Earl is a disgrace!

dougster26 said:
I think Earl is probably one of the best players to ever play the game. I do not like it when he acts out.
I wish the referee would take control of a match. The first comment would be to the crowd. No flashbulbs or cell phones. Also something should be mentioned about outrageous behavior or trying to distract a player. Automatic expulsion.
Then, he/she should address the players. No talking to the audience. No comments, whatsoever, about their opponent. No talking when your opponent is shooting. No personal comments or actions which can be construed as a detriment to the game. Tell them that they will be warned just one time. That warning could come with a fine. The 2nd warning is automatic expulsion and a bigger fine. A player faced with loss of a match and a big fine may maintain their composure. Is this too much to ask?
Click to expand...
I agree completely. Earl is an ass but the detrimental effect should be blamed on the refs for allowing it to get to that point.

I watched Earl get thrown out of the Hopkin's event and the pros nodded in agreement and the audience applauded.

Earl gives the game, his teammates and his opponents no respect and he should get none in return.
 
SCCues said:
You have summed it up pretty well. One thing that bothered me was Shane and Johnny didn't play on day three and Dennis played twice. I hate to lose with my best horses still in the barn. I understand save them to try and win if you are still in it, but based on the score on day three Team USA didn't have a very good chance of winning the match anyway from that far down. If Johnny and Shane could have played at least we would have had a chance to put a couple more wins on our side and make the end score a little more respectable than 11-2!

Just a thought for what it's worth.
Click to expand...
Agreed

And, SVB and JA were schedule to play the later matches but it was over before it got there
 
Earl is just a disgrace, and irrespective of his "entertainment skills" not worthy of carrying the flag on his chest.
 
I don't think Earl is a disgrace. I would just say Earl is Earl.

In snooker we are crying out for a character like him, he often crosses the line and his talking during shots is off putting, however I think that makes you want to beat him more, so in a way he is only harming his chances.

I would be intrigued to know what his fellow team mates will say about a few of his comments... Archer's focus on the word team will probably signal the end of Earls love affair with the Mosconi...
 
RingKing said:
Please stop bashing one of OUR sports GREAT Champions. Earl is not has not and will not ever be a disgrace to the sport or the country.
Its like calling Phil Hellmuth a disgrace to poker.
I am a very level headed player and treat pool and my opponents with the utmost respect but even I have felt the urge to shatter a stick over my knee. Until you have played in the ultrahigh tension situations where the object ball becomes the size of a basketball and the cue ball is the size of a golf ball no one knows how they will react.

The pressure of billiards can shatter your ID thankfully your EGO has selected memory.
Click to expand...

Please...... You want to know what makes a true champion? The legacy you leave. Buddy, Keith, Parica, Varner, once they started losing their dominance did they whine, b!tch, cry, berate and disrespect their opponents? No. They did so with dignity, class and respect. Right now you're seeing the same out of a sun setting Efren and to an extent, Archer. Earl is a sick and disturbed human being. He WAS a champion, now he's a just a demented individual that happens to play good pool. Champions don't act like jackasses and show ZERO respect for their opponents.
 
Like most, I have mixed feelings about Earl.

Obviously, he was one of the greats as far as talent/skill goes, and still plays extremely well for a player past his prime. His ability to execute tough shots and make them look easy is incredible. He also has an extreme passion for the game that is evident in everything he does, misguided as they may be.

However, it seems that the price he and his fans pay for his brilliance at the table is having to witness the mess he becomes when things aren't going his way. Several people have mentioned that he is bipolar and inconsistently medicated. Based on my experiences with other diagnosed bipolar individuals, I'm inclined to believe that's true. Whether it's as a result of his condition or just his personality, he also doesn't seem to understand the concept of sportsmanship and thinks that his respect and passion for the game itself is an acceptable substitute for showing respect to his opponents, fans, and opposing fans.

As with most pool players, it's hard for me to ignore anyone that plays at the level Earl does. I also enjoy the positive manifestations of his passion and like to hear his opinions about the game when he can express them coherently. I also place a high value on sportsmanship, and cannot condone many of his actions. I also cannot believe how much of it he gets away with. In many ways, the pool community has failed Earl just as much as he has failed his fans. Ultimately, I end up feeling sorry for him when it gets to the point of total meltdown and he clearly has lost control of himself. Listening to him repeat the same remarks to the crowd without a response is like watching a comedian fall flat on a bad joke. Whether it's good for the game or not, I don't see how it can be good for Earl.

In any case, it's impossible to have a discussion about professional pool without mentioning Earl, but I'm afraid that his actions away from the table are going to be what he is most remembered for, overshadowing his remarkable accomplishments. It's a sad story, if you ask me.
 
Passion

I have gone back and forth on Earl now for years, and have come to this conclusion,
He has probably more passion for Pool then other American player. I feel his antics
stem more from this passion then his trying to purposely to disrupt things or
bring attention to himself. We ( AZ'ers ) all love Pool, and have read many post here
on AZ on what can be done to get more people to love Pool as we do. I really feel
Earl loves Pool as much or more then anyone,and because of that I have to root for
Him.It would be great if he could harness that passion that sometimes goes in a neg-
tive way to always be positive but sometimes you cannot harness what comes from
a persons Heart.Like Henry Ford once said when asked how he felt about negative
comments about his cars " as long as they are mentioning the name Ford it is good"
You have to admit good or bad Earl gets people talking about Pool,and that is good.
 
I'm love/hate when it comes to Earl. I try like hell to like the guy, and when he is right in the head he is by far the best player to ever play the game. Just when the love meter goes up to 65%, he pulls the crap he pulled in the MC. A lot of people say that he only acts that way when he's losing. I'm no doctor, but I think it's the losing that sets him off. No matter what the problem is TD, refs, and promoters should give him one warning and then take a game or a match away from him. If he acts up again or yells at whoever took away the games/matches, then he should be shown the door. Letting him get away with it is not fair to pool or the other players. For those that say look at everyone that watches him. I say, 100-200 people watching him is like a pimple on a hippo's ass for what numbers pool needs. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
I'm love/hate when it comes to Earl. I try like hell to like the guy, and when he is right in the head he is by far the best player to ever play the game. Just when the love meter goes up to 65%, he pulls the crap he pulled in the MC. A lot of people say that he only acts that way when he's losing. I'm no doctor, but I think it's the losing that sets him off. No matter what the problem is TD, refs, and promoters should give him one warning and then take a game or a match away from him. If he acts up again or yells at whoever took away the games/matches, then he should be shown the door. Letting him get away with it is not fair to pool or the other players. For those that say look at everyone that watches him. I say, 100-200 people watching him is like a pimple on a hippo's ass for what numbers pool needs. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Enabling has been going on for a Long Time....
 
Island Drive said:
Enabling has been going on for a Long Time....
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm aware. I said in another thread that the promoters, TD's, and refs are just as much to blame as Earl. The TD's and refs work for the promoters, so the promoters get most of the blame in my book. Johnnyt
 
Strictly from a marketing standpoint, Earl still sells which will always be the main concern of
the guys producing the Mosconi Cup. Making sure he doesn't shark the other team with his
antics is pretty much 0% on Matchroom's care-o-meter. Does Europe look rattled to anyone?

However past a certain point it will look like they're intentionally stacking the deck against USA,
by continuing to fill the team with guys who are flat-out past their prime and have lost their drive.
And that's something they probably DO care about. Or should.

When Earl loses his slot in future Mosconi Cups, it won't have anything to do with physical health
(we all know Earl's really fit for a guy his age and can still shoot like god in small spurts).
Nor will it be because of mental health (we've known for decades Earl's got a condition).

It will be for the sake of appearances - they don't want the match to look rigged.
It's ok if it's a lopsided horsef*cking, as long as nobody perceives it as Junior Varsity vs. the NBA.
 
The Saw said:
Please...... You want to know what makes a true champion? The legacy you leave. Buddy, Keith, Parica, Varner, once they started losing their dominance did they whine, b!tch, cry, berate and disrespect their opponents? No. They did so with dignity, class and respect. Right now you're seeing the same out of a sun setting Efren and to an extent, Archer. Earl is a sick and disturbed human being. He WAS a champion, now he's a just a demented individual that happens to play good pool. Champions don't act like jackasses and show ZERO respect for their opponents.
Click to expand...
We have been friends a long time and I am still impressed by your ability to cut through the bulls$&t.
 
franko said:
I have gone back and forth on Earl now for years, and have come to this conclusion,
He has probably more passion for Pool then other American player. I feel his antics
stem more from this passion then his trying to purposely to disrupt things or
bring attention to himself. We ( AZ'ers ) all love Pool, and have read many post here
on AZ on what can be done to get more people to love Pool as we do. I really feel
Earl loves Pool as much or more then anyone,and because of that I have to root for
Him.It would be great if he could harness that passion that sometimes goes in a neg-
tive way to always be positive but sometimes you cannot harness what comes from
a persons Heart.Like Henry Ford once said when asked how he felt about negative
comments about his cars " as long as they are mentioning the name Ford it is good"
You have to admit good or bad Earl gets people talking about Pool,and that is good.
Click to expand...

Great post franko. I couldn't agree with this more. However, some of Earl's antics yesterday were cheap shots, unprofessional and totally uncalled for.
 
The Saw said:
Please...... You want to know what makes a true champion? The legacy you leave. Buddy, Keith, Parica, Varner, once they started losing their dominance did they whine, b!tch, cry, berate and disrespect their opponents? No. They did so with dignity, class and respect. Right now you're seeing the same out of a sun setting Efren and to an extent, Archer. Earl is a sick and disturbed human being. He WAS a champion, now he's a just a demented individual that happens to play good pool. Champions don't act like jackasses and show ZERO respect for their opponents.
Click to expand...

well, to be fair, there are "champions" in every sport who act way worse... they will announce if charges are gonna be filed against Winston today (FSU QB)

You prolly can't swing a dead cat around any NFL locker room without hitting a known scum bag.... hell, if the NFL coach in Pittsburg acted like a arse clown stepping in front of a runner.....

McEnroe had fans beyond belief, and too many sponsors to count, and more riches than any pool player could even imagine, and he did OK....

I'm not making excuses, but big diff between criiminals in other sports and folks that just "bark" with some "mental" problem that has been known for decades...,, do I wish he would be more polite.. u betcha. Will he? not a chance in hell. Can he control it? I seriously doubt it. Unless on the right meds, and I'm guessing he does not have a health plan, and did NOT sign up for Obamacare :)
 
I wonder if some of you people have ever been in a pool hall. It isn't a library. Stuff happens.

Earl doesn't like to lose and it shows. If you can't handle that perhaps you should go to a library, check out a book and sit in the silence of the library quietly reading undisturbed.
 
When it comes to people with bi-polar disorder, it's easy to blame everything about their behavior on the disorder. But there is a big difference between bi-polar disorder and immaturity.
 
JAM said:
The irony of it all is that a few days ago, Earl Strickland became everyone's hero after watching that documentary "The Strickland Story."

People came out of the woodwork on this forum to post about Earl Strickland, how much they admired him, now that they know him better. Some even changed their opinions about Earl, and some stated they were now a fan of his.

Today, Earl is a bad man on this forum. :(
Click to expand...

Sorry Jen, but if you think that the "Strickland Story" was a flattering review of what makes Earl tick, you watched a completely different version than I did ! I think it was amazing that Barry Hearn, (and whoever else helped him) did a great job of editing, to keep him from looking like more of a conceited, "all about me" jerk, than he really is !

There is a decided majority of 'quality' forum members that disagree with your pro-Earl stance, but that's fine !..It is your prerogative to defend his actions, and I must say, you stick by him regardless of what an a-hole he proves himself to be !..Why I don't know..You seem so level headed in most other areas.

As I said before, I (and many others) refuse to give him a pass, on his mental problems..He can communicate intelligently, if he wants to..There are people who have had 'frontal lobotomies', who came off less confrontational than Earl, BEFORE their procedure !..No doubt, Earl is an autistic savant (ie; "Rain Man") at pool !..If he could incorporate 1/10th of that skill into his personality, I could live with it..But Earl could care less about acting normal !..:sorry:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top