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On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil wrap up their conversation with World Series champion Anthony Rizzo, digging into the origins of the Lovable Reunion podcast he launched with David Ross for the 10th anniversary of the Cubs’ 2016 championship, and the fan stories that still give him goosebumps a decade later. Rizzo breaks down what made manager Joe Maddon so effective at building genuine relationships with players, from asking about Rizzo’s wine order to giving Javier Báez the freedom just to be himself, and names the toughest pitchers he ever faced, including Marco Estrada and a healthy Stephen Strasburg. He argues that elite changeups are an underrated skill young pitchers should prioritize over flashy breaking balls, and he shares the simplest piece of teammate advice he gives anyone entering a new clubhouse: say hello to everyone. Plus, a rapid-fire kitchen sink round covering the ball from the final out of the 2016 World Series, a behind-the-scenes Bill Murray moment on Saturday Night Live, running the Chicago Marathon, and who he’d take with the first pick in a draft of current players. 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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome World Series champion and cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo, tracing his winding path from Parkland, Florida through a cancer diagnosis just one year after being drafted, two trades, and an eventual breakout in Chicago. Rizzo talks candidly about hitting his first real valley in travel ball during his junior year of high school, watching teammates like Hunter Strickland and Ryan Pressly transform from barely-throwing-90 prospects into dominant big leaguers, and why he believes today’s youth players are chasing advanced analytics before mastering the basics of fielding a ground ball or hitting a line drive off a tee. He opens up about learning from teammates and opponents alike. He credits his relationship with hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and his daily at-bat breakdowns with Eric Hinske for shaping his approach at the plate. Rizzo also reflects on how beating cancer as an 18-year-old reframed every baseball struggle that followed, teaching him to find perspective and even enjoy the grind of a slump. 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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil wrap up their conversation with five-time World Series champion David Cone, digging into the paradox of “turning your brain off” on the mound which Cone argues the best pitchers have already done so much mental preparation that trusting your stuff in the moment just looks effortless. He opens up about why catchers, not fellow pitchers or hitters, gave him the most honest feedback throughout his career, and breaks down the delicate pitcher-catcher dynamic, including how Jorge Posada took it personally when Cone shook him off as a rookie catcher versus Joe Girardi’s total trust.  Cone tells the wild story of how a locker room blowup with David Wells over a blown bullpen game turned into one of his closest friendships, setting the stage for Wells’s perfect game two weeks later, and reflects on Ken Griffey Jr. as the toughest hitter he ever faced. 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.

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.

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.

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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome former big-league reliever Adam Ottavino, who pitched for the Rockies, Yankees, Mets, and more over a 15-year career. Ottavino breaks down just how unhittable modern pitching has become, pointing to the explosion in repertoire size, pitch design, and sheer volume of arms hitters now face. He traces his own path from a Brooklyn kid obsessed with emulating big leaguers in Wiffle ball games to a late physical bloomer who got DH'd for as a high school freshman second baseman, through the growth spurt at 15 that finally let his skill catch up to his body. Ottavino opens up about the mentors and tough-love coaches who shaped him, the advice that convinced him to turn down signing out of high school in favor of Northeastern, and how playing up against older, more advanced competition in New York's travel ball scene toughened him for the grind ahead. 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.

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.

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.

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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil close out their conversation with Yankees manager Aaron Boone, diving into how he handles the pressure of New York and the social media noise that comes with it, including the annual talk he gives his team every spring training about protecting themselves from it, and the lesson Giancarlo Stanton once shared with the clubhouse. Boone also revisits one of the most iconic moments in Yankees history: his walk-off home run off Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, from Joe Torre's on-deck advice to the Velcro batting pad that came loose mid-swing, and how his relationship with that moment has changed over the past two decades. Plus, the kitchen sink gets personal with questions like his all-time favorite non-baseball athlete, his dream dinner guests, his go-to impression of Joe Torre, and his answer to who the most valuable person in his life really is. 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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome Yankees manager Aaron Boone, drawing on Ravech's decades covering Boone's playing career at ESPN and their long friendship since. Boone opens up about growing up in a baseball dynasty with his grandfather, father, and brothers all in the game, and how his family gave him room to make the journey his own rather than pushing him into it. He talks through the balance parents need to strike between support and helicoptering, why he still values kids playing multiple sports growing up (pointing to Cody Bellinger and George Lombard Jr. as examples), and what youth coaches get wrong by obsessing over swing mechanics instead of letting a kid's natural movement develop. Boone also shares the coaches who left the biggest mark on him, from his college coach Mike Gillespie to a demanding youth football coach, and reflects on what separates today's more polished, better-prepared young players from his own generation. Plus: how he coaches perspective into his players, using the 25th anniversary of 9/11 as one recent example of keeping baseball's ups and downs in proper context. Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: 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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil close out their conversation with Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole, and it gets personal. Jesse breaks down the rule he thinks is Banana Ball's real secret weapon, the one-point-per-inning scoring system born from a phone call with his dad after a blowout loss on the night he proposed to his wife, Emily. He opens up about the couple's near-collapse in 2016, selling their house and living off $30 a week to keep the team alive, and how that same partnership led them to become foster parents and launch the Bananas Foster nonprofit.  Jesse also gets candid about the failures behind the scenes including a misspelled shipment of team t-shirts, a ticketing system that crashed at their first major league stadium game, a broadcast that went dark on ESPN, and why he sees big-league veterans like Jackie Bradley Jr. finding a second wind in banana ball. Plus: Jesse's underrated Broadway pick, his secret moonwalk skills, and who tops his list as the most valuable person in his life. 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.

Ravvy and Justin are joined this episode by Jesse Cole, the creator of "Banana Ball" and founder of Fans First Entertainment. He's best known as the owner of the viral baseball sensation, the Savannah Bananas. Starting out as a minor league baseball general manager who wanted to make the game more exciting and engaging for fans, he created a faster-paced, highly choreographed version of baseball that now regularly sells out major stadiums across the country.  In this first part of the interview, Cole talks through his "what if" approach to reinventing baseball's slow spots, his LCP (learn, change, plus) post-game review habit, and the constant idea-generation process behind the show's trick plays and performances. Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: 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.

On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil talk all things September. From the food to the weather, to the sports, and of course, the baseball. Nothing beats September, and this conversation captures exactly why American sports fans love this time of year.  Hear Ravvy and Justin's World Series Favorite, their favorite teams to watch as the regular season comes to a close, and even which NFL teams the boys are rooting for this season! 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.