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Dirt From The Dugout episodes
- 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.
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34 min - Part 2 | Aaron Boone on Social Media, Pressure & His 2003 Walk-Off
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.
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21 min - Part 1 | Aaron Boone: Baseball, Brotherhood, & Building Perspective
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.
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35 min - Part 2 | Jesse Cole Gets Real: $30 a Week, Foster Care & Banana Ball
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.
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27 min - Part 1 | Jesse Cole Shares the Secrets Behind Banana Ball's Success
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.
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36 min - September Sports Talk with Karl Ravech & Justin Musil
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!
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37 min - Part 2 | Michael King Shares Which Pitches to Master as An MLB Starter
Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King to the show. A Rochester, New York native and Boston College product, King was a 12th-round pick who developed into a full-time starter with the Yankees before headlining the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York, and has since become one of the Padres' most reliable arms. Ravvy and Justin talk with King about his winding path to a big-league rotation, what it takes to reinvent yourself as a pitcher, and the mindset that's carried him through the ups and downs of a long MLB season.
On this part, King shares the importance of mastering pitches, what facing the Yankees was like this season, and the batters he doesn't want to see in the majors.
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35 min - Part 1 | What Boston College Meant to Padres Ace Michael King
Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King to the show. A Rochester, New York native and Boston College product, King was a 12th-round pick who developed into a full-time starter with the Yankees before headlining the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York, and has since become one of the Padres' most reliable arms. Ravvy and Justin talk with King about his winding path to a big-league rotation, what it takes to reinvent yourself as a pitcher, and the mindset that's carried him through the ups and downs of a long MLB season.
In this first part of our interview with the Padres' Ace, King dives into his upbringing in the Northeast, his time at Boston College, and his advice for young athletes who want to get the most out of their sport.
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26 min - Karl Ravech Reflects On His Career at ESPN
On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Justin turns the mic around on his co-host, sitting down with Karl for a rare look back at his nearly three-decade run at ESPN. Ravvy has been one of the defining voices of baseball broadcasting since joining the network in 1996, anchoring Baseball Tonight as its longtime primary host and, most recently, calling games as the lead announcer for Sunday Night Baseball from 2022 to 2026.
A Needham, Massachusetts native and Ithaca College grad, Karl got his start in local news in Binghamton before working his way up to the national stage, where he's had a courtside seat for some of the sport's biggest moments. From World Series runs, no-hitters, walk-offs, and the countless storylines in between.
Ravy shares his favorite memories with his coworkers on ESPN, what being laid off has been like, stories of being in the locker room with Larry Bird, and so much more!
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1 hr 3 min - Part 2 | How Shohei Ohtani Has Changed Dave Roberts' Managing Career
Ravvy and Justin are joined this episode by Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's best known as the steady hand behind one of the most dominant runs in modern baseball, guiding the Dodgers to World Series titles in 2020, 2024, and 2025. Roberts began his career as an outfielder, playing for the Cleveland Indians, Dodgers, Red Sox, Padres, and Giants, and famously stole a pivotal base in the 2004 ALCS that sparked Boston's historic comeback.
In the second part of our exclusive interview with Dave Roberts, we hear what it has been like managing Shohei Ohtani, stories about his historic steal in the 2004 ALCS, and the best piece of coaching advice he has ever gotten.
Watch part one on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBqX1Dh2KsY
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34 min
About Dirt From The Dugout
From the publisher's feed
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.