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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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
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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!
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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.
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Darren Smith and John Gennaro kick off today's podcast by talking about the future of Section 1904 and announcing a survey that will be sent to everyone a little later today.
When the guys finally get to the sports of it all, they talk about the trade rumors swirling around the San Diego Padres at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, the potential effects of the World Baseball Classic on Craig Stammen's first Spring Training as manager, Logan White's surprise retirement after winning the 2025 West Coast Scout of the Year award, and using the most valuable roster pieces to maybe get off some regrettable contracts.
The guys also discuss Joe Buck winning the Ford C. Frick Award, San Diego FC making some offseason roster decisions, the CONCACAF Champions Cup draw and Philip Rivers' return to the NFL after coming out of retirement.
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.
Following a report from Kevin Acee in the San Diego Union-Tribune that A.J. Preller was working on a potentially "massive trade" that would be comparable, or maybe even dwarf, the deal that sent Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees, Darren Smith and John Gennaro try to figure out who might be involved in the trade and what it could bring back.
The guys also watched the Monday Night Football game last night, which ended with a Los Angeles Chargers overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and John lays out his thoughts on why he thinks the NFL is less fun to watch and follow than it has been in years prior. Also, Philip Rivers might be returning to the Colts?
Following that, the guys react a little bit to the absurdity from Friday's FIFA World Cup draw, including the President of the United States of America saying that we should come up with a new name for American Football so that we can stop using the word "soccer".
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It's Monday! That means that today's episode of the podcast is free for all subscribers (both paid and unpaid). And, lucky you, we have on the show today Kevin Acee, who covers the San Diego Padres for the San Diego Union-Tribune. He joined us from the MLB Winter Meetings to talk about the forthcoming sale of the team, the status of A.J. Preller's contract extension, why Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors are different than trade rumors for other Padres players, and a lot more.
Before Darren Smith and John Gennaro get to Kevin, they first spend a few minutes talking about their weekends and the hilariously predictable controversies surrounding the College Football Playoff selection committee.
After Kevin leaves, the guys spend a few more minutes talking about the Padres' financial situation and the MLS Cup, which was won by Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. Also, could Mohamed Salah end up with San Diego FC now that things are getting rocky between him and Liverpool? Some experts think so.
00:00 - Weekend recap
03:00 - College Football Playoff / SDSU going to New Mexico Bowl
10:30 - Kevin Acee joins from MLB Winter Meetings
36:30 - What was Peter Seidler's financial situation?
47:30 - MLS Cup thoughts / Mo Salah to SDFC?
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.
After today's 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, Darren Smith chatted with ESPN's Cesar Hernandez about the draws for the U.S. Men's National Team and the Mexico national football team.
They also talked about San Diego FC's first season in MLS and what would be in the best interest of Hirving "Chucky" Lozano's future.
Finally, the guys talked about this weekend's MLS Cup between Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Cesar explains why he thinks Lionel Messi will lead Miami to a win.
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Darren Smith and John Gennaro took a few minutes away from watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw to do a weekend preview. They'll be back with a reaction to the World Cup draw later today.
As for this morning's podcast, the guys discussed accents, their weekend plans, how much has changed in college football over the last five years, if fans should overreact to the San Diego Padres signing a relief pitcher, next year's MLB Winter Meetings (which are supposed to be in San Diego), and this week's episode of 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.
Earlier this week, Darren Smith sat down with Mikey Varas, the head coach of San Diego FC, while the team was packing their bags and heading into the offseason.
Darren and Mikey talked about what there is to be learned from the loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Western Conference final of the MLS Cup Playoffs, and what Mikey said to the team after.
The guys also spent time talking about the SDFC fans that stuck around after the game to cheer and support the team, and what it means for the future of SDFC and their homefield advantage.
Darren also asked Mikey for the best compliment he heard about SDFC this season, his emotions at the end of the season, and how he plans to spend his offseason.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Mexico, Canada and the United State of America, is set to have its draw tomorrow. The leaders of all three countries will be in attendance, as will The Village People.
Darren Smith and John Gennaro talk for a few minutes about what they expect from the event before welcoming on independent journalist Karim Zidan, who runs the exceptional Sports Politika website, to talk about the World Cup draw, the dichotomy between Trump's policies and his desire to make money off the World Cup, Trump's friendship with Gianni Infantino, and if the UFC would ever distance itself from the President.
After Karim leaves, Darren talks about how FIFA is supposed to be an apolitical organization and John wonders what's going on with World Cup ticket sales.
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Darren Smith and John Gennaro respond to some recent video of Joe Musgrove, talking about what he wants to see in the next San Diego Padres owner, and Craig Stammen, who is visiting some of his Padres players in the Dominican Republic and has thoughts on the local cuisine.
The guys then welcome back to the show Sean Kelly, Formula 1 statistician and host, known as the "Virtual Statman," who provides statistics and facts for F1 television broadcasts and live events. He helps provides the lay of the land in Abu Dhabi and helps to preview the final race of the season, where Lando Norris, Max Verstappen or Oscar Piastri could win the title.
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Darren Smith and John Gennaro talk about San Diego FC, and the situation with Hirving "Chucky" Lozano that will be hanging over the team this offseason. It seems like he's destined to play somewhere else next year, but it's certainly not guaranteed. We'll wait to find out.
The guys then talk about San Diego State, who went from probably hosting the Mountain West Conference Championship game to being completely out of the game and never set to play another Mountain West game again. They also discussed the college football coaching carousel, which has finally gotten going after Lane Kiffin decided to leave Ole Miss for LSU (in the funniest way possible) and could maybe lead to Sean Lewis leaving the Aztecs for a bigger program.
Also, what ever happened to that A.J. Preller extension for the Padres? I guess we can add that to the list with Sean Lewis and Chucky Lozano of things we're going to have to wait to find out on.
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The first ever season for San Diego Football Club came to an end on Saturday night, when they lost in the Western Conference final to Vancouver Whitecaps FC by a score of 3-1. It was not a particularly close game, despite its proximity to the MLS Cup itself.
Darren Smith and John Gennaro talked on Monday morning for the first time since that game, did a short recap of it (and the showing from the supporters clubs after the game) before talking about some of the offseason questions that are already hanging over the team as they head into planning for Year 2.
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Darren Smith and John Gennaro check in on each other's Thanksgiving day plans and talk about the NFL's slate of games for the day before celebrating a win for San Diego State's men's basketball team over Oregon and talking about Mikey Varas and San Diego FC, who are tough MFers that understand what it means to live in San Diego.
Darren then sits down with his wife to provide a full shopping guide to inexpensive wine to help you prepare for Thanksgiving dinner with the family.
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After calling San Diego FC's thrilling 1-0 win over Minnesota United FC, punching SDFC's ticket to the Western Conference final of the MLS Cup Playoffs, Darren Smith and John Gennaro jumped on and recorded an instant reaction podcast episode.
After getting a little bit of sleep, John woke up and ranted a bit about San Diego State losing a basketball game by 40 points to Michigan and the San Diego Padres announcing the hiring of their new bench coach and hitting coach.
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.