I will only add this. Earl was a handful at many tournaments I directed, where a certain amount of decorum was necessary. These were major pro tournaments after all, and that meant something to me as the TD. In his famous match with Landon Shuffett in the Bigfoot tourney in Biloxi, I literally had to babysit Earl the entire match.
That said, I was right there when Earl ran those eleven racks to win the million dollar payout (he ended up with a very healthy chunk after a lengthy legal battle with the insurance company). After the match was over, Earl sat at a small table and autographed photos that he just happened to have with him. He didn't just write his name either. He wrote on each one, "The day I ran ten racks for a million dollars." And then he signed every one and had a short conversation with each person as he did that. There must have been well over 100 people lined up to get one of his autographed photos and it took him a couple of hours to do this for everybody. When he got to the last person in line, Earl looked around the near empty poolroom and said, "Is there anyone else?"
By then the tournament was long since over for the night and I waited for Earl to ride back to the hotel with us. Of course I congratulated him again on the way back and for some reason I asked him what he was thinking before he shot that final combination on the nine ball to win the money. It was not an easy shot by any means! I'll never forget his answer. He said, "Jay, I just wanted to give it a legitimate chance."
Earl is a mercurial personality. He can be kind and gracious with his fans and he can be a giant asshole at times as well. Most of his worst moments take place in the course of a match. Earl is a pool savant and if things don't go his way, he does not have the ability to cope with it properly.
Earl and I have been friends and we have also been enemies for a time. By the way Bill, I was with Earl at his motel in Long Beach a day or two after you beat him. He needed some weed and I brought him a joint. He kept complaining about the lucky guy he had lost too. I knew who you were back then. You may not remember but you asked me to play also and I declined. I think we were in Yankee Doodles when you approached me. I may have offered to play you One Pocket or Banks, I'm not sure. But we definitely did not end up playing.
In looking back my opinion is that the pool world is fortunate to have had Earl Strickland be part of it. He has been a polarizing force to be sure, but he has brought a lot of attention to the game and captivated pool fans with his expertise for decades. I will close by saying this one thing. Of all the tournament 9-Ball players I ever saw play (and that covers a lot of territory), Earl had the highest gear of them all. PERIOD! When he was at his best, everyone else was playing for second. I used to say that Earl made a 9' table look like a bar table. And I never said that about anyone else!
His passion for the game overrides his good sense or whatever sense he does have. He is clearly not in total control of his emotions while competing, and that's part and parcel of what you get with Earl. You can take it or leave it, but he is not going to change to please you or anyone else.
I will never forget the old Earl when he was at his peak. I loved watching him play. It was like watching a virtuoso performance by a great musician or a fabulous gymnast. He was in total control of all the balls on the table and they were doing exactly what he directed them to do. He was our Rembrandt, our Sinatra, and that's the Earl I choose to remember.