a$$ weights and beekeeper's suits?!?

justaguy

justaguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ok, so i have followed pool, off and on, since watching the Minnesota Fats/Willie Mosconi matches on wide world of sports in the 70's with my grandfather (who taught me to play on the table in his basement). i have known the name of Earl Strickland for many years, but have never met the man and, untill very recently, never looked up any of his matches or interviews on youtube (of course those didnt exist until relatively recently, but i digress). i find his talent to be breath-taking (same with Efren and many others) and his behavior (at least occasionally) somewhat boorish (especially the incident with Souquet from the Mosconi cup from several years ago, but there are others) . i also saw the Joe Rogan spoof and though it was hilarious, as well as the post recently confirming the existence of the a$$ weights (in another thread here) and the other post saying the beekeeper's suit story is a myth (or at least unconfirmed). i googled the beekeeper's suit story every way i could think of and all i found was the Rogan clip and a couple of allusions to it here on AZ, but not the whole story...

so i told you all that to ask you these questions:

why does Earl wear a$$ weights?

-and-

what is the (unconfirmed/mythical) story of the beekeeper's suit?
 
HAHA! You haven't seen the video?!?! Oh man, I practically fell out of my chair it was so funny. There are a few threads on here with the link but I can't think of what to search for. I'm sure someone will post the link back here for you.
 
JCurry said:
HAHA! You haven't seen the video?!?! Oh man, I practically fell out of my chair it was so funny. There are a few threads on here with the link but I can't think of what to search for. I'm sure someone will post the link back here for you.
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He saw the video. His question is, what is the story/myth of the beekeepers outfit.

I haven't seen the video but I don't know that there is a story behind it. I think it was just something Joe made up on the fly.
 
Earl is a gadget guy. He likes gadgets. His blue classes. His special gloves. The arm band. Ad nauseum.

Joe Rogan was making fun of this fact by saying, as Earl, that one must wear butt weights and a bee keepers suit before they'll be able to play. Nothing more than that.
 
justaguy said:
ok, so i have followed pool, off and on, since watching the Minnesota Fats/Willie Mosconi matches on wide world of sports in the 70's with my grandfather (who taught me to play on the table in his basement). i have known the name of Earl Strickland for many years, but have never met the man and, untill very recently, never looked up any of his matches or interviews on youtube (of course those didnt exist until relatively recently, but i digress). i find his talent to be breath-taking (same with Efren and many others) and his behavior (at least occasionally) somewhat boorish (especially the incident with Souquet from the Mosconi cup from several years ago, but there are others) . i also saw the Joe Rogan spoof and though it was hilarious, as well as the post recently confirming the existence of the a$$ weights (in another thread here) and the other post saying the beekeeper's suit story is a myth (or at least unconfirmed). i googled the beekeeper's suit story every way i could think of and all i found was the Rogan clip and a couple of allusions to it here on AZ, but not the whole story...

so i told you all that to ask you these questions:

why does Earl wear a$$ weights?

-and-

what is the (unconfirmed/mythical) story of the beekeeper's suit?
Click to expand...
I believe that Joe just made the bee keepers outfit up to take the whole thing to another level. Even Earl himself asked me "Whys does he think I should wear a bee keepers outfit?" therefore it is my opinion that there is no story behind the beekeepers outfit.

I wish there was something more and if anyone has something I would love to see it too as I am sure Earl would too.
 
If him having worn ass weights is true, I'd assume it's because he believes it aids him to do something like - stay down, or keep the weight back, or to get lower, or to stabilize... There's a specific reason he tries or uses each gadget he employs. He's not doing it for grins and he obviously cares more about aiding his game than whether some are laughing at his goofy looking devices!

I believe people would be naive to think (at least) some of the gadgets he employs are without merit. His pioneering ingenuity changed the game in many respects. It is difficult not to chuckle at some off his off the wall gadgets though... :D
 
purist or gadgeteer?...

It strikes me funny how on the one hand Earl expresses disgust over, for instance, the use of jump cues as they weren't around "when we founded pool" (that statement was also funny); then on the other hand he uses all of these crazy aids like the ass weights (if that's real), velcro wraps, gloves, tennis raquet wrap, etc., etc.

Anyone hear the interview where Earl is whining how "they took my fingers" referring to his finger wraps?

I think Earl Strickland is, at times, as nutty as a fruitcake, childish, and whiney.

And, however, he is without a doubt, one of the best pure pool shooters ever, all time. While his antics can be annoying and unprofessional, especially to his opponents, there's no denying he is entertaining.

I like the guy and have huge respect for his game. Closing in on the big 50 he just stole one of the three barbox titles from SVB. Not too shabby.

Where is it again I can order ass weights? :grin-square:

Best,
Brian kc
 
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It did sound funny when Earl sadly said that they took his fingers but that is actually what the product is called. He told me where to find them and the packaging was labeled, "fingers"
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
If him having worn ass weights is true, I'd assume it's because he believes it aids him to do something like - stay down, or keep the weight back, or to get lower, or to stabilize... There's a specific reason he tries or uses each gadget he employs. He's not doing it for grins and he obviously cares more about aiding his game than whether some are laughing at his goofy looking devices!

I believe people would be naive to think (at least) some of the gadgets he employs are without merit. His pioneering ingenuity changed the game in many respects. It is difficult not to chuckle at some off his off the wall gadgets though... :D
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I think he is always looking for the answer. Like you said he started the jump shot look at how that has evolved.
 
Just to clarify what the "Ass weights" actually are. They are the velco weights that runners put around their ankle or arms. All he does is slide one end of the weight down the back of his pants and leaves the other end hanging out. Keeps him Stable in his stance. Like I said he is just trying different things that he thinks may help him. stay doen on a shot, make his stroke smoother or help the grip and feel of his cue with the tennis wrap for example. Hey if he thinks it helps him I find it hard to disagree. like someone said he just won the US Bar table Championship in Reno that had Appleton, Thorsten etc in
 
Mark...Earl did not invent the jump shot. It was around long before Earl...although I will give you this; Earl mastered the full ball jump, using his playing cue. This is no knock on Earl. He is, imo, one of the greatest players ever!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

bfdlad said:
I think he is always looking for the answer. Like you said he started the jump shot look at how that has evolved.
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bzzzz

I think there's a market for bee-keepers outfits.
What gambler hasn't been stung a few times?
 
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