Strictly from the perspective of a fan, I want to see Earl on the team before anyone else.
Yeah, he's volatile and unpredictable and he can be a jerk, but he brings personality to the game (how you feel about that personality is your own affair).
NEVER was tennis more popular than when John McEnroe was in his heyday- did people love him personally? Some did, many didn't, but EVERYBODY watched his matches- he brought a whole generation to their television sets on week-ends (I used to watch him, and I was never a fan before he started playing), and many of them took up the game.
Like McEnroe, Earl is a polarizing figure- love him or hate him (I love to watch him play) he brings interest and coverage to the sport (and, since he has the skills to back up his antics, that's not necessarily a bad thing)- anything that increases viewership and interest in pool is, in the end, good for everybody- the robot-like play of many Asian players is pretty tough to watch at times as it's boring (even though the quality approaches perfection occasionally) and doesn't make you really want to get into the poolroom- Earl makes you feel like picking up a cue and learning the game.
The times I have had Earl on a live stream the viewers have doubled ,even
tripled .Of course that is just a spectator/live streamers view, I'm sure in John's
case it's a whole other ordeal to be on the same team and have to deal with it .
If they want fans interest to watch something that might be unpredictable then the team should be Earl- John Schmidt- Danny Harriman - Charlie Williams - eric durbin. Team USA could hire Fabio Petroni (sp?) as their mental coach.
I think Earl should be on the team. He is a great player and a great representative of the country.
Just leave that hawaii guy at home and everything should be ok:smile:
Greetings from europe:wave:
Yep,,no doubt you guys love seeing Earl on the team. He is the best player on Europes team and not smart enough to figure this out!!
mosconi cup is coming up and its got me thinking.
i havent played all the events this year that i could ,so making the team on points is gonna be close.
im gonna get lit up for this but i think earl is such an embarrassment for america and the team that im going to vomit if hes there again.
earl has treated me like a jerk my whole career and frankly im not going out of my way to not tell it like it is.
i want to make the team badly this year for several reasons , not unlike all the other players and feel that im playing good and will not make the team or usa look bad, and will help us play well because we get along and respect each other.
that being said if im picked and do not earn my way on from points im going to donate a 1000 if we lose and 2000 if we win to the bca billiards for youth foundation.
im not grandstanding or trying to bribe my way on team ,ok maybe a little lol,but if im fortunate enough to be on team i will gladly give some back to help pool .i think anybody who makes team should do the same but hey that jmho.
From the Mosconi Cup website - http://www.mosconicup.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=41
Prior to the 2008 event -
Strickland, 47, is playing in his 13th consecutive Mosconi Cup, a record for the event, and has won a fantastic 37 points from 56 matches.
Despite his well-documented bust-ups at the Mosconi Cup, Strickland's record in the event is the best of the 61 players who have participated in the competition in its 14 year history.
Then in 2008, it appears that Earl won two more matches and lost two-
M4 Doubles match - Drago / Gray 3-5 Strickland / Archer Europe lead 3-1
M6 Singles - Tony Drago 4-5 Earl Strickland Europe lead 4-2
M8 Singles Captains' Picks- Mika Immonen 5-0 Earl Strickland Europe lead 5-3
M9 Doubles match - Feijen / Souquet 5-1 Strickland / Morris Europe lead 6-3
Then in the final 7 matches of the event, Earl didn't play one match. Interesting. Was it because he only won one game out of the last 11 he played in?
To be fair, the USA only won 5 matches last year - with Earl winning two of them.
And from Earl's profile page: Describe yourself: Generous, witty, sometimes moody, dedicated, passionate about pool, and respectful.
Thanks Roy for posting the selection criteria. Seems many are not familiar with the brand new selection process. The cries of "let's have 'em match up for a spot", and "we gotta pick what's best for the team" are, with all due respect, useless fodder.
I'm posting the current BCA points list below. Archer has a solid lead and is darn near a cinch, assuming he stays active. From there, there's realistically 12 americans vying for the 2nd automatic spot. There's only @ 140 points separating 2nd from 12!
For points perspective, the 2008 US Open gave 189 BCA points to the winner, and 162, 135 & 108 for 2nd thru 4th respectively. I do not know points breakdowns on other remaining BCA point events.
It's wide open for the 2nd spot!! Let's assume choosing Earl is a foregone conclusion, then I'm thinking if SVB does not get an automatic spot, then Matchroom will have a tough choice on breaking up the Rodney/Earl tandem of yore (assuming Rodney doesn't get 2nd in points).
BCA Points
1 Johnny Archer 437.0
2 Mika Immonen 418.5
3 Ralf Souquet 403.3
4 Corey Deuel 317.5
5 Shawn Putnam 311.8
6 Charlie Williams 300.0
7 Warren Kiamco 281.0
8 Thorsten Hohmann 276.0
9 Oscar Dominguez 276.0
10 Shane Van Boening 248.3
11 Charlie Bryant 243.0
12 John Schmidt 236.8
13 Stevie Moore 234.3
14 Rodney Morris 223.5
15 Raj Hundal 222.3
16 Jeremy Jones 216.5
17 Dennis Hatch 208.5
18 Tony Robles 175.8
Thanks for posting that up. That's very informative. :smile:
Has this been updated since Oscar won Turning Stone?
No JAM (Good thing I didn't typo a T there,), great point as Turning Stone is a BCA point event.
It appears BCA points are awarded on very select tournamenets. There's only 6 tourneys listed on AZB's BCA points list and 3 are from last year!
Event 1: 2008 Generationpool.com 9-Ball Championship
Event 2: 2008 Turning Stone Classic XI
Event 3: 2008 US Open 9-Ball Championship
Event 4: 2009 Turning Stone Classic XII
Event 5: 2009 Pro Player Championship
Event 6: 2009 International 10-Ball Championship
I'm going to tally an updated (unofficial as hell) BCA points list to reflect results after Turning Stone.
Uno momentito...
i understand most of u on this thread do not want earl on this years team, becuase he has not won any major event in awhile or they way he conducts himself. what about jeremmy jones when is the last time he won anything i think he is on the team becuase he has alittle extra cash to throw around .i think earl is a better player than mr. jones even right now at this day an time. just my 2 cents professor1967