Bandwagon Beach

Darren and John kick off the show by talking a bit about the MLB trade deadline and when/what the San Diego Padres may or may not do before it hits. Then, they welcome today's guest to the show: Karim Zidan is an investigative journalist who has written about the intersection of sports and politics for ESPN, the New York Times, The Guardian and more. He now runs his own Substack, Sports Politika ....

Darren Smith and John Gennaro talk about what to expect from San Diego FC's matchup against Pachuca tonight and recap a great, almost playoffs-like, atmosphere for the Padres' win over the Mets at Petco Park last night. They also wonder what that start does for Dylan Cease's trade value, John explains why he'd rather the Padres trade Robert Suarez (and why he's bullish on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s offe...

Darren Smith and John Gennaro recap a sports weekend that included some bench-clearing in St. Louis and another home win for San Diego FC. First, the guys talk about the San Diego Padres finishing their road trip 5-5 and how different it might've felt if they had lost the last two games instead of winning them. Then, they get into a long conversation about what the Padres will be able to do at the...

Darren Smith and John Gennaro get ready for a weekend of San Diego sports, talking first about the Padres losing their third consecutive game and another disappointing start for Yu Darvish. John feels bad for Darvish, who feels like he has the team's season riding on his shoulders at the moment, and Darren thinks the team needs to prioritize adding more pitching if they want to go far in the playo...

Darren and John kick off today's podcast by talking about "smashing the like button" and some podcast milestones before getting into their thoughts on last night's MLS All-Star Game. Full warning, before welcoming a guest to the show, there is an inordinate amount of time spent talking about Hulk Hogan and his penis. The guys then welcome Mark Neville, CEO at Sports San Diego, to the show to talk...

John travels down to Imperial Beach to podcast from Darren's place and the guys keep one eye on the Padres game while they talk about why social media is mad at the Padres, who might be headed out of town before the MLB trade deadline, why nobody in San Diego cares about the Chargers anymore, and what it means that Lionel Messi is skipping the MLS All-Star Game. Section 1904 is a community-support...

John kicks off today's podcast by stumbling into a war amongst San Diego Padres fans on social media and Darren tries to catch up before pivoting to some trade rumors with the MLB trade deadline coming up. The guys then discuss the Los Angeles Chargers holding practices in San Diego, posting a retirement video for Philip Rivers, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria naming a day after Antonio Gates. Thi...

Darren Smith and John Gennaro got off to a late start on the podcast today but still managed to talk plenty about the San Diego Padres taking two-of-three from the Washington Nationals and what it means for the MLB trade deadline that is only 10 days away. Later, the guys discuss San Diego FC's 1-1 home draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in which their young players gave a glimpse into the team'...

The podcast is back in regular order, with Darren Smith joining John Gennaro for a conversation about losing his father, getting support from the community, and the important distraction that sports can sometimes provide in difficult moments. Also, the guys talk about the joy of going out the way you want to. Later, they transition to talking about the San Diego Padres and the upcoming trade deadl...

Darren Smith checks in with a report from San Diego FC's loss to Toronto FC last night, including Milan Iloski and Jasper Löffelsend leaving the team. John Gennaro then welcomes MLB writer and reporter Hannah Keyser to the show to talk about the MLB All-Star Game, how baseball media should talk about the trade deadline, and how becoming a parent changes your perspective and brain chemistry. 00:00...

Darren Smith kicks off today's episode by remembering his father and thanking everyone who has offered support over the years. John Gennaro is then joined by Darnay Tripp from NBC San Diego and the On Friar podcast for a conversation about the MLB All-Star Game, Milan Iloski leaving San Diego FC, what the Padres should do before the trade deadline and if the Chargers will return to San Diego to pl...

Darren and John are back together and talking about footwear for way longer than anyone should before they get into their thoughts on the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby, the MLB All-Star Game (happening tonight), ways that baseball can bring some personality back into the game, and an impending war between the players and team owners. The guys then get into what the heck is going on between Milan Iloski...

While the San Diego Padres head into the MLB All-Star break, Darren and John talk about if the team should be buyers or sellers, if trading for a catcher midseason is a good idea, and whether or not they'll be watching the Home Run Derby tonight. Later, the guys discuss the FIFA Club World Cup Final, which Chelsea won and then had to share the stage with Donald Trump. It was an awkward moment that...

Darren Smith is out today, so John Gennaro is handling this one solo. He talks for a bit about the San Diego Padres winning last night, why he believes in a Fernando Tatis Jr. resurgence, and why he thinks the team has told the front office to be (bargain bin) buyers, instead of sellers, at the MLB trade deadline. Also, after John complains a bit about how the 7th inning was managed last night, he...

Darren Smith is in Florida but still wanted to chat with John Gennaro about the San Diego Padres and whether or not they should extend Dylan Cease a qualifying offer this offseason after the terrible first half to the season he's had. John gets wrapped up in a quote from Mike Shildt that seems to point the blame for the team's poor offensive output on GM A.J. Preller, and whether or not Manny Mach...

Darren Smith and John Gennaro try to make it a short podcast and fail, going a full hour-ish on translators in the locker room, Mike Shildt's love of wearing the baseball uniform, bone-in filet mignon and the proper way to order a steak, AI and ABS taking over for referees/umpires in professional sports, whether or not Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) should be legal, why Red Bull sacked their Team Prin...

We finally have an episode without a guest, so Darren and John get to dive into their midseason Padres thoughts (Manny gets 2000 hits, Darvish looks good in his return, Tatis lacking power but still a valuable player, etc.) before spending some time talking about a potential UFC event at the White House and San Diego's reaction to JD Vance and Usha Vance dining in University Heights (and screwing...

Darren and John kick off the show by talking about the long weekend and reflecting on a very entertaining, but eventually disappointing, home loss for San Diego FC against Houston Dynamo FC. They try to take some positives away from it and try to figure out what went wrong, if anything. Then, ESPN's Eric Gomez joins the show to recap Mexico's Gold Cup win in the final game against the U.S. Men's N...

The guys kick off the show by complaining about the San Diego Padres' approach, or at least their inconsistency in their approach to hitting, before switching to soccer and today's guest. Jon Arnold, from the Getting CONCACAFed Substack, joins Darren and John for a match preview of the 2025 Gold Cup Final between the U.S. Men's National Team and Mexico. The game will take place in Houston on Sunda...

Formula 1 on-stage host and chief statistician to the TV broadcasters, Sean Kelly joins Darren Smith and John Gennaro for a conversation that mostly centers around the movie F1 , starring Brad Pitt. First, the guys address the breaking news of a contract extension for SDFC defender Chris McVey before welcoming Sean to the show. The guys talk about how realistic the F1 movie is, how it stacks up ag...

The guys recorded early today before Darren headed off to SDFC training, and they tried (and failed) to not talk about the San Diego Padres. They ended up spending some time talking about Luis Campusano, what he means for the 2025 Padres and some of the reasons why he might not get another chance with the club. The conversation then turns to soccer, for a while, with Darren breaking down the weath...

On today's episode, Darren and John recap a great weekend for San Diego FC and a pretty bad weekend for the San Diego Padres. Starting with the Padres, the guys dance around why this team feels so "nebulous" and end up wondering who the "real" version of Fernando Tatis Jr. is. The team will only go so far as their young superstar can take them, but do we even know how far that is anymore? After ge...

It's Friday! The guys are still at home, but they're got a lot going on in their lives. Darren talks through getting new tires for his car, John yells at a police officer, and Darren explains what was really going on with Jeffrey Moorad taking over the Padres. The guys then talk about someone getting arrested for holding up a flag in support of Sudan and Gaza during the Super Bowl halftime show be...

The guys reflect on a truly historic night for SDFC, with Escondido's own Milan Iloski scoring 4 goals in his first MLS start and leading San Diego to the top of the Western Conference standings. Darren and John talk about each goal, contributions from other SDFC players, and spend a little bit of time talking about how incredible it is that the team has 3 all-stars in its inaugural season. Later,...

Darren Smith had the opportunity to interview Anders Dreyer and Jeppe Tverskov, two of the San Diego FC players that were named to the MLS All-Star Team yesterday, to get their reaction to the news and talk about how it fits into the context of their respective careers. 00:00 - Anders Dreyer 04:36 - Jeppe Tverskov Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, consid...