Bring Back Earl

To make it interesting there should be a few qualifying tournaments that only have American players. Do like NASCAR. Give points for how they finish and the top five make the team.

Get players like Mills, Bartram, Dushene, and etc to participate. These players and many others like them are the true root of USA pool but don't get the recognition because they don't make all the tournaments.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
I live in Greensboro and get a pretty good inside line on where Earl is at - mentally and game wise. He, as well as others like Mark "TWheels" Cantrill and Mike Gulyassy, firmly believe he is playing the best pool OF HIS LIFE. This new Gulyassy 63" inch, 24 ounce cue seems part of the reason for his resurgence. (or is it 64", 23 oz?)

To me, one big tourney win isn't enough to convince me he's back in form.

Turning Stone starts in 3 days and Earl will be there (as will the entire US Cup team and Daz). I'm very excited to see if his resurgence, and ability to hold it together, is fact or fiction. Until he's got more recent top shelf performances under his belt, he may be considered... "too risky" to play a M Cup team event on contentious foreign soil. JMHO.

I'm rooting HUGE for Earl to make a long run. You want to watch - say for example - a Ralf robot or Earl? (no disrespect to the Kaiser).

GO EARL! If he mows through Turning Stone like he did the Miz, oh my, the pool world will start shaking!
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KoolKat9Lives said:
If Earl gets back to form and conducts himself reasonably, Johnny's opinion and stance will have an opportunity and a reason to change. The ball is in Earl's court.
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Unfortunately, with Turning Stone being 9-ball, I forsee a lot of the problems that traditionally plague Earl to resurface. Obviously, the cut break will infuriate him to no end and at that point it'll just take one or two lucky/unlucky rolls to set him off.

I think as long as the format is not 9-ball, Earl is capable of keeping his wits about him. 9-ball, however, has been Earl's weakspot in regard to keeping is emotions in check. Also, with Earl breaking "the right way" and his opponents utilizing the cut break, it puts Earl at a significant disadvantage.
 
Too much luck in the game to start with.

I'd be pissed too if I just spent a week on the road, and 2 K in expenses to attend, and someone $hits out on me.

Mad...?? If you aren't, something is wrong w/you. Either that, or you have too much $$$.
 
TimKrazyMon said:
Johnny actively campaigned to get Earl off the team in the first place. He said Earl killed team morale & was the reason we lost to the Euros.
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I'm among the biggest Earl fans on these forums. Over the years, NOBODY on any team USA did as much FOR good ol' USA than Earl did. His mere presence rallied the USA members and rattled the European players.

The point I would like to make is I wonder how Archer would like it if someday, years down the road, some of his former friends lobby to get him removed from the team?

Earl is always under the microscope with anything he says or does. Archer has learned to scowl at people with the best of them. He stares down people in the crowd, picks imaginary things off the table almost before every shot, gets a little testy, etc and yet he consistantly gets a free pass from the fans. Granted, he's not had the outbursts that Strickland has had, but if the fans ever provoked him like they do Earl, we'd see how Archer would respond.

What's my point? Lots of fans still love Earl. He's not perfect. None of us are. We're all flawed in some way or another. But when EARL screws up, there's a bunch of fans who bandwagon and jump in just so they CAN.
Other players screw up, they don't bear the same brunt or feel the same heat.

Remember when Earl sharked CW? It was all over YouTube? Anyone remember when Archer sharked Ron Wiseman? Get what I mean?
 
I know I'm going to get pounded on for this but I think the reason Earl isnt on the team is because he disrespectful to the game, hes a nut case that could completely loose his composure because of 1 bad roll, and I personally dont think he plays as good as Dennis or anyone else that was on the team this year. Yea maybe in the past he played as good or better than just about any of them but he doesnt anymore. JMHO
 
9ball mike said:
I know I'm going to get pounded on for this but I think the reason Earl isnt on the team is because he disrespectful to the game, hes a nut case that could completely loose his composure because of 1 bad roll, and I personally dont think he plays as good as Dennis or anyone else that was on the team this year. Yea maybe in the past he played as good or better than just about any of them but he doesnt anymore. JMHO
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Didn't he just roll over Rodney, Mika and a bunch of other 'top' pros 3 weeks ago? Or were they all flukes?
 
I suspect the guaranteed money to make the team has something to do with who is on the team.
 
Mosconi Cup teamates?

Rick S. said:
Didn't he just roll over Rodney, Mika and a bunch of other 'top' pros 3 weeks ago? Or were they all flukes?
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There's the captains pick for all the players who's tournament, performance results, are questionable.

Does Earl deserve that position? Well, sure he's STILL a great player, [I watched him in three different matches at the Open this year (one I did commentary on)], he still CAN PLAY in top form! My however is twofold, though, when does a fan send him over the deep end with a comment, that is super-sensitive hearing overhears, and what is his usual response to that situation? I think anyone who knows Earl, understands, that when all of that stuff begins, sooner or later, he's going to go off!

So in the end, my number 1 concern is, " is that how we want our country represented, abroad, with the ambassadorship these athletes are given?"

Like it or not, the team we saw perform this week handled the "ATMOSPHERE" in England, very well! What they didn't do well, on foreign soil, was WIN! Maybe the Euro's will get a similar opportunity in Vegas, with or without, "The GREAT EARL STRICKLAND SHOW!!!";)
 
TimKrazyMon said:
Johnny actively campaigned to get Earl off the team in the first place. He said Earl killed team morale & was the reason we lost to the Euros.
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I wasn't aware of this, but I can certainly understand Johnny's position. From what I saw, Earl was a source of negative energy. In one doubles match, I remember Earl's partner (Rodney I think) attempting to discuss position/strategy and Earl saying something like "I don't care, just do whatever you want" in a very negative manner. I felt sorry for Rodney. That one incident alone was enough to make me think Earl wasn't right for team USA. Getting into it with the crowd is one thing, but being negative toward your teammates is something else entirely, IMO.

Aaron
 
TimKrazyMon said:
Johnny actively campaigned to get Earl off the team in the first place. He said Earl killed team morale & was the reason we lost to the Euros.
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Archer and Strickland were on the road giving lessons a couple years ago, then that ended and Archer teamed up with Varner.

Purely a guess on my part but I suspect something happened there which caused some tension.
 
alstl said:
Archer and Strickland were on the road giving lessons a couple years ago, then that ended and Archer teamed up with Varner.

Purely a guess on my part but I suspect something happened there which caused some tension.
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It wasn't just there at the exhibitions and pool clinics. There are other factors too. They are not on the friendliest of terms lets just say.
 
bfdlad said:
It wasn't just there at the exhibitions and pool clinics. There are other factors too. They are not on the friendliest of terms lets just say.
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What happened...Earl call a penalty for johnny tapping in a 2" par putt when earl was away? lol...
 
bfdlad said:
It wasn't just there at the exhibitions and pool clinics. There are other factors too. They are not on the friendliest of terms lets just say.
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I remember during the IPT match between them Archer was at the table and Earl was talking to someone in the audience and Archer told him to shut up and said the only way Earl could win was by sharking someone.

At the time I didn't take it seriously but there must have been something to that exchange.
 
mosconiac said:
I suppose our definitions differ, but flipping off the crowd isn't a good characteristic of someone that handles pressure well.

earlsalutessmall.jpg
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Sometimes, when I'm in the presence of someone with the ability to perform at his calibur, I get goosebumps. Ya-right. But he is very entertaining. For 25$ I get to see this beast do stuff with the cue ball most others can't. So I usually just sit there, quiet and respectful, like a good spectator. There's not many of us. I think Earl has every right to react when spectators abuse him. Earls reaction may not be the most positive but, what do you expect when they are doing worse?
 
bring back American Pride and .....Earl

My phone rang today and the lady said "look, I don't care what you charge me , if you are white ,black,brown or green ....as long as you were born in the USA will you please come help us with our broken tv ?" The problem is we have gotten so "nice" so "politically correct" that we don't want to do anything to offend other countries or there customs that we are forgetting our own. So hell yeah !! I am for Earl throwing one up or anything that gets peoples focus back on what a great country this is .Of course I think we should boot out anyone who is not legal, bring back our troups ,and get on about the business of being the greatest country in the world.A good friend of mine is a jewish lady from New York City , of course I am a southern man of class (not a redneck) from the great state of NC . She and I both are very proud of who and what we are and constantly pick on each other about our differences ,but make no mistake about it , We Are American .This country did not rise to greatness playing the nice guy or bowing to what other people thought.....neither did Earl .earlsalutessmall.jpg
 
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