Can Earl ever win it again?????????

[cueball1950]

Can Earl "THE PEARL" Strickland ever win the OPEN again???? My answer is yes. If Earl can keep his wits about himself and play his game only and not his opponents game i feel that he can go undefeated. So lets hear your opinion. And PLEASE, Don't use this thread to bash him. Just give your honest answer if so...why????? if not.....why not???? mike

[wahcheck]

I believe Earl's best years are behind him, and because of age, something is lost physically and mentally, which he had when he was younger....We all know that this game requires a proper state of mind, which I'm not sure Earl has any more............

[RiverCity]

Earl can definately win it again. Its not his age thats his problem, like many other people, he has had personal things hes been working out the past few years. That if anything is what has brought his mental game down.
Earl is probably one of the 3-5 most gifted 9 ball players of all time, in there with Buddy Hall, Wimpy Lassiter, Sigel, and of course Reyes. He can bring it all day long, he just has to make up his mind to do it.
Chuck

[Fleece3]

Definitely!!!!!!

Earl is without a doubt the greatest 9 Ball player EVER (I would give Efren the best all around pool player). All Earl has to do is MAINTAIN FOCUS!!. That does not mean that there won't be classic Earl moments, he just has to make sure that it doesn't take him out of his game. In any given match, I would NEVER feel comfortable betting AGAINST Earl.

[JustPlay]

Earl ever win again? Doubtful. Earl has never won a major tournament on Diamond tables (just a trival fact). As pointed out by other posters, Earl's mental state is a mess with no end in site. To bad KT hasn't offed him a "natural cure" for his crazy antics, maybe Tony Robbins should start a tour! Earl should take a year off from playing tournament pool and go on vacation. Unless he gets his mind straightened out, Earl will just be top competitor and not a champion....

[Snapshot9]

that Earl will not win anything because of his mindset. You don't talk your way into Championships, but rather just go about business on the table.
He is a great player, I just think he might be in the last 16 or 8, but can not close the deal anymore.

[juniorchamp_ktm]

maybe when he grows up.

[axejunkie]

I honestly don't think so. Every tournament he seems to suffer some sort of meltdown. As long as there are fans there to heckle him and players as talented as him, I just don't see it. I'd like to see him do it but just can't be optimistic, especially given his antics at the Open last year and his performance in the IPT.

[smashmouth]

"Earl ever win again? Doubtful. Earl has never won a major tournament on Diamond tables (just a trival fact)"

Maybe not, but he managed to string together an 11 pack for a million bucks!

Also, Earl is a beast, if anyone could ever benefit from a sports shrink.....

He clears his head, and the only person in the world who can beat him over the long haul is Efren, maybe.

[Perk]

I dont think he can win again. Too many matches against players with equal abilities that no longer fear him. He doesnt keep a strong mindset and IMO that will keep him from winning the Open again.

[ironman]

Maybe, if he would play like who he is instead of trying to play like who he was.

[quitecoolguy]

i have watched match after match of earl the pearl ...and with-out question..when he is on..there are very few on the plannet who can beat him..i truly think if his mindset was there and he just remembered why he started playing the game in the first place.."for the sheer love and thrill of the game". Heck yeah he could win it again... some of the sceptics that say he cant win again, are the same sceptics that said he could win it the third, fourth time as well...If george forman can win a heavy weight championship at his age then earl still has a command of his own destiny if he decides to make the effort and commitment. In my opinion of course

[Pinocchio]

It can work both ways:Don't let Earl get on cruise an use the crowd in his favor. Earl has many fans an they are very vocal. Many of the Filipino top guns missing surely Earl must be one of rhe favorites.


Pinocchio

[time_is_now]

Earl ever win again? Doubtful. Earl has never won a major tournament on Diamond tables (just a trival fact). As pointed out by other posters, Earl's mental state is a mess with no end in site. To bad KT hasn't offed him a "natural cure" for his crazy antics, maybe Tony Robbins should start a tour! Earl should take a year off from playing tournament pool and go on vacation. Unless he gets his mind straightened out, Earl will just be top competitor and not a champion....
he has never won a tourney on Diamonds???? wow....didn't know that....what is his best finish on diamonds? i don't think he will wil the US Open or an IPT event........not that his game isn't there but the competition is much stiffer with the IPT coming out...the IPT just brought more competition to a higher level and bottom line is people step it up to play guys that are *****s at the table.........who would u rather beat......a gentlemen or someone that is being an a dickhead so to speak?

[sniper]

I would have to say it is highly unlikely, but not out of the question because this year the talent is just a notch below last years Open (no Reyes, Manalo, or Hohmann) when he finished in fourth place. I would expect Earl to atleast be in the top 16, but unless he hits a gear and can by some act of god keep his cool I have a hard time seeing him in the winners circle.

[Omar]

Earl ever win again? Doubtful. Earl has never won a major tournament on Diamond tables (just a trival fact). As pointed out by other posters, Earl's mental state is a mess with no end in site. To bad KT hasn't offed him a "natural cure" for his crazy antics, maybe Tony Robbins should start a tour! Earl should take a year off from playing tournament pool and go on vacation. Unless he gets his mind straightened out, Earl will just be top competitor and not a champion....

I dunno. They played on pretty tough Diamonds last year and he finished fourth. Lost to Souquet and Bustamante, which is something not many people would need to make apologies for. Pounded Reyes the match before. So yeah, I think he could win another one. Once you get to the final eight it depends a lot on the rolls.

Something I would be interested in knowing is how many times has somebody won the U.S. Open from the B side? For example, Parica has made the finals twice in the last four or five years. That in itself is pretty impressive. Was Jeremy Jones in the hot seat when he won?

[Bola Ocho]

Not to turn this into an Earl thread, but someone mentioned Earl. I think he is gone crazy. At first, I thought it was an elaborate sharking technique to make people think he's that way to get an edge. That was the conspiracy theory side of me. Reality is, he's nutz.


But, I still think he's got enough stroke to win for a while. He's not an 8-ball player as the IPT has proven. But 9-ball is definately his game. He's a machine at it. No need to think, just gun balls in. If he's on, there's no one that can stop him.


So he's always a threat. But, does he still have the fire to win the U.S. Open? Dunno. I doubt he cares, he's done it so many times. The drive for the U.S. Open will be purely the money, whereas for other players, it is also for the title.

[Tommy-D]

> Earl certainly HAS won a signifigant tournament playing on Diamonds,the 1994 PBT World 9-Ball,beating Efren 9-2 or 9-3 in the live televised finals. I don't see how playing on a Diamond would affect him negatively,the table he used to have set up in the poolroom in Greensboro was a Diamond with obscenely tight pockets. Oddly enough,he said when I asked him that to him the perfect table would be an original Gold Crown I with 4" pockets.

> I'm CERTAIN that he is still capable of winning this or any other tournament. What concerns me is whether his mind will stay together long enough for him to do it physically. Tommy D.

[cueball1950]

> Earl certainly HAS won a signifigant tournament playing on Diamonds,the 1994 PBT World 9-Ball,beating Efren 9-2 or 9-3 in the live televised finals. I don't see how playing on a Diamond would affect him negatively,the table he used to have set up in the poolroom in Greensboro was a Diamond with obscenely tight pockets. Oddly enough,he said when I asked him that to him the perfect table would be an original Gold Crown I with 4" pockets.

> I'm CERTAIN that he is still capable of winning this or any other tournament. What concerns me is whether his mind will stay together long enough for him to do it physically. Tommy D.

I love that quote from Steve Prefontaine.... i have watched that movie 3 or 4 times in the last couple of weeks on 1 of the HBO channels.....mike

[seether]

Earl ever win again? Doubtful. Earl has never won a major tournament on Diamond tables (just a trival fact). As pointed out by other posters, Earl's mental state is a mess with no end in site. To bad KT hasn't offed him a "natural cure" for his crazy antics, maybe Tony Robbins should start a tour! Earl should take a year off from playing tournament pool and go on vacation. Unless he gets his mind straightened out, Earl will just be top competitor and not a champion....
I hope that Earl Strickland can win it and get it back and age doesnot matter.

[alinco]

Earl wasn't particulary impressive at the US Open Warm-up last weekend. Of course it could be tough to turn it on for a warm-up.

Andy

[JustPlay]

> Earl certainly HAS won a signifigant tournament playing on Diamonds,the 1994 PBT World 9-Ball,beating Efren 9-2 or 9-3 in the live televised finals. I don't see how playing on a Diamond would affect him negatively,the table he used to have set up in the poolroom in Greensboro was a Diamond with obscenely tight pockets. Oddly enough,he said when I asked him that to him the perfect table would be an original Gold Crown I with 4" pockets.

> I'm CERTAIN that he is still capable of winning this or any other tournament. What concerns me is whether his mind will stay together long enough for him to do it physically. Tommy D.


I was just point out a trival tidbit about diamond tables vs stickland wins on them (now the main table in most events). Thanks for point out the 1994 event. It would be a dismal event (for most of the players) if Earl can keep his focus and concentration on playing his best. Earl needs to win...

[Klopek]

I don't think so. Earl still possesses a very powerful game, but mentally, he just isn't that consistent any more. He appears to he bored or frustrated with his game and not having a major win in a few years might have chipped away at his confidence level. Opponents have figured him out and they simply ignore his sharking antics. He just doesn't get under his opponents skin like he once did. However, Earl gets himself so riled up that he throws his own game off. (I'm thinking of his match against Kuo Po Cheng in particular).

[Rick S.]

> The table he used to have set up in the poolroom in Greensboro was a Diamond with obscenely tight pockets. Tommy D.

If your referring to Breaker's (Quaker Village shopping center) On Friendly Ave. That's where he always played...

It wasn't a Diamond...it was a Gold Crown.

Earl can play on any table. If it's got balls, he can play on it. Sure enough, he's more at home on the Brunswick's. Don't count him out....The U.S. Open seems to bring the best out of him, ALWAYS.

30 second shot clock, and TIGHT (4 Inch) pockets....He's the champ everytime.

If Behrman controls the crowd, (REMOVE hecklers!) he has a great chance of snapping it off once again.

Won his first match 11-ZIP, just might be a good sign?

GO Earl!

Rick S.

[jjollie]

In my opinion...yes!!!! Earl is the best shotmaker alive. If he could get his head together he would be a elephant walking over every player. I have be watching Earl for 25 years and still enjoy his play. I don't like his ways but I love his game.

[cuetechasaurus]

For those of you who got to see Earl since he first turned pro, has Earl always had this type of attitude when he plays? Or did it develop around a particular time? Any well known stories about him from the 70's or 80's?

[Omar]

In my opinion...yes!!!! Earl is the best shotmaker alive. If he could get his head together he would be a elephant walking over every player. I have be watching Earl for 25 years and still enjoy his play. I don't like his ways but I love his game.

You are not the only person with that opinion. The year that Troy Frank won the Valley Forge tournament I was sitting in the stands with Frankie Hernandez and Jose Garcia directly behind me, so I got to eavesdrop on their conversation. When Earl came out and started practising on the table directly in front of us, Frankie made the comment "Nobody pockets like Earl".

We all know Earl can play. It's a question of whether he can keep his head together. Sometimes his behaviour is baffling. I watched his A side match with Souquet last year. He jarred a ball in the side pocket around the third game and pouted for the rest of the match. He sat in his chair acting like he was sleeping, trying to send a message to the crowd about how slow Ralph was playing.

I didn't notice Ralph playing slowly that night, he just plain kicked Earl's butt. To be fair, Ralph's previous round match with P.J. Mascicutt the next day was dragging on the entire time Earl was playing Effren. Must have been close to three hours, if not longer.

[jimmy-leggs]

he is done,i think he is gone mental.to be honest with you ,i think he is losing his mind.the antics he has shown of late just baffles me.oh well there is enough young exiting young players coming up in the ranks.future looks great.cant wait to see him freakout on the lag soon .lol.that would be funny.maybe its that 70,s hairdo or those 70,s cardigan sweaters he wears lol. oh earl, take some vallium,might get some class back.

[worriedbeef]

he definitely CAN win the open again, and i THINK he has the desire and motivation to. And i really hope he wins it - he's the greatest 9-ball player ever in my opinion, but what really sets him apart is the WAY he plays the game. there are four or five other players you could make a case for as possibly being as good as or maybe better, but is there anyone that plays the game so beautifully?

his pace, his stroke, his style of play, - if ever i want to get myself fired up to play some pool I watch Earl. If i could for a day have one players game and borrow it, i'd take his. He's the most inspirational player ever and i'm backing him all the way.

With a bit of luck his first match is a sign of things to come!

[Rick S.]

he definitely CAN win the open again, and i THINK he has the desire and motivation to. And i really hope he wins it - he's the greatest 9-ball player ever in my opinion, but what really sets him apart is the WAY he plays the game. there are four or five other players you could make a case for as possibly being as good as or maybe better, but is there anyone that plays the game so beautifully?

his pace, his stroke, his style of play, - if ever i want to get myself fired up to play some pool I watch Earl. If i could for a day have one players game and borrow it, i'd take his. He's the most inspirational player ever and i'm backing him all the way.

With a bit of luck his first match is a sign of things to come!


You can say that again....

I used to sit and watch him for hours. No purer stroke to be found on this planet, anyway. NO hesitation, just fire it in...no problem.

There is only ONE Earl...... Man........ is he fun to watch when he's on.

Bring it home.....for the SIXTH time!

Rick S.