Anyone know...
- Thread starter mullyman
- Start date
mullyman said:
There are a whole bunch of threads about that event which go into a lot of detail, if you feel like reading through them.
Bottom line, the insurance company settled with Earl for an undisclosed amount. Since he didn't, quote/unquote, run out from 1 to 9 on every single break, they thought he did not have complete break-and-runs. Earl, on the other hand, thought a win is a win is a win, no matter how you get there.
The rules were not defined in explicit detail before this challenge, which is the problem.
Somehow, I am remembering the name of Nick Mannino (sp), but I don't recall how he fits into this scenario.
I heard it through the grapevine that the settlement was only about 15 percent of what it was supposed to be.
JAM
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=3757&highlight=million+dollars
Read the above-referenced thread from 2005 entitled "The Pearl's Amazing Feat!"
JAM
Read the above-referenced thread from 2005 entitled "The Pearl's Amazing Feat!"
JAM
One of Jay Helfert's first posts on this fourm:
Kwas messing around on the net and got directed to this post. I'm only a year behind the times, which isn't so bad for me.
Just wanted to add my two cents to this story. Yes, Earl actually ran 11 racks. He was playing a match with Nick Mannino (a race to 15) and the match wasn't over after the ten racks.
He would not let me rack the balls for rack six. He pushed me away and said he would rack his own (as he had for the first five racks). I let him continue and he made the Nine on the break (an audience member told me that was his third Nine ball on the break in six games). I warned Earl that the prize might not be good if he didn't let me rack, so he reluctantly let me take over. In game seven the Nine went toward the corner but didn't drop. He eventually made it on a combo off the three or four.
I realized that Earl had figured out how to break on this particular table to get the Nine headed for the corner. I brushed the racking area with my hands (Earl didn't like this) to smooth it out. To the best of my recollection he never made the Nine on my racks, although a couple more got close to the corner. By the way these Gold Crowns were triple shimmed and nobody was running any racks up till now. I didn't believe there was any chance of someone running ten racks here.
In game ten (of this I'm certain) he left the Nine about a foot out from the corner, the One about 6-8 inches off the rail near the side pocket and the cue ball down near the corner (all on the same side of the table). He had made a ball on the break. Faced with a difficult shot at the One down the rail past the Nine or a combination, Earl studied the table for some time. He then got down and fired in this long, hard combination. It was an incredible shot, more so considering the circumstances. In hindsight I realize he hit it hard to maybe luck something in if he missed the combo.
After things calmed down, Earl had a match to win and to be safe I continued to rack. In the eleventh rack Earl broke and ran out perfectly.
By the way during the course of the five games I racked, Earl made two or three tremendous runouts, getting out by banking balls and playing great position.
I have been watching (and sometimes playing) great pool players for 40 years and what I have long said about Earl is that, without question, he is the greatest tournament 9-Ball player ever. In his prime years (during the 80's and 90's) Earl would consistently run Fours, Fives and Sixes during matches that were Races To Eleven. NOBODY ran racks like Earl, either before or since. He could be trailing in the match 7-3 and end it in two innings 11-7. He did this time and again to other top players. Nobody had a winning record against Earl...Nobody!
And when he was running out, it looked so effortless and smooth. Almost like he was practicing for his next match. His game has slipped (maybe 10-15%), but he is still capable of beating anyone on a given day. I believe the mental strain has had an effect on Earl. In his mind it has been Earl against the world for over twenty years.
A final footnote to the above story. After the match Earl sat at a small table next to the pool table where he had run the 11 racks and signed his own autographed pictures. He had a stack of his own pictures and generously gave them away to everyone in the line. There must have been over 100 people that waited in line for Earl and he didn't just sign his name. He wrote "To So and So" and added a line "The night I ran ten racks" to every one. I was and remain impressed by this display that went on for over two hours.
We returned to the hotel together in the shuttle after the tournament that night. I asked Earl what he was thinking before he shot that last combination. His response was "I just wanted to give it a legitimate chance".
Like everyone else, there have been times when I've loved Earl and other times when I disliked him. But one thing is for sure, I'm glad I got the chance to see him play and I will never forget Earl Strickland.
Jay Helfert
JAM
Kwas messing around on the net and got directed to this post. I'm only a year behind the times, which isn't so bad for me.
Just wanted to add my two cents to this story. Yes, Earl actually ran 11 racks. He was playing a match with Nick Mannino (a race to 15) and the match wasn't over after the ten racks.
He would not let me rack the balls for rack six. He pushed me away and said he would rack his own (as he had for the first five racks). I let him continue and he made the Nine on the break (an audience member told me that was his third Nine ball on the break in six games). I warned Earl that the prize might not be good if he didn't let me rack, so he reluctantly let me take over. In game seven the Nine went toward the corner but didn't drop. He eventually made it on a combo off the three or four.
I realized that Earl had figured out how to break on this particular table to get the Nine headed for the corner. I brushed the racking area with my hands (Earl didn't like this) to smooth it out. To the best of my recollection he never made the Nine on my racks, although a couple more got close to the corner. By the way these Gold Crowns were triple shimmed and nobody was running any racks up till now. I didn't believe there was any chance of someone running ten racks here.
In game ten (of this I'm certain) he left the Nine about a foot out from the corner, the One about 6-8 inches off the rail near the side pocket and the cue ball down near the corner (all on the same side of the table). He had made a ball on the break. Faced with a difficult shot at the One down the rail past the Nine or a combination, Earl studied the table for some time. He then got down and fired in this long, hard combination. It was an incredible shot, more so considering the circumstances. In hindsight I realize he hit it hard to maybe luck something in if he missed the combo.
After things calmed down, Earl had a match to win and to be safe I continued to rack. In the eleventh rack Earl broke and ran out perfectly.
By the way during the course of the five games I racked, Earl made two or three tremendous runouts, getting out by banking balls and playing great position.
I have been watching (and sometimes playing) great pool players for 40 years and what I have long said about Earl is that, without question, he is the greatest tournament 9-Ball player ever. In his prime years (during the 80's and 90's) Earl would consistently run Fours, Fives and Sixes during matches that were Races To Eleven. NOBODY ran racks like Earl, either before or since. He could be trailing in the match 7-3 and end it in two innings 11-7. He did this time and again to other top players. Nobody had a winning record against Earl...Nobody!
And when he was running out, it looked so effortless and smooth. Almost like he was practicing for his next match. His game has slipped (maybe 10-15%), but he is still capable of beating anyone on a given day. I believe the mental strain has had an effect on Earl. In his mind it has been Earl against the world for over twenty years.
A final footnote to the above story. After the match Earl sat at a small table next to the pool table where he had run the 11 racks and signed his own autographed pictures. He had a stack of his own pictures and generously gave them away to everyone in the line. There must have been over 100 people that waited in line for Earl and he didn't just sign his name. He wrote "To So and So" and added a line "The night I ran ten racks" to every one. I was and remain impressed by this display that went on for over two hours.
We returned to the hotel together in the shuttle after the tournament that night. I asked Earl what he was thinking before he shot that last combination. His response was "I just wanted to give it a legitimate chance".
Like everyone else, there have been times when I've loved Earl and other times when I disliked him. But one thing is for sure, I'm glad I got the chance to see him play and I will never forget Earl Strickland.
Jay Helfert
JAM
Nick was Earls opponent in that tourny match.
Anyone here of Nick lately? Last I heard he had some health issues. He is a super nice guy.
Anyone here of Nick lately? Last I heard he had some health issues. He is a super nice guy.
JAM said:
![nickmannino[1].JPG](/data/attachments/45/45877-162fd677707004ff55aabdc279ac73aa.jpg)
As I remember hearing, Earl got what amounted to the seed money for a 20 year annuity that would equal 1 million dollars at maturity. Hence, the amount of money the insurance company would have put in the annuity during year 1, to have 1 million after 20 years.
I assume that lawyers fees came out of the award, so I would assume Earl got somewhere between 200K-300K in the bank, which he would have had to pay taxes on.
Russ
I assume that lawyers fees came out of the award, so I would assume Earl got somewhere between 200K-300K in the bank, which he would have had to pay taxes on.
Russ