Earl Strickland

SpiderWebComm

SpiderWebComm

HelpImBeingOppressed
Silver Member
With all the different Earl exhibition threads, I thought I'd post a positive thread on here about the guy. I know some people don't like him because of his antics; however, let's look at him as a pool player. I highly doubt anyone will win as many world 9-ball championships and U.S. Opens as this guy.

Of all the pros I've sweated, no one ever ran out so perfectly and FAST. Yeah, Buddy's runs out perfectly, smooth...but slow. Not knocking slow - just saying Earl has a level of energy and excitement no one else has.

I think genius is sometimes paired with weirdness. After all, everyone on this board would push an old lady off a grand canyon cliff for an original Van Gogh painting which is about priceless and that guy cut off his own ear (some say over a hooker - go figure).

Earl might have his demons, but the way I see it --- the guy's a 9ball wizard super-genius... even if he's only a shadow of what he once was. What he once was... was something special... a high-caliber pool-shooting machine that no one wanted to draw in a major event.

Regardless of how he acts, that's part of who he is -- much of it he probably can't control. The same way I don't fault my bipolar mother for weird stuff she does - I don't fault Earl.

If anything, I feel like I'm rooting for Yosemite Sam in a room full of Bugs Bunnies.... except Yosemite Sam's bullets actually hit their intended target!

GO EARL!
 
i agree. love him or hate him, but you have to respect his accomplishments...5 u.s. open titles will never be beaten.
 
Earl is a perfect example of the fine line between genius and insanity...

I have an Accu-Stat match with Earl and Steve Mizerack, in the finals of one of the Sands events, race to 15. Both players were playing flawlessly, and the score was tied at 8 games apiece. Earl broke in game #17, and ran out the set. :D

Who else does sh*t like that?
 
You can respect a persons abilities and accomplishments, but not respect the person.

Choose your role models and hero's carefully.
 
jason said:
You can respect a persons abilities and accomplishments, but not respect the person.

Choose your role models and hero's carefully.
Click to expand...

I do - Earl's def my pool role model. Is Alex Higgins a role model for many snooker players? I'd think so.

Ya know, I know Earl doesn't act normally but to knock him because he's a little out of control is to knock a wheelchair guy for not running in a race - it's out of his control. Or, to knock a tourettes person for screaming out loud if he/she is in a restaurant.

I've read elsewhere that Earl is quoted as saying he's now on some meds to help him out. Earl's a GREAT person.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
I do - Earl's def my pool role model. Is Alex Higgins a role model for many snooker players? I'd think so.

Ya know, I know Earl doesn't act normally but to knock him because he's a little out of control is to knock a wheelchair guy for not running in a race - it's out of his control. Or, to knock a tourettes person for screaming out loud if he/she is in a restaurant.

I've read elsewhere that Earl is quoted as saying he's now on some meds to help him out. Earl's a GREAT person.
Click to expand...

And your posts about Earl show that you are a compassionate and understanding person.

Earl has some responsibilities to himself, his fans and pool in general and I would like to see him doing his best to maintain those responsibilities and I'm not talking about winning.

FTR, I agree with practically everything you said about Earl.

My sister is bi-polar, has bouts of depression and has many manic episodes that have sent her three husbands (former) scrambling for tranquility. :D

JoeyA
 
Good post Dave. Yeah, Earl goes off at times. He's been nothing but a gentleman in the few times I've been around him. Hard to really understand the "whats or whys" when he does go off. I like your analogy Dave with genius and eccentricity, I've seen it many times. He's a firey son of a gun! Eccentric? Umm, yup. Here's a shot from last night's exhibition and challenge. Who else plays with a tape factory on him along with a tennis grip taped onto a cue?

I'm going to post more pic's later in the "Watch AZBers walk the plank vs Earl" thread I started yesterday.

I spoke with him last night about getting lessons from him and he was receptive. I've never had a one on one lesson before and I'm confident he could make me grow a ball fairly easy. :eek:

Ohhh, I'm going to add another pic here. Anyone know the guy, Pedro, on the right? A new poster here, Wayne "fat Albert" Smith, intro'd me to him last night. Said he took down Wade Crane and the Miz in his day. He was a super fine guy last night. Very complimentary of my game, even bought me a beer. I was honored. I'd like to know more about him if anyone knows. Thanks ya'll.

The galdiator preps for battle vs KK9

Earl taping up, doc.jpg

Wayne and Pedro

Wayne & Pedro, doc.jpg
 
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I like Earl, great player and entertaining.

I had to laugh last night, I was watching a straight pool match between Efren and Rempe from 1995, Grady and DiLiberto commenting. Earl was playing on another table and at one point in the match you can hear Earl yelling about something, Rempe quit playing and Grady who was the tournament director left the booth to get Earl calmed down.

Both Earl and Efren, neither of them 14.1 players, ran over 100 balls at the same time on different tables.
 
The first time i met Earl was in Vegas at a Camel tour tournament. I was sitting VIP and picked a spot right behind him. We talked for a good 30mins before the match started(he started the conversation), him mostly boasting about his pool career. Although he did ask about how my team was doing in the APA deal and what not.

After the match was over he tossed me a towel that he had used for the match and outside i asked him to sign it. Then i bought him a beer and talked some more.
 
Earl is a player that people love to watch play whether they like him or hate him and he always draws one of the biggest crowds at the US Open. I've been a fan of Earl's for many years and when he's on and into the match he's as good as it gets playing 9 Ball.

James
 
SpiderWebComm said:
With all the different Earl exhibition threads, I thought I'd post a positive thread on here about the guy. I know some people don't like him because of his antics; however, let's look at him as a pool player. I highly doubt anyone will win as many world 9-ball championships and U.S. Opens as this guy.

Of all the pros I've sweated, no one ever ran out so perfectly and FAST. Yeah, Buddy's runs out perfectly, smooth...but slow. Not knocking slow - just saying Earl has a level of energy and excitement no one else has.

I think genius is sometimes paired with weirdness. After all, everyone on this board would push an old lady off a grand canyon cliff for an original Van Gogh painting which is about priceless and that guy cut off his own ear (some say over a hooker - go figure).

...... the guy's a 9ball wizard super-genius... even if he's only a shadow of what he once was. What he once was... was something special... a high-caliber pool-shooting machine that no one wanted to draw in a major event.

Regardless of how he acts, that's part of who he is -- much of it he probably can't control. The same way I don't fault my bipolar mother for weird stuff she does - I don't fault Earl.

If anything, I feel like I'm rooting for Yosemite Sam in a room full of Bugs Bunnies.... except Yosemite Sam's bullets actually hit their intended target!

GO EARL!
Click to expand...



I agree with everything you've said and would like to add this. Earl Strickland is the greatest tournament 9 baller to have ever played. His 5 U.S. Open Championships as well as his 6 World 9 Ball Championships will, in all probability, never be equaled. And he never just squeeked by....he steam-rolled, especially in the finals.

Back to those majors he's accumulated.....Luther Lassiter is also a 6 time World 9 ball Champion, however, the U.S. Open as we know it know began in 1976, well past Wimpy's best days. Mike Sigel has 3 U.S. Open titles as well as 5 World 9 Ball Championships. Buddy Hall has 2 U.S. Open's and 3 World 9 ball Championships. Allen Hopkins has 2 U.S. Open's and 2 World 9 Ball Championships. Nick Varner has 2 (back to back) U.S. Open's and 3 World 9 ball Championships. Johnny Archer has 1 U.S. Open title and has 4 World 9 Ball Championships. And as great a champion as Efren Reyes is, he only has 1 U.S. Open Championship and 1 World 9 Ball Championship. (His real forte was 8 ball and Rotation, as well as his unsurpassed all-around skills)

Of the active players who are still in their prime, Ralf Souquet has 1 U.S. Open and 1 World 9 Ball Championship, the same as Alex Pagulayan and Immonen. So Shane, John Schmidt, Ronnie Alcano, Chia-Ching Wu, Thorsten Hohmann and company still have to each win 10 World 9 Ball Championships and U.S. Opens combined (each) to reach where Earl already is as far as tournament 9 ball goes.

A nice argument could be made to also include the DCC 9 Ball and the BCA Open 9 ball Championships as "majors" as well, but I personally believe they are on a second tier below the aforementioned U.S. Open and WPC's, which hold more prestige in pooldom.

Again, Earl is undisputedly the greatest tournament 9 baller of all time.
A good question / debate could be who do you think has the best chance of ever catching up with his credentials?
 
SpiderWebComm said:
With all the different Earl exhibition threads, I thought I'd post a positive thread on here about the guy. I know some people don't like him because of his antics; however, let's look at him as a pool player. I highly doubt anyone will win as many world 9-ball championships and U.S. Opens as this guy.

Of all the pros I've sweated, no one ever ran out so perfectly and FAST. Yeah, Buddy's runs out perfectly, smooth...but slow. Not knocking slow - just saying Earl has a level of energy and excitement no one else has.

I think genius is sometimes paired with weirdness. After all, everyone on this board would push an old lady off a grand canyon cliff for an original Van Gogh painting which is about priceless and that guy cut off his own ear (some say over a hooker - go figure).

Earl might have his demons, but the way I see it --- the guy's a 9ball wizard super-genius... even if he's only a shadow of what he once was. What he once was... was something special... a high-caliber pool-shooting machine that no one wanted to draw in a major event.

Regardless of how he acts, that's part of who he is -- much of it he probably can't control. The same way I don't fault my bipolar mother for weird stuff she does - I don't fault Earl.

If anything, I feel like I'm rooting for Yosemite Sam in a room full of Bugs Bunnies.... except Yosemite Sam's bullets actually hit their intended target!

GO EARL!
Click to expand...


He is, indeed, something to watch. Awesome when he is on! BTW, there is a widely accepted theory, that Gaugin actually sliced off Van Gogh's ear, when the two of them were fighting over a woman.
 
Earl may be a bit off, possibly bi-polar, but I don't think I've seen anybody stroke a ball the way he does. That man can play and at times he can even verbalize some pretty wicked stuff about pool.
 
The only person I enjoy sitting behind and being a cornerman more than Earl is Mike Sigel.

My fondest memories of major events somehow involve sitting shotgun to one of these players. The HARDEST part is holding back uncontrollable laughter in the midst of a momentum swing in either direction when they come back to their chair. Inevitably, you reply with "yes," "no doubt," "you're right," "he IS lucky," or the infamous "shouldn't this guy have to qualify in something to even play you in this event!?" That last one always gets the chirping started with either Earl or Mike.

If I wanted Nicklaus-like concentration and bear-down, I always like to sit behind Hopkins.
 
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