Earl: "I'm better than ever".

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kkdanamatt

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I recently spoke with Earl Strickland at Steinway Billiards.
This is a direct quote. Draw your own conclusions.

"I'm better and smarter today than I was years ago. But, twenty-five years ago there were maybe five guys who had a chance to beat me. Now, there are a hundred guys who have a chance."
 
I actually think that Earl is physically capable of playing at as high or nearly as high a level as he did in the '80s or '90s, but he can't sustain it- he gets too easily distracted and angered.

On the second part of his statement- it does seem that the level of play has gone way up in some ways. However, the equipment is significantly different making eras difficult to compare.
 
kkdanamatt said:
I recently spoke with Earl Strickland at Steinway Billiards.
This is a direct quote. Draw your own conclusions.

"I'm better and smarter today than I was years ago. But, twenty-five years ago there were maybe five guys who had a chance to beat me. Now, there are a hundred guys who have a chance."
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I fully agree. It speaks to the overall improvement of players in the past 25-30 years. There are now a lot more world beaters out there than there were at any time in the past in my opinion.

One can just look back at the way the old time guys played all games. Now players are much more precise and seemingly more knowledgeable.
 
"I'm better and smarter today than I was years ago. But, twenty-five years ago there were maybe five guys who had a chance to beat me. Now, there are a hundred guys who have a chance."[/QUOTE]

That right there tells you he isn't... don't think about a hundred other guys, Earl.
Try to get that top gear that few people ever get to...
 
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galipeau said:
Walter Rohrl can. Why not Earl?
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Walter Röhrl has got his brain firmly attached to all wires and does have both self-restraint and an absolute fundamental knowledge about what he could do once and now cannot do anymore. Plus he's German.

That does not hold for Earl Strickland, at all. Maybe if he start being humble again he can start winning again.
 
M.G. said:
Walter Röhrl has got his brain firmly attached to all wires and does have both self-restraint and an absolute fundamental knowledge about what he could do once and now cannot do anymore. Plus he's German.

That does not hold for Earl Strickland, at all. Maybe if he start being humble again he can start winning again.
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I agree, but my point was that age shouldn't be the only reason why he "can't" play pool well again. Earl is a genius pool player, but I think we can all see that some of his past performances have been affected by his easily irritable character. Doesn't mean he can't change that either, but again, my main point was concerning the age aspect. Great insight on Röhrl's self awareness vs Earl's btw.
 
Quattrofans

Walter Rorhl in an Az post oh shit!!! A pool player with rally tendencies, right in my wheel house, to quote another older vet Julius Erving said at the end of his career " I can still do everything I could do when I was younger I just have to think about it first" haha. Just sold my 84 URQ this summer now watch the prices on them go thru the roof!!! "I believe you trade physical ability for knowledge as you get older and hope they balance each other out" quoting Todd Ward.
 
I totally agree with earl, way more better players out there now with tons of knowledge that we did not have back in 70s & 80s. No matter what bs about days of slow vs fast cloth you still have to execute pocketing balls and playing position or a safety best option of choice to excel above average player and we have a abundance of those people.
 
I hope this isn't considered derailing the thread but are there really that many better players these days or do we just hear about them faster? With the road no longer offering the money it once did more players come out of hiding and don't mind anyone knowing who they are. In the road days people wouldn't want to show up and beat Earl because it would get their name out and it would be tougher to find games. I'm not trying to take anything away from Earl, when he keeps his temper I love watching him shoot and show what he is truly capable of. I don't much care for the antics at times but that's neither here nor there.

I'm actually curious because most of these road stories take place before my time.
 
Overall player skills have improved, kicking, jumping, safeties, banking, breaking, etc but I don't see Earl putting together the same packages as he used to either. Toby Keith said it right.
 
Earl is in great shape for his age & his game is still as strong as ever but competition is stronger than ever also. The most important variable is that Earl has always been as crazy as a sh*t house rat & that trait is stronger than ever at this juncture in his life.
 
I think that what has happened is that the Internet makes knowledge available to anyone these days.

Back then you had to know someone who could show you proper form, kicks, banks, etc. If you were left to learn on your own, those things (and many more) had to be picked up based on instinct and you either had it or you didn't.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
I don't know... maybe players are better informed these days, but from what I'm seeing in live streamed pro events lately, the game has transformed to a soft-rolling ball game, sort of like bocce, rather than a ball-striking game.

I've played on those new Andy cloths, and if you try to strike the ball, all you get is a giant slide. Pool wasn't meant to be played on ice. We're seeing great ball strikers having to minimize their games. It's really a shame.
 
FranCrimi said:
I don't know... maybe players are better informed these days, but from what I'm seeing in live streamed pro events lately, the game has transformed to a soft-rolling ball game, sort of like bocce, rather than a ball-striking game.

I've played on those new Andy cloths, and if you try to strike the ball, all you get is a giant slide. Pool wasn't meant to be played on ice. We're seeing great ball strikers having to minimize their games. It's really a shame.
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...this...
 
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