Bandwagon Beach

WARNING: Today's podcast handles some heavy topics, including conversations about murder, politics, war and mental health. If you're just here for some Padres talk, feel free to skip ahead to the 34:00 mark.

Darren Smith and John Gennaro spend the first half of today's podcast talking about the assassination of Charlie Kirk and why it feels like a specifically historical moment that could lead to things getting worse.

Then, because sports is a great distraction and not everything needs to be so serious all the time, the guys let loose some opinions about the San Diego Padres losing yet again to the Cincinnati Reds, Mike Shildt's (or Jackson Merrill's?) penchant for bunting, why the team is talking so much about "caring" after a team breakfast meeting, and who is telling Manny Machado that he can't take a day off.

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Darren Smith and John Gennaro kick off today's show wondering why Manny Machado isn't getting criticized for celebrating a player on the opposing team hitting a home run off of San Diego Pares pitcher Michael King, who returned last night and looked about as good as could be hoped for.

Then, Eric Gomez from ESPN joins the show to talk about the U.S. Men's National Team, preparations for the 2026 World Cup (especially in Mexico City, where Eric lives and where the Padres are trying to play a series in 2026), El Tri, the Baja Cup between San Diego Football Club and Tijuana Xolos (potentially including future soccer superstar Gilberto Mora), and this weekend's fight between Canelo and Crawford in Las Vegas. Eric also, as a Padres fan himself, added in this two cents on Manny's comments after last night's loss.

After he leaves, Darren spends some time wondering which World Cup host cities he would most (and least) like to visit next summer before falling back into the conversation about Machado and his relationship with Reds rookie Sal Stewart.

00:00 - Machado praises Reds rookie after Padres loss

14:00 - ESPN's Eric Gomez joins the show

68:00 - 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities

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Darren Smith and John Gennaro recap the San Diego Padres' third consecutive win, this one courtesy of a walk-off sac fly from Fernando Tatis Jr. that was followed by a lengthy hug between player and manager. Was the hug too long? Was it needed? Is Tatis finally embracing "Tatis 2.0"? Did "rally kid" give the team the juice they needed? The guys get to the bottom of it all before Michael King's return to the mount tonight.

They also talk about the woman who fought for a foul ball at a Phillies game and has had her life ruined since, why NFL analysts need to make snap judgements on social media, and how it all relates to the Dallas Cowboys documentary on Netflix that they're both obsessed with.

Most importantly, Darren caught up with Jon Wertheim from Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes to recap the 2025 U.S. Open and wonder what the future holds for 22-year old Carlos Alcaraz.

00:00 - Padres win on Tatis sac fly / Shildt's long hug

21:00 - Woman at Phillies game gets heckled on social media

25:00 - Jon Wertheim recaps the 2025 U.S. Open

45:00 - Overreactions to Monday Night Football

50:00 - Cowboys documentary on Netflix

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.

It's Monday, which means Darren and John are back to recap the sports weekend and that today's episode is completely unlocked and free for everyone to enjoy.

On today's show, the guys talk about the Padres avoiding a disaster in Colorado, the appeal of the Savannah Bananas, Alex Morgan's impact on women's soccer in America (and John's cynicism), thoughts from SDSU's loss to Washington State, Carlos Alcaraz's dominance at the U.S. Open and how unprepared the U.S. Men's National Team seems to be for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

00:00 - There was so much sports this weekend

04:00 - At least the Padres didn't blow it

18:30 - Trevor Hoffman becomes a Savannah Banana

36:00 - Alex Morgan's Wave jersey retirement

48:00 - SDSU disappoints on offense vs. Washington State

52:30 - Is Carlos Alcaraz ready to be the best ever?

61:00 - U.S. Men's National Team is not ready for the World Cup

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 are ready for a weekend with minimal plans so that they can watch all of the tennis, football, soccer and baseball that will be going on.....plus the Netflix documentary on the Dallas Cowboys that Darren is obsessed with.

The guys talk about tonight's Savannah Bananas' game at Petco Park, Mike Shildt having another grumpy interview with Ben & Woods this morning, why there's no point in paying attention to the Dodgers, and whether the Padres have the right winning mentality.

They also try out a new feature, called "Try This!", where they recommend things for people in the Section 1904 community to try out.

00:00 - Weekend preview: Lots of sports!

09:00 - Savannah Bananas visit Petco Park

12:00 - Mike Shildt is grumpy / Padres team dynamics

54:20 - 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.

The San Diego Padres have lost 8 of their last 10 games and seem to be in some sort of death spiral. They also don't play a game today. As such, it seemed like a great time to invite Dylan from Letters to A.J. back onto the show to talk about what the numbers tell us about this team and what the path forward is without Jason Adam and Xander Bogaerts.

But, first, Darren talks about the Jerry Jones documentary on Netflix and looks through some of the response to yesterday's interview with Chris Kluwe.

After Dylan leaves the show, Darren and John talk about Mike Shildt's approach with the local media before spending a couple of minutes discussing NFL RedZone adding commercials this year, for the first time ever.

Here's John's spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-cMePzaXNaUnNLcNcZaGtKzYfr75aWlYWdbZEFkCVEc/edit?usp=sharing

00:00 - Darren loves sports documentaries / Jerry Jones almost bought the Chargers

07:00 - Reactions to the Chris Kluwe interview

15:00 - Dylan from Letters to A.J. joins to talk Padres

68:30 - Mike Shildt vs. the media

80:00 - NFL is back / RedZone has commercials

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.

This podcast starts off with Darren Smith and John Gennaro trying to decipher what, if anything, is wrong with the San Diego Padres (2-7 in their last 9 games) and what can be done to fix them. But then the guys quickly move off of sports....

Chris Kluwe is a former NFL punter who made some news back in February when he was arrested at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting...

Since then, Kluwe has announced that he's running for a California Assembly seat, specifically representing the very-Republican district 72 where he is from.

He joins Darren and John for a conversation about saving democracy, finding motivation in fighting, why Citizens United needs to be unraveled, and his strategy for winning the empty seat and using it to protect the rights of Californians.

00:00 - The Padres keep trying the same thing and expecting new results

17:30 - Chris Kluwe is running to save democracy

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.

It was a hell of a (long) weekend for sports in and around San Diego, but Darren Smith and John Gennaro only have about an hour to get into the San Diego Padres, who appear to be dealing with an identity crisis as the injuries pile up, and San Diego FC, who walked into one of LAFC's biggest moments in team history and took it for themselves.

Mondays are unlocked and free for everyone! Enjoy!

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.

Before Darren Smith heads off to San Diego FC training, he gets together with John Gennaro to discuss all of the sports that there is to watch this weekend. But first, the guys recap their individual adventures in trying to watch the SDSU Aztecs football game last night.

This being the first real weekend of college football, and just the third week of the EPL schedule, it has added quite a lot of viewing options for sports fans. The guys discuss what they're looking for from the San Diego Padres and talk about a massive game that awaits San Diego FC in Los Angeles this weekend.

00:00 - SDSU clobbers Stony Brook while everyone struggles to watch

16:00 - Padres at Twins this weekend

26:00 - A big moment for LAFC & San Diego FC

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.

College football kicks off in a big way tonight, including San Diego State welcoming Stony Brook to Snapdragon Stadium, and the guys talk about their excitement before discussing Lee Corso's upcoming goodbye to College GameDay.

Later, fantasy expert Andy Behrens of The Deep Shot and The Athletic joins the show to give Darren and John some advice on how to deal with an autodraft, which new coaches will result in new opportunities for which players, why you should consider adding a 2nd QB to your league's fantasy roster, and a whole lot more.

Before the show closes, John points out that Freddy Fermín seems to be wearing down as the Padres' starting catcher and both guys wonder what different methods Manny Machado has tried to "figure out August".

00:00 - Hello, college football / Goodbye, Lee Corso

24:00 - Andy Behrens helps us with our fantasy football drafts

58:00 - The Padres are starting to wear down

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.