Dirt From The Dugout

ESPN’s Karl Ravech and Justin Musil launch Dirt From The Dugout, a podcast as part of their groundbreaking ecosystem, The Parent Dugout. The Parent Dugout provides unmatched resources and strategies to demystify the often overwhelming journey of youth and high school baseball. Hear expert advice through interactive discussion to help empower parents navigating through their kids’ baseball journeys.

  1. 4h ago

    Part 1 | David Cone: The Wiffle Ball Roots of a Hall of Fame Arm

    On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome five-time World Series champion David Cone, one of just 55 players in MLB history to win that many rings. Cone traces his love of pitching back to backyard Wiffle ball with his brothers, where he first learned to spin a curveball while idolizing Luis Tiant’s unmistakable style during the 1975 World Series. He opens up about the mound presence and command that defined his career despite not having an overpowering frame, crediting a Little League mentor who pulled him aside as a kid and taught him how his on-mound tantrums were affecting his teammates. Cone reflects on sharing Canada’s first World Series title with the Blue Jays as a midseason “hired gun,” the emotional moment he watched Joe Torre break down after the Yankees clinched a pennant during his brother’s heart transplant, and the “blank slate” mentality he learned from Bernie Williams about staying present at the plate. Ready to save time and win more jobs? For a limited time only, our listeners get 50% OFF their first 3 months at HousecallPro.com/FOUL #ad Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedug   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Part 1 | David Cone: The Wiffle Ball Roots of a Hall of Fame Arm
  2. 6d ago

    Championship Series Preview: Our Picks & MLB’s New Proposal

    On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil break down a loaded League Championship Series slate, with the Brewers-Dodgers NLCS set and the Rays waiting to find out their ALCS opponent after sweeping the Yankees. Musil, drawing on his own front-office experience as a strategic advisor to the Brewers’ scouting department, explains the organizational identity that’s carried Milwaukee through a historic run, while Ravech makes the case that the Dodgers’ financial edge shows up most in a seven-game series, where star-studded depth in the rotation and bullpen becomes nearly impossible to match. The two dig into why both the Brewers and Rays have found success buying low on players other teams gave up on and debate whether having a true horse like Jacob Misiorowski or Junior Caminero changes the calculus against a Dodgers team loaded with $20-30 million players at nearly every position.  They also preview the White Sox-Guardians decider and unpack MLB’s newest labor proposal, including a shortened 154-game season, seven-game Division Series, and the controversial idea of letting higher seeds choose their playoff opponents. Plus: whether it’s time for a change in the Yankees’ organization, and why neither host thinks Aaron Boone or Brian Cashman is the real problem. Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedug See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Championship Series Preview: Our Picks & MLB’s New Proposal
  3. Oct 8

    Part 2 | Adam Ottavino on the Pitching Lab That Saved His Career

    On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil wrap up their conversation with 15-year MLB veteran Adam Ottavino, diving into the career-saving decision he made after a disastrous 2017 season. Ottavino tells the story of building his own pitching lab in a former shoe store in Harlem owned by his father-in-law, training alone in the middle of the night with a high-speed camera and a Rapsodo unit to rebuild his delivery and commit fully to his slider after a Dodger Stadium meltdown nearly got him sent to the minors. He traces the longer arc of learning to trust his own feel over organizational instruction, from the Cardinals trying to overhaul his delivery in the minors to finally rebuilding his entire arsenal around the slider once he reached Colorado with nothing left to lose. Ottavino also opens up about why he never wanted to stop playing, what it felt like to love even the mundane parts of being a big leaguer, and the wild story behind a Buck Showalter autographed ball sitting in his office that predicted the Yankees' 1996 World Series win. Plus, a rapid-fire kitchen sink round covering his last meal in New York City, his three desert-island artists, and the one thing he'd ban from every MLB clubhouse. Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedug See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Part 2 | Adam Ottavino on the Pitching Lab That Saved His Career
  4. Oct 2

    MLB Postseason Preview: Wild Card Picks & Predictions

    On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil break down the wild card round as the 2026 postseason kicks off, naming their teams and players of the year before diving series by series. Musil goes with the Brewers as team of the year for their relentless, never-say-die style, while Ravech makes the case for the Rays and their similarly pesky, pressure-everyone approach, floating a Brewers-Rays World Series as the season's ultimate underdog story. The two debate player of the year between Jacob Misiorowski's dominant strikeout stuff and Pete Crow-Armstrong's 40-40 season, with Ravech drawing a surprising Ken Griffey Jr. comparison for PCA. From there, they preview all four wild card matchups: Braves-Phillies with Chris Sale on the mound for Atlanta, White Sox-Astros and why experience gives Houston the edge, a wide-open Yankees-Red Sox series complicated by Aaron Judge's absence and Cam Schlittler's local ties to Boston, and Padres-Cubs, where San Diego's shutdown bullpen goes up against Chicago's power and defense. Plus, a sidebar on Uecker's emotional final broadcast call and what a non-Dodgers, non-Yankees World Series would mean for MLB's ongoing salary cap debate. Use our code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedug  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    MLB Postseason Preview: Wild Card Picks & Predictions
  5. Sep 30

    Part 2 | Erik Neander's Unpaid Internship Story Will Shock You

    On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil wrap up their conversation with Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander, digging into the unglamorous grind behind his rise. Neander tells the story of his unpaid internship with Baseball Info Solutions, the four months he spent sleeping on a twin bed crammed into a coworker's walk-in closet, and the winter-break scramble to enroll at a random community college just to qualify for the internship stipend. He talks about why he waits as long as possible before evaluating young players, the sacrifice it takes to build a career in pro baseball, and how the Rays stay motivated year after year despite two World Series appearances and zero championships. Plus, a rapid-fire kitchen sink round covers his first day running errands for the front office, his unused nutrition and exercise degree, his favorite Joe Maddon lesson on risk-taking, and his strong feelings about olives on pizza. Use our code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedug  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Part 2 | Erik Neander's Unpaid Internship Story Will Shock You
  6. Sep 29

    Part 1 | Rays President Erik Neander on Leading Without Egos

    On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil sit down with Erik Neander, president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays, on the eve of the playoffs with Tampa Bay sitting atop the American League. Neander traces his path from a Cal Ripken-loving kid growing up 20 minutes from Cooperstown to landing a Rays internship on his third or fourth attempt, and shares the leadership philosophy that's driven the organization's success: staying grounded, leading with humility, and never confusing the importance of the job with the importance of any one person in it. He digs into how Tampa Bay blends scouting and analytics without treating them as separate departments, walks through the Randy Arozarena trade as a case study in trusting your own evaluation even when it looks crazy from the outside, and opens up about how fatherhood has shaped the way he leads a large, multigenerational staff. Plus: the Ted Lasso references, the Rays' refusal to hang inspirational signs in the clubhouse, and why "wherever your feet are, be 100% in" has become a guiding principle both at work and at home. Join our growing community today!https://theparentdugout.com/  Subscribe to the podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-from-the-dugout/id1895617382 https://open.spotify.com/show/0TYMMgoNypFpff5xMkBI98  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/dirtfromthedug  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Part 1 | Rays President Erik Neander on Leading Without Egos
4.9
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

ESPN’s Karl Ravech and Justin Musil launch Dirt From The Dugout, a podcast as part of their groundbreaking ecosystem, The Parent Dugout. The Parent Dugout provides unmatched resources and strategies to demystify the often overwhelming journey of youth and high school baseball. Hear expert advice through interactive discussion to help empower parents navigating through their kids’ baseball journeys.

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