Earl Grow Up!!

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Earl is Earl.. he loves the game more then anyone . He’s as passionate about it now as he was when he first became a pro. He has problems controlling his emotions. If you don’t like how he acts don’t watch... because it’s obvious he gives 0 ****s what you or anyone thinks lol I love watching him. I love the beauty of watching him play at an all time great level.. and I love watching when he’s struggling and gets unhinged lol

It's a benefit for another human being, it's good will, and all that goes along with the moment.
It's not acceptable....Period.
Tolerating behavior of this type, would you let your children see this?
It's sad, to only think of YOURSELF.
 

trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It's a benefit for another human being, it's good will, and all that goes along with the moment.
It's not acceptable....Period.
Tolerating behavior of this type, would you let your children see this?
It's sad, to only think of YOURSELF.

Then again.. don’t watch him. I don’t agree so I will. Thats how freedom works lol
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Then again.. don’t watch him. I don’t agree so I will. Thats how freedom works lol

I don't....but others do. Would you take your kids to watch and adult tantrum? Does this benefit the event, the game? Answer that question.
 

Fork Boy

Registered
I'll answer your question - Earl is good for the game. Pool is a game with a long history of characters and he's certainly one of them. He's a player with tremendous passion for the game and that's very much needed. He hasn't changed and nor will he in the future. If you don't like his style or antics or if you don't think it's appropriate for children then don't go or watch.
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
a glass bubble

I don't....but others do. Would you take your kids to watch and adult tantrum? Does this benefit the event, the game? Answer that question.


I wanted to raise my children in a glass bubble. While I was trying to keep them from being exposed to some things until they were older, others had no such compunctions. My girl was seven or eight when my brother-in-law took her to see The Blues Brothers movie. Not a happy camper! Then again, they had worse real life exposures.

I could only wish Earl was the worst thing my children were exposed to. Radio, TV, day to day life gave them worse exposures. While I don't approve of the behavior, I don't pretend it will warp children for life either. Trying to explain oral sex to a child when I hadn't explained birds and bees yet caused a strong dislike of bill clinton that has never went away!

Hu
 

couldnthinkof01

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It's a good lesson for the kids.

"See kids that's how stupid you look
when you act like that."

Pools version of scared straight
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
It's a good lesson for the kids.

"See kids that's how stupid you look
when you act like that."

Pools version of scared straight

Thx guys, it's nice to see different perspective's than my own.

Rack em up....

I was with Mike Massey in TX in the hotel parking lot. This pro 9 ball event was CJ's inaugural event , and we ran into Earl.
He was in a Great mood, telling us about the ''ten pack'' million dollar payout at CJ's and how impossible it would be to do that.
Then seeing em run em, and wipe the balls each rack (none were going in the foot pockets) them him waiting for the camera ''per insurance co. instructions'' to show I think the last 4 racks (Helfert knows) he waaaaaaas impatient (who wouldn't be), but he knew then, it was possible. And during those last few racks, one of em was a length of the table 2/9 combo, WOW.

When I played Earl at Paramount Billiards in Long Beach late 70's, I never did, or probably ever will see a player that never missed the pocket jaws Once in 6+ hours, his swing was PERFECT, he just was still learning about, table management in roll out, and thought playing in/wet/dirty/slow cloth conditions he could get out. I would of had almost no chance on a dry table, but in 2 shot roll out, I new what he'd go for and that's what beat em, he was young then, but thee most amazing swing I've ever seen bar none. Efren in his prime, it would of been stealing on a dry table even in his youth.

Big Foot
 

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
It's a benefit for another human being, it's good will, and all that goes along with the moment.
It's not acceptable....Period.
Tolerating behavior of this type, would you let your children see this?
It's sad, to only think of YOURSELF.

So I guess your kids were not allowed to watch tennis, football, NBA, MMA, boxing? But hey, the world is mot only made up of only unicorn farts and fairy burns, lol
 

SBC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I love Earl... is he wired tight when he's playing? yes. Does he act up when things don't go his way? also yes.

At this point should ANYONE be surprised by it? a RESOUNDING NO!

No shit...don't like it, don't watch.
Meanwhile he draws more.people than anyone except maybe Alex.
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
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.
 
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SBC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You guys would dig up a dead horse... Just to beat it again.

Let's talk about chalk or something.
 

Brookeland Bill

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pool needs the “Earls” of this world like golf needs the John Daleys and football needs the Jim McMahons. It’s show business baby.
 

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You guys would dig up a dead horse... Just to beat it again.



Let's talk about chalk or something.


To be fair, we are talking about his behavior at an event three days ago. It’s not like we are talking about his 2006 behavior.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
a cut of the gate

Pool needs the “Earls” of this world like golf needs the John Daleys and football needs the Jim McMahons. It’s show business baby.


Some competitors lose track of the fact that if we want to make a buck it is show business. We don't entertain fans, we don't put asses in seats or in front of TV's, we don't make money for sponsors and we don't keep them.

When I was driving circle track about half of the tracks gave us a cut of the gate. No payout until the gate and maybe concessions too were counted, usually just the gate though. That sure reminded me we were entertainers and needed to try to send the fans home with something exciting to tell their friends about. Fans always stood for the start and finish of races but if I could keep them on their feet for all twelve laps of a prelim I figured I had earned my cut of the gate.

Didn't much matter if the fans loved or hated you, just so they weren't bored. A major chuckle happened one night when I wasn't driving. Met another driver a good bit older at the beer box and he wanted me to come meet his wife. My name and my car number didn't ring bells for her but when he started describing the car she realized who I was. "That SON of A Bit, Oh how do you do?" "Yes ma'am, that son of a bltch. Doing fine thank you. How about yourself?" Didn't take us long to become friends but her first reaction was hilarious. She might not have liked me but she danged sure knew when I was on the track.

Hu
 

Buckzapper

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You can criticize Earl after you've won 5 US Open titles, 6 world titles and over 58 other championships. If you don't like his behavior, don't watch. If refs had any guts at all, they'd disqualify lots of players for unsportsmanlike conduct....and we'd all cheer.
 
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