Classless Earl Strickland
- Thread starter Grantstew
- Start date
There seemed to be a time where he genuinly accepted the game and was rather humble about it. Then came the explosion years where he would gloat and scream and wave around - and think everything was there to go his way.
This seemed to amplify his bipolar tendency and he's never come back from that.
Nowadays he's playing an abysmal game due to the fact he doesn't have his emotions under control and doesn't even try anymore.
This has come so far as to ruin everything great he's ever achieved and everybody in the end will only remember him as the aged and broke idiot rambling instead of simply playing and showing a great performance.
I do not watch any of his games anymore, it is very nauseating and toxic to watch.
The only good thing was for him to play a Cuetec haha :thumbup:
Cheers.
This seemed to amplify his bipolar tendency and he's never come back from that.
Nowadays he's playing an abysmal game due to the fact he doesn't have his emotions under control and doesn't even try anymore.
This has come so far as to ruin everything great he's ever achieved and everybody in the end will only remember him as the aged and broke idiot rambling instead of simply playing and showing a great performance.
I do not watch any of his games anymore, it is very nauseating and toxic to watch.
The only good thing was for him to play a Cuetec haha :thumbup:
Cheers.
Well said.
a cakewalk for sure, Michaela Tabb put him in his place and he withered
Earl is a peach, he just needs "handling", lol
Earl is a peach, he just needs "handling", lol
NYC cue dude
Banned
Earl is a disgrace, without equivocation. He almost got knocked out this summer during the World Straight pool. His behavior there lead to his loss of tournament sponsorship. Which is why you don't see him at any of the events since then. Given the chance, Earl will belittle and CHEAT against anyone, including women, children and even world champions. Unfortunately, this behavior has been happening longer than his stretch when he played great. At this point, his legacy won't be that of a great player, but rather what's he's become. Those that support him or are entertained by his behavior do a terrible disservice to the game. They are not a friend to pool. The only way he should be treated is under the zero tolerance guidelines. Earl couldn't get past his first match in any event if he was under threat of DQ. Would make all TD's jobs much easier.
I respect your opinion, but given Earl's history of mental illness, I am offended by this statement and others like it and worse in this thread from others.
If someone has a broken leg, you dont tell them to get up and walk it off. And you damn sure wouldnt call them a disgrace. With mental illness, you dont see a physical reason for his actions and behavior. But it is no different than the reason the person with a broken leg CANNOT stand up and walk it off. Mental illness is a medical problem, and with bipolar disorder, it is a serious chemical imbalance in the brain that can cause the person to do very bad things. It can be managed with various anti-psychotics and mood stabilizing drugs, but it is not curable. Relapses can happen even when people take their meds correctly.
The stigmas and false information in this world revolving around mental illness disgust me to the deepest levels.
Rant done.
Wow, I'm surprised hearing this from you. I thought that a year or so ago you were defending Earl. Anyway, I agree that there is no room for behavior like his. Although his antics can be entertaining for some, to me, it's sad and extremely difficult to watch (especially in person). At this point, I really don't care if there is a medical reason for his behavior or not, he has been acting like this for a long time and does not appear to be capable of changing.
As for his legacy, his accomplishments and record on the table will obviously never be taken away, so he will always be considered as one of the great players. But as a man or a person, great is the last thing that he will be remembered as. It depends on your values in life as to whether being thought of as a great player or a great man is more important.
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Thank you for this great post. Some of the members of AzBilliards Discussion Forum have always had a hard-on for Earl, and when threads like this arise, they always post their opinions laced with untruths. Usually it's the testicle danglers of European pros that do this.
1) Earl IS mentally ill. If Earl isn't nuts then Charlie Manson was a normal guy.
2) I'd love to see somebody like Daz just totally kick his ass. Nick E. might leave him in a pile as well. Man, I'd be loving that.
3) Earl has done more to tear down pool than anybody else in the last twenty-five years. A complete role model for being a scumbag.
That about covers it.
2) I'd love to see somebody like Daz just totally kick his ass. Nick E. might leave him in a pile as well. Man, I'd be loving that.
3) Earl has done more to tear down pool than anybody else in the last twenty-five years. A complete role model for being a scumbag.
That about covers it.
Scumbag huh? How is he a scumbag? Because he talks shite? To my knowledge thats all Earl has done. He hasnt physically assaulted anyone that I know of. He hasnt stolen from anyone that I know of. He hasnt done anywhere near the amount of damage to this game that 99% of the promoters have over the years. Again, all he has EVER done is talk shite. And that is a symptom of his mental illness.
So I ask again, how is he a scumbag?
Lucky for you that Earl in now past his prime cuz guys like Daz & Nick would've need the 6 from Earl (and wouldn't have liked it)
We need separate stickies.
Earl and Barry.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Earl and Barry.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
a really good florida player and i were talking in jacksonville recently. He is very old school when it comes to pool which is no surprise as he has lived his life playing pool for a living and has run around matching up all over the country. He has done pretty good for himself, he had the foresight to buy a beachfront lot many years ago and he had a modest home built there in an area that is now very much populated with new construction. Anyways thats info just so the people that know him will know who I am talking about.
So he was talking about Earl and he told me that he felt it was really simple, that Earl acts up like this because he has been allowed to get away with it. If the rules stated that you cannot talk when its not your turn for example and this rule was enforced with game and match forfeits then it would not take long before Earl would stop doing this. There has been alot of discussion about mental illness but Earl has always seemed like his was more informed about pool than most and if there were black and white rules that resulted in game losses, he believed that would be the end of alot of the Earl drama.
Would I support stronger rules that penalize some of the things he commonly does? Yes I would. But that said, I dont agree that spectators who are entertained by all of the Earl drama are not friends to pool. Upthread I posted a few links where people posted their Earl stories. If you took away all the people that saw all these Earl antics and laughed at them and barred them as "no friends to pool" then I think you would have dead empty pool tournaments.
So he was talking about Earl and he told me that he felt it was really simple, that Earl acts up like this because he has been allowed to get away with it. If the rules stated that you cannot talk when its not your turn for example and this rule was enforced with game and match forfeits then it would not take long before Earl would stop doing this. There has been alot of discussion about mental illness but Earl has always seemed like his was more informed about pool than most and if there were black and white rules that resulted in game losses, he believed that would be the end of alot of the Earl drama.
Would I support stronger rules that penalize some of the things he commonly does? Yes I would. But that said, I dont agree that spectators who are entertained by all of the Earl drama are not friends to pool. Upthread I posted a few links where people posted their Earl stories. If you took away all the people that saw all these Earl antics and laughed at them and barred them as "no friends to pool" then I think you would have dead empty pool tournaments.
I think it would be difficult to be Earl.
It would be difficult to have been so much better than your peers only to find out that they had used your excellence as a motivator to elevate their game and were now in a position to challenge you.
It would be difficult to discover that while age is making it harder for you to play like you used to, the young guns are now playing as good as you did in your prime; if not better.
It would be difficult to watch the younger, more public relations savvy, players leverage their skills into better promotional and sponsorship deals than are now being offered to you; especially when you have burned some of your own opportunities.
It would be difficult to travel to distant countries to do exhibitions and be treated like a superstar and then come crashing back to the reality of being beaten at the Hangelar Open by those who did not deserve to even be in the same tournament as a superstar such as yourself.
It would be difficult to have your entire self worth invested in how well you play pool; to continually have to show how smart you are to others involved in your life’s work by trying to be innovative. Hell, the arm weights alone are a burden none should have to carry (comic relief).
It would be difficult to lose control, lash out and be called out on it. To know that your act is wearing ever thinner while you are caught in a race against time to find that elusive score/situation that will provide the security you need and deserve.
It would be difficult to read strings of comments like this, many hitting close to home, all from people involved in the pool world at many levels, knowing that your peers, sponsors and others would be reading them.
Some, maybe none, of the above are applicable but if some are, it would be difficult to handle for anyone. However, I would hope that most would not deal with it by the actions described by Grandstew in starting this thread.
jerry
It would be difficult to have been so much better than your peers only to find out that they had used your excellence as a motivator to elevate their game and were now in a position to challenge you.
It would be difficult to discover that while age is making it harder for you to play like you used to, the young guns are now playing as good as you did in your prime; if not better.
It would be difficult to watch the younger, more public relations savvy, players leverage their skills into better promotional and sponsorship deals than are now being offered to you; especially when you have burned some of your own opportunities.
It would be difficult to travel to distant countries to do exhibitions and be treated like a superstar and then come crashing back to the reality of being beaten at the Hangelar Open by those who did not deserve to even be in the same tournament as a superstar such as yourself.
It would be difficult to have your entire self worth invested in how well you play pool; to continually have to show how smart you are to others involved in your life’s work by trying to be innovative. Hell, the arm weights alone are a burden none should have to carry (comic relief).
It would be difficult to lose control, lash out and be called out on it. To know that your act is wearing ever thinner while you are caught in a race against time to find that elusive score/situation that will provide the security you need and deserve.
It would be difficult to read strings of comments like this, many hitting close to home, all from people involved in the pool world at many levels, knowing that your peers, sponsors and others would be reading them.
Some, maybe none, of the above are applicable but if some are, it would be difficult to handle for anyone. However, I would hope that most would not deal with it by the actions described by Grandstew in starting this thread.
jerry
Earl The Churl
Last thoughts....
=boogeyman, agreed... I have a lot of the old Accustats videos, and he'd act up... just not to the degree he does now.
Some on here state that he does have a genuine illness... I totally agree... usually if you have a family member or friend who's having these kinds of issues, you'd do what you could to get them help. The first step is the person admitting that they need help... and I don't know if Earl has anybody that could take those actions.
I don't think Earl will ever admit anything like that, and probably thinks it would be a sign of weakness to do so... and maybe thinks that meds will affect his game.
At his peak he was without a doubt one of the most feared 9 ballers ever... but it's just gotten out of hand.
Last thoughts....
=boogeyman, agreed... I have a lot of the old Accustats videos, and he'd act up... just not to the degree he does now.
Some on here state that he does have a genuine illness... I totally agree... usually if you have a family member or friend who's having these kinds of issues, you'd do what you could to get them help. The first step is the person admitting that they need help... and I don't know if Earl has anybody that could take those actions.
I don't think Earl will ever admit anything like that, and probably thinks it would be a sign of weakness to do so... and maybe thinks that meds will affect his game.
At his peak he was without a doubt one of the most feared 9 ballers ever... but it's just gotten out of hand.
I am reading a documentary on Bobby Fischer and it is amazing how much Earl and Bobby share in common.
Bobby and Earl are both considered geniuses at their games. Bobby's IQ is at genius level. It would be interesting to know Earl's IQ.
Both won the world championship.
Bobby was paranoid and thought everyone, especially the soviets, were out to get him.
Bobby complained about everything during his matches, the lights, the spectators, you name it, and made outlandish demands.
Bobby was unkind to opponents and generally disliked by his peers.
Both are considered charismatic and can be quite charming.
Bobby was eventually secluded and died of renal failure (a kidney problem). I just watched the video where Earl gets into an argument with JJ during a Bonus Ball match and yells out that he has had 8 surgeries. Someone mentioned they were from kidney stones.
They had a lot in common.
Bobby and Earl are both considered geniuses at their games. Bobby's IQ is at genius level. It would be interesting to know Earl's IQ.
Both won the world championship.
Bobby was paranoid and thought everyone, especially the soviets, were out to get him.
Bobby complained about everything during his matches, the lights, the spectators, you name it, and made outlandish demands.
Bobby was unkind to opponents and generally disliked by his peers.
Both are considered charismatic and can be quite charming.
Bobby was eventually secluded and died of renal failure (a kidney problem). I just watched the video where Earl gets into an argument with JJ during a Bonus Ball match and yells out that he has had 8 surgeries. Someone mentioned they were from kidney stones.
They had a lot in common.
Some famous manic depressives
Abe Lincoln, Buzz Aldrin, Vincent Van Gogh, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Mozart.
Frank Sinatra claimed he was also.
This condition probably allowed the Pearl to do great things at pool...
...but it comes with a price
Abe Lincoln, Buzz Aldrin, Vincent Van Gogh, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Mozart.
Frank Sinatra claimed he was also.
This condition probably allowed the Pearl to do great things at pool...
...but it comes with a price