Shows
Legends of the Cue100th Episode Show - Part 2 (The Stories That Built Cue Sports)In Part 2 of the Legends of the Cue 100th Episode Special, Mike Gonzalez, Allison Fisher, and Mark Wilson continue their celebration of the podcast’s first 100 episodes by focusing on what makes cue sports history so powerful: the stories, the storytellers, and the legacy they leave behind.The hosts reflect on some of the best storytellers to appear on the show, from Billy Incardona’s unforgettable road stories to Mitch Laurance’s journey through acting, broadcasting, and pool, and Mary Kenniston’s memories of Buddy Hall and the colorful characters of the g...
2026-06-1633 min
Legends of the Cue100th Episode Show - Part 1 (Preserving Pool History, One Story at a Time)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...
2026-06-1629 min
Legends of the CueMike Panozzo - Part 3 (Building Billiards Digest and Watching Pool Go Global)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...
2026-06-0934 min
Legends of the CueMike Panozzo - Part 2 (Minnesota Fats, Buddy Hall and The Color of Money Boom)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...
2026-06-0235 min
Legends of the CueJustin Bergman - Part 4 (Mosconi Memories and Unfinished Business)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...
2026-05-1231 min
Legends of the CueJustin Bergman - Part 3 (Doing It His Way)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...
2026-05-1230 min
Legends of the CueJustin Bergman - Part 2 (Action Rooms, Road Trips, and Junior Glory)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...
2026-05-0530 min
Legends of the CueJustin Bergman - Part 1 (The Making of the “Iceberg”)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...
2026-05-0529 min
Legends of the CueJohn Schmidt w/Bob Keller - Part 1 (The 820 Ball Run: Why He Came Back)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...
2026-04-2127 min
Legends of the CueShaun Murphy - Part 1 (Hardship, Hunger, and the First Magic)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...
2026-04-0732 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 1 (The Athlete, the Hustle, and Finding Pool)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...
2026-03-2435 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 4 (Hall of Fame, Family, and Life Beyond the Table)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...
2026-03-1729 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 3 (Hustle, Hurricanes, and a Hall of Fame Journey)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...
2026-03-1729 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 1 (The G-Force: From Austrian Foils to Pool Glory)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...
2026-03-1033 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 6 (A Life Well-Lived: Gratitude, Golf Getaways, and the Legacy of Mitch Laurance)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...
2026-03-0331 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 5 (From Hollywood to the Booth: Mitch Laurance, ESPN, and the Voices of Pool)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!”
2026-03-0329 min
Breaking Thru the NoiseEpisode 78 - A Conversation with Susan PackardToday is a very special episode as we share a fantastic conversation with a new/old friend. Our guest broke through the glass ceiling for women in network and cable television leadership and is now helping women break down barriers through strengthening their emotional fitness. Susan Packard was a co-founder of HGTV with six other men and served as its Chief Operating Officer overseeing its meteoric growth. Charla and Mark discuss how she has built on the work she did in the corporate sphere to be an author, speaker, and mentor helping women and college students live...
2026-03-0340 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 4 (“There’s Ladies Here”: Mitch Laurance on Ava’s Orbit, Instant Family, and Accidentally Becoming ESPN’s Voice)In Episode 4 of our six-part conversation with actor, producer, and longtime billiards broadcaster Mitch Laurance, the story turns on a single moment in Winston-Salem that changed everything.Mitch takes us back to 1990—sent to “go play pool” at a charity night during a golf event—only to find two tables… and two legends. On one side: Nick Varner. On the other: a Swedish star with “green laser eyes,” Ewa Mataya, already at the top of her game. Mitch hadn’t come looking for love, but one glance across the felt and the universe had other plans. What begins as trash...
2026-02-2429 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 3 (From Balboa to “Bula Vinaka Beachside”: Mitch Laurance on Golf, Great Actors, and the Freedom to Perform)In Part 3 of our multi-part life-story conversation with American film and television actor—and longtime sports broadcaster—Mitch Laurance, we detour through the worlds that shaped him long before pool took center stage.Mitch takes us back to Los Angeles in the 1980s, when a persistent friend talked him into an early-morning tee time at Balboa. What happened next surprised him: not instant love for golf, but total fascination. Here was a ball sitting still on the ground… and he couldn’t hit it. That maddening mystery became an obsession—fueling lessons, practice, and a deep dive...
2026-02-2432 minBreaking Thru the NoiseEpisode 77 - Ashes and PrayersThis episode was recorded the day before Ash Wednesday, 2026 or as it is listed on the church calendar, Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday if you are in New Orleans, LOL!). Mark and Charla talk about Ash Wednesday and their preparations for the Lenten Season. The discussion centers around the importance of intentional and consistent prayer during Lent as we see God working in our lives. Mark talks about his adoption during this season of Centering Prayer, a practice of silent prayer and solitude to hear God and rest in his presence. This is a great...
2026-02-1826 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 2 (From SNL to the Spotlight: Mitch Laurance’s Hollywood Twist )In Part 2 of our conversation with actor and sports broadcaster Mitch Laurance, Mitch takes us deeper into the improbable zigzags that turned a behind-the-scenes job at Saturday Night Live into a front-row seat to entertainment history—and ultimately, into a life on camera.Mitch starts where most origin stories don’t: as a production “gopher” in the early days of SNL, absorbing the chaos, the pressure, and the genius up close. But week by week, opportunity finds him. He becomes a researcher for the writers, hunts down film and music clips, calls cues from the control...
2026-02-1729 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 1 (From Queens to Studio 8H: Mitch Laurance’s Wild Turn Toward “Saturday Night Live”)In this opening chapter of our multi-part conversation, Mitch Laurance takes us all the way back—before the bright lights of television, before the broadcast booth, before the roles that made his career a near-constant highlight reel—back to a simpler time on the south shore of Long Island.Born in Queens and raised in Hewlett, Mitch shares what it really felt like growing up as an identical twin: the built-in best friend, the constant competition, the comfort of always having someone to throw a football to, run pass routes with, or battle one-on-one on the backyard hoop...
2026-02-1735 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 4 (The Win That Mattered Most—and the Life She Chose After Greatness)In the final chapter of our four-part life story with WPBA Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance, we land where legends are forged: on the road, under the lights, and in the moments that reveal what matters most.Ewa takes us inside a whirlwind era when she was traveling 260 days a year—tournaments, exhibitions, corporate events, and the kind of surreal TV appearances that can pull an athlete away from the very craft that made them famous. It’s a candid look at success: how it arrives fast, demands yes, and quietly reshapes prio...
2026-02-1032 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 3 (The Perfect Storm: Fame, the WPBA Boom & One More Run)In Part 3 of our four-part Legends of the Cue conversation with pool Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance, the “Striking Viking” hits the most turbulent—and transformative—stretch of her career.We rewind to 1990–91, the period Ewa calls her finest run: taking over World No. 1, stacking five tour titles, and earning Billiards Digest Player of the Year. But the wins came with weight. Newly divorced and raising her daughter as a single mom, Ewa describes the constant hustle—practice squeezed into basement sessions, tournaments with a child in tow, and...
2026-02-1033 minBreaking Thru the NoiseEpisode 76 - Does Your Church Have a Hub?Today’s show builds on the conversation from Episode 75 as Charla poses the question to Mark: what does a digital strategy look like for a normal church and how do they put it together? Mark answers with a streamlined strategy for the church website as a digital hub for sharing the Gospel and making disciples. They also discuss other digital platforms and the necessity for investing in our online tools to be the church in a digital culture. Resources mentioned in the Episode:Mark Wilson: mark@churchcmo.comChurchcmo.comBook a C...
2026-02-0333 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 2 (Bunnies, Breakthroughs, and the FBI Raid: Ewa Mataya Laurance Finds Her Fire)Part 2 picks up as Ewa Mataya Laurance—“The Striking Viking”—plants her feet in America with one goal: play pool, and nothing else. From home in Michigan to road trips with her friend Vicky Frechen (Paski), Ewa relives the hustle behind the highlight reels: waitressing shifts, a brief—and doomed—stint in an insurance office (“How did you get here?”), and even landing a job at a Playboy Club, learning the bunny dip while trying to run racks on a bumper-pool table in costume.But the real story is the turning points. Ewa opens up about becoming a young mother...
2026-02-0337 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 1 (The Striking Viking: Ewa Mataya Laurance’s Leap of Faith)In this first chapter of our four-part life-story series, we welcome one of the most captivating figures ever to pick up a cue: Pool Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance—the iconic “Striking Viking.” From her earliest days in Sweden, Ewa takes us back to a childhood defined by energy, independence, and a love of sport. She was a goalkeeper in soccer, a force on the basketball court, and—by her own admission—a “control freak” who quickly realized team sports couldn’t match her appetite for precision, responsibility, and self-determination.Then came the moment that changed eve...
2026-02-0337 min
Legends of the CueJerry Briesath - Part 4 (The Teacher’s Legacy: How Jerry Briesath Changed the Way the World Learns Pool)In the powerful final chapter of our four-part Legends of the Cue conversation with Jerry Briesath, we arrive at the heart of a life devoted not just to playing pool—but to teaching it, elevating it, and preserving its future.Widely regarded as the most influential instructor in billiards history, Jerry reflects on how the modern game has evolved—from the decline of nine-foot tables and the rise of technology, to the dramatic sophistication of safety play and break mechanics at the professional level. With the clarity that has defined his teaching career, he explains why...
2026-01-2725 min