Latest / Foul Territory / Karl Ravech on the state of college & amateur ball + his new show

Transcript

Karl Ravech on the state of college & amateur ball + his new show · Foul Territory

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Yes, one of the stars of Dirt from the Dugout
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: just announced Karl Ravitch joining us right now from ESPN.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Of course, Rabby, great to have you on. Congrats on
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the launch of the show. We're super excited about this
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: part of the FT network, of course. So first off,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: just give us the lay of the end. How'd you
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: get into this?
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I got older, which is a problem,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: and when you get older, you start to realize there's
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: time to maybe give back a little bit.
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: Having been around little.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: League baseball and college baseball, I reached out to or
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: actually I was reached out to by Justin Mussel, who's
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: my partner with all this, and Justin's involved in the
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: recruiting world when we both had a similar approach to baseball.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: We want to try to help parents, in particular, deal
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: with the different ways that you can get from wherever
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: you are to wherever you want to be and emphasize
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: that it's not linear. You don't necessarily need to have
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: private lessons and go on the circuits. You can stay
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: with your high school team.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: Uh. And we were doing that.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Through the expertise and the experiences of guys that have
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: done it before. We had Mark de Rosa on who
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: obviously was your WBC coach. He's got a kid that's
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: going through it now. He played in the majors, you know,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: all the all the boxes that he could check. And
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: we're going to do that with a variety of people.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: And I when I say variety, I mean we're gonna
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: have David ross on back, Showalter, college head coaches like
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Jim Schlosnegel and Brian O'Connor, to name just a couple.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Jesse Cole, the owner of the Savannah Bananas, is going
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: to come on to talk. You know, it felt like
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of parents who kind of get led
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: down pass it they don't necessarily need to, and we
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: just figured, you know what, we love the game. I mean,
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: we love the game of baseball. You all love the
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: game of baseball. How can we do our part to
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: perhaps help parents enjoy it as opposed to maybe be
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: stressed by it and be anxious by it and kind
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: of call out your kids on certain things. There's just
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: a way that we'd like to see them do it,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: and the best way to do it is to have
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: these experts who have played, coach managed Hall of famers.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: Dusty Baker is another guy coming on, And the best
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: part about the whole platform is you at home get
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: a chance to ask those people questions directly. Whatever questions
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: you may have, you ask, they answer. So that's what
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: makes it, we think unique. And it's a big business. Obviously,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: youth baseball recruiting is a big business, getting into college,
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: all these things.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: I just a quick story.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: I was with Schlasnagel last weekend for Texas and you know,
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: he said, like most of my time, a big chunk
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: of it is taken up with figure heuring out the financials,
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: which was never a comment you'd hear, you know at
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: the collegiate level years ago.
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: Rabbie, when you first came on with the graphic down there,
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: I thought you had your robe on. So I was
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: going to say thanks for dressing up, so I appreciate
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: you and.
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: Not a rod, not a robe.
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: I was like, wow you so instead you instead of
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: going robe, you went full Jim Bowden. So I really
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: appreciate you dressing up to come on this show.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: So if I can get a j you only get
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: a hat to put on backwards. I could do that. No, no, no,
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: you have way. You know your hair is your hair
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: is way too good, We'll leave that.
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: That's why I have That's why I have to wear
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: a hat because my hair is always messy, so I
• 3:38
  Speaker 4: can just cover it up and not have to worry
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: about combing.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: It so as it catcher.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Does it feel odd not to have kind of the
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: mask or hat on giving you a baseball play?
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: Does it feel a little strange? Just y, Yeah, I
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: would imagine wear.
• 3:50
  Speaker 4: A hat all the time when people yeah me for
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: wearing a hat. But anyways, so my question is you
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: cover MLB, you cover college, you cover little league? How
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: do you do you tell parents, like people ask me
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: all the time and you're in this too, Well, my
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: son's going to make the major leagues. And half the
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: time I look at him and I'm like, your son's
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: not going to make the major leagues. I can there's
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: a ninety nine point nine percent chance your son's not.
• 4:13
  Speaker 4: So how do you navigate this with your new show
• 4:16
  Speaker 4: trying to explain to people really how hard it is
• 4:19
  Speaker 4: and the difference between little league college in each of
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: the major leagues? Because Across and I both have sons
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: playing college baseball, so we're.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: Living it now.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, and I would defer to people
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: like you, people like Durosa and others who have played it.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: But when you see it at the little league level
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: and you see a star who is eleven, it doesn't
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: mean that he's going to be the star at fifteen
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: or eighteen, or won't then again be the star you.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: Know at twenty one.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: It's an unknown and I think you're right about That's
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: one of the reasons that we got into this is
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: because so many people will and when you're in the
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Little League World Series, I'm fortunate to see the best
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: of the best players. Little League baseball at times can
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: be slow and frustrating, and you all went through that.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: But once you start to put teams together that excel
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: and certainly win tournaments and regionals and supers and get
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: to Williamsport, they're better players. And it's to some extent
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: understandable where a parent would say just wait to see.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: But you guys know, it's like less than one percent
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: that ever make it to the major leagues, and maybe
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: a little bit higher that make it to professional baseball.
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: The point is, no one knows. I'm sorry.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: It's very difficult to slap five stars and a kid
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: when he's eleven or even fourteen because he happens to
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: be the biggest kid on his team, and in three
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: years he may be the fourth tallest kid on the
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: team or the shortest kid. So we're just trying to
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: attach some rationality to what is an irrational pursuit in
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: a lot of ways, but also encourage like, great, you
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: should follow the dream and hear how these people manage
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: to do what you and your son want to do.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: And that's really the goal of the show to kind
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: of just open your eyes up to the different ways
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: to do things. And if private fielding, pitching, hitting lessons
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: are part of what's in your toolbox, we think this
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: is another another tool to have in there because of
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: the experience and your direct access to the people that
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: have made it to where you and your son want
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: to go.
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: Let's talk love life ft family. I know it's an
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: important part of everyone's life, but if you need help
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: or if you don't, plute your gold is changing the
• 6:44
  Speaker 4: game and it is turbo charging your love life.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: That was beautifully delivered. The new arousal boosting formula combines
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: passionate performance into one tablet that dissolves under your tongue
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: for super fast on set No more waiting for a
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: pill to kick in. No more moments ruined by performance anxiety.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Just the results you want, when you want them. Most
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: DD meds only focus on blood flow, but blue Choo
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Gold goes further by combining two ingredients for blood flow
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: with two more for mental arousal and connection, so you're
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: not just physically ready, you're actually in the mood. And
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: we've got a special deal for our listeners right now,
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: and you buy two months of Bluechoo Gold, you get
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: the third for free with promo code foul. That's promo
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: code foul. Visit blue you dot com for more details
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: and important safety information, and we thank blue ch You
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: for sponsoring the podcast.
• 7:35
  Speaker 5: Do you think Major League Baseball is helping amateur baseball
• 7:37
  Speaker 5: because you're gonna be looking at college baseball, little league,
• 7:41
  Speaker 5: and you know, kids in high school, all that stuff.
• 7:43
  Speaker 5: Do you feel like when Major League Baseball eliminates minor
• 7:47
  Speaker 5: league teams, eliminates baseball in certain cities that didn't have anything,
• 7:51
  Speaker 5: do you feel like they're helping that process or like, oh,
• 7:55
  Speaker 5: you got to throw ninety eight miles an hour, so
• 7:57
  Speaker 5: you better be throwing ninety two by the time you're third.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: If you want to make it to the big leagues. Rati.
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: I think that Major League Baseball's objectives should be to
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: make sure that the major league product is the best
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: it can be, and that doesn't mean they're dismissive of
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: minor leagues or minor league cities. I think major League
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: Baseball recognizes that college baseball has advanced to a place
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: where you could certainly make the case that there are
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: many college baseball programs that probably will serve the young
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: man as well, if not better than a minor league
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: program will so.
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: And look the commissioner.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: I know well, he has been very, very adamant in
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: his support of the Little League World Series, the Little
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: League Classic. I don't think they run away from youth baseball,
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: the minor league question and shutting some teams down. I
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: can understand the frustration in those cities. I was a
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: you know, I live in Connecticut. The Hartford Whalers left.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: One of my next door neighbors was Glenn Wesley, who
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: played defense. It sucks, like your prior segment. Injuries suck
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: when teams leave. It sucks. It really does, because it
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: sucks the life out of a lot of people who
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: related to that team.
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: Look forward to the season.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: Contrition that I don't think is ever very good for
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: a sport, especially if you're trying to grow the sport.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: But I do think that Baseball's interest has to be
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: on their own product, and I think that their product
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: is better because of the way that the college game
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: is being played now with all the advances that they have.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: So you know, it's it's.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: Kind of a diluted answer to your question, but I
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: don't think that they are are not helping improve the
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: quality of baseball at every level.
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: I don't.
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: Do you see college baseball being the minor leagues of
• 9:57
  Speaker 5: the big leagues in the future League Baseball. Your friend
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: Rob Manfred, he said, you know, you know, Rob starts
• 10:05
  Speaker 5: funding the power schools. I mean, you do the College
• 10:09
  Speaker 5: World Series where you know, if the SEC breaks away
• 10:12
  Speaker 5: from the NCAA completely, do they start funding them to
• 10:16
  Speaker 5: be their minor league feeder system. Do you see that
• 10:20
  Speaker 5: in the future.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a that's a long bridge to walk over
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: for me.
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: I don't.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: And again, if the SEC or the ACC or the
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: Big Twelve breakof the reasons the Big ten they're doing
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: it is football primarily, and then basketball and then Somewhere
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: on that spectrum is baseball. I think major League baseball. Look,
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: I think objectively, if you're major league baseball, you look
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: at the college game and realize, this is good. They
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: have incredible facilities, they have access to nutrition, they have
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: access to trainers, you can prepare kid.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: Is that?
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: I think the competition in the in the best conferences
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: prepares them for the major leagues. You know, certainly success
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: at the minor league level, and look at how many
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: you know young guys, And this is why I think
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: the sport of baseball, Major league baseball is in such
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: good shape. How many guys have come out of the
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: collegiate programs and succeeded within one, two, three years at
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: the major league level. It is a high number, and
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: they are producing at a high level. So I don't
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: know how you'd look at the college game and think
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: it's anything but beneficial to the major league game. But
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: but when whether they ever funded and you get rid
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: of minor leagues, I don't see that. I think minor
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: leagues for many towns are such lifeblood parts of those towns.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: I can't imagine.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: I hope I don't see in my you know, in
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: my time where we get rid of them.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: I hope that doesn't happen.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: Hartford, where they have the yard goats, there's a big
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: connection to the city. You know, Binghamton has a big connection.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: All these towns that have teams have really nice connections
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: to their communities. And they don't have Major League baseball.
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: So I hope those things don't go away. And they
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: and many of those communities don't have college baseball. You know,
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: let's let them play baseball.
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: Carl, you're talking about college baseball. And again, I have
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: a son in college baseball. He went through the recruiting process,
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: he went through all the you know, the travel ball tournaments.
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: And I'm a big proponent of playing little league with
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: your friends. I'm a big proponent of playing high school
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: baseball with your friends. And I know there's academies out
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: there that you can go to that'll make you better.
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: But I'm a big proponent of going to your prom
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: and hanging out with your friends and doing all that
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: because it makes you a better person in life. Right,
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: how do you tell parents, because again I keep going
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: back and saying this, but parents ask me all the time,
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: what did you do for your son? Well, how do
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: you go to parents and say not every path is
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: the same. Right, You don't have to pay seven hundred
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: and fifty dollars every weekend to go to a showcase
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: and get a number put on you. Coaches will find
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: you if you're good. Right, How do you explain this
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: on your show? Because I have a hard time explaining
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: you don't.
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: You don't have to pay one.
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: Thousand dollars a week to show up at a tournament
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: or for get one at bat, take VP and run
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: a sixty and they put a number on you. And
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: then if two weeks later you pay another better money
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: and they put a little higher number on you. Because
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: it's just such a hard because everyone thinks they're fall
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: behind if they don't go to these things.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Well, I think you age. You just did a good
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: job of it. You know you did a good job
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: of it, and I think I would again. I would
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: put it on you if and if when you were
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: a guest on dirt from the dugout, I'd ask you
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: the same question. There are to me, there are enough
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: players who have made it to the major leagues or
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: have gotten invited to colleges who didn't go necessarily the
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: route that you just talked about with expensive lessons and
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: travel showcases. I'm not saying that that's wrong. I just
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: don't think it's the only way to do it. And
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: I know, oh this, Tim Corbyn and Vanderbilt. Literally any
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: coach that I've spoken with will tell you to the
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: points you were making about going to the prom or
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: hanging out with your high school buddies and playing baseball
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: with them makes you a better person. They emphatically remind
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: me that I take kids that played multiple sports, So
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: the specialization of baseball at a particular age maybe what
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: has to happen, But not when you're eleven, you know,
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: not when you're twelve, thirteen, fourteen.
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: I don't think that's when you should do it.
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: They like these guys I just mentioned and others hockey players,
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: We like football players. We love soccer players. Their footwork
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: is phenomenal. If you are playing one sport and playing
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: at year round, your body isn't making the necessary adjustments
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: to make you the best athlete. Oftentimes, as pitchers, you're
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: blowing out your arm.
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: There are a.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: Myriad of reasons not to specialize until you get to
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: a particular age. And I think that the other point
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: you made, which is very pertinent DJ, and I've heard
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: it from a lot of players. If you're good enough,
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: they will find you. Now the parent push back on
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: that as well. What if he's not good enough? How
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: do I get the player to be good enough so
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: that he is the good enough guy that they get
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: recognized and then get opportunities. That's a legitimate question. So
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: let's bring on a college coach. Let's bring on a
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: recruiting coordinator. Let's bring on Mark Deroso, Let's bring on
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: Buck Showalter. Let's bring on current player. Ask them how
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: they did it, and if the predominant answer is I
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: had private lessons, I went to this academy, I was
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: on this travel team. Well that's where the conversation leads,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: and then the parent will have to make a decision.
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: I don't think it leads you there.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: I've certainly dealt with enough high level as coaches and
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: major league players who emphasize like please please, you know,
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: RAVI remind every kid that plays baseball the number one
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: most important thing they can do while they're really young
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: is make sure it's fun. Please make sure that they're
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: having fun doing this. Because I know this, and you
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: guys can attest to it. And I'm sure your sons
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: can attest to it. It was a lot more fun enjoyable.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: Playing little league baseball, it was a lot more fun,
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: but less so. You know, playing high school baseball, it's
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: a lot more competitive, and there are days that are fun.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: But playing college baseball, like it starts to diminish because
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: it becomes a business, it becomes.
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: Your way of life.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: And I do think and I've had again asked a
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: lot of these guys, these college coaches, that's the one, like,
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: please go have fun. I remember conversations with people like
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: Nomar Garciapara, have fun, you know, the late Hall of Fame,
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: Joe Morgan Man. I loved it when I was a kid.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: Bill all tell you that you guys will probably say
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: the same thing.
• 17:07
  Speaker 5: Yeah, and the kid has to want it too, not
• 17:10
  Speaker 5: the parent. Yeah, that's another That's that's another big one,
• 17:13
  Speaker 5: because the kids parent, the parent didn't make it for
• 17:15
  Speaker 5: whatever reason, and the kid has to want to make it.
• 17:19
  Speaker 5: And that's the That's what I tell all the boys
• 17:21
  Speaker 5: at coach high school baseball. You have to want it yourself.
• 17:25
  Speaker 5: You have to put the work in. Speaking of one
• 17:27
  Speaker 5: of the things that you do is the college world Series.
• 17:30
  Speaker 5: I don't think people. I think in the previous or
• 17:33
  Speaker 5: in the recent years, people have started to watch more
• 17:36
  Speaker 5: College World Series. People even watch the women's College World Series,
• 17:39
  Speaker 5: which is which is must be TV for me for both.
• 17:43
  Speaker 5: Do you think we'll ever see a day where we
• 17:46
  Speaker 5: have the draft in Omahall because there's so much going
• 17:50
  Speaker 5: on around College World Series around Omahall.
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: What a great event it is.
• 17:55
  Speaker 5: You guys do such a good job of bringing in
• 17:57
  Speaker 5: like just different aspects of the game at stadium that
• 18:00
  Speaker 5: people are like, I never see this.
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: This is awesome.
• 18:03
  Speaker 5: Wouldn't it be awesome for Major League Baseball to say
• 18:06
  Speaker 5: we've got most of the draft picks here? Couldn't we
• 18:09
  Speaker 5: do it at this time or not even most? But
• 18:12
  Speaker 5: they have a decent amount and their teams are there
• 18:14
  Speaker 5: and you can have that support.
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm smiling because this is a conversation that, trust me,
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: has been had for years. We remember we brought a
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: major league game to Omaha. I forget I think it
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: was the White Sox and somebody else, but the major League.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: We had a major league game in Omaha, Nebraska. Because
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: at one point Major League Baseball and the college baseball
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: game were close. They were getting closer, and the idea
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: of the draft going to Omaha makes sense on a
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: million levels. What baseball needs to do is figure out
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: the right time for the draft. I know there are
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: stories of kids that were drafted while they were on
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: the field in Omaha or at a super regional. It's
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: not great, like that's non ideal, but it's all tied
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: in with the portal.
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: It's all tied in with where these kids are going.
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: You're right in that you get eight teams there with
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: you know a handful of players. That's that's going to
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: be circumstantial on the teams that get there. But yeah,
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: most of them are on those teams that make it
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: to Omaha and the other kids season is over. So
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: could you get them to Omaha and do a big,
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: blownout draft. The college game has to figure out how
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: many rounds the draft is going to be. They're they're
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: working on that right now. Could be ten, could continue
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: to stay where it's at, could be reduced to five.
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: But of course I think the College World Series should
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: be a bigger event because of things like the draft.
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: What we did with the Little League World Series bringing
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: a major league game there, you could do that, you know,
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: do that again, fire that back up. I don't know
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: if either of you have been there, but you know,
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: the beautiful part of the College World Series is for
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: those twelve days, there are a billion tournaments for kids
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: that are younger, which means they're playing all day and
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: then they get a chance to go and watch, you know,
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: the collegiate players at the College World Series at night
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: at TD Ameriage rad. It is I mean, it is
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: a It is a baseball world in Omaha. The city
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: embraces the sport, it embraces the College World Series. We
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: should have the draft there at one hundred percent.
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: We should.
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: It is a conversation that has been had, and feel
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: free to continue to amplify it.
• 20:39
  Speaker 3: I love the idea.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: I'm with you. Yeah, I don't want it to go away,
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: right aj. I want us to keep remembering that this
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: could happen, and it almost happened.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: Plus, they have a great zoo there, and they have
• 20:50
  Speaker 4: that shot contest which is amazing to watch the results
• 20:53
  Speaker 4: of all the shots that everyone takes for team, which
• 20:55
  Speaker 4: is also not kid friendly but adult friendly for.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: The parents of teams.
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: We just discouraged the shot contest and then a trip
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: to the zoo because really bad things can happen that.
• 21:06
  Speaker 3: We don't want.
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: Ye.
• 21:08
  Speaker 4: Yes, well, never know, you might fall in like the
• 21:09
  Speaker 4: lion cage or something.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, by the way, before I just before I go.
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: So we have the raised Red Sox to not on ESPN,
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: and you guys were talking about injuries, and like, how
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: about the raise is to Cratzy's point of teams that
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: can absorb injuries. So there's no Pepio matches out, Uceta
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: hasn't pitched and they've gone you know how many games
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: now in a row with giving up three runs or
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: if you were thirteen. So there's an absorption of injuries
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: and an acceptance of it.
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: And you're right. The one thing you now hear.
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: From all of them, including McClanahan, who pitched the other day, says,
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: this is the most together clubhouse we've ever had I've
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: ever been a part of. So they're all banged up
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: like every team in baseball, and yet they're winning and
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: you know their story and being as close as they
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: are to the Yankees may be the biggest or one
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: of the biggest surprises so far this season, like where
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: the Rays are or the fact that we don't have
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: a team over five hundred in a division. Well, the
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: idea that the pod Raiser this close to the Dodgers,
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: but there are teams that absorb injuries and do it well.
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: And you were talking about Bregman. Well, here we are
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: in Boston and there's no Bregman and they miss him.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah that's a good point. Yeah, last one here I
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: didn't realize, but I'll definitely check that out tonight. And
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: we let off the show or abbe talking about the
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: Rays and their run. I mean, who saw the Rays
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: in this spy Again? We know it's early, it's early May,
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: but a lot of the time we were talking about
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: the al least like, oh, the Yankees should be in
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: a good spot, Blue Jays Orioles rebound. You know, we'll
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: see Red Sox coming off playoffs, and it's like people
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: forgot to even mention the Rays. Our show did the
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: same where we're like, oh, like the Rays are in
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: their own tier. You know, they're not going to be
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: a threat, and then here they are looking like, you know,
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: at least a wildcard threat, if not right now almost
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: keeping up with the Yankees.
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, kemn Aaro is a superstar around it a
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: great you know, there's a great story behind Torondo. I
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: guess one of their scouts went over to try to
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: get eyes on Randy or Rose Arena, and a Rose
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: Arena didn't show up at whatever this workout was going
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: to be, and all of a sudden, they discovered Jonathan
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: Ronda and he's now become a, you know, a real
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: superstar type player on that team. It's it's historically been
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: a team without stars, like we understand that, and they've
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: traded away many of their stars, so to speak. But
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: as I said to Mark Topkin, who does a great
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: job writing for the Tampa Bay local newspaper there and
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: covers the team, it's like, you know, you check into
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: the Hotel Tampa Bay to improve yourself as a pitcher,
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: and Matt's was doing that before his injury, so all
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: of those guys seem to go there. It's like going
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: somewhere outside of the United States to get a treatment
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: for something that the US kind of frowns on.
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: But I'm going to go over.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: There to get that treatment. It's like, you check into
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: Tampa Bay and you become a much better pitcher. So
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: they were a very good story this year. We'll see
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: they've got five sweeps and here come the Red Sox
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: all of sudden starting.
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: To bubble a little bit.
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: We'll see how legitimate it is, but they obviously just
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: swept the Tigers and it hasn't been a smooth sale here,
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: that's for sure in this city.
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: Carl, do me a favor, Say hi to Rama Vasquez. Wait, well, yeah, no,
• 24:15
  Speaker 4: he's Alex Cora. No nos veraitec oh no, sorry.
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: Just no, I won't say this, And it is it's
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: it's it is strange being here, given the circumstances and
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: not having Corey here. It's very strange. Like there's a
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: and obviously I worked with him. Edwardo is close with him.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: Ross David Ross is doing the game tonight with us,
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: knows this system really well.
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's hard.
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: To look at the team who just dismissed a guy
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: that is universally regarded as one of the top managers
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: in the game and think you're better. But it's quite
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: clear they you know, they parked the car in the
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: Breslo garage and it's his now to uh.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: To do with it what he wants, and it's on him.
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: So that's the that's where this that's where this team
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: is and they've won a couple in a row. And
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: what I love about the players, and you guys can
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: appreciate this, they have to quickly turn the page like
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: what we're gonna wallow in the mire of Wait a minute,
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: are you know? They just they moved our manager. I
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: just love the way that players play with each other.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: And for you Hope the name on the front of
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: the uniform, like we're trying to win games. It sucks
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: that he's gone. Many of us really liked him and
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: really respected him a lot. But man, we got to win.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: You know, that's what we get paid to do. And
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: you you know, pregame win streak, you kind of feel
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: like it's it's so the sun comes up. Like I'm
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: looking outside here, the sun the sun came out. Alex
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: is gonna be fine. Who got another job whenever he
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: wants one. But you, as players have have learned how
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: to how to deal with whatever curveball gets thrown at
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: you and get up off your ass and and hit
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: and catch and pitch and throw and run. You you
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: I really respect that about players.
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's true. And for Cora, I mean five minutes
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: later he had already gotten a call, so he's going
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: to get a million more all off season long too.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: People trying to talk him to get back in, which
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: I'm sure he'll do, but getting some family time so well, Rabbi,
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: Well you appreciate the extended time. Again, congrats on Dirt
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: from the Dugout launching. Super excited for this to grow
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: and to also, like you said, make an impact with
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: so many parents, kids, young families, all of that, and
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: also have a great call tonight.
• 26:26
  Speaker 3: We'll be watching. Thank you very much.
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: We're grateful to follow territory and certainly look forward to
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: seeing you guys down the road.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: Thanks again, very much.
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: Thank you, appreciate you for Rabbi talksing all right here
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: it is, by the way, a little look at the
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: first episode Dirt from the Dugout. You can subscribe to
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: it YouTube podcast, get yourself in their app program as well,
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: which I highly encourage you to do because there's a
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: lot more in there and that's where you can answer
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: the live questions, so there's a lot to do on
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: that front. Again, it's justin Muciul with Carl Ravich. Mark
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: de Rosa was on the episode, but many many more
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: to go. The parent Dugout is the app that launched,
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: so if you want more information there go check it out.