Glad to see Earl playing well. His reward, for never quitting pro pool.

[Ghosst]

Lol upSTATE Al. We know autocorrect gets tuned to everyone’s individual common word usage...

My boss' wife texted me while I was driving and I replied with, "Just call me". It was autocorrected into, "Just cucumber me". That's not a word I ever type and it got a few confused stares and laughter.

Oh ... and good job by Earl; he was playing very well. I didn't have a favorite and was happy to see either of them win.

 

[skogstokig]

when he is in stroke and behaving reasonably well it's hard not to root for him. best 9-ball player ever

 

[ctyhntr]

16 big reasons why Hugh Hefner is so happy in that picture.

I call bullshit. :thumbup:

 

[rjb1168]

16 big reasons why Hugh Hefner is so happy in that picture.

He was a lucky man!

 

[trob]

Apparently when asked for an interview he said I’m not doing an interview. I didn’t win nothing lol


I liked seeing earl play with no bullshit on his hand or arms. Just playing pool.. He plays such a different style then anyone else seems to any more. All the pros and great amateurs try to keep it simple as possible when Playing position but he has no problem spinning it all over the place. It’s fun to watch.

 

[Buster8001]

I liked seeing earl play with no bullshit on his hand or arms. Just playing pool.. He plays such a different style then anyone else seems to any more. All the pros and great amateurs try to keep it simple as possible when Playing position but he has no problem spinning it all over the place. It’s fun to watch.

100% agree!

 

[skogstokig]

Apparently when asked for an interview he said I’m not doing an interview. I didn’t win nothing lol


I liked seeing earl play with no bullshit on his hand or arms. Just playing pool.. He plays such a different style then anyone else seems to any more. All the pros and great amateurs try to keep it simple as possible when Playing position but he has no problem spinning it all over the place. It’s fun to watch.

i think that less weights and gadgets is a sign of a healthier mental state as well. the pros need to watch out.. if earl gets his shit together he will be a threat in any tournament

 

[evergruven]

i think that less weights and gadgets is a sign of a healthier mental state as well. the pros need to watch out.. if earl gets his shit together he will be a threat in any tournament

I would love to see earl really mixin it up with the new order..go earl!!

 

[GoldenFlash777]

It was good to see Earl Strickland playing excellent pool at this tournament.
I assumed he had retired because of his age, but it looks like he can still mix it up with the tour guys.

 

[sjm]

Even in recent times, nobody has ever questioned whether Earl, one of the most gifted players in our sport's history, can turn back the clock on occasion and magically become the Earl of old. Sustaining that level for a whole tournament, however, is something Earl hasn't been able to do for years, but he did so at Turning Stone, and it's hard not to be intrigued by the possibilities.

Congratulations, Earl. Well played.

 

[Nick B]

I hate to say it and I'm sure Matchroom would love the drama. USA's best chance at Mosconi this year would be:
SVB
Sky
Billy T
Cory D
and......


Not sure Johan would like it but I think JJ and SVB could keep him in his lane.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

lol desperation attempt.


Both played really well in the finals, but Earl made 2 huge mistakes at the end. Missed a very routine 6 ball, and then missed that combo. Although missing the combo could have happened to anyone. It certainly wasn't a hanger.

On the "desperation attempt" Shane made a hell of a hit escaping a really good safety, and the balls responded accordingly.

That match was so good, I was there watching live and I'm going to watch it again on the UpState Al stream replay to soak it all in.
My only regret was not sitting table side because the banter between Earl and Van Boening was good, and I missed out on a lot that was said. Billy Thorpe was sitting behind Shane and getting a kick out of the show. Everyone was engaged.

 

[jay helfert]

Earl had his moments in that match but he never let it get the best of him. That is the best sportsmanship and personal self control I've seen from Earl in I don't know how many years, maybe decades! And the results reflect just that. He was only wearing one small apparatus on his wrist and was using his lonnnng cue. Most of all I noticed his composure after a mistake or a bad role. He seemed to take it in stride.

He actually looked a lot like the old Earl, one I thought we would never see again. He made some impressive run outs and played a pretty heady game all the way. He came up with some creative shots as well. I don't know what to attribute this all too, but hopefully it will become his new norm. Another very good thing is that Earl always kept himself in good physical condition and he looks more like 48 than 58.

On the stream a few people mentioned Earl for the MC this year and if he can continue to play like that, I say why not!

I also enjoyed Upstate Al's stream. This guy Troy has a good voice and kept up a nice flow of conversation. He was knowledgeable about the player's options for the most part, did most of the talking but never seemed to monopolize the conversation. Our own Mike Howerton fits in well with any co-com and Al chimed in at the right moments.

Hat's off to Mike Zuglan for another well run tournament. I give him an A+++ for his dedication to the game and pro pool in general. Mike has handled this thankless task for a long, long time and has endured despite the criticism that has been thrown his way. He has worked hard to eke out a living running pool tournaments. I can attest to how difficult that is.

There was something like 4,700 fans watching the final match, proof that a good stream can draw an audience. These are numbers that are attractive to potential sponsors. All and all a good show by all concerned. Thanks

P.S. I almost forgot! Congrats to Shane for winning the tournament and beating Earl in the finals. One more feather in his cap!

 

[jokrswylde]

I hate to say it and I'm sure Matchroom would love the drama. USA's best chance at Mosconi this year would be:
SVB
Sky
Billy T
Cory D
and......


Not sure Johan would like it but I think JJ and SVB could keep him in his lane.

It's almost as if I forgot just how good Earl can be. I remember watching him roll through tournaments 20 years ago and, coupled with his struggles as of late, it's easy to dismiss him as over the hill, or even believe the competition he destroyed all those years ago was maybe a step behind today's best.

But man, for 99% of that tournament, he was playing at a level that I believe was near unbeatable. I think he lost focus around 6-6 in the finals vs. SVB, and it was almost an "Earl meltdown", but he recovered and got back on track.

You forget how fun he is to watch as well. There is nothing robotic about his game. Most of the top players today play very predictable and connect the dots rotation with very little drama...drop the a ball on the break -no clusters- runout for the win. But with Earl, he is getting out of line with the crazy English, hitting an impossible shot and spinning 3 rails to get back in line, firing balls in like he was mad at them....great entertainment.

If, and it's a big if, he can keep this level of play up through the fall tournament season, how do you keep him off the Cup team???

 

[KAP1976]

Earl had his moments in that match but he never let it get the best of him. That is the best sportsmanship and personal self control I've seen from Earl in I don't know how many years, maybe decades! And the results reflect just that. He was only wearing one small apparatus on his wrist and was using his lonnnng cue. Most of all I noticed his composure after a mistake or a bad role. He seemed to take it in stride.

He actually looked a lot like the old Earl, one I thought we would never see again. He made some impressive run outs and played a pretty heady game all the way. He came up with some creative shots as well. I don't know what to attribute this all too, but hopefully it will become his new norm. Another very good thing is that Earl always kept himself in good physical condition and he looks more like 48 than 58.

On the stream a few people mentioned Earl for the MC this year and if he can continue to play like that, I say why not!

I also enjoyed Upstate Al's stream. This guy Troy has a good voice and kept up a nice flow of conversation. He was knowledgeable about the player's options for the most part, did most of the talking but never seemed to monopolize the conversation. Our own Mike Howerton fits in well with any co-com and Al chimed in at the right moments.

Hat's off to Mike Zuglan for another well run tournament. I give him an A+++ for his dedication to the game and pro pool in general. Mike has handled this thankless task for a long, long time and has endured despite the criticism that has been thrown his way. He has worked hard to eke out a living running pool tournaments. I can attest to how difficult that is.

There was something like 4,700 fans watching the final match, proof that a good stream can draw an audience. These are numbers that are attractive to potential sponsors. All and all a good show by all concerned. Thanks

P.S. I almost forgot! Congrats to Shane for winning the tournament and beating Earl in the finals. One more feather in his cap!

He had one minor "meltdown" Saturday against Shane where he didn't get the cueball position he wanted and banged his hand on the table. He calmed down pretty quickly and ran out the rack regardless.

 

[sjm]

Hat's off to Mike Zuglan for another well run tournament. I give him an A+++ for his dedication to the game and pro pool in general. Mike has handled this thankless task for a long, long time and has endured despite the criticism that has been thrown his way. He has worked hard to eke out a living running pool tournaments. I can attest to how difficult that is.

Glad to see these words, Jay, for Mike Zuglan is a shining presence in pool. I believe his Joss Tour, now in its 23rd year, is the greatest regional tour America has ever seen, and 32 Turning Stone events later, his tour is still full steam ahead.

Possibly excepting the new Matchroom edition of the US Open 9-ball event, Turning Stone may be the best run tournament in America. The 128 player field fills up crazy fast and Mike might well be able to get 256 players if he wanted them.

The reason for the demand at Turning Stone is clear: a) Mike always pays good money, b) the field is always solid, c) Mike is the best American-based tournament director and fairly penalizes those that cross the line in terms of conduct, and d) Mike's events ALWAYS run on time.

Some say Mike rules with an iron hand, but I say that's why he's so great at what he does, and why his tour remains so successful and popular. Let's face it, in our game's history, how many regional tours have reached their 23rd year of competition?

 

[CharlesUFarley]

I thought that he played the best there all weekend long and it was too bad that, at least for the finals, it was not a call 9 ball event. He had taken over the momentum of the final match and had a combo rattle in the corner pocket very late in the game and then lost on a lucked 9 ball when his opponent shot a desperation attempt at hitting another intended object ball after being hooked.

One glaring point when watching this tournament- a lack of young talent in the US in terms of pool- I see very few, if any 18 to 25 year old Americans playing in these majors here in the US. Nonetheless, Earl was magnificent this weekend!

When I was watching that match and Shane "slopped" that last 9 ball, my immediate reaction was to assume that he got incredibly lucky. I haven't watched it again, and probably wouldn't know where to find it immediately.

But after thinking about it for a minute, if Shane had hit the other side of the object ball, I believe he would have scratched in the side, so he knew he needed to hit the correct side of the ball. He also knew the 9 ball was up near the corner pocket and that the cue ball would automatically be hitting the 9 ball if he made contact. Judging by the speed with which he hit the shot, I'm almost certain he was trying to "get lucky". I say he made a great hit, and therefor a great shot. It wasn't nearly as lucky as it looked.

 

[9andout]

I was very happy for Earl at Turning Stone!
I was thinking as he was laying that beat down on Shaw......
Somewhere Mika is smiling!!!! Hahaha!!!

 

[westcoast]

I was very happy for Earl at Turning Stone!
I was thinking as he was laying that beat down on Shaw......
Somewhere Mika is smiling!!!! Hahaha!!!

On that note, I wish Mika would commit to his game again. He seems like a part time player now.

 

[ctyhntr]

4700 is a good number for a free stream, but nowhere near cable tv. The Hustlers drew nearly 300K and wasn't renewed when numbers bottomed out at 185K per week.

I would love to see Earl play more like this.

Earl had his moments in that match but he never let it get the best of him. That is the best sportsmanship and personal self control I've seen from Earl in I don't know how many years, maybe decades! And the results reflect just that. He was only wearing one small apparatus on his wrist and was using his lonnnng cue. Most of all I noticed his composure after a mistake or a bad role. He seemed to take it in stride.

He actually looked a lot like the old Earl, one I thought we would never see again. He made some impressive run outs and played a pretty heady game all the way. He came up with some creative shots as well. I don't know what to attribute this all too, but hopefully it will become his new norm. Another very good thing is that Earl always kept himself in good physical condition and he looks more like 48 than 58.

On the stream a few people mentioned Earl for the MC this year and if he can continue to play like that, I say why not!

I also enjoyed Upstate Al's stream. This guy Troy has a good voice and kept up a nice flow of conversation. He was knowledgeable about the player's options for the most part, did most of the talking but never seemed to monopolize the conversation. Our own Mike Howerton fits in well with any co-com and Al chimed in at the right moments.

Hat's off to Mike Zuglan for another well run tournament. I give him an A+++ for his dedication to the game and pro pool in general. Mike has handled this thankless task for a long, long time and has endured despite the criticism that has been thrown his way. He has worked hard to eke out a living running pool tournaments. I can attest to how difficult that is.

There was something like 4,700 fans watching the final match, proof that a good stream can draw an audience. These are numbers that are attractive to potential sponsors. All and all a good show by all concerned. Thanks

P.S. I almost forgot! Congrats to Shane for winning the tournament and beating Earl in the finals. One more feather in his cap!