Earl Strickland - Great Player OR the Greatest Player?

CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
Congratulations to my friend Earl Strickland for winning the Turning Stone Classic Professional Pocket Billiard Tournament.

Earl has proven now for 5 decades that he's a champion and certainly one of the best this game has ever seen. I'm happy for you Earl, it's just a matter of time before Pocket Billiards is back in the public SpotLight again. 'The Game is Our Teacher' - Good Luck in this year's Mosconi Cup.....USA!!!

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I agree, congrats Earl! Always was, always will be my favorite player! But 5 decades being a champion? I thought he was only around 50 or so years old.
 
He's not the greatest player, but he's certainly in the conversation of the greatest rotation games player ever.

Buddy Hall, Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer, Luther Lassiter, etc. It sure isn't easy to choose among these.

I think Earl owned the highest gear of any of these, beat the greatest of champions 11-2 or better in tourneys more than anyone.

Buddy was the best position player of the group, and was probably the best bar table player of the group.

In his generation, Lassiter probably dominated his peers more than any of these when it came to rotational pool games, and it once got to the point that only Harold Worst and Eddie Kelly would gamble with him without weight.

Archer had as long a reign with the #1 ranking as any of them, and played continually brilliant pool for over twenty consecutive years.

Sigel was a world beater who seemed to play better and better as tournaments went on, and who rarely lost in a final.
 
One of the amazing things about Earl is his longevity. It is almost incomprehensible to play pool at such a high level for over 30 years. It must be physically and mentally very challenging. Almost all of his contemporaries are no longer playing.
 
:smile:


I agree with Earl...CJ it's time to start competing more or again.

Earl wants to see you there and so do your fans.:thumbup:
 
gregcantrall said:
Set up another Color of Money match between Earl and Efren.

That would be worth watching.
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I think Earl would be heavily favored in 9 or 10 ball at this stage of their careers. In some ways it isn't exactly fair because Efren is nearly 10 years older than Earl if I'm not mistaken
 
westcoast said:
I think Earl would be heavily favored in 9 or 10 ball at this stage of their careers. In some ways it isn't exactly fair because Efren is nearly 10 years older than Earl if I'm not mistaken
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Earl turned 52 in June, Efren turned 59 in August, so Efren is almost seven years older than Earl.
 
sjm said:
He's not the greatest player, but he's certainly in the conversation of the greatest rotation games player ever.

Buddy Hall, Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer, Luther Lassiter, etc. It sure isn't easy to choose among these.

I think Earl owned the highest gear of any of these, beat the greatest of champions 11-2 or better in tourneys more than anyone.

Buddy was the best position player of the group, and was probably the best bar table player of the group.

In his generation, Lassiter probably dominated his peers more than any of these when it came to rotational pool games, and it once got to the point that only Harold Worst and Eddie Kelly would gamble with him without weight.

Archer had as long a reign with the #1 ranking as any of them, and played continually brilliant pool for over twenty consecutive years.

Sigel was a world beater who seemed to play better and better as tournaments went on, and who rarely lost in a final.
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Earl has longevity that is superior to all of them.
Archer is quite a bit younger than Earl he is closest as having the longest success.

Earl will beat most anyone right now still!! He has proved it time and time again.
 
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Who was the most intimidating and never made a mistake when in "dead stroke"?

sjm said:
He's not the greatest player, but he's certainly in the conversation of the greatest rotation games player ever.

Buddy Hall, Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer, Luther Lassiter, etc. It sure isn't easy to choose among these.

I think Earl owned the highest gear of any of these, beat the greatest of champions 11-2 or better in tourneys more than anyone.

Buddy was the best position player of the group, and was probably the best bar table player of the group.

In his generation, Lassiter probably dominated his peers more than any of these when it came to rotational pool games, and it once got to the point that only Harold Worst and Eddie Kelly would gamble with him without weight.

Archer had as long a reign with the #1 ranking as any of them, and played continually brilliant pool for over twenty consecutive years.

Sigel was a world beater who seemed to play better and better as tournaments went on, and who rarely lost in a final.
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I agree with your observations. I've had the opportunity to play all these players except for Luther Lassiter. Earl was the most dangerously aggressive, although I'd rather play anyone than Buddy Hall. I think every one of these player will agree that Buddy Hall was the most intimidating and never made a mistake when in "dead stroke".

I wish I could have seen Luther and Harold Worst play, that would have been really cool.....Wade Crane told me many stories about Luther, he really looked up to that man...as did most others of his era. Nick Varner can be mentioned in their category too, he won 9 Pro tournaments in one year, that's incredible on it's own accord.
 
He's one of the greatest pool players of all time. does that answer count, CJ? :)
 
CJ Wiley said:
Congratulations to my friend Earl Strickland for winning the Turning Stone Classic Professional Pocket Billiard Tournament.

Earl has proven now for 5 decades that he's a champion and certainly one of the best this game has ever seen. I'm happy for you Earl, it's just a matter of time before Pocket Billiards is back in the public SpotLight again. 'The Game is Our Teacher' - Good Luck in this year's Mosconi Cup.....USA!!!
Click to expand...


When did Earl get named to the Mosconi Cup squad?
 
Earl is still the most amazing player I've ever seen.... He goes through a rack like a fat man through a cheesburger:cool: His physical abilities are still superhuman, if he could get his mental game in shape he'd still be the best player in the world.
 
to my knowledge, Earl has not been named yet but it would be a travesty to not have him on the team. after all, the tournament director told ja that he wanted ratings. can't have big ratings without earl imho.
 
opinion please, do you think earl would even agree to being a team member for mosconi if asked?
 
One of an elite few....

There is no doubt; Earl is one of the greatest all-time players. His specialty is rotation. Leave him open,.... Anywhere,... and your in for a lonnnnnng day !

Earl is real strong right now, I just wish he'd stop Being EARL !! :rolleyes:

Love him , or hate him ,... Earl is EARL ! CONGRATS on the Turning Stone win.

Hey,...... how about that Jeremy Sossei ?? :cool: He's the real deal! Did well at Steinway a few weeks ago, always does well on The Joss NE 9-ball tour. He;s no secret up in this corner of the country. I seen him on the Joss tour; He;s NOT a quitter! He's a thinking man's player and executes well. :eek:
WTG Jeremy Sossei ! :thumbup:
 
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