Cuetec Fires Strickland

[John Barton]

Jennie I agree with you on almost everything you write and I can feel your passion here.

This company that you want to assasinate has supported Earl steadfastly through hundreds of outbursts that did NOTHING to elevate their product. Earl did not do HIS BEST to promote the product. He did his worst and now true to form he is going to BLAME the prodcut for his shortcomings.

The truth is that I have yet to see a player, any player, promote the product by extolling it's virtues in helping them win. I have yet to hear a player raise his or her cue at the end of a tournament and say it's the best ever or anything close to it. But I have heard plenty of players blame the equipment when they lose.

It's time to face facts. Earl continued to get sponsorship long after his actions became manical. Any other player than Earl would have been dumped long ago. Earl's own actions are the cause of this and nothing else.

It is ignoble of you to denounce a company that has supported pool and pool players as much or more than most of the companies you can name. J-S Sales is an AMERICAN company with a long pedigree. CUETEC is a Chinese company that put it's money into great players and tournaments.

To defile them as you are doing here is sad. I understand your passion and desire to support Earl and America in general. I think your anger is misplaced in this instance though. Yes this thread has a lot of responses and views because it's about Strickland. But don't fool yourself for a moment that it's all in support of Strickland. It's because he has made himself into the type of person that causes controversy and people love to be entertained by controversy.

 

[bud green]

While I don't agree with much of Earl's behavior, there's no question that he has been the most exciting nine ball player of the last two decades.

Any tournement he's in has a different buzz about it and spectators always crowd around his matches as much as ANYONE else. Johnny Archer is a phenomenal player and has won nearly as much as Earl at this point, but to fans, there's no question who's the more entertaining to watch. Of course, part of that is to see if he flips out and creates a scene, but the other part used to be that he just might run 5 racks in 8 minutes and make the best in the world look helpless.

Good for the game? I'm not sure. There definately seems to be plenty of times where he acts like an ass. Good for marketing, generating interest in the game, or drawing attention (sales, $$$, moolah) to a piece of crap cue? Definately. I think he just needs to find a company that has enough nuts to back someone who f**ks up sometimes, but in the end will garner as much attention to their product as anyone. Those who don't like Earl cannot deny his record in pool (8 or 9 world championships and US Opens total, or something ridiculous like that...) or his ability to get people interested.

With the IPT tour floundering, pool needs just about anyone who can keep the game alive at this point. Until pool gets anywhere near financially viable for pros, Earl does more good for the game than harm.



He definatley is the McEnroe of pool, but in the end, charisma and the power to get people interested is as important as being the top player at the time. That's why John Daly hardly ever wins but always has a ton of support.

 

[rackem]

Any chance of Fury picking him up?

 

[JCIN]

Jennie I agree with you on almost everything you write and I can feel your passion here.

This company that you want to assasinate has supported Earl steadfastly through hundreds of outbursts that did NOTHING to elevate their product. Earl did not do HIS BEST to promote the product. He did his worst and now true to form he is going to BLAME the prodcut for his shortcomings.

The truth is that I have yet to see a player, any player, promote the product by extolling it's virtues in helping them win. I have yet to hear a player raise his or her cue at the end of a tournament and say it's the best ever or anything close to it. But I have heard plenty of players blame the equipment when they lose.

It's time to face facts. Earl continued to get sponsorship long after his actions became manical. Any other player than Earl would have been dumped long ago. Earl's own actions are the cause of this and nothing else.

It is ignoble of you to denounce a company that has supported pool and pool players as much or more than most of the companies you can name. J-S Sales is an AMERICAN company with a long pedigree. CUETEC is a Chinese company that put it's money into great players and tournaments.

To defile them as you are doing here is sad. I understand your passion and desire to support Earl and America in general. I think your anger is misplaced in this instance though. Yes this thread has a lot of responses and views because it's about Strickland. But don't fool yourself for a moment that it's all in support of Strickland. It's because he has made himself into the type of person that causes controversy and people love to be entertained by controversy.

TAP....TAP...TAP.... Very well said Sir.

 

[John Barton]

Any chance of Fury picking him up?

Um no. But I think the "Tempest" brand we have might be more suited to his particular demeanor.

 

[The Kiss]

Nothing lasts forever....They had a good run...Earl helped sell a lot of crappy sticks and Earl got paid well to do it..

Nobody won or lost...


Earl will stil play great pool and be a little off kilter....and Cue tech will continue to sell crappy sticks that don't warp....To bangers all over the World

Honestly Where's the injustice?

 

[kennyratt]

cuetec & Earl

I guess I'm not suprised Earl would respond in such a childish manner. Cuetec supported him through some tough times and he kicked them in the teeth when they were left with no choice but to severe the relationship.

Gee, I wonder why big business doesn't bother with pool? Could it be that it is preceived to be filled with people of this ilk?

I completely agree!!! Tap,tap,tap! regards, Kennyratt

 

[John Barton]

I tell you what. I have met plenty of players who use Cuetec cues that would give anyone on this board serious workout. Love them or hate them they aren't crappy cues.

And Cuetec has not stopped trying to innovate and find a way to make the cues feel better to more people. I personally don't like the feel of a Cuetec but I can play with them. I have run a lot of balls using a Cuetec cue. I don't like the feel of every high dollar American cue I play with either. That doesn't mean they are crappy.

I will make this bet right now. $1000. I will take ten cues let anyone on this board hit with all ten of them. Five will be Cuetecs and five will be wood. The shafts on all of them will be painted black to disguise them. And the butts will all be rendered unidentifiable.

On each of the cues I will put a Sniper tip. The tips will all be tested with a durometer to insure that they are all very close together in hardness. Otherwise there will be no change to the stock construction of the cue beyond the cosmetics.

Does anyone care to bet $1000 that they could correctly pick which of the ten cues are Cuetecs and which are not?

 

[SlickRick_PCS]

Uhhhh.. relax man. We are on the same page here.

To clarify my comment about Cuetech having more class when they 86'd Earl: I think a press release saying they were parting ways would of been enough. But after all Earl's antics I guess I could see the reason for a little dig.

yea, sorry for being a little over the top there....

 

[sjm]

.....This company that you want to assasinate has supported Earl steadfastly through hundreds of outbursts that did NOTHING to elevate their product. Earl did not do HIS BEST to promote the product. He did his worst and now true to form he is going to BLAME the prodcut for his shortcomings......It's time to face facts. Earl continued to get sponsorship long after his actions became manical. Any other player than Earl would have been dumped long ago. Earl's own actions are the cause of this and nothing else......It is ignoble of you to denounce a company that has supported pool and pool players as much or more than most of the companies you can name. J-S Sales is an AMERICAN company with a long pedigree. CUETEC is a Chinese company that put it's money into great players and tournaments....

Thanks for saying what had to be said. The people at Cuetec have invested heavily in pro pool for a long, long time and Cuetec has been one of pro pool's most dependable sponsors. I will not join those who choose to denounce Cuetec. On the contrary, I am extremely grateful to them for everything they have done and continue to do for pool. The folks at Cuetec are a credit to pro pool, and have been for a long, long time.

 

[Rasta]

Cuetec may not be the best brand out there, but just as the Riviera isn't the plushest casino you will find on the strip, they both support pool. Janet Shimel has presented many an award and her company sponsors actual tournaments.

If you enter into a contract with someone where they are paying your way into tournaments, putting you up at a hotel and flying you there, then you certainly should be able to muzzle yourself for the duration of the tournament.

I think it may be out of line to publicly print the real reason why he was 'disassociated', however it was probably borne out of frustration with never knowing when the human time bomb would explode and then having to deal with the aftermath of their sponsored player. A sponsor should never have to apologize for their player's antics.

Playing pool well and having a gazillion records should not be a free pass to act like a spoiled 2 year old. Earl will always have my respect for the records he holds and the pool he can play, but zero respect as a professional. There are a multitude of players that can give him the orange crush when it comes to professionalism. I wish him well in finding another sponsor and getting his meds right. Yes, he draws crowds, but then, so do train wrecks.

Tap tap tap. That was the best post of the thread thus far.

Good Rolls,
Rasta

 

[John Barton]

Nothing lasts forever....They had a good run...Earl helped sell a lot of crappy sticks and Earl got paid well to do it..

Nobody won or lost...


Earl will stil play great pool and be a little off kilter....and Cue tech will continue to sell crappy sticks that don't warp....To bangers all over the World

Honestly Where's the injustice?

Earl won. Cuetec lost. Allison Fisher does more in one year to sell Cuetecs than Earl did in 16.

Allison is consistently in the winners circle, consistently on television, does her own sales of Cuetecs, holds clinics, makes herself publicly available at events and never speaks ill of the product, the pool industry, or pool in public settings. She exemplifies the dream of a sponsor.

Earl exemplifies the nightmare. And the way Earl responded to the TRUTH is the the injustice.

 

[nyjoe14.1]

Earl should not be banned from pool. Was cuetec called steel stix back in the day? Does anyone remember when he was playing with those cues? Anyone who can make a ball in pool knows cuetecs are total garbage cues. I personally don't know how they stay in business. The only reason any top player would play with one is because they get paid to. You will not find a top player using one for free!! I think cuetec is fouling up by getting rid of Earl even if he has a bad attitude. I do not think he should be banned from pool but maybe a timeout would be a good idea. Let him know when in tournaments he just can't take it as far as he does. I know they have talked to him before. I know nothing changed. Everyone gets mad here and there and expresses how they feel but he does take it a little too far. A timeout sayin we are serious and that you need to calm down would probably do the trick.

Thanks,
Josh Hillard

Cuetec stays in business because it is a very durable cue at a very low price. This is a cue that a banger can put in the back of his car and not worry about it warping. I sell a lot of cutecs where I work and that fancy fiberglass wood core shaft go’s a long way in the customers perception of value. The average person isn’t looking for a cue that hits like no other, there looking for something that they think is a good value. For the average person who doesn’t take billiards all that seriously Cuetec is a good cue for the money.

But I can’t imagine why anyone who is serious about the game would play w/ one.

 

[SlickRick_PCS]

My insight about cuetec and cues as it is

I recalled using a Cuetec cue before (one of my friends acutally). They are great cues to use when under recreation (basically screw around in laymen's terms). But this debate about how bad Cuetec cues are and how perfect cues have to be in a first person view is kind of like trying to debate on what car you have. The whole aproach is: as long as it rides and takes you to point A to point B, that is all that matters. I mean, look at Efren Reyes for example. He entered the states with a "$10" cue and dominated. I as well do with whatever cue is available (except with they're warped dramatically, then there's just no point to it though).

But to get to the point here, you all should accept with what you have and not take it for granted. Cherish it for whatever the case and make little customizations along the way. Cuetec is not quite a bad cue, it's just the player that plays the cue. (i.e. F&F Tokyo Drift: It's not about the ride, it's about the rider that rides the ride!)

P.S.: I know I sort of changed the subject and all, but I just wanted to get my little 2 cents about what people are interpreting about cues and all. Thanks for reading this, AZers.

 

[Varney Cues]

Ok, is anyone still delusional enough to think that Earl played with a Cuetec shaft? And has anyone ever seen the shaft he plays with up close? It is a wood shaft and it has the craziest taper I have ever seen. It is tapered all the way back to the joint.

QUOTE]
DING DING DING
We have a winner!!!
Nice to see someone actually pay attention!

 

[bruin70]

does this mean earl goes back to gambling?

 

[StormHotRod300]

Well, I had heard this was going to happen a few weeks ago, but ended up forgetting about it.

Now as for Earl getting another sponser? I could honestly see him hooking up with Dale Perry!

And then DP cues would actually get some value behind them, since Earl would be using them.

Or I could see a production company like Joss or Lucasi possibly hooking up with Earl.

And yes I'd love to see Earl, bust out a new Luscasi or Joss and just go on a a rampage and win like 6 or 7 big tournaments in one year.

 

[John Barton]

Ok, is anyone still delusional enough to think that Earl played with a Cuetec shaft? And has anyone ever seen the shaft he plays with up close? It is a wood shaft and it has the craziest taper I have ever seen. It is tapered all the way back to the joint. QUOTE]

DING DING DING
We have a winner!!!
Nice to see someone actually pay attention!

What are your thoughts on this Kevin? Should the cue get credit for victories and losses or should the player?

If you were to sponsor a player with a Varney and that player were to win all the year's tournaments with it then I am sure you'd be crowing to the heavens about how great your cues are. If that same player were to go 2 and out for the next year you certainly wouldn't come on this board and tell us that your cues suck now would you?

The only reason a company sponsors a player is for EXPOSURE. The company hopes to get people to try their products. The company doesn't labor under some vain illusion (with a few exceptions) that their products are the reason for success of the player. Although some companies may take credit for those successes in their marketing literature they know that the player could do just as well or just as bad with any of their competitor's products.

The PLAYER on the other hand makes choices based on WHO is paying the most for their endorsement. Every player has the CHOICE to play with any cue they wish to. There is not a single brand of cue made on the planet Earth that a player cannot get to use, whether by gift or purchase. Not one is out of reach. IF they really thought that a particular brand is detrimental to their game then they can CHOOSE to eschew the sponsorship OR they can CHOOSE to work with the cue company to tune their cues to be more suitable.

Earl had the choice every day to stop using a cue "he can't get better" with. He made the choice to continue using Cuetec cues. I can only guess that the paychecks were hard to turn down.

I guess it was too much too expect Earl to thank Cuetec for their sponsorship of 16 years and to give them credit for helping him win all the championships he did. Grace is missing from Earl's short list of qualities.

 

[Tommy-D]

> I started a conversation about equipment with Earl once at the U.S. Open in 2000. Joe Blackburn was tweaking one of his shafts,and when it was finished he handed it to me. I stroked it a couple times,and when he saw my facial expression change when I noticed it felt different than a stock Cuetec,he said "feels pretty good for a 75.00 POS cue huh?". I asked him what he'd be playing with if he didn't have an endorsement and had to pay for his own cues,and his answer was "I don't know,but you can bet your ass it would be NICE.".

> It was reported in P+B when he signed the 10 year contract with them that his salary was 200,000,and they also gave him bonus money by matching his tournament winnings dollar-for-dollar. That win in Cheasapeake in 2000,made him 100k.

> I hope he finds something he likes,and has a lengthy flashback to his game from the early-mid 90's,or the 2nd day from the COM match,where we saw 9-ball played at perhaps the highest offensive level we've ever seen on tape. He only broke and ran out 50% of the time.

> If the above scenario comes to pass,and Earl gets his head together and his game at peak efficiency,I can assure you NO LIVING HUMAN will be barred. Tommy D.

 

[JAM]

Jennie I agree with you on almost everything you write and I can feel your passion here.

And, John, I have always held YOU in the highest regard for your forthrightness, honesty, and ability to tell it like it is. In fact, I admire you for your capabilities to make things happen. You are an asset to everyone who you work with, but your best trait is your ability to stand up for what you think is right, no matter what the consequences.

This company that you want to assasinate has supported Earl steadfastly through hundreds of outbursts that did NOTHING to elevate their product. Earl did not do HIS BEST to promote the product. He did his worst and now true to form he is going to BLAME the product for his shortcomings.

Here is where we have a difference of opinion. Cuetec was NOTHING before they picked up Earl Strickland as a sponsored player. You look at every single pool magazine from the early '90s, and Earl Strickland's mug is in a full-page ad -- not Allison. It was Earl Strickland. Cuetec rode the Earl bandwagon while Earl was on top of the world. He has done more for that company than anyone when it comes to name-brand recognition.

After 17 years of riding Earl's coat tails, they dismiss him in public as if he was yesterday's stale bread. This is the thanks that Cuetec, a non-American overseas company, gives to Earl Strickland. The reasoning provided by Cuetec in public is nothing more than Cuetec chewing him up and spitting him out, and it is shameful.

The truth is that I have yet to see a player, any player, promote the product by extolling it's virtues in helping them win. I have yet to hear a player raise his or her cue at the end of a tournament and say it's the best ever or anything close to it. But I have heard plenty of players blame the equipment when they lose.

I don't think that's ever going to change. When you get to the level of a pro player, a little piece of lint on the table will drive them bananas, as an example. I will state that Rodney Morris has been playing with the same American-made cue stick since 1994, and he would NEVER leave home without it. Win or lose, Rodney knows a good thing when he sees it.

It's time to face facts. Earl continued to get sponsorship long after his actions became manical. Any other player than Earl would have been dumped long ago. Earl's own actions are the cause of this and nothing else.

And you don't think it had anything to do with Imperial's acquisition of Cuetec? Come on, John. The overseas company is cutting costs and has no respect for American champions, as evidenced by their low-class dismissal of one of the best American players in my lifetime.

It is ignoble of you to denounce a company that has supported pool and pool players as much or more than most of the companies you can name.

All right, you got me. I had to look up "ignoble."

I continue to denounce Cuetec, especially after their proclamation of Earl Strickland. It was only an effort to give Earl Strickland public scrutiny, after 17 years of Earl Strickland lending his name to their cheaply made production cues.

You know and I know, John, that the social shooters, league players, and bar bangers take notice of what the pros play with. When Keith McCready was shooting with a Fury, he was asked by MANY players on a regional tour what kind of cue he was using, and guess what? Several of them immediately went out and bought themself a Fury cue. If it was good enough for Keith, by God, it was good enough for them.

Players like Keith and Earl are in the minority when it comes to cue stick sales. The cue stick companies make their profit from the social shooters, league players, and bar bangers. With the name-brand recognition that Earl Strickland has given to Cuetec for 17 years, I would say he has been instrumental in any success they may have enjoyed.

J-S Sales is an AMERICAN company with a long pedigree. CUETEC is a Chinese company that put it's money into great players and tournaments.

To defile them as you are doing here is sad. I understand your passion and desire to support Earl and America in general. I think your anger is misplaced in this instance though. Yes this thread has a lot of responses and views because it's about Strickland. But don't fool yourself for a moment that it's all in support of Strickland. It's because he has made himself into the type of person that causes controversy and people love to be entertained by controversy.

And do you think Earl Strickland is laughing himself all the way to the bank for the past 17 years with Cuetec supporting him on the international tournament trail? Cuetec comes out smelling like a rose, enjoying an American popularity of their cheaply made metal rods because of Earl Strickland, and they thank Earl Strickland for his 17 years of devotion by kicking him to the wayside as if he is nothing. He was a nice cash cow for them for 17 years, though, wasn't he?

Seventeen years is a long time, John, longer than some folks have held a job. American culture critics love to root for non-American players, and it is not just restricted to Earl. America has turned its back on American players. There is no loyalty, and that is what sucks for American players.

I truly adore Jose Parica, Alex Pagulayan, and Bustie, but it was a little depressing at the U.S. Open -- the UNITED STATES OPEN, for criminy sakes -- to see Americans rooting for foreign players instead of an American.

We all know that American-made cues sell much better overseas. Why? Because they're the best-hitting cues in the world, bar none. That is why you see Scruggs and Black Boars enjoying a popularity that surpasses anything that they would be able to achieve here in the States, and who can blame them? These American companies aren't supported by the American pool culture, just like the American players are not.

Any American who desires to be a serious player will seek out a decent-hitting cue stick. There aren't very many serious players in the U.S. like there are overseas. However, if you were to do a cue thread of American pro players, the majority of them do shoot with an American-made cue because the "hit" surpasses all others. The overseas shooters know it too.

JAM