Being a White Sox fan in a city full of Cubs fans, it can be hard to come by consistent, quality coverage of my beloved second team. Everywhere you look there is Cubs coverage and not shit for the Southside Hitmen. Luckily for Sox fans, we have Dave Williams, aka White Sox Dave from Barstool Sports, to give us some of the best, unfiltered Sox content out there.
Dave took some time to talk with Branded Sports about growing up in Chicagoland, getting started with Barstool, some of his predictions for the Sox’ future and much more. Read below for a conversation with the “Mayor of Scoop City,” the man who broke the news of Carson Fulmer’s first call up to the majors and a recent completer of the 9-9-9 Challenge…
Where did you grow up? How did you get into sports?
Grew up out in Warrenville. Obviously got into sports because of my dad. We had a park that backed up to our house so even though our yard wasn’t too big, it was as if we had like 100 acres because of the park, so I’d play long toss with him non stop. Then for football he’d shove pillows up my shirt when I was really young and he’d chuck footballs at me as hard as he could to teach me how to catch when I was like 6 years old. Then naturally I played baseball and football all through HS and baseball into college.
In a city of full of Cubs fans, what made you make the right choice to become a White Sox fan?
My dad was a Sox fan. He grew up in Bridgeport and bounced around the city. His two brothers were Cubs fans (they grew up on Grace St. on the North Side) and he didn’t want to root for the Cubs just because they did.
I saw that you pitched for North Central College in Naperville – what was that like? How was it playing college baseball?
College baseball was cool because of the team camaraderie but we hated our coach. I never pitched an inning in HS but our coach tried to turn me into a pitcher because I threw harder than average for d3 players. I wasn’t good at it, should have been our catcher like I was recruited to do.
Image: North Central College Cardinals
How did you get started in blogging? How did you get started with Barstool Sports?
I had a blog in college and thought Barstool was the perfect blend of everything that my life revolved around. Having a good time, sports, shooting the shit with friends, etc. Then when the Chicago site started I sent them my blog and after a few weeks and beating out a few others, they hired me.
Are there any Chicago sports writers or radio personalities you look up to?
There are other Chicago sports writers who are really good at what they do but none I really look up to. I never imagined I’d get into writing on any level. I just try to do what I do and not worry about how other media people act or write. Just be myself and the rest will fall into place.
Who has been your favorite interview?
Hawk maybe? Hahn was also great. A great interview we had was with some older guys like Todd Walker who just ooze baseball and love to talk about it with anyone and everyone. Those convos get really deep and even after the actual interview is over, we end up talking on the phone for another 30-40 mins a lot of times just because the guys on the other end of the phone know we know the game and love to talk about it as well.
How has the Barstool Chicago team evolved? Where do you guys want to take your content next?
We eventually want to quit our day jobs and do this full time. We take pride in giving Chicago the best sports content for our respective teams as possible, and it’s gotten to the point that turning it into a career is a possibility at this point.
So I gotta ask…what happened with the gum on CLTV?
They asked me on the show at like 1pm the day of the recording. I said yeah, but they wanted me to be there at 5pm. That meant I would have to leave work an hour early at 4pm. The studio was like 30 mins from my apartment so I had to get home asap to shower, change, etc. It would have been slower to get an Uber from my office to my apartment because of traffic, so I hopped on a bike and rode that home. It’s about a mile and a half, takes 6-7 mins, but it was 100 degrees that day so even though I showered, I was soaked in sweat. My hair was a mess even though I had hairspray and stuff in and they told me when I got there I looked fine. I had gum in my mouth because I was nervous being on TV for the first time and then it got stuck on my lip. Whatever, win some lose some. Just gotta roll with it.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I’ve met some really cool people, but nothing I can honestly look back and consider it a “highlight” of my career. I am reserving that for when the White Sox win their next World Series, then I can happily ride off into the sunset.
When do you think the White Sox will win the World Series? In other words, when will people really have to #Pray4TheLeague? I’ve got 2020…
2019 they’ll push for a wild card and 2020 they’ll be division champs. Every year 2020 and beyond they will have a shot at winning it all.
Where were you when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005?
DDing my dad and his brothers around Naperville.
What will be Eloy Jimenez’s slash line be next season?
.315/.360/30/100
Image: CBS Sports
Who is your all-time favorite Sox player?
Gotta be the big hurt Frank Thomas.
Image: Sports on Earth
In the spirit of Hawk Harrelson’s retirement, what is your favorite call of his?
I wish he called the 2005 WS because his call of the last out would have been epic, but probably Buehrle’s perfect game. He truly loved Buehrle.
Is there anything you’re working on coming up soon that you’re excited about?
Check in next week and you’ll know!
Is there anything else you’d like The Brand to know?
Nope! Just a regular Joe with an obsession with Chicago and its teams who tries to be a good liaison from the organization to its fans. I’d like to start working more with the organization on an official level in some capacity. Maybe one day.
—
You can read Dave’s latest Sox coverage on Barstool Sports. Do yourself a goddamn favor and give him a follow on Twitter @barstoolWSD for takes on the Sox and @whitesoxdave on Instagram. You can also hear him on Barstool Sports’ Red Line Radio podcast with Carl, Eddie and Chief for all things Chicago sports as well as quality back-and-forth trash talk.
The boys are also having a Game Watch with Barstool on Sunday, September 23rd at Joe’s On Weed St. in Chicago. Watch the Bears vs Cardinals and the Cubs vs Sox game with the Barstool Chicago crew and be there for a live podcast recording of Red Line Radio. If you want to have a damn good time, purchase tickets here!
Huge thanks to Dave for taking time to talk with us about his career and thoughts on the Sox, we appreciate it, sir!
While White Sox Dave has you covered with MLB-level caliber posts, get your AA-level coverage from yours truly and follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ekurbyun.
#ForTheBrand
Featured Image: @WSDbarstool on Twitter
[…] 9: Interview with WhiteSox Dave […]