One man"s view on earl
I have been a member of this forum since January of 2005. I read it almost EVERY day and comment little.....this post being only my 111th. And, as someone who has spent time off the pool table with Earl Strickland, I feel compelled to weigh in on this:
Earl, as a child...from the first moment he found a pool table with his father,,,for better or worse, has lived and breathed his every waking moment, thinking, strategizing, practicing, honing, exercising, conditioning, and mentally preparing himself to become the BEST poolplayer that has ever lived. From what I know, from many discussions with him, he has had very little life outside of pool trying to realize that lofty goal.
I have NEVER met a more passionate, knowledgeable, opinionated and frustratingly stubborn man in my life. But, I also have never met a man whose mind works on a different level than mine playing pool. What I have had to work fifty years on to perform at my level of playing pool Earl had learned and surpassed it by the time he was seventeen. For those of you who say he is not a genius, you are sadly mistaken. He is. I won't extrapolate, but by the very definition, he is.
I have followed his ups and downs through the years. His heyday of being on top of the world, traveling and playing pool in different countries, living a lavish lifestyle that the kings and queens of ancient Egypt had never had; all the while having pro pool players, short-stops, amateurs and wannabes hanging on his every word.
Then, after many years of being on top, came his fall from grace into the depths of uncertain madness that seems to befall all childhood celebrities, Oscar winning actors and aging sport stars that Father Time always sneaks up on.
Although Earl may have lost a step in the one mile races, he is still the horse to bet on in the 100-yard dashes. Don't EVER sell Earl short on that one. He has achieved more in his life playing pool than any of us on this forum who rush to judgement on this five time US Open winning world Champion and BCA Hall of Famer. Earl has forgot more pool knowledge than most of us have ever learned and he deserves a place of honor...not ridicule.
I have watched Earl, during a rough time of his life, broke, sleeping in his car and not knowing where his next meal was coming from do charity events that have helped children and disabled adults raise funds to help ease their lot in life. I have also watched Earl help many struggling young pool players by giving his time unselfishly and then sign autographs for hours on end.
For all you folks who pile on the criticism of this great pool playing legend, you can only dream of the accomplishments that this man has achieved in his life....and you do it from the anonymity of facelessness behind the keyboard of your computer: I say Earl has nothing to explain to us. What have YOU done?
I am proud to know Earl and call him my friend.
