Bandwagon Beach

Darren Smith and John Gennaro are out of their depth when it comes to the San Diego State Aztecs football program, which kicks off their 2025 season against Stony Brook at Snapdragon Stadium tomorrow night, so (after discussing the Padres' comeback win in Seattle last night) the guys brought in the big guns:

Jon Schaeffer from the Jon & Jim show, the radio voice of the SDSU Aztecs, gets the guys up to speed on what went wrong last year, why there's optimism around the team for Sean Lewis' 2nd season as head coach, and what the Aztecs need to do to get more San Diegans paying attention to their football program.

00:00 - The Padres win in Seattle, but are they having fun?

07:40 - Jon Schaeffer previews the 2025 SDSU Aztecs football season

50:05 - College football should matter in San Diego

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On today's podcast episode, Darren Smith and John Gennaro laugh a bit at the San Diego Padres losing the Vedder Cup to the Seattle Mariners and quickly move on to the business of football.

With (American) football kicking off for the San Diego State Aztecs on Thursday, and most of the rest of the college football world on Saturday, the guys talk about why they appreciate the cadence of sports that play 1 or 2 games per week instead of nearly a game every day.

They also dig through the mailbag and answer some of the questions in there and talk about the TV shows they've been watching.

00:00 - Padres lose the Vedder Cup

11:50 - Optimism? For SDSU football?

17:50 - Here comes college football!

29:00 - Has Kevin Acee lost his mind?

35:00 - What we're watching / Mailbag

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After a busy weekend of San Diego sports, Darren Smith and John Gennaro get together to talk about the San Diego Padres taking 2-of-3 from the Los Angeles Dodgers and then spend a ton of time debating whether manager Mike Shildt screwed up by bringing in Jeremiah Estrada in the 7th inning of a tie game on Sunday.

Later, the guys talk about San Diego FC being the first MLS team to clinch a spot in the playoffs and wonder if this is the best expansion team from a major league American sport in the last 50 years.

Timestamps

00:00 - Padres take series, but lose on Sunday vs. Dodgers

49:30 - San Diego FC's historic expansion season

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Darren Smith and John Gennaro are trying to temper their excitement for another weekend of Dodgers-Padres, this time at Petco Park. Both guys agree that the home team needs to show a bit more mental toughness and sharpness than what we saw at Dodger Stadium a week ago.

With the Portland Timbers coming to San Diego, the guys chat with Adam Susman about the similarities in the two cities and how Portland's supporters club can be something of an example for SDFC to follow and dig into what the perception of SDFC is outside of San Diego.

Afterwards, Darren and John talk about the kid who ran onto the field during a Padres game the other night and his attempts to make it into a viral marketing moment for a gym in Carlsbad.

00:00 - Padres/Dodgers series preview (again)

37:20 - INTERVIEW: Portland Timbers broadcast Adam Susman

68:30 - Kid who ran on the field has life advice

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Darren and John traveled back downtown to Bottle Rocket Bar & Grill and talked about the San Diego Padres picking up a win against the San Francisco Giants last night, what's affecting Fernando Tatis Jr. (and why he's still great) and what changes Mike Shildt might make to the lineup this weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The guys also talked about how we, as San Diego sports fans, might feel about both the Padres and SDFC after this weekend.

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The San Diego Padres are back in the win column, but Darren and John spend most of the time talking about the kid who ran on the field or Fernando Tatis Jr.'s apparent mood because the game was rather unremarkable.

Instead, the guys turn their attention to the Savannah Bananas, who are coming to Petco Park in about two weeks. The Bananas have a history of bringing former MLB players back to their former home stadiums, leading to John wondering which former Padres will put on the yellow uniform and play some Bananaball?

Finally, the guys play a game called "Rate That Take". Each of them brought three takes that they want to rate and they're judged equally for delivery, rationality and entertainment value. Enjoy!

00:00 - Padres end their losing streak / Fans on the field

12:00 - Is Fernando Tatis Jr. okay?

18:00 - Savannah Bananas are coming to town, which former Padres player will join them?

36:00 - Rate That Take!

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Darren Smith had a very eventful morning at San Diego FC training, which delayed today's podcast some, but he still jumped on with John Gennaro to talk about the San Diego Padres losing their 4th consecutive game (this time to the San Francisco Giants), the intricacies of fan interference calls, and Mike Shildt barking back at a reporter who questioned his lineups.

The guys also talked a bit about Pat Murphy, who could be headed for his second consecutive Manager of the Year award after a rocky start with the Padres a decade ago, before getting into Gavin Newson's new communication strategy and whether it's helping or hurting.

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Darren Smith and John Gennaro get together to recap an incredibly frustrating sweep of the San Diego Padres at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It felt like the Padres made every possible mental mistake while bumping into some bad luck as well. Will they be able to move on from this series and get back into a rhythm for (at least) the homestand that starts tonight against the San Francisco Giants?

Before moving on to San Diego FC's win over the San Jose Earthquakes, the guys spend a few minutes wondering how impending realignment in Major League Baseball will affect the Padres and their long-standing rivalries.

Finally, the guys get to talk about SDFC, who sit at the very top of the MLS Supporters' Shield standings after a comeback win in San Jose. Marcus Ingvartsen, who was expected to be vitally important to the team to start the season but has ended up missing most of it due to injury, was involved in both late goals to give San Diego the 2-1 win. His return to form could be exactly what SDFC has been missing since the departure of Milan Iloski.

Timestamps

00:00 - Padres swept by the Dodgers

40:00 - MLB realignment?

46:00 - SDFC's comeback win fueled by Ingvartsen

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After a disappointing offensive performance by the San Diego Padres against Clayton Kershaw on Friday, the guys came back and scored even less against Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. John Gennaro hosts the live post-game show on YouTube, which Darren Smith joins about halfway through, and they talk about how disappointing it is to see the Padres tighten up in this situation and if it brings back memories of the playoff series between these teams last year.

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After last night's 3-2 Padres' loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Darren and John jumped on a YouTube live stream and had a half-hour long postgame conversation about everything that happened and how lifeless and disappointing the whole thing felt.

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