Legends of the Cue

In this special milestone episode of Legends of the Cue, co-hosts Mike Gonzalez, Allison Fisher, and Mark Wilson look back on the first 100 episodes of their podcast and reflect on how a simple idea became a growing oral history of cue sports.

What began as a conversation after a pool clinic evolved into a mission: to preserve the voices, memories, struggles, triumphs, and personalities of the greatest players and influencers in pool, billiards, snooker, and cue sports history. Allison and Mark share what they hoped the podcast might become, while Mike reflects on...

In the final part of our Legends of the Cue conversation with Mike Panozzo, we turn to history, legacy, media, governance and the future of professional pool. After more than four decades at Billiards Digest Magazine, Mike has not only reported on cue sports — he has helped preserve its record, recognize its legends and frame many of the sport’s most important debates.

Mike discusses his work with the Billiard Congress of America, the BCA Hall of Fame, and the United States Billiard Media Association. He humbly refl...

In Part 3 of our Legends of the Cue interview with Mike Panozzo, the story moves from covering the game to owning one of its most important publications. By the mid-1990s, Mike and Keith Hamilton had purchased Billiards Digest Magazine, giving Mike the chance to devote himself fully to the sport he had spent years chronicling.

This episode explores what it meant to become publisher, how the magazine grew, and how Billiards Digest tried to serve players, fans, room owners, manufacturers and the broader billiard industry. Mike discusses the changing business of print...

In Part 2 of our interview with Mike Panozzo, Legends of the Cue steps into the pool world of the early 1980s — a time when the billiard industry was struggling, professional pool was still searching for stability, and a young journalist from Chicago was learning the game one tournament, one poolroom and one unforgettable character at a time.

Mike describes what Billiards Digest Magazine looked like in 1980: a small, mostly black-and-white, bi-monthly publication covering tournaments, players, room owners, retailers and manufacturers. He recalls how the industry operated, how closely bowling and billiards were once co...

In Part 1 of our conversation with Mike Panozzo, longtime Owner and Publisher of Billiards Digest Magazine, Legends of the Cue goes back to the beginning of one of cue sports’ most important storytellers.

Mike grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a close-knit Italian-American family, surrounded by relatives, neighborhood traditions, Catholic school discipline and the unmistakable rhythm of Chicago sports culture. Long before he became one of pool’s most trusted voices, Mike was a kid racing his brothers to the morning sports page, reading every word of Sports Illustrated, and drea...

Part 4 brings our remarkable conversation with George Ashby to a thoughtful and deeply satisfying close. In this final episode, George reflects on the later chapters of his billiard life: returning to the game, staying connected to three-cushion, remembering the great players and rooms of the past, and considering what it all meant.

There is something especially moving in hearing a master look back. George speaks with humility, humor, and honesty about still playing, still thinking about the game, and still carrying with him the lessons learned from a lifetime in cue sports. He shares memories of legendary...

In Part 3, George Ashby takes us deeper into the realities of life at the top of three-cushion billiards — and the very human struggles that can come with it. This chapter of his story spans world championships, national titles, international travel, equipment changes, and the demands of balancing billiards with the responsibilities of owning and operating a family business.

George recalls the shock of his first world championship appearances, where the conditions, equipment, lighting, pace of play, and level of competition were unlike anything he had known in the Midwest. He talks about adapting on the fly, learning fr...

Part 2 of our conversation with George Ashby moves from the room to the arena, as George takes us inside the thought process, discipline, and competitive fire required to become a world-class three-cushion player. This is the episode where the game opens up. George explains the importance of scoring average, position play, shot selection, and concentration, giving listeners a rare window into what elite three-cushion really looks like from the player’s chair.

Along the way, he reflects on high runs, the satisfaction of controlled scoring, and the moment he realized that offense — not merely defense — would be the fu...

In Part 1 of our conversation with three-cushion billiard great George Ashby, we begin where all great cue sport stories begin: in the room. For George, that room was Drexel Billiards in Jacksonville, Illinois, the family business his father purchased after leaving the grocery trade. What followed was an upbringing unlike any other — washing glasses in the restaurant as a child, dragging an orange crate around the tables so he could stand high enough to play, and absorbing the culture of pool and billiards from the players who came through town.

This episode is a vivid journey into a...

The final episode brings Justin Bergman’s story onto pool’s biggest stage. Here the focus turns fully to the Mosconi Cup years: the pressure, the personalities, the preparation, the heartbreak, the joy, and the chaos that can only happen when elite pool collides with a made-for-TV team event. Justin talks about the differences between his various Mosconi experiences, including the early years in Blackpool and the later appearance on a winning American side in Las Vegas. He reflects on what it meant to finally be part of a U.S. team that beat Europe, and why that experience rema...

In Part 3, Justin Bergman opens up about something that has defined his entire career: he has never wanted to live like everybody else. Justin talks candidly about why pool appealed to him not just as a game, but as a way of life — a life outside the routines, schedules, and expectations that so many people accept without question. That independent streak helps explain both the brilliance of his career and the unusual path he chose through it. Rather than chase every tournament on the calendar, Justin reflects on why he preferred being home, why nonstop travel wore on him, an...

Part 2 follows Justin Bergman from gifted young player to feared road man, and it is packed with the kind of stories pool fans love. Justin talks about the pros and great players who passed through his orbit while he was still a kid, including Efren Reyes and other international stars who came through Mark Wilson’s room. He explains the way he really learned to practice — not through endless drills, but by throwing out all 15 balls and playing rotation, a method he still trusts today. The conversation also opens into a broader appreciation of cue-sport genius, with great discussion abou...

In this first installment with American pool star Justin Bergman, we go all the way back to the beginning. Justin shares what it was like growing up in Fairview Heights, Illinois, just outside St. Louis, in a family where pool quickly became more than just a pastime. He talks about learning the game through his father and uncle, getting his first real table at home, and falling so deeply in love with pool that it soon crowded out baseball, basketball, and just about everything else.

This episode also shines a light on the early bond between Justin...

The final episode brings the drama home. With the number climbing, the pressure building, and history within reach, John Schmidt and Bob Keller take us through the closing stages of the 820 run and the decisions that still linger in the mind afterward. This is where the discussion turns to the final racks, the unconventional moments, the nerve required to keep going, and the emotional reality of coming so close to even bigger numbers. John reflects on the shots he would and would not choose in match play, the calm that comes from having lived in these positions before, and...

In part four, the series shifts into the pure mechanics of greatness. This is where John Schmidt and Bob Keller begin unpacking the actual run in a way straight pool lovers will savor. They discuss break balls, key balls, rack patterns, cue-ball precision, manufacturing insurance balls, and the many little recovery shots that separate a big run from a broken one. What becomes clear very quickly is that 820 was not a clean, carefree stroll. It was a living, breathing puzzle solved one rack at a time by a player with extraordinary knowledge of the game.

John makes...

Part three gets inside John Schmidt’s head, and it may be the most revealing episode of the series. John talks candidly about self-doubt, aging, criticism, pride, and the internal switch he flips when it is time to chase a giant number. He explains that for him, straight pool is no longer about trying harder or focusing harder. It is about seeing the game so clearly that entire racks begin to unfold almost automatically. Bob Keller confirms that point in unforgettable fashion, saying there are only a few players he has ever seen who can read a rack at th...

What does it really take to run 820 balls? In part two, John Schmidt and Bob Keller pull back the curtain on the conditions, equipment, routines, and tiny details that made this historic straight pool run possible. This is the laboratory episode. John walks us through the Gold Crown table, legal five-inch pockets, Simonis cloth, Predator Arcos balls, modern chalk, donut rings, polished balls, fatigue mats, Hoka shoes, and even the nutritional routine that helped him feel stronger and fresher than he expected. He makes it clear that in a high-run attempt, nothing is random. Every edge matters.

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On this special five-part series of Legends of the Cue, we welcome straight pool great John Schmidt back to the show after his stunning 820-ball run, with Bob Keller joining us as the man behind the camera, the rack, and the support system that helped make it happen. In this opening episode, John explains why this run almost never happened at all. After the emotional weight of his 626, the backlash that followed, and Jayson Shaw’s run past his number, John says there were many days he wished he had never played straight pool in the first place. Then ca...

In the final installment of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story turns deeply personal, powerfully honest, and wonderfully reflective. This is the chapter where victories, setbacks, self-doubt, and resilience all come into sharper focus as Shaun looks back on what it meant to validate that unforgettable first world title — and what it has cost, and taught, him to keep chasing greatness ever since.

Shaun speaks candidly about the pressure of avoiding the “one-hit wonder” label, the imposter syndrome that lingered long after his biggest breakthrough, and the relief that came with proving to himsel...

In Part 4 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story reaches one of its most dramatic and defining chapters: the 2005 World Championship. Shaun takes us inside the moment his career—and his life—changed forever, from the brink of walking away from the game to lifting the sport’s biggest trophy just weeks later. It is an extraordinary account of doubt, resilience, timing, and belief, made even more powerful by the role his mother played in convincing him to take one last chance.

Shaun vividly relives that unforgettable run at the Crucible, from qualifying and be...

In Part 3 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story moves into the years when talent had to become a profession and ambition had to survive reality. Shaun reflects on the early certainty that snooker was never simply a dream, but the only plan. There was no fallback, no second option, and no diluted ambition. From the time he made his first century as a boy, he believed this would be his life.

This episode explores the difficult transition from gifted junior to hardened professional, and Shaun speaks with refreshing honesty about how unprepared...

In Part 2 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story moves from raw ability to the disciplined framework that helped shape one of the game’s true champions. This episode offers a revealing look at the system behind Shaun’s early development, as he reflects on the rigorous, highly structured approach created by his father — a man with no background in cue sports, but a remarkable instinct for preparation, accountability, and performance. Monthly goals, honest self-assessment, and a relentless focus on improvement became the foundation for Shaun’s rise.

But this chapter is about far more...

In this first installment of our five-part conversation with Shaun Murphy, the snooker great takes us back to the beginning and opens up about the difficult early years that shaped both the man and the champion. Long before becoming a World Champion and one of snooker’s elite Triple Crown winners, Shaun was a young boy whose family life changed dramatically after financial collapse turned comfort into uncertainty almost overnight. What followed was hardship, hustle, and a growing realization that snooker might become far more than a pastime.

Shaun recalls the family’s struggle after his father left...

In the final chapter of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the story comes full circle. Mary reflects on the closing years of her competitive career, the health battle that changed everything, and the determination that carried her back to the table playing better, in some ways, than ever before.

With candor, wit, and hard-earned perspective, Mary shares how she rebuilt her game after serious illness, teaching herself how to swing her arm again, refining her fundamentals, and discovering new ways to aim that she wishes she’d known from the beginning. She lo...

In Episode 6 of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the story moves from championship pool to one of the most beloved rooms in the game’s history—and then to a life-altering challenge that few champions ever face.

Mary reflects on the late 1980s, when she stepped away from the tour at the height of her powers to open Cue-Topia in Las Vegas. What began simply as a place for players to gather soon became something legendary. Inspired by a Philadelphia poolroom whose walls were covered with snapshots of the...

In Part 5 of the Legends of the Cue conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road stories, rivalries, and tournament triumphs keep coming.

Mary takes listeners back to the mid-1980s pool scene in Los Angeles, where action, personalities, and opportunity collided in smoky poolrooms and late-night gambling sessions. From becoming the house pro at a bustling barroom to matching up with future stars like Kelly Simpson (later Kelly Oyama), Mary recounts the hustling culture that helped sharpen her competitive edge.

The conversation moves through legendary rooms like Hollywood Billiards, where Mary found...

In Part 4 of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road keeps rolling and the stories keep getting better.

Mary takes us deep into the action-heavy pool world of the early 1980s, from Houston to Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. With her trademark honesty and sharp wit, she recalls the thrill of finding games, protecting her cover, and learning how to survive in a world where toughness, timing, and table smarts meant everything. Whether she was matching up in smoky poolrooms, drawing crowds on bar tables in Southern California...

In Part 3 of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the stories get even richer as she takes us deeper into pool’s road era—when instinct, nerve, and a well-kept spot book could mean the difference between surviving and going broke.

Mary shares her unforgettable friendship with the late Grady Mathews, from first meeting him in New Jersey to their daily phone calls during his final illness. Along the way, she paints a vivid portrait of Grady’s charm, intelligence, and larger-than-life presence, while Allison Fisher adds her own memories of traveling with “The Professo...

In Part 2 of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road opens up and the stories get even better.

Mary takes us back to the years just after college, when shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, and supermarket checkout speed hardly seemed like preparation for life in pool — yet all of it formed the determined, sharp-witted competitor she would become. From the earliest days of the women’s game in the Northeast, she recalls a time before a true professional tour existed, when players piled into cars, shared rooms, and relied on the generosity of room...

In this first installment of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, we begin at the beginning—Long Island roots, a fiercely competitive childhood, and the natural athletic gifts that made her a standout long before she ever picked up a cue.

Mary takes us back to growing up in Suffolk County, where sports came as naturally as breathing. A tall, fearless tomboy with a sharp mind and a gift for competition, she excelled in nearly everything she tried—basketball, softball, field hockey, track, and more. She earned a basketball scholarship at a time...

In the final installment of this four-part conversation on Legends of the Cue, Austrian Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson reflects on the closing chapters of her competitive career and the deeply personal choices that shaped the life that followed. Joined by Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson, and Mike Gonzalez, Gerda looks back on more European and Austrian titles, her 2009 straight pool success, and her final professional victory at the 2010 San Diego Classic.

This episode goes far beyond the scoreline. Gerda opens up about the mental side of championship pool, from learning to quiet the...

In Part 3 of our four-part conversation with Austrian Pool Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson, the stories are as rich as the accomplishments. Gerda joins Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson, and Mike Gonzalez for a candid and often hilarious look back at one of the most memorable stretches of her career—when world-class pool, relentless practice, international travel, and lifelong friendships all came together.

Gerda reflects on the challenge of balancing instinct with technique, and how exposure to Allison Fisher’s exacting approach to cueing and mechanics changed the way players across the sport thought abou...

In Part 2 of our four-part conversation with Austrian Pool Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson, Gerda’s story takes a bold turn—across an ocean, into the spotlight, and straight onto the American tour.

Gerda recounts how a perfectly-timed connection through Jan and the legendary Ewa Mataya Laurance opened the door to her first U.S. events in early 1993. The original plan was simple: come over, play three tournaments, stay with Ewa in between, then go home. But pool had other plans. With “zero pressure” and a completely carefree mindset, Gerda shocks everyone...

In Part 1 of our four-part conversation, we welcome the unstoppable “G-Force”—Austrian legend Gerda Hofstätter-Gregerson—for a deep dive into the roots of a world-class competitor. Before she became a trailblazer in women’s professional pool and a WPBA & BCA Hall of Famer, Gerda was a fierce, fast-rising athlete from a small Austrian town, growing up in a bustling household with three sisters, two grandmothers, and a father who was dramatically outnumbered—but quietly influential.

Gerda takes us back to an outdoorsy childhood shaped by sport, work, and family. From helping in he...

In this moving final chapter of our six-part Legends of the Cue conversation, Mitch Laurance brings his remarkable journey full circle—through gratitude, reflection, and the relationships that have shaped a life squeezed for every ounce of meaning.

Before we leave the world of pool, Mitch turns his attention to the people beside him—Allison Fisher and Mark Wilson—offering heartfelt thanks for what they’ve given the game and the players who love it. What follows is an unforgettable exchange of memories and admiration, including Allison’s vivid recollection of her early U.S. breakthrough and those “wel...

In Episode 5 of our six-part life-story series with Mitch Laurance, we pick up where his improbable second act really takes flight—behind the microphone, on the biggest stage pool had at the time: ESPN. Mitch takes us back to that first broadcast, when pool commentary was still being figured out in real time… and he was, too. With the opening and closing done live and much of the commentary recorded in post, Mitch describes the surreal learning curve of watching a match like a fan—only to hear a director in his headset reminding him, “Mitch, you have to talk!”<...