, I think needs a little distance from the front office, and I don't know that he [00:19:00] would get that with the white socks.

[00:19:02] Mark Corbett: I'm trying to think of blue sky here. Who would you pick? 

[00:19:05] Nick Murawski: There, there was a lot of talk of, and this is all hindsight is 2020 Bruce Bochy was talked about when Tony La Russa was going to be brought in. And La Russa, I don't believe said yes right away. He needed some convincing, which I don't blame him.

[00:19:25] Nick Murawski: And Ryan's zero finally got him to say yes, but it sounded like if La Russa said, no, Bruce Bochy was going to be approached with the gig now, when it was clear that La Russa was not coming back. And I don't think Miguel Cairo was ever seriously in the running. For the 2023 gig. I really thought Bruce Bochy was going to be the guy.

[00:19:49] Nick Murawski: I thought they were going to say, you know what, we need a proven guy that has not been away from baseball as long. And look what he's been doing with the Texas Rangers. [00:20:00] So I AJ presents ski is a fun choice. I don't know if that would have been the right choice. And I don't know if you'd ever been asked, Of course, Ozzy Guillain is always on the top of the lists of could he make a comeback?

[00:20:14] Nick Murawski: I was looking for somebody that was in a, was coming from a winning organization, a successful organization that they were part of a machine. And I thought they could bring their way of doing things into the White Sox. Shake things up a little bit by bringing in a different managerial staff, hopefully talking to Han and Williams and maybe getting Jerry's attention of, if you're bringing me in, might as well let me make some other decisions too, to get this thing right.

[00:20:48] Nick Murawski: It's the old I think it was Bill Parcells said it when he was with the Jets years ago 'if you want me to cook, let me buy the groceries. '

[00:20:58] Nick Murawski: And I sometimes [00:21:00] think that way. If you're going to bring in a manager. Then also let him have some say in personnel and coaching staff and all that.'

[00:21:08] Nick Murawski: And to what degree they allow that for Pedro Grifol, I don't know. But Getz and Grifol are very close. Getz was instrumental apparently in bringing Pedro Grifol to the White Sox because they both had a connection and worked together in Kansas city. 

[00:21:28] Mark Corbett: That sounds like a good energy that I didn't realize existed.

[00:21:31] Mark Corbett: I was curious, I was watching a while back, Nick, that what was it? Let's see. Jerry Reinsdorf had Grifol and his new accountant, not new accountant, his new consultant, meet together in late August. And I said Tony LaRusso. Okay. Wow. And this isn't anything against Tony, but I'm asking myself, if you're looking for new ideas, One, either you maybe didn't [00:22:00] let Tony or this do what he needed to do or maybe health issues impeded that, but looking outside is the key.

[00:22:09] Mark Corbett: I really do 

[00:22:09] Nick Murawski: believe that. Yeah. And he's just not the guy to do it. You, you look at how things were run with the bulls for so many years. And again, Pedro Grifol, the first outside of the organization hire and 20 something years. And again, that, that was my thing of you're going to finally go outside of the organization and that's the guy that you're going to bring in.

[00:22:32] Nick Murawski: Nothing against Pedro Grafal, but if you think your team is actually still in that window, in that competitive window and you. And you use the AL central as one of your reasonings because it's quote unquote weak. Then bring somebody in that can be the difference maker that can take this group to the finish line and beyond.

[00:22:55] Nick Murawski: So it's really again, the more things [00:23:00] change, the more they stay the same as a White Sox fan with this team, it's it's just gut punch after gut punch. And to say that Pedro Grifol, Is going to be his job is safe. You're not even going to do any type of you're not even going to question that really is troubling to me because it doesn't look like this team.

[00:23:27] Nick Murawski: It doesn't look like they're performing for Pedro. He has lost this team. 

[00:23:32] Mark Corbett: When you hear Jerry Reinsdorf say that. Searching new talent would be difficult that you'd probably have to bring the ghost of Branch Rickey out to try to do this, 

[00:23:41] Nick Murawski: please. Yeah, that's where he's at mentally. That's where he's at.

[00:23:48] Nick Murawski: He is stuck in that. And that's I get that perspective of if you bring somebody fresh in. They're going to take some time to have to evaluate [00:24:00] every position, what everybody does. However, if you bring in somebody that's really good at their job and they've done it for a while and they have success, they know how to do that.

[00:24:11] Nick Murawski: They can expedite that process. They're not going to be just searching around trying to figure this out on the fly. They know how to be efficient with their time. These are the people I want to talk to. These are the answers I want to hear. And these are the changes I know that have to be made.

[00:24:27] Nick Murawski: They have a timeline of how the offense, off season is going to go because they've done it before with success. They know 

[00:24:35] Mark Corbett: which groceries to bring in and how to 

[00:24:38] Nick Murawski: serve it up. They know where the aisles are. They know where the dairy is. They know where the vegetables are. They know where the cereal is.

[00:24:45] Nick Murawski: They don't have to roam around the store asking for directions. They know exactly where to go and they're going to get it done quicker than whatever time you, you think somebody that's never been in a store will give you. 

[00:24:57] Mark Corbett: I'll quit beating up on the front [00:25:00] office for a moment, but it was interesting looking at waivers.

[00:25:05] Mark Corbett: And Clevenger, do you think, did you think he was going to be picked up? 

[00:25:09] Nick Murawski: I think the money the money was a little too much for teams. I do think there are teams that. Look at him as maybe his baggage with everything that he's got going on and they're just not willing to, I got, why would I want to take that on?

[00:25:27] Nick Murawski: Plus the money? I was looking forward to somebody picking him up and us starting fresh, but. Yeah, it sounded like Pedro Grifol was hoping he would stick around as the Sox are looking at what their rotation is going to be like in 2024. But honestly, I would like this Clevenger thing to be just a it's, it was a one year thing.

[00:25:52] Nick Murawski: Let's not bring him back. Let's just try to move forward. But yeah, I wasn't shocked by that. [00:26:00] Not at all. I was more surprised that what the angels were doing with G Alito and with Lopez. 

[00:26:06] Mark Corbett: Jeez, man, nitly. Now, the Rays, my team they were playing in Cleveland that week, and we wound up facing two of those guys who, no, it's Rinaldo, actually, and a former Ray, Matt Moore, both from the Angels.

[00:26:19] Mark Corbett: They were on the Cleveland bullpen that night. It was, it's That was an amazing dance that the Angels did, and I know he's trying to stay under the luxury tax with all that, but wow. 

[00:26:34] Nick Murawski: Yeah, that that was really shocking and Gialito look, I wonder what's going to become of him once free agency starts.

[00:26:43] Nick Murawski: He, a couple years ago, was... Boy, he was the coveted arm. He was an arm that I thought, wow, the socks are going to resign this guy. He is going to be the ace of the staff for many years. And he fell off. He picked things back up [00:27:00] this year. He was one of our more reliable starters, which again, if you were like me and saying, you know what, I know where the season is going, I just want them to trade off some guys and get some prospects and.

[00:27:12] Nick Murawski: Build up this pharmacy system. I was excited to see Giolito pitch well, cause that meant we were probably going to get something for him because Reinsdorf and the brain trust, the powers that be, they don't pay for pitching. We do not pay for starting pitching. The last big deal we gave a pitcher was John Danks way back when they let Mark Burley go to Miami.

[00:27:39] Nick Murawski: People will come at me all the time and say didn't you like Lucas Giolito? Don't you want him to, who's going to pitch for us? It's it's not like I don't like Giolito and think he could be valuable. It's just the reality is the white sacks do not pay for pitching, especially young almost homegrown.

[00:27:59] Nick Murawski: He wasn't [00:28:00] homegrown. He came from the nationals, but he really. He learned his way with the White Sox, 

[00:28:05] Mark Corbett: right? I hate to say this and I know it's nothing new to you, but my gosh AL Central gets kicked around a lot. Earlier this year, I was hearing people say, Hey, did you realize you can count one to 10 going down from AL East to AL Central?

[00:28:26] Mark Corbett: I said yes, I understand that all the teams in AL East at this time are above 500 or a little more. And. But the thing of it was it's right now I'm looking at what the twins are the only team above 500 at the moment, the guardians are six games back. Tigers nine and white sucks, 19 and a half and Royals 29.

[00:28:48] Mark Corbett: And I know you guys, I think yesterday and maybe the day before we had a tough games with the Royals and. I am a, I'm a [00:29:00] White Sox fan. So what am I looking for at this point for the remainder of the year? Are there certain achievements that expect a player to hit? Or is there, there are certain game that I want to see?

[00:29:10] Mark Corbett: What is it that keeps me going for the rest of 2023? 

[00:29:14] Nick Murawski: That's an excellent question. I think that's what Pat and I talk a lot about on good guys talk back and what other Sox fans will when I get together with other Sox fans, it's really what's the game plan because once football starts, which it already has, but once NFL starts and the bears start playing it really becomes all attention goes to the Chicago bears.

[00:29:39] Nick Murawski: Absolutely. If you are still paying attention to this White Sox team, I would look at guys like Corey Lee, who's a catcher that they, they got maybe from the Astros for Kendall Graveman. He's been getting a lot of playing time. He might be a catcher of the future with Yasmani Grandal leaving. And I don't [00:30:00] see him at all coming back in a White Sox uniform after this year, Sox DFA, Sebi Zavala.

[00:30:06] Nick Murawski: So it really opens up. This is probably Corey Lee moving forward. So seeing his progress, there's a second baseman by the name of Lenine Sosa that was brought up about a week or so ago. And I really think that he could be a second baseman of the future for the White Sox if he responds well.

[00:30:27] Nick Murawski: And he has in his short and the small sample size in terms of power and stuff. He's a young player, but. He's got to learn right? And so you want to see Oscar Colas hit a cutoff man once in a while and learn how to do some of those right field activities that most high schoolers I think have mastered.

[00:30:50] Nick Murawski: Plate discipline is a biggie. Michael Kopech, I don't even think we have enough time to truly break down the Michael Kopech [00:31:00] stuff. He is, I feel sorry for Michael Kopech. He looks in all of his post game interviews. That he is just as confused as every fan watching him. It sounds like they might be trying to bring him out of the bullpen now for his next go around there, which means he's going to miss his next start and they're going to try to tinker with him coming out of the bullpen, which has got to be a huge confidence shot.

[00:31:26] Nick Murawski: Again, Michael Kopech, one of the, one of the two. Jules of that Chris sale trade back in the fall of 2016. It was Kopech and Mankata. And here we sit. September 2023 and we truly don't know what we have out of Mankata and definitely Kopech. Just continue to appreciate Luis Robert Jr. And every home run is like a new milestone and.

[00:31:56] Nick Murawski: So it's I, and I don't [00:32:00] know what's going to happen in the off season, Tim Anderson might be gone. Dylan cease might be gone. So just appreciate some of these guys if you're still getting out to September games and watching them you never know what's going to happen. They say it's not going to be a rebuild.

[00:32:15] Nick Murawski: They're actually going to try to be competitive in 2024, but you have to be kidding me. If you've been watching this team regularly. I'm sorry. That is just something I think for season ticket holders to latch on and say maybe I will re up for 2024. They say that they're going to be competitive, but if you've been watching that this is going to be a rough year next year.

[00:32:39] Mark Corbett: I wish you guys all the best. The White Sox are such a legend. I think I told you before, sometimes I work down to the Tampa baseball museum, which is actually in the home of Al Lopez the manager of the White Sox 59. Yeah. And looking at that, and I just, so the White Sox have a special [00:33:00] place in my heart too.

[00:33:01] Mark Corbett: For that alone. And as a child, I love the gothic lettering when I was a kid too, as far as but anyway, that's silly. 

[00:33:09] Nick Murawski: A lot of history, Mark. 19, depending on who you talk to, it could be 1900 or 1901. They're a charter member of the American League. They have been around for a long time. So much rich history.

[00:33:24] Nick Murawski: So when somebody says boy the White Sox are just so bad. How are you a fan? Why are you a fan? It's I'm a multi generational. My parents are Sox fans. My grandparents are, my great grandparents were Sox fans going to games. So you're just, You're born into it but someone did ask me not too long ago.

[00:33:48] Nick Murawski: They said, if somebody is looking to just find a team, would you recommend the White Sox? Now with the other, they're changing the guard with Han and Williams. And I said, no, [00:34:00] do not do that to yourself. It is a tough franchise. Go look at the Orioles or the Reds. They seem to be fun. The Cardinals are fun.

[00:34:09] Nick Murawski: Yeah. The White Sox are tough. 

[00:34:12] Mark Corbett: It helps you enjoy those special moments when things are going well. Absolutely. You got it. I believe that it's really do. So tell me a little bit more about good guests. Talk back and your podcast to you and Pat Hester. Yeah Pat and I we met in college and we were doing radio and TV and broadcasting.

[00:34:32] Nick Murawski: We actually called college baseball games at our university and we got to be a really close friends found out we were both Sox fans and that was just like instant. And so we did some radio together and we've been just lifelong friends and when podcasting became a little bit more mainstream, equipment was a little bit easier.

[00:34:58] Nick Murawski: You could set it up [00:35:00] through a zoom or a stream yard and. It wasn't that, it wasn't that scary to edit and post and do this. It's you know what? I don't think the White Sox are fully represented in Chicago. We've got two big AM stations and also the Sox just do not give content creators a lot of material to talk about, right?

[00:35:25] Nick Murawski: It's just, they're just not, they're not something that you want to spend your time on. It was the Blackhawks for a while. The Chicago Bears always draw the Cubs. Of course, we'll always be be something more interesting than the Sox for a big radio. So I said let's figure this out.

[00:35:45] Nick Murawski: I think there's, I think there is a there's a want for this. And we both know this team and I feel like we've got perspectives. We're passionate. I think we can, I think this could be something of entertainment. That was [00:36:00] that was a while ago. That was the winter meetings of 2018. So we're in our fifth season doing this.

[00:36:06] Nick Murawski: It's a weekly podcast. This past season we started to go live on Sunday nights on our YouTube channel. So you can watch us or consume the audio wherever you get your podcasts. And we're on Twitter or on x, whatever we're calling it . We've got. We've got a little bit of, I think we've carved out a little bit of following over the years and it's really therapeutic for Pat and I to just get together once a week and talk White Sox and air out all of our grievances.

[00:36:37] Nick Murawski: And it's been wonderful to connect with other Sox fans that have been following us over the years and get their perspectives as well. And the name good guys talk back, of course, comes from the early nineties. When the socks changed, the stadiums changed colors, they were the black and white, and they had a very popular [00:37:00] slogan good guys wear black.

[00:37:02] Nick Murawski: So we we switched it to good guys. Talk back. 

[00:37:07] Mark Corbett: I love it. And you guys are easy to find too. Any kind of Google search as far as finding you on YouTube, what's your handle on X, Twitter, whatever. 

[00:37:15] Nick Murawski: Yeah. You could find me at Nick underscore G T B. 

[00:37:20] Mark Corbett: All right. Wow. Nick, I can't thank you enough, man, for joining us once again, here on baseball biz on deck.

[00:37:25] Mark Corbett: It is always a pleasure having you here. I know it's a tough year and it's tough to talk about your team and when things aren't going as well as you like, but fingers crossed the future, who knows what it holds and maybe Getson, Grifol and Reinsdorf will surprise us with the wonderful things to come.

[00:37:45] Nick Murawski: Yeah, anything can happen through thick and thin. That's how white socks do fans do it. Always a pleasure, Mark. Thank you so much for having me on. Thank you, buddy. 

[00:37:56] Mark Corbett: And just remember everybody it's baseball, so anything can [00:38:00] happen. Yes. Okay. Thanks once again, for all of you joining us here today on baseball biz on deck, and I look forward to having you all on here again, real soon.

[00:38:08] Mark Corbett: Thanks again, Nick. 

[00:38:09] Mark Corbett: You got it. 

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