I’m still testing out a bunch of Substack features, including continuing to play with the live video.

Today, following the news that the Mets had traded for Freddy Peralta, I flipped on the camera & microphone to talk about how bad things have gotten for the Padres this offseason before turning my attention to San Diego FC, San Diego State’s basketball (and football) program, and the painful story of 5-year old Liam Ramos in Minnesota.

It had been long enough since I had yelled into a microphone and I missed doing it. So, I flipped on a live video (partially to test our the Substack system) this morning and loudly worried about the short-term and long-term future of the San Diego Padres for about a half-hour.

Then, and with full warning, I worried about the short-term and long-term future of America and Americans for the last 15-20 minutes.

This is an unplanned and probably disorganized “episode” of a podcast that doesn’t really exist, but it’s also free content for anyone who is craving it.

While John is still recovering from The Crud, Darren catches up with former colleague, Jim Russell, from the Jon & Jim Show on AM 760 and The Wrap Up Show on YouTube.

The two friends talked about Jim’s recent announcement that he was leaving sports radio and San Diego and the heartbreaking motivation behind it. They spent time talking about sports radio in San Diego, working for a flagship versus a non-flagship and what life might look like for life after sports talk radio.

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

Darren Smith and John Gennaro kick off today's show talking about where they are in their Christmas shopping and how they're planning to tackle that in the five days between now and Christmas.

They then move onto the big news of the day, which is the San Diego Padres re-signing SP Michael King to a (potentially) three-year deal for $75 million. The guys talk about the contract structure, if there is another move coming, and whether the Padres were actually short on cash or not.

Darren and John also find time to talk about newly acquired 3B Sung-mun Song and how he fits into the Padres with Manny Machado still on the roster.

Because it's Friday, the guys do a bit of a weekend preview, highlighting the college football, college basketball and NFL games that they'll be paying attention to this weekend and talking a bit about SDSU's preparations for the New Mexico Bowl. Also, how big would an SDSU basketball win over Arizona be?

The week ends, as it always does, with Try This. Darren is preparing some special holiday cocktails for his guests and John is re-finding his love for poetry thanks to TikTok. You should try this!

00:00 - Is your Xmas shopping done? / Ben & Woods

09:00 - Padres re-sign SP Michael King

28:00 - Padres sign KBO 3B Sung-mun Song

38:30 - Weekend Preview: College Football Playoff, NFL action, SDSU & more

52:30 - Try This!

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

Darren Smith and John Gennaro don't know what to talk about today, which is how they end up spending a bunch of time talking about Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua, who (perhaps unknowingly) made an antisemitic gesture and said the NFL referees brag about missing calls while on a live stream with Adin Ross.

The guys talk about what can be done, what Nacua is or is not responsible for, and what the NFL or the Rams will do about the situation. (By the end of the podcast, Nacua's public apology was published and read by Darren.)

Darren and John then turn their attention to the world of darts, specifically the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship that is happening at Ally Pally over the next few weeks, and Section 1904 subscriber Mason is on the scene with a report about the big stories from the early matches and what to do in London as a tourist.

The guys end the show with some brief apologies for not spending much time on San Diego State basketball, who routed Air Force last night and has a huge game coming up against Arizona this weekend.

00:00 - Introduction

06:30 - Puka Nacua steps in it on Adin Ross' livestream

23:45 - A report from the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship in London

39:00 - Puka Nacua issues an apology / The new face of 'media'

50:00 - SDSU routs Air Force, Arizona is up next

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

The New York Knicks are 2025 NBA Cup Champions and Darren Smith traveled from San Diego to Las Vegas to watch it happen in person. He and John Gennaro discuss the game, if the NBA Cup means anything, and going out in Las Vegas (where are the crowds?).

They also spent a while talking about the opportunities missed by San Diego not having a modern sports arena, including the NBA Cup and NBA expansion, and wondered in Viejas Arena could maybe be a host to some NBA Cup games in the future.

Darren and John also talk for a bit about a rumor that connected San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller with the Dallas Mavericks opening at general manager, which might not be quite as crazy as you might initially think.

They close the episode with a short conversation about the Union-Tribune getting caught making a mistake earlier in the week and a subscriber who wasn't happy to hear about it on the podcast.

00:00 - LIVE FROM VEGAS: The Knicks are NBA Cup Champions!

33:30 - Padres news & rumors: A.J. Preller to the Dallas Mavericks?!?

49:45 - Were we unfair to the Union-Tribune?

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

As Darren Smith gets ready to jet off to Las Vegas to catch the Knicks in the NBA Cup final, he sat down with John Gennaro and talked about a whole host of issues. First, they talk about the trip and Darren's plans, as a Knicks fan.

Later, the guys talk about Yu Darvish, who made a public appearance and spoke to the media yesterday for the first time since getting surgery that will force him to miss the 2026 MLB season. There were takes flying from every direction, but one of them in particular came across as a little gross.

The guys come out of that with a game of "Rate That Take" from former MLB GM Jim Bowden, who had some not-great advice for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates that leads to a conversation about what sports fandom should be.

Finally, Darren gets John sorted out on why Inter Miami can outspend San Diego FC by more than double in a salary capped league, and then Darren admits to a holiday card mistake and weighs his options.

00:00 - Introduction / Getting excited for Knicks-Spurs NBA Cup final

22:45 - Yu Darvish's uncertain future (and the coverage of it)

41:00 - RATE THAT TAKE: Trading your sports fandom

58:45 - Trying to make sense of the MLS salary cap rules

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

Darren Smith and John Gennaro reconvene after the weekend to talk about the sports that they watched, including the semifinals of the NBA Cup (leading Darren to book a trip to Las Vegas), Philip Rivers' return to the NFL (leading John to be inspired) and a wild end to the Liga MX playoffs.

They also discussed the rumors coming out about the San Diego Padres and break down what they actually mean before discussing a potential new addition to San Diego FC's roster and digging through the Yelp reviews of one of Alabama's favorite Mexican restaurants.

00:00 - Introduction / Weekend plans

04:00 - Darren's headed to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup

17:50 - Padres trade rumors

42:10 - Philip Rivers goes for it

63:00 - Mexican food power rankings

68:00 - Liga MX grand final / SDFC linked to Lewis Morgan

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

Darren Smith and John Gennaro start off today's podcast with a conversation about sports journalism and sports media and the relationship between those two things, and how it all relates to Section 1904 (and the San Diego Padres).

They divert from that for a while to talk about Cocaine Quarterback on Amazon and to appreciate some top-tier profanity from Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.

The guys then preview the sports weekend, which is absent of San Diego FC, San Diego State or the San Diego Padres. There will be plenty of NBA Cup action and maybe some (college and NFL) football to pay attention to, as well as a very important match for Celtic F.C.

The episode ends, as it usually does on Fridays, with another round of Try This! John recommends some holiday-themed activities and Darren has at least one reality TV recommendation.

00:00 - Where's the line between sports media and sports journalism?

39:00 - Thursday Night Football / Cocaine Quarterback

49:00 - Weekend Preview

57:30 - Try This!

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.

Darren Smith and John Gennaro kick off today's podcast episode with an NFL quiz and a conversation about Philip Rivers, who has unretired to join the Indianapolis Colts at 44-years old. When they welcome ESPN's Eric Gomez to the show, the three of them talk about what they miss about the San Diego Chargers and the changing relationship between players and media.

Eric then talks at length about the San Diego Padres' efforts to build a fanbase in Mexico and if that could lead to a new potential owner for the franchise, San Diego FC's draw in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (that leads them right through Mexico City), and Hirving "Chucky" Lozano's path to the FIFA World Cup in six months.

After Eric leaves, Darren and John address some of the rumors of a potential trade between the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, quoting sources and logic as to why it is not likely to happen. Also, they give credit to A.J. Preller, who finally came out and publicly said that Fernando Tatis Jr. was untouchable in trade talks.

00:00 - NFL quiz!

10:00 - Philip Rivers' unretires and joins the Colts

18:00 - ESPN's Eric Gomez joins the show

69:00 - Padres news and rumors

Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering subscribing at Section1904.com to support our work for as little as $5/month.