I’m thinking Michael Panozzo might be working on an upcoming piece for the next issue of Billiards Digest, and I’d venture a guess that Captain Johan could very well be on the cover.
I’ve been enjoying the Window's Open/Doggin' It podcasts for a long while. They’ve been a great way to stay plugged into pool news worldwide, and I’ve learned a lot more about the players themselves than I ever expected.
From the perspective of someone who transcribes spoken content for a living, including interviews, I’ve got to say Mike Molina is a pro. He knows how to keep a conversation flowing naturally, when to step in, and when to let things breathe. The back-and-forth between the two Mikes makes it an easy and genuinely fun listen.
I also find myself agreeing with Molina Mike’s concerns about how the WNT communicates at times. Whether it’s intentional British humor or something else, there are moments where the messaging comes off as vague or even a bit dismissive. At least for me, that feeling first showed up around the brief, cryptic one-sentence announcement that Joshua Filler wouldn’t be competing in the Mosconi Cup after changing tournament plans. From a player’s standpoint, especially as an independent contractor without salary or benefits, that kind of flexibility makes sense career-wise. And now, of course, he’s back in the mix, with the cyberbullying in the rearview mirror. He handled it a lot better than most.