Life for a St. John’s fan used to be a lot of fun. The team was always relevant and usually pretty good and watching the Johnnies at Madison Square Garden was an event. Did you see the movie “Coming To America”? They didn’t go to a Knicks game in the double date scene, they went to watch St. John’s, where Prince Akeem got very stimulated!

Run-DMC rapped about them. ESPN Big Mondays. Louie and his sweaters.

And then…nothing. Just pain. For decades. An occasional Tournament bid here and there but mostly lost season after lost season. So you’ll forgive me for spending a few minutes talking about my alma mater advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years and explaining why it’s such a big deal. And now - Duke. Consider this podcast your formal invitation to hop on the SJU bandwagon this weekend, even if it’s just to root against the Blue Devils.

Second half of this podcast is about SDFC.

On Sunday, I was broadcasting the match against Real Salt Lake instead of being at Viejas Arena. I have some thoughts on the past few matches and explain why the draws against FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake felt worse than the 4-0 beating against Toluca. And with the MLS transfer window closing on Thursday, hear what Tyler Heaps told the SDFC Hafltime Show (On AM 760) about his approach to the deadline.

Also, there’s a new Friar Territory episode available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Our guest is Kyle Glaser, who used to host Friar Territory and has covered MLB and the Padres for years!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dsmithshow.substack.com