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

[Dr.Faust]

Hey, welcome to the forums. I may be the only dude on here who knows who Justin Wong is, and I think you're crazy if you think he's hurt the fighting game competitive scene. There have been a crapton of people attending Evo and other majors every year, nobody's saying "man, I was gonna to evo, but that guy mike ross is such a dick, I won't even go this year". And Justin or Mike aren't half the ass earl is.

Still, cool to see the perspective of a gamer on here. You should see one of the posts earlier. Having rapists, wife beaters and convicted felons doesn't hurt the nfl or nba, how can a guy who gives fans the occasional mean look hurt pool?!

As for justin and mike(along with the others) i mean when he loses and gets all pissed off like a little kid though I have to give him this he's never raged, Mike is more of a jerk then him, but your right there not as bad as Earl. And they are alike they both act like clebrities and bring in a lot of people but they both are overly cocky. And some of my friends have been in the FGC for a while and said that both JWong and Mike are kinda dicks but yeah not as bad as Earl. I probley could of listed better examples besids those two but I mostly play KOF, GG, and MK so our top players don't get much coverage. JWong is good for the FGC but his cockyness could hurt his rep. As for Earl hurting pool I can't say too much as I just got in to the scene but he dosne't look good as far as the game being taken as a sport becuase he's not being proffecial or respectful. also whats your GT or GGPO. Mines is DrFaustSNK

 

[cigardave]

Getting sick of the McEnroe comparisons. McEnroe never went up and down the fans. He never belittled his opponent. He chewed out a few officials. Jimmy Connors was known as the bad boy of professional tennis. He used to kill racquets at the same rate that Earl does in cues. If you're going to make comparisons, get them right.

I believe that the comparisons are valid for the following reason.

For those of who watched tennis on a regular basis back when John was young and VERY brash, he belittled referees and line judges... and it made us as viewers very sorry for those he targeted with his profanity and abrasive/abusive comments.

Earl... on Friday... was doing exactly that with a few in the crowd.

And speaking of Jimmy Connors... McEnroe could give Jimmy the 6 out with abusive/abrasive/childish behavior and a slew of profanity-riddled tirades during a tennis match.

 

[CreeDo]

As for Earl hurting pool I can't say too much as I just got in to the scene but he dosne't look good as far as the game being taken as a sport becuase he's not being proffecial or respectful. also whats your GT or GGPO. Mines is DrFaustSNK

I don't even have a gamer tag, I wish I were still heavy into fighting games... used to play them when I was in Cali but I moved. Lately all I do is play casual games on the PC. Even when I played a lot it was mostly Virtua Fighter, I stopped SF around SF3. But I love to watch the pros duke it out in guilty gear, the marvel games, SF, etc. You know James Chen? He's the only guy from that scene that I know who you might have heard of.

Anyhow, you're at least half right, people don't take it seriously as a sport, they think of it as a bar game... and when some guy acts like an angry bar league player, it can't help. Honestly I think it just won't ever take off and get on TV because it's hard for people who don't play to see the skill in it. When it's played well it actually looks pretty boring, every shot is set up so it's easy. The players can set fire to their own hair or the opponent's... and people still won't watch it if the actual shooting part doesn't interest them.

 

[s'portplayer]

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 don't agree with many of your points in this post or the original one, but we're all entitled to an opinion and I applaud you for admitting you have one and defending it.

One point I would like to make is that yes, the governing body of other sports does place sanctions/penalties on participants who break their rules or project a negative image on their respective sport.

This is why pool needs a sactioning body that governs a major tour/events. Without it, people run wild and do things their way and only their way.
Will this ever happen? I hope like hell it does... I love this sport and want to keep playing and enjoy it for the rest of my life.

 

[jimmy-leggs]

I would love to hear truthfully what Shane thought of the match.I can guarantee it would not be good.
And if you dont know what I mean...you did'nt watch friday.

 

[bboxgrinder]

2,000 Viewers on the TAR stream last night I guess was bad for pool too. Earl Strickland in more televised events would be the best thing this game has seen in years whether anyone believes it or not.

 

[jimmy-leggs]

2,000 Viewers on the TAR stream last night I guess was bad for pool too. Earl Strickland in more televised events would be the best thing this game has seen in years whether anyone believes it or not.

Its like rubberneckers looking at a car crash or people going to the daytona 500 just to see the wrecks.
But if you actually believe that Earl is GOOD for the sport........then pool will be nothing but an entertainment sport like it is now.
Its guys like Daz,Shane,Ralf,Thorsten,Morris,Williams etc. just to name a few that bring class to this sport and want it to become a mainstream sport.
Earl IS NOT the best thing this game has seen in years.Just because the lunatic is bring some craziness to a dying sport like Tyson did to boxing,doesnt mean its good for the sport.

 

[bboxgrinder]

Its like rubberneckers looking at a car crash or people going to the daytona 500 just to see the wrecks.
But if you actually believe that Earl is GOOD for the sport........then pool will be nothing but an entertainment sport like it is now.
Its guys like Daz,Shane,Ralf,Thorsten,Morris,Williams etc. just to name a few that bring class to this sport and want it to become a mainstream sport.
Earl IS NOT the best thing this game has seen in years.Just because the lunatic is bring some craziness to a dying sport like Tyson did to boxing,doesnt mean its good for the sport.

Jimmy I can understand what you are saying. But the mainstream average player is the majority in this sport just like leagues have proven they cannot cater to the elite players as there just aren't enough of them. The average watchers are not going to pay to watch Ralf Souquet be so boring they have to take a nap before it's over. Earl sells tickets, plain and simple, just like Tyson did and Still does.

 

[justadub]

Jimmy I can understand what you are saying. But the mainstream average player is the majority in this sport just like leagues have proven they cannot cater to the elite players as there just aren't enough of them. The average watchers are not going to pay to watch Ralf Souquet be so boring they have to take a nap before it's over. Earl sells tickets, plain and simple, just like Tyson did and Still does.

Tap, tap, tap.

 

[Scott Lee]

jimmy-leggs...Great post! Look where Tyson is now. He made over $400 MILLION, and he's not only broke, but milliions in debt!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Its like rubberneckers looking at a car crash or people going to the daytona 500 just to see the wrecks.
But if you actually believe that Earl is GOOD for the sport........then pool will be nothing but an entertainment sport like it is now.
Its guys like Daz,Shane,Ralf,Thorsten,Morris,Williams etc. just to name a few that bring class to this sport and want it to become a mainstream sport.
Earl IS NOT the best thing this game has seen in years.Just because the lunatic is bring some craziness to a dying sport like Tyson did to boxing,doesnt mean its good for the sport.

 

[Scott Lee]

Why are the men not there? On ESPN? One word. Residuals.

:rotflmao::rotflmao1: Yeah...that's it! LMAO

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[8ball]

People watch Earl because they like to see him explode. Thats entertaining, but his antics are not good for the sport in general. If he got fined for his poor behavior, he would not act like that.

 

[mullyman]

The only thing that sticks out to me here is that pool has always been in the toilet. It's not like Earl has ruined pool all by himself. It's had a negative image and hardly any sponsorship for as long as it's been around. Don't lay the blame on Earl Strickland. I'm a huge fan of Earl Strickland but I don't have blinders on. Sure, he acts up waaaay more than he should, and it's embarrassing, but don't blame pools image on him. Blame it on every scumbag that walks into a neighborhood pool room and acts a fool. We all know them, and don't say you don't.
MULLY

 

[bboxgrinder]

jimmy-leggs...Great post! Look where Tyson is now. He made over $400 MILLION, and he's not only broke, but milliions in debt!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

That don't change the FACT that if he was to step in the ring, MMA, or anything else of that sort it would be one of the biggest draws in a loooong time. People pay to see Tyson, just like they do Earl. I'm not saying everything they do or did is ok what I am saying is they draw crowds and that cannot be disputed.

 

[Scott Lee]

bboxgrinder...True enough, but the fact remains that nobody is beating down Tyson's door, to put him in the ring. After the debacle with Holyfield, Tyson's career went quickly downhill. At least Earl didn't bite Shane's ear off! :yikes:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

That don't change the FACT that if he was to step in the ring, MMA, or anything else of that sort it would be one of the biggest draws in a loooong time. People pay to see Tyson, just like they do Earl. I'm not saying everything they do or did is ok what I am saying is they draw crowds and that cannot be disputed.

 

[bboxgrinder]

bboxgrinder...True enough, but the fact remains that nobody is beating down Tyson's door, to put him in the ring. After the debacle with Holyfield, Tyson's career went quickly downhill. At least Earl didn't bite Shane's ear off! :yikes:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

HaHaHa now that is a good one. I always said when Earl started these antics it is a good thing he don't carry firearms and consume alchohol when he plays.

Speaking of ole Tyson I saw the animal rights guys were suing him over pigeons due to some new show the animal planet put out with Tyson and the birds lol. But like you said he is Broke so I doubt they will get anything even if they win.

 

[Stones]

I won't say Earl is full of it but there is a rumor that Earl had an enema after the match and all they found afterwards was a set of earmuffs, a diaper, a pair of lips (still flapping), a set of azz weights and a suitcase with enough equipment to build 5 Robocop outfits.

I also heard after the match, a spectator offered to buy Earl's cue. He wanted to try out for the Olypmic pole vault trials next year.

Stones

 

[Ron F]

Yeah! That's it...LMAO!!!

:rotflmao::rotflmao1: Yeah...that's it! LMAO

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Excerpted from Jay's "Pool Wars":
"It all came crashing down at Caesars Palace [Las Vegas] in 1985. Everything looked good during the course of the event, and it came down to Dallas West, Terry Bell and Earl [Strickland] on the final day. Once again the matches were to be televised by ESPN, and the players were required to sign television releases prior to the taping. This is where things got sticky. They refused to sign the releases on the grounds that they were not being paid residuals for reruns of the shows. At that time it was ESPN’s custom to rerun shows multiple times. In fact, they still do it today."

“Signing television releases is normally a formality, and the players were getting some very bad advice [which recommended refusal]. … ESPN
went ahead and taped the matches in the hope that the players would relent and sign the necessary releases. They never did and the shows
never aired. That was the end of RDF Productions, Richie’s pool promotion company. He never staged another tournament and pool lost its best promoter."

“The players had essentially shot themselves in the foot. It wasn’t going to be the last time either. … Someone should have told them that repeated airings of televised matches was the surest way to stardom for any pool player. Look at what it’s done for Allison Fisher and the other stars of the WPBA.”

 

[markgw]

As for justin and mike(along with the others) i mean when he loses and gets all pissed off like a little kid though I have to give him this he's never raged, Mike is more of a jerk then him, but your right there not as bad as Earl. And they are alike they both act like clebrities and bring in a lot of people but they both are overly cocky. And some of my friends have been in the FGC for a while and said that both JWong and Mike are kinda dicks but yeah not as bad as Earl. I probley could of listed better examples besids those two but I mostly play KOF, GG, and MK so our top players don't get much coverage. JWong is good for the FGC but his cockyness could hurt his rep. As for Earl hurting pool I can't say too much as I just got in to the scene but he dosne't look good as far as the game being taken as a sport becuase he's not being proffecial or respectful. also whats your GT or GGPO. Mines is DrFaustSNK

If there were no Earl I guess there would be less threads on AZ. Practically every thread on here is dedicated to Earl, good and bad. But one thing he's good for and that is everyone is talking about him and pool. He's almost 50 years old and beat the people's champion. Some want to use his antics as the excuse for winning, some say he sharked Shane so that's why he won, some say the rules beat Shane, but everyone is talking pool, so I for one don't see how he's bad for pool. He's a bit mental when he's playing, but everyone knows that. Away from the table I have heard he's pretty normal. He just takes competing to abnormal levels and can't handle when things aren't going his way, oh well. His passion for winning gets him mental and he can't control his emotions. Alot of people take it personal. Earl has dedicated his whole life to pool and he has a very high level of talent. He hates jump cues and he wants to make the game tougher and take all the luck out of the game, by introducing the 5x10 table, so all the best players in the world can be tested in the very toughest conditions. Shane is such a great champion he liked the challenge of playing under these very challenging conditions. One thing that not too many have mentioned is Shane was not able to dominate Earl with his break which was a huge factor. Shanes 10 ball break on a 41/2 x 9 quoting John Schmidt "could cure cancer." By him not being able to beat Earl with his break allpwed alot more play into the game, shotmaking, kicking, and safety play. I don't think there is a challenge match I wouldn't pay to watch on that table under those conditions. I love to watch the best in the world tested to the fullest!!

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

Thing is Mark, yeah all everyone is talking about is him and pool, but only by those of us that talk about pool and pool players incessantly every day anyway.