The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James

The Santa Fe New Mexican
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.   The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of The Santa Fe New Mexican.

  1. 3d ago

    St. Mike's, Capital football coaches offer outlooks; Will and James make Week 1 picks

    The return of high school football is just a couple days away and optimism is abundant as teams look to kick off the 2026 season on a positive note. Ahead of their intracity matchup Friday night, St. Michael’s coach Joey Fernandez and Capital coach John Michael Salazar join “The Sports Den” podcast to discuss the outlook and expectations for their teams. In the first segment, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron offer their analysis of Week 1 matchups and make their picks. Fernandez joins for the second segment to talk about the lofty standards the Horsemen have set as they ride a 33-game winning streak into the season. St. Mike’s has some talented stars to replace from last year’s Class 3A championship squad, including quarterback Kamal Stith. Fernandez said the roster is thin this year and won’t have much room to deal with injuries but he likes the makeup of his squad as it looks to make another run at a title. Salazar comes on for the third segment to discuss how his team is hoping to build on a 4-7 record and playoff appearance last year. Pointing to a win last season against Highland where his team overcame a 21-0 deficit, Salazar says his players bring a bounce-back mentality to the field. With a difficult schedule that includes eight straight games against 2025 playoff teams to start the year, Salazar says he’s looking forward to seeing how his players handle the challenge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Aug 11

    Paul Weir looks to build on St. Michael’s athletic success, turn around school's falling enrollment

    If you look at St. Michael’s trophy case you probably wouldn’t know it, but the school has been experiencing a declining enrollment since 2008. Now in place as St. Mike's new president, Dr. Paul Weir hopes to set the Santa Fe school on the path for a sustainable future while maintaining its dominant athletic tradition. Weir joins “The Sports Den” podcast to discuss his plans and priorities for the St. Michael's. He also talks to Santa Fe New Mexican sports reporters Will Webber and James Barron about his time as head men’s basketball coach at New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico. Weir, who was named St. Michael’s president in April, starts the interview by discussing some the changes that have been implemented so far, including a new cell phone policy, changes to the dress code and updated standards involving disciple, expectations and accountability at the Catholic school. The guys ask Weir some questions about athletic facilities, including the possibilities of replacing the grass football field with field turf and adding lights around the field to allow for night games. Weir said he’s exploring all options, with a focus on what decisions will best facilitate a sustainable future for the school. Weir also speaks about his recruitment of Santa Fe High star JB White when he was coach at the University of New Mexico, how White’s death impacted him and how he hopes to help White’s legacy live on. Weir, who coached at UNM during the COVID-19 pandemic, addresses the challenges of leading the program through that time, saying he doesn’t know if he’ll ever have the time or emotional capacity to unwrap that difficult period. “It was traumatic,” he said. “It was powerful in a lot of ways.” A Toronto native, Weir also talks about how New Mexico has become his home and the passion that he has developed for the state. Before bringing Weir on, Will and James talk about the start of their Tour of the North series highlighting the football programs of Northern New Mexico teams ahead of the season. They also discuss the Frijoles Fire and how the smoke spreading across the region could impact athletics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Aug 5

    How will Santa Fe's prep football teams fare this year?

    The first official week of prep football practice is underway and the season kicks off Aug. 21. Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron have begun visiting schools for their Tour of the North series previewing the region’s squads and they’ve got some thoughts to share already. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Will and James discuss how they think the teams from Santa Fe will fare this season. Will St. Michael’s go undefeated yet again? If they drop a game, who would it be to? Will Santa Fe High and Capital make the playoffs? The guys go over these questions and more. And what about who will officiate the games? The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a crisis point for officials as numbers dropped significantly. Will goes over some numbers that show a positive uptick, but James says there’s still a great need for referees in Northern New Mexico. Will and James also chat about a recent ruling involving the NCAA’s new five-for-five eligibility rule and speculate on how it could impact the college sports landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Jul 28

    The Santa Fe Fuego’s frightful ball field is a massive handicap. Will it ever be fixed?

    Summer break is nearly over, the Santa Fe Fuego’s season has come to an end and Will Webber and James Barron are about to be drowning in sports to cover once again. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s sports writers chat about gearing up for the fall sports season and offer a postmortem on another rough campaign for Santa Fe’s semi-pro baseball team. The Fuego finished among the worst teams in the Pecos League once again as they dealt with constant pitching struggles. Out of the 21 players who pitched for the team this year, 20 had an ERA of 10 or above. The organization has had basically one good season in its history when it won the Pecos League in 2014. According to Will and James, many of the squad’s struggles can be attributed to one big issue — its home field. With a horrible pitcher’s mound, tiny dimensions and poor field conditions, the guys say Fort Marcy ballpark is a venue where no hurler wants to toe the rubber. Without serious changes to the field, Will and James say the team will continue to struggle to attract any pitching talent. Will the city of Santa Fe ever step up to invest in improving the field? The guys share their thoughts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Jul 22

    Back in New Mexico, Donovan Dent reflects on college basketball career and looks to the future

    Donovan Dent has been back in the state where he gained college hoops stardom, putting on basketball clinics at multiple schools around Northern New Mexico in July. The former University of New Mexico All-Mountain West Conference guard, who played at UCLA last year, is seeking a fifth year of eligibility following the NCAA’s new five-for-five rule. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron discuss Dent’s prospects for another year on the hardwood and if there’s a possibility he could return to the Lobos. Will shares clips from an interview of a conversation he had with Dent at a recent camp where Dent discussed his engagement, his time playing in the Big Ten and how he enjoys being back in New Mexico. The guys also chat about former UNM runner Josh Kerr recently breaking the world record in the mile, and New Mexico United’s recent surge in the USL Championship standings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Jul 15

    Former UNM assistant Scott Waterman excited for opportunity to build a winner at Highlands

    Scott Waterman’s life has been in boxes in recent years as he has followed coaching opportunities, but he’s hoping he’ll now be able to fully unpack and settle down for a while. The former University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball assistant coach was named the head coach of the program at New Mexico Highlands in late June and has been hard at work assembling a squad that can compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Waterman joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to talk about his coaching journey and why he was drawn to the opportunity in Las Vegas, N.M. Waterman first talks about building a winning program at Division II Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. He inherited a program that had never won more than 12 games and helped the team win 20-plus games in four straight seasons, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. The school decided to discontinue its intercollegiate sports programs at the end of the 2024-25 season, leaving Waterman looking for another job. He ended up joining Eric Olen’s staff at UNM last season as the Lobos made a deep run in the National Invitation Tournament. In the episode, Olen shares his thoughts on Waterman and what he brought to the Lobos’ program. Waterman discusses the differences between coaching at the Division I and Division II levels and offers some insight on how his roster is shaping up. 
In the second segment, the guys discuss quarterback situations at Santa Fe High and St. Michael’s, then about a change coming to high school baseball that could lead to an increase in offensive output. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Jul 7

    USMNT crashes out of World Cup; Will and James discuss NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule

    Eight matches remain in what's been a pretty thrilling World Cup as the cream of the crop national teams head into what’s sure to be a scintillating quarterfinal round, but the tournament is effectively over for Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron. The U.S. men’s national team is out and so are these two, who tune into soccer but once every four years. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, the guys express their frustration over the USMNT’s epic flame-out against Belgium in the Round of 16. They also chat about the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule and the quarterback situations for Santa Fe’s prep football teams. Will and James feel like they were played by the U.S. men’s national team, having their hopes raised during group play and a gutsy Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, only to have them dashed with a dud of a performance against Belgium. Will the U.S. ever be able to compete with the top-tier powers? Not with Matt Freese’s disasterclass of a clearance, old Tim Ream frozen in time on the back line and “Captain America” Christian Pulisic laying an egg on home soil. After venting, the guys chat a bit about American football and Capital quarterback Ace Bachicha, who is hoping to make his final season with the Jaguars a winning one. In the second segment, Will and James discuss the NCAA’s new five-year, aged-based eligibility rule and its potential impact on the college sports landscape. Will the rule hold up against litigation? Should all eligibility rules be thrown out the window and college athletes be able to play as many years as they want? The guys have some interesting thoughts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Jun 30

    Gripped by World Cup fever, Will and James have some gripes, plus discuss a new-look Mountain West

    Disregarding the world’s most popular sport for most of their days, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron can’t help but get caught up in the drama of the World Cup when it rolls around every four years. Will filled out his bracket for the knockout rounds on Sunday, and by Monday his pick to win it all (the Netherlands) was sent packing. Nevertheless, in the latest episode of “The Sports Den,” the guys feel a moral responsibility to fulfill their duty as sports pundits and spout off some takes. There’s too much flopping and flailing. Players should be able to use their hands. Are some of these teams even from real countries? The classic All-American gripes are on full display. In a short interview with University of New Mexico men’s basketball player Federico Grani last week, Will greeted the 6-foot-9 forward by prodding him about how his nation’s team — a four-time World Cup champion — hasn’t qualified for the tournament the last three cycles. Welcome to New Mexico, Federico! After an unprecedented full segment of soccer, the guys come out of the break talking about a new era for the Mountain West, which will look quite different this year. The Lobos should now be the big dogs of the conference, Will and James say. A trip to the College Football Playoff could eventually be in the cards, as odd as that sounds. With little else to talk about in this slow period for local sports, the guys bring up high school football, making some predictions about how the Santa Fe squads could look this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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About

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.   The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of The Santa Fe New Mexican.

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