Seriously?? What a tool.
Billy Thorpe gone wild!
- Thread starter detroitfan0877
- Start date
A well respected older tour player friend told me about one of his early matchups he had vs Earl that Earl started acting up. My friend got in his face and made it very clear to Earl that he wasn’t gonna put up with his crap and that he would kick his a$$ right on the spot if he continued, and he meant it. He never had a problem with Earl again from that point on.
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People will do what they are allowed to get away with.
Pool isn't like going to the dance with your best girl...it's supposed to be about finding out who can win on a given day. In a fight you do what you have to do to win. That doesn't mean you have to be an asshole, but you better be ready to if there's a need.
Speaking about Earl in particular I do think much of his behavior has a genuine medical problem at it's root. Obviously with enough incentive he can control it though so TD's need to make Earl understand early that bad behavior will not be tolerated. There are medications for the underlying condition or what I understand it to be. The catch is that they take the competitive edge off. Might not be enough to bother a man working behind a desk but when you live by competing it is tough to spot the best in the world by being a little groggy all the time. I took beta blockers for blood pressure for years. Hated them! They didn't make me feel drugged, just not 100% alert. I think I see both sides of Earl's issues pretty good. Taking the medication that would make it easier to not act out would also kill his competitive fire.
Always being a thinking man, I have solved the problem of Earl and all others that can't behave while others are shooting. The same shock collars used to train dogs, or very similar. You can give them a couple of low level nudges to remind them it is on prior to a match, then have anybody sit table side with a controller. A little zap when things first start to go downhill and there won't be any need for a sharp taser level zap to have them twitching and jerking and drooling on the floor like they are suffering an epileptic fit. The only possible issue I can see is if somebody betting on the opponent manages to hack into the controller frequency. Should be pretty obvious if that happens though!
Hu
If "a pattern of bad behavior" was the catalyst to kick off negative consequences.... nobody would know who Earl Strickland even is.
All joking aside what Billy did was reprehensible on the video, getting into a shoving match and then some, and the name calling was especially heartbreaking to hear. I hate to play the devil's advocate, but what happens before this video is something that I have not seen. I didn't read all 15 pages of this thread, so maybe there is more to the story, in which I'll get educated.
Well.....tell us who.
I second that motion! Congratulations, Jay - you'll be inducted in the hall of fame due to Chris' and my nomination.
I would not betray his confidentiality, but I’m guessing Jay may know who I’m talking about.
I do, and he was (and still is) no one to mess with.
I love it! Sounds like a plan. We'll never have a problem with bad boy pool players again.
That is chicken shit....and I wouldn't play with a Cuetec if you paid me.
Hope they never go to SBE or DCC...they would switch to making tomato stakes full time.
PC BS cancel future has no place in pool.
Scrunge19
Registered
Why is wanting someone who is being paid to represent your brand to conduct themselves in a professional and upstanding manner considered politically correct bs? Politics has nothing to do with what Cuetec did, nor is this an example of cancel culture like you said.
This is no different than if Coca Cola hired you to be a salesman and you got wasted at a conference and made a scene like Billy did. If you were fired for those actions, would that be political correctness cancel culture bs? No, it would be Coke terminating a contract between you and them for your poor judgement while acting as a representative of the company.
No one is saying that Billy should be banned from pool forever or never be able to get sponsors again. But this just shows that actions have consequences when you sign on to be an ambassador for someone other than just yourself (Cuetec). If you don't like it, be your own sponsor and then your actions, both good and bad, will represent only you.
My sense here is that, unless Billy's contract with Cuetec had a specified code of conduct clause that was violated here, Cuetec has overreacted.
I admire Cuetec very much and know they have contributed greatly to our sport at both the amateur and pro levels over the years, Cuetec is a credit to our sport, but in what sense are they "stewards of the game"? I admire them for caring about the environment surrounding pool, and certainly, they have every right to put their sponsorship dollars where they feel they will do the most good. That said, they associated themselves with Earl for years and tolerated his frequent disrespect for the game, so they are hardly stewards of the pro game's dignity.
As I've noted before, I'm not sure this incident is really about Billy Thorpe, who made a mistake, has apologized for it and has hopefully learned from it. To me, this incident is more about the failure of America's top players, as a unit, to try to embody the very clearly stated vision and ideals of Matchroom in positioning the American pro pool product at a time when Matchroom is increasing its investment in American pool.
The danger, of course, is that Cuetec's appetite for using pro players as its representatives and Matchroom's appetite for further investment in American pool can both be diminished by this incident, but at least for now, there is no evidence that this has been the result.
Yes, Billy made a mistake, but this strikes me as too great a penalty for him to pay.
I admire Cuetec very much and know they have contributed greatly to our sport at both the amateur and pro levels over the years, Cuetec is a credit to our sport, but in what sense are they "stewards of the game"? I admire them for caring about the environment surrounding pool, and certainly, they have every right to put their sponsorship dollars where they feel they will do the most good. That said, they associated themselves with Earl for years and tolerated his frequent disrespect for the game, so they are hardly stewards of the pro game's dignity.
As I've noted before, I'm not sure this incident is really about Billy Thorpe, who made a mistake, has apologized for it and has hopefully learned from it. To me, this incident is more about the failure of America's top players, as a unit, to try to embody the very clearly stated vision and ideals of Matchroom in positioning the American pro pool product at a time when Matchroom is increasing its investment in American pool.
The danger, of course, is that Cuetec's appetite for using pro players as its representatives and Matchroom's appetite for further investment in American pool can both be diminished by this incident, but at least for now, there is no evidence that this has been the result.
Yes, Billy made a mistake, but this strikes me as too great a penalty for him to pay.
Stu, do you think it is right to stereotype "American players" with this incident? I'm not sure I agree with this stance, though I know you have long held this point of view that American players are not as good as other international players when it comes to behavior. There are some American players who do not exhibit poor behavior. Shane is one of them, I guess, and I'm sure there are others.
I know there is one school of thought that American pool players are not as good as the rest of the world, but it's difficult for me to think that all American pro players are keeping American pool in a bad light.
I just mention this as food for thought.
It’s almost as if Cuetec said to Billy, “Are we not professionals?”
It’s a mistake. A mistake with a consequence. Billy isn’t cancelled. He still has tournaments. He still has gambling. And he will get new sponsors. He will be fine. It’s just a lesson.
It’s a mistake. A mistake with a consequence. Billy isn’t cancelled. He still has tournaments. He still has gambling. And he will get new sponsors. He will be fine. It’s just a lesson.
Other sponsors will be aware he was dropped and it will be a tougher sell.
And if another sponsor does pick him up, I'm guessing that sponsorship will come with a warning.
Lou Figueroa
