My opinion about Earl and what he is doing to pool...

[cbi1000]

So i read a bunch of posts about how people think Earl is good for the game, how earl generates interest in pool, how and why Earl should be on the cup team....

I KNOW Earl hurts pool, and he hurts it in the biggest spot, MONEY.
I have heard straight investors mouths that facts show people turn off the TV and stop attending events when participants act like Earl. Arguing with the crowd, cheating, confrontational with everyone, no concern for anyone in the room but himself...

Now there are some who will tune in to see this, but the majority do not.

In fact, i think I do more good for pool then Earl does.... Lets have a look:

What does Earl do good for the game:
1. Some people might tune in to see him lose
2.

What do i do that is good for the game:
1. I buy products. I but at least 4-6 cues a year. From production break cues to 5k customs. I have also helped friends and people new to pool spend they cash getting cues and cases.
2. I run tournaments, I encourage people to show up and play. And if someone starts acting like Earl i get them to calm down our out they go. Ive seen new players stop showing up due to azz's. So get rid of them and more players show up and pool grows.
3. I tune in. On TV and the internet.

Now things i see from Earl and other players who act like him has been pushing me to one thing, quit the sport and take up something else. Some might say go ahead and quit, no big deal. However people investing in billiards will care, i'm a 10k a year guy. If you take in the ripple effect that 10K probably goes upwards of 20k. There are lots of industries that would love my $$. I just entered my 40's and have some good years left on these tires. I do have to say 4 to 8 of my closest friends are getting very tired of how players like Earl act. So much so we are all considering selling off our gear and heading out to the golf course.

Just my .02

I do think if more professionals acted like professionals and not like Earl then the mens tour would be a lot further along then where it is now.

Watching Earl is embarrassing, as a pool player and a competitor.

 

[bfdlad]

So i read a bunch of posts about how people think Earl is good for the game, how earl generates interest in pool, how and why Earl should be on the cup team....

I KNOW Earl hurts pool, and he hurts it in the biggest spot, MONEY.
I have heard straight investors mouths that facts show people turn off the TV and stop attending events when participants act like Earl. Arguing with the crowd, cheating, confrontational with everyone, no concern for anyone in the room but himself...

Now there are some who will tune in to see this, but the majority do not.

In fact, i think I do more good for pool then Earl does.... Lets have a look:

What does Earl do good for the game:
1. Some people might tune in to see him lose
2.

What do i do that is good for the game:
1. I buy products. I but at least 4-6 cues a year. From production break cues to 5k customs. I have also helped friends and people new to pool spend they cash getting cues and cases.
2. I run tournaments, I encourage people to show up and play. And if someone starts acting like Earl i get them to calm down our out they go. Ive seen new players stop showing up due to azz's. So get rid of them and more players show up and pool grows.
3. I tune in. On TV and the internet.

Now things i see from Earl and other players who act like him has been pushing me to one thing, quit the sport and take up something else. Some might say go ahead and quit, no big deal. However people investing in billiards will care, i'm a 10k a year guy. If you take in the ripple effect that 10K probably goes upwards of 20k. There are lots of industries that would love my $$. I just entered my 40's and have some good years left on these tires. I do have to say 4 to 8 of my closest friends are getting very tired of how players like Earl act. So much so we are all considering selling off our gear and heading out to the golf course.

Just my .02

I do think if more professionals acted like professionals and not like Earl then the mens tour would be a lot further along then where it is now.

Watching Earl is embarrassing, as a pool player and a competitor.

Well if you are going to quit pool for golf because of Earl thats your call but I think you will find that you will have to quit golf too because Tiger curses live on tv and in front of children. Also goes around banging anything that moves and has been very unfriendly to kids asking for his autograph. If you can get past all that you have John Daily waiting in the wings to disapoint you some more. Maybe you guys could quit golf and go on to playing basketball oh wait, they also have some pretty ragged folks there too with Rodman and Artest. Screw it lets just have you play football. Oh no I forgot about Vick. Well maybe knitting may suit you better I think that s pretty clean sport.

Look man, I understand what you are saying but really quit playing??? no matter what sport you decide to get into once you get really into in and in depth I think you are gonna find Earls in everything.

 

[TX Poolnut]

Well if you are going to quit pool for golf because of Earl thats your call but I think you will find that you will have to quit golf too because Tiger curses live on tv and in front of children. Also goes around banging anything that moves and has been very unfriendly to kids asking for his autograph. If you can get past all that you have John Daily waiting in the wings to disapoint you some more. Maybe you guys could quit golf and go on to playing basketball oh wait, they also have some pretty ragged folks there too with Rodman and Artest. Screw it lets just have you play football. Oh no I forgot about Vick. Well maybe knitting may suit you better I think that s pretty clean sport.

Look man, I understand what you are saying but really quit playing??? no matter what sport you decide to get into once you get really into in and in depth I think you are gonna find Earls in everything.

Eunny Jang is ruining knitting as a competitive sport! Her antics are a blight on the face of competitive knitting on TV.

 

[KRJ]

Hmmmm

So i read a bunch of posts about how people think Earl is good for the game, how earl generates interest in pool, how and why Earl should be on the cup team....

I KNOW Earl hurts pool, and he hurts it in the biggest spot, MONEY.
I have heard straight investors mouths that facts show people turn off the TV and stop attending events when participants act like Earl. Arguing with the crowd, cheating, confrontational with everyone, no concern for anyone in the room but himself...

Now there are some who will tune in to see this, but the majority do not.

In fact, i think I do more good for pool then Earl does.... Lets have a look:

What does Earl do good for the game:
1. Some people might tune in to see him lose
2.

What do i do that is good for the game:
1. I buy products. I but at least 4-6 cues a year. From production break cues to 5k customs. I have also helped friends and people new to pool spend they cash getting cues and cases.
2. I run tournaments, I encourage people to show up and play. And if someone starts acting like Earl i get them to calm down our out they go. Ive seen new players stop showing up due to azz's. So get rid of them and more players show up and pool grows.
3. I tune in. On TV and the internet.

Now things i see from Earl and other players who act like him has been pushing me to one thing, quit the sport and take up something else. Some might say go ahead and quit, no big deal. However people investing in billiards will care, i'm a 10k a year guy. If you take in the ripple effect that 10K probably goes upwards of 20k. There are lots of industries that would love my $$. I just entered my 40's and have some good years left on these tires. I do have to say 4 to 8 of my closest friends are getting very tired of how players like Earl act. So much so we are all considering selling off our gear and heading out to the golf course.

Just my .02

I do think if more professionals acted like professionals and not like Earl then the mens tour would be a lot further along then where it is now.

Watching Earl is embarrassing, as a pool player and a competitor.

Get over yourself. Yes, we are so impressed you buy pool products..... Goooooody for you. AGain, there are 12 posts bashing earl, thanks for startng another one..... There are folks that do more for pool in a single day (I'm not one of them) than you'll do in your lifetime.

enjoy the golf course, the lil ole ladies are waiting for you with open arms....

And don't forget, due to your high integrety, you CANNOT watch another NBA or NFL game again...... please confirm this ASAP.......

 

[cbi1000]

Well if you are going to quit pool for golf because of Earl thats your call but I think you will find that you will have to quit golf too because Tiger curses live on tv and in front of children. Also goes around banging anything that moves and has been very unfriendly to kids asking for his autograph. If you can get past all that you have John Daily waiting in the wings to disapoint you some more. Maybe you guys could quit golf and go on to playing basketball oh wait, they also have some pretty ragged folks there too with Rodman and Artest. Screw it lets just have you play football. Oh no I forgot about Vick. Well maybe knitting may suit you better I think that s pretty clean sport.

Look man, I understand what you are saying but really quit playing??? no matter what sport you decide to get into once you get really into in and in depth I think you are gonna find Earls in everything.

Here is one big difference between these other sports and pool. If you act like a jack off you get fined or suspended. The leagues do not allow you to continue to act that way. i agree there are situations like tiger and Daily acting up, but lets also look at how those organizations have fined and suspended players. Most of those guys know the game is bigger then them, not the other way around. In a sport that for the most part has nothing to do with you missing or making a wide open shot and when you miss you get all pissed with your opponent is stupid. It's a gentleman's game, so act like one.

And yes, i'd quit. When one guy acts like a chump, cheats and such it teaches others, and the next thing you know people at the pool room and in leagues are acting like chumps. I'd rather move on.

I do appreciate everyone opinion and i knew not all would agree with me, but I've been putting up with Earl for years, and this weekend has proven to me that if no one puts an end to how he acts we are only going to see more people acting like him.

If we want pool to grow, want the best from the sport, we need $$. Investors are not going to dump money into a sport any longer when the best of the best are turds.

 

[JAM]

I don't know, but I've been a member of this forum since 2004, been reading it since 2003

Never in the history of AzBilliards has there been a topic such as this recent Shane v. Earl match that has taken off like wildfire. One thread has 52,000-plus hits after two days, and it's still growing by leaps and bounds. This may be TAR's biggest match ever as far as sales and hits; subject to check, of course.

If anything, somebody should follow Earl Strickland around with a professional video camera around the country and film a reality show. Call it "On the Road with the Pearl." It just might be the boost that pool needs, as evidenced by the sudden interest in this recent match with Shane and Earl on the 10-footer.

Earl can be abrasive, but so can Rodney Dangerfield and Red Foxx; however, people enjoy watching.

When you least expect it, The Earl Strickland Show just might be coming to a neighborhood pool room nearby real soon. Stay tuned....

 

[cbi1000]

Get over yourself. Yes, we are so impressed you buy pool products..... Goooooody for you. AGain, there are 12 posts bashing earl, thanks for startng another one..... There are folks that do more for pool in a single day (I'm not one of them) than you'll do in your lifetime.

enjoy the golf course, the lil ole ladies are waiting for you with open arms....

And don't forget, due to your high integrety, you CANNOT watch another NBA or NFL game again...... please confirm this ASAP.......

As i posted earlier, these other leagues take actions for someones poor behavior. They do so because they know the league will suffer if they don't. Sponsors will drop out. So they fine, suspend, or kick people out for acting like jerks or cheating.

Lets all be real for one second. Lets say that pro players had their crap together and acted like professionals. Lets say they had a actual league that had some true sponsorship. Earl and shane would not be playing on the internet betting their own money. They'd have this match covered by TV and have real money given to the winner. NO JOKE. Lets remember Willie and fatty, on TV and not needing to beg a backer to put up their cash. Hmmm, why is that?

And you are correct, there are many who bring in more $$ then i do, but if you times me by 10,000 or more other people who move on like i do then the dollar amounts add up fast.

 

[cigardave]

...but I've been putting up with Earl for years, and this weekend has proven to me that if no one puts an end to how he acts we are only going to see more people acting like him.

There's been only one John McEnroe... and there's but one Earl.

I truly doubt that your supposition will hold true.

 

[justadub]

Here is one big difference between these other sports and pool. If you act like a jack off you get fined or suspended. The leagues do not allow you to continue to act that way.

Like Dennis Rodman, Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, almost any NFL wide receiver, Barry Bonds or Manny Ramierez or Milton Bradley? John McEnroe? How about Muhammad Ali? How about Minnesota Fats.... No one "stopped" them. Yes, many got fined, but no one has "stopped" them. And like it or not, they add "sizzle", which attracts attention, not only to them, but to their sports in general. A good thing.

i agree there are situations like tiger and Daily acting up, but lets also look at how those organizations have fined and suspended players. Most of those guys know the game is bigger then them, not the other way around. In a sport that for the most part has nothing to do with you missing or making a wide open shot and when you miss you get all pissed with your opponent is stupid. It's a gentleman's game, so act like one.

Again, I cite Fats. Arguably the biggest "name" the game has ever had. Certainly one of the biggest woofers, too. hmmmmm A gentlemans game, always?

And yes, i'd quit. When one guy acts like a chump, cheats and such it teaches others, and the next thing you know people at the pool room and in leagues are acting like chumps. I'd rather move on.

So Earl is actually "cheating" now? Yes, I realize there will be some who equate sharking with cheating, but to label Earl a "cheater" is quite a strong accusation. Earl may be many things, but to insinuate that he cheats is way off base. IMHO

I do appreciate everyone opinion and i knew not all would agree with me, but I've been putting up with Earl for years, and this weekend has proven to me that if no one puts an end to how he acts we are only going to see more people acting like him.

If we want pool to grow, want the best from the sport, we need $$. Investors are not going to dump money into a sport any longer when the best of the best are turds.

I am not one to necessarily celebrate the bad boys of any sport. And I certainly don't appreciate playing in a sharking envirmonment myself. But I believe all this Earl bashing is a bit much. I think he adds some color and variety to something that can be quite boring to anyone who doesn't play the game. If you really want the sport to grow, you'd better hope we have more characters like Earl, or we'll be here in 20 years waiting for that growth.

 

[Neil]

..................

 

[cbi1000]

There's been only one John McEnroe... and there's but one Earl.

I truly doubt that your supposition will hold true.

Lets be real here, John McEnroe had his moments. But lets not forget how many times he was fined and kicked out matches. He did act crazy at times, but he always knew someone was there. He knew he there was a line there not to cross or else....

There is no line with Earl, he continues to get worse and people just accept it. It's crazy to me. Interesting to say the least.

 

[bboxgrinder]

HaHaHa quite entertaining. I may take my ball and go home. :wave3:

 

[8ball]

Here is one big difference between these other sports and pool. If you act like a jack off you get fined or suspended. The leagues do not allow you to continue to act that way. i agree there are situations like tiger and Daily acting up, but lets also look at how those organizations have fined and suspended players. Most of those guys know the game is bigger then them, not the other way around. In a sport that for the most part has nothing to do with you missing or making a wide open shot and when you miss you get all pissed with your opponent is stupid. It's a gentleman's game, so act like one.

And yes, i'd quit. When one guy acts like a chump, cheats and such it teaches others, and the next thing you know people at the pool room and in leagues are acting like chumps. I'd rather move on.

I do appreciate everyone opinion and i knew not all would agree with me, but I've been putting up with Earl for years, and this weekend has proven to me that if no one puts an end to how he acts we are only going to see more people acting like him.

If we want pool to grow, want the best from the sport, we need $$. Investors are not going to dump money into a sport any longer when the best of the best are turds.

I agree with you 100 percent. Good post

 

[justadub]

Lets be real here, John McEnroe had his moments. But lets not forget how many times he was fined and kicked out matches. He did act crazy at times, but he always knew someone was there. He knew he there was a line there not to cross or else....

Uhhhh, forgive me, but wasn't Earl kicked out of SBE just a week ago? Apparently he has gotten that same treatment that you refer to regarding other bad boys of sports...

Just sayin'...

 

[cbi1000]

Boy, no bias here! Only one thing for Earl, really..... He's done more good for pool than you could ever hope to do.

I'm sure he has, however if he has done so much then why doesn't he have 50 sponsors, why is this match not on TV where the big cash is, why isn't this bigger?

I believe with a different attitude he's world would be so much more.

 

[JamisonNeu]

Almost every great player is a Dbag in pool, it is simple to see. And easy to know why...

Pool is solitaire, and in order to get that good at it most give up their social skills.

Just take an objective look at the best players, not as their fans.

"Most the greatest pool players have the personality of a wart."

 

[cbi1000]

Uhhhh, forgive me, but wasn't Earl kicked out of SBE just a week ago? Apparently he has gotten that same treatment that you refer to regarding other bad boys of sports...

Just sayin'...

I agree 100%, he did, and if this happens a few more times i'm sure we will start to see a much better Earl, attitude and playing.

There has to be a league that says you got kicked out of this tourney, and if you do it again you will be suspended for the next two.

I love to watch great players play, and Earl can play with the best of them for sure. I'm only speculating when i say if he was a stand up guy pool might be in a better spot then it is today.

 

[justadub]

I'm sure he has, however if he has done so much then why doesn't he have 50 sponsors, why is this match not on TV where the big cash is, why isn't this bigger?

I believe with a different attitude he's world would be so much more.

Pool isn't on TV for any of the other "gentlemen", either. Earl isn't the reason pool isn't on TV.

 

[8ball]

I'm sure he has, however if he has done so much then why doesn't he have 50 sponsors, why is this match not on TV where the big cash is, why isn't this bigger?

I believe with a different attitude he's world would be so much more.

I agree with you. Earls antics are bad for pool. He is a bad role model for younger poolplayers. I think he should be fined for the way he acts.

 

[Neil]

...............