In Episode 89 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with Tony and Ashley Snell about how their lives have changed since appearing on the Today Show a year ago, telling the world about not only their son's diagnosis with autism, but how it led to the former UNM Lobo star and nine-year NBA veteran getting diagnosed himself -- a rarity for an adult -…

In Episode 88 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with old friend, Albuquerque native and New Mexico State University graduate Gadi Schwartz as the NBC News correspondent is in Paris working his fifth Olympic Games. We talk about mimes, laundry day in Paris, the dad duties that await him when he gets home and his prank wars from the decade h…

In Episode 87 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I interview former UNM Lobos Morris Udeze, Anthony Mathis, Isaac Mushilla and Kenny Thomas and Del Norte High graduate Scott Bamforth who are all part of The Enchantment TBT team playing in this month's $1 million, winner-take-all TBT (The Basketball Tournament). We talk TBT, their careers, Tuesday's ex…

In Episode 86 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I sit down with La Cueva High School great and former UCLA Bruin Bryce Alford, who is coming back to Albuquerque this week to both host his annual Bryce Alford Basketball Camp but also to take part in playing for The Enchantment, the team of players with New Mexico ties competing in the $1 million TBT b…

In Episode 85 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I sit down with UNM Lobo men's basketball coach Richard Pitino to talk about the past season, the current offseason and the 2024-25 season ahead. The Lobos broke a decade-long NCAA Tournament drought but now with NIL and the transfer portal changing how rosters are maintained and how coaches handle the …

In Episode 84 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I join the Field of 68 crew of Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman for their weekly Mountain West Insider podcast where we preview the six Mountain West teams — New Mexico, Colorado State, Boise State, Nevada, Utah State and San Diego State — that made the NCAA Tournament and talk about their first games and p…

In Episode 83 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I recap UNM's Saturday loss at Utah State, final conference standings, go over the All-Mountain West awards from the media poll and preview the Mountain West Tournament, from breaking down each of Wednesday's opening round games and potential quarterfinal matchups to reviewing win probabilities for all …

In Episode 82 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez (starts at 8:50 mark). We talk about the fantastic men's basketball season the league has had enjoyed, how many teams might make the NCAA Tournament, traditional power conferences taking shots at leagues "gaming" the NET rankings and a…

In Episode 81 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with businessman, radio analyst and Lobo hoops legend Hunter Greene (7:35 mark) about his unique perspective calling games for the past decade. We dive into some Lobo hoops memories, including lots of Kelvin Scarborough talk, and his thoughts on the current Lobos, from Saturday's l…

In Episode 80 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk Lobo hoops, JT Toppin's case for all-league, and have a conversation with one of the best to play in the Mountain West, Colorado State point guard Isaiah Stevens (9:00 mark). We talk his career, his future, his go-to candy after road wins and some Mountain West memories.…

In Episode 79 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk Mountain West and UNM basketball and have a conversation with Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Steve Alford (16:20 mark) about his team, the depth of the league, being a grandpa and this week's rematch with the Lobos.By Geoff Grammer, reporter, Albuquerque Journal

In Episode 78 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with SI.com's Kevin Sweeney about NCAA Tournament bracketology for the Mountain West conference and the UNM Lobos. Are they in? Are they out? Does any of this really matter in the first week of February? (Nevada 12:00, BSU 14:20, CSU 18:00, USU 21:00, SDSU 28:35, UNM 31:20).…

In Episode 77 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with BJ Rains, Publisher of Bronco Nation News in Boise, covering the Boise State Broncos. We talk the media landscape covering Mountain West level programs, his recent power rankings that drew criticism from some fan (including plenty of angry Lobo fans), and of course Wednesday night's big Bois…

In Episode 76 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk about UNM Lobo basketball breaking into the AP Top 25 rankings, JT Toppin winning his sixth Mountain West Freshman of the Week and have a conversation (11:30 mark) with Lobo forward Mustapha Amzil, the Dayton transfer who put a rough start to the season behind him to become a key piece of the UNM…

In Episode 75 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk Mountain West hoops and have a conversation (11 minute mark) with Danny Sprinkle, the head coach of the No. 16 Utah State Aggies before the UNM-Utah State game in the Pit on Jan. 16. The first-year USU coach has his program out to a 16-1 start and atop the Mountain West standings. Danny and I tal…

In Episode 74 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with former Eldorado Eagles state champion and three-year UNM Lobo Cullen Neal, who is in his second season as Director of Player Development and Video Coordinator for the Rice Owls, who play in this week's Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nev., along with the UNM Lobos. We talk ab…

In Episode 73 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with former UNM Lobos hoops star Hugh Greenwood. The fan favorite, 4-year starter from Australia is back in Albuquerque visiting friends and the family of his Albuquerque-native wife, Kjiersten Straub, ahead of the upcoming Australia Football League season, where he will start his …

In Episode 72 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I joined Rob Dauster of the Feld of 68, as a guest on the debut show of the Mountain West Insider podcast for a season preview of the college basketball season ahead. We talk NCAA Tournament hopefuls in the conference, top players and top storylines for the 2023-24 season. The Field of 68's weekly Mount…

In Episode 71 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Jason Hooten, the new men's basketball coach of the New Mexico State Aggies. We talk with Jason about taking on a new job after 19 seasons at Sam Houston State, the unenviable task of rebuilding a program from scratch with an entirely new roster and coaching staff, he tells u…

In Episode 70 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Matt Flores, the third-year strength and conditioning coach of the UNM Lobo men's basketball team about what his job entails, his background as a player, Marine and father, and how it is working for the second time with head coach Richard Pitino. And who was on the McDonald's…

In Episode 69 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Kurt Roth, the founder and president of the 505 Sports Venture Foundation, the collective spearheading college athlete compensation efforts for the University of New Mexico. We talk the law, the ever changing landscape of the NCAA's oversight, how Lobo athletes are taking adv…

In Episode 68 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Mr. Basketball in New Mexico, Brandon Mason, who played in the state for the NMSU Aggies and New Mexico Thunderbirds, coached collegiately with the UNM Lobos, NMSU Aggies and New Mexico Highlands and is now is the President and Coach of NCAA-accredited ABC Prep and dozens of …

In Episode 67 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with UNM Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez on his background as a college athlete, playing basketball with Nick Saban, coming to UNM at a time the athletics department was underneath a mountain of public and state scrutiny, the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Name Im…

In Episode 66 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with all-Mountain West guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., the UNM Lobos' third-year captain who said he is in his "Deion mode" for the interview, donning sunglasses and talking about the season ahead, his bond with his famous father, how writing and reading helps his mental well-being and …

In Episode 65 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with new UNM Lobo men's basketball guard Jemarl Baker, Jr., one of four Division I transfers joining the team this season. Injuries have played a huge part in the playing career of Baker, who is entering his seventh season of college basketball, having previously played for Kentuc…

In Episode 64 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have part two of our in-depth conversation with UNM Lobo men's basketball coach Richard Pitino. Part one, heard in Episode 63, covered the offseason, the NCAA's transfer portal, and holes on the roster that need to be filled. This episode, Pitino goes player by player over the entire roster, letting …

In Episode 63 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we catch up with UNM Lobo men's basketball coach Richard Pitino for an in-depth, two part conversation that covers a lot of ground from the struggles of his beloved New York Yankees, to the NCAA transfer portal, and plenty about Lobo basketball. In this episode, we talk about the offseason, where the te…

My guest today is Ngoc Minh Ngo, a photographer and author based in New York City. Her work is an immersive exploration of the beauty of plants and nature, enveloping and other worldly. I always feel I am being drawn into a more three-dimensional space. It is an almost tactile experience as the garden wraps around you and where you can disappear in…

In Episode 62 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with Kurt Roth, the front man of 505 Sports Venture Foundation, the collective raising money to fund Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments to Lobo athletes. What is NIL? Where does the money go? Can UNM compete in the current college athletics landscape without it? How are athletes paid, an…

Can you name a garden dweller who is ecologically obsessed, a little punk rock, and creates spaces for plants, pollinators and people in equal measure? Why that would be the next guest on the Garden People podcast, Rebecca McMackin! Link to listen in the bio or find us wherever you catch your podcasts. Rebecca @oroeoboeococoao is an ecological gard…

In Episode 61 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with now former UNM starting power forward Josiah Allick who caught Lobo fans by surprise this past week when he entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. What went into his decision? Was there a problem with coaches, teammates or will he be getting more NIL money by going elsewhere? He…

In Episode 60 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I catch up with former UNM and current Nevada coach Steve Alford ahead of Tuesday's Mountain West Conference showdown in the Pit between his current and former teams. His first return to the Pit in 2020 had about 12,000 fans on hand in a game in which neither team had postseason or league title hopes. T…

In Episode 59 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a brief conversation with new Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, who was in Albuquerque this past week. Just the second-ever commissioner in the Mountain West, Nevarez and I talk about the leagues current positioning in the college athletics landscape, how realignment might aff…

In Episode 58 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with UNM Lobo forward Morris Udeze. He recently had a four-game streak of double-doubles, has been stepping up his rebounding game of late and the additions of he and Josiah Allick in the offseason have proven to be what the program had hoped. Their presence has been vital in elevating the Lobos …

In Episode 57 of the Talking Grammer podcast, as Mountain West Conference play is about to begin, I talk with UNM Lobo assistant to the head coach Dave Pilipovich, the former Air Force head coach and now three-time guest on the podcast, about his unique perspective on the challenges of league play, being a part of a 12-0 team, the Pittsburgh Steele…

In Episode 56 of the Talking Grammer podcast, ahead of Sunday's Pitino vs. Pitino game in the Pit between the Iona Gaels and UNM Lobos, we hear sound from both head coaches -- Rick and Richard Pitino -- and have conversations with the great Dick Vital and with Dan McHale, the former Lobo assistant who has the unique perspective not only of having c…

In Episode 55 of the Talking Grammer podcast, after a rather unique first month to the season for the UNM Lobos for a variety of reasons, I thought it would be a good time to sit down with Lobo coach Richard Pitino to talk about the canceled rivalry series with NMSU and how that, along with the team's fast start (7-0 at time of this podcast), playe…

In Episode 54 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I played a little catch up with former Lobo basketball great Cameron Bairstow who lives in Australia. We talk about his professional career, from the NBA to overseas and playing in Australia -- both professionally and with the Australian National team -- as well as his recent decision to retire due to i…

In Episode 53 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I sat down for a conversation with college basketball analytics guru Ken Pomeroy. As the 2022-23 college basketball season begins, I wanted fans to get a good understanding how his ratings work, how the preseason ratings are formulated and how a team like the UNM Lobos could be rated 8th in the Mountain…

In Episode 52 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I offer up an 11-team Mountain West Conference basketball preview as the 2022-23 season that starts this week. The podcast features storylines and sound from each of the league's 11 coaches and is presented in order of the preseason media poll: SDSU (4:10), Wyoming (11:40), Boise State (18:45), Colorado…

In Episode 51 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we cover a lot of ground with Lobo guard K.J. Jenkins, from his riding motorcycles growing up in Georgia and his relationship with his cousin Deandre Hopkins, the All-Pro wide receiver of the Arizona Cardinals, to his college basketball journey that has included getting only one Division I scholarship o…

In Episode 50 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with the Lobos' two new big men Josiah Allick and Morris Udeze. The pair is being counted on to add size, strength and physicality that was lacking on last year's UNM hoops roster. I also go over the Lobos' surprising scrimmage result from Saturday against Northern Arizona.…

In Episode 49 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with the Lobos' two returning All-Mountain West guards, Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr., about what they learned in Year 1 at UNM about themselves and each other, and what fans should expect from Year 2 from the highest scoring returning backcourt in the league. Both have NCAA …

In Episode 48 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with new Lobo basketball assistant Tarvish Felton, who worked at Utah State for a decade and was at Fresno State the past four seasons. He told me stories of coaching Sam Merrill and Orlando Robinson and old WAC rivalries with NMSU. So what's his role now with the Lobos and how goo…

In Episode 47 of the Talking Grammer podcast, as the first official team practices for the 2022-23 men's basketball season are starting, I thought it would be a good time to catch up with second-year Lobos coach Richard Pitino as expectations have been elevated for his team. How did the offseason go? How is putting up with his dad on Twitter? Which…

My guest is Lucy Hunter, a multi-hyphenate if there ever was one: creative director, garden designer, floral artist, stylist, photographer, teacher, author, botanical dyer…the list goes on. Based in North Wales in the UK, Lucy is, at root, a restless creative who is always adding to her list of projects and modes of expression. She shows us how use…

My guest today is Jennifer Jewell, gardener, author, and the host of Cultivating Place, a co-production & podcast of North State Public Radio, which is syndicated across the United States and available as a podcast worldwide. For listeners of a garden podcast in North America, much less one produced in Northern California on indigenous land, Jennif…

Today I welcome Amanda Luu and Mia Westphal of Studio Mondine, a floral design studio based in San Francisco, California, to the Garden People podcast. Mondine’s work is multifaceted and always a reflection of the group’s deep appreciation of the natural world. Whether it’s finding inspiration for a bridal bouquet in the weeds growing around the we…

Today I welcome floral artist and flower friend and mentor, Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement. Whether writing from her corner of Yorkshire, England, or gardens farther afield, she is forever seeking light and the perfect pebble, and always celebrating color, form, and seasonality. Her role as an educator extends beyond the vase, providing inv…

My guest is Jane Scotter, a biodynamic farmer and author and the force behind Fern Verrow in Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England. Jane has been a huge inspiration for me and countless growers and gardeners. Her passion, drive, and love for her land are evident in each crate of castelfranco. In addition to her cookbook, Jane’s relationship…