King Delivers

(This is the audio-only version of Tuesday’s MartyTimeTV / Section 1904 joint venture. You can find and subscribe to this podcast on Apple and Spotify and right here on Substack by clicking the button below. To watch this episode, click here)The Padres returned home from their 4-5 road trip to face the Braves & Dodgers, the best two teams in Major League Baseball. You could hear local media twisting themselves into knots coming up with pithy headlines to inflate the significance of the homestead.“Could the Padres make a statement against the league’s best?”“Would the Braves & Dodgers pummel the light-hitting Padres and turn the team into trade deadline sellers?”“IS THE SEASON ON THE BRINK???”With the hyperbolic state of affairs boiling over, Michael King was back to looking like Michael King and Manny Machado hit his second game-winning HR in three games. The Padres offense only had four hits but it was enough to turn the game over to the Padres most consistent strength - the bullpen. Lead preserved. Game one won. On this podcast, we discussed the importance of getting King to return to early season form and Craig Stammen’s postgame comments about Machado hitting the ball better and making an impact.We also talked about the United States Men’s National Team advancing in the World Cup and how they’ve started to turn casuals into believers. How will Mauricio Pochettino use his squad in a “dead rubber” match against Türkiye on Thursday? Is there any money left in the budget for me to catch a match in person after going to NBA Finals? (ICYMI: Eric Gomez and I talked about both the USMNT and Mexico advancing last week. Find that post here, watch it on YouTube here or search for the Section 1904 Podcast in the links above)We also talked some House of the Dragon (mostly spoiler free). What we liked and didn’t like from Season 3, Episode 1. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dsmithshow.substack.com