Earl - Mars comment question/comment

[Scott Lee]

What a ridiculous question. What do you think? I've spent the last 30 years promoting the positive aspects of pool. All I'm saying is that it is what it is. Gambling match behavior will never be the same as tournament match behavior...period.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Scott, do you want it to become a sport, or the wild west?

Not trying to start something, i'm just asking.

 

[u12armresl]

"Not trying to start something"

Best laugh of the day. Rep to you. Of course you aren't trying to start anything.

 

[Firenback]

Im a big fan of SVB, Earls behavior and what he said was outrageous. But was expected and part of the excitement and expectation for the match..i don't remember a pool event with this much hype. Shane thought it was funny earlier in the match then seem worn down by the table and Earls play...I don't understand Mars inserting himself in day one, while holding a beer it just doesn't look right. Everyone must think that over the 3 days Shane would problemly come out on top... I $$ Earl wouldn't be able to finish the match... But my point is everyone knows Earl and what to expect. If SVB was ahead everyone would sill be smiling... this hurts Shane, he now can loose this match, before last night it could never have happen...

Ben

 

[TX BAD BOY]

yep

If this were a boxing match, what Earl said was the boxing equivalent of hitting someone below the belt.

Earl apologizing to John Mars is not sufficient. He should directly apologize to Shane for what he said...and also apologize to the fans, as well.

I agree, if he wanted to take back his comment he should have apologized to shane personally. Hopefully he will keep his mouth shut but from what I have heard and seen last night, I doubt it.

If he continues like he does, it wouldnt surprise me if someone gave him a knuckle sandwich...:bash::grin:

 

[westcoast]

It is a free country. While I don't condone his comment and I actually think it to be quite rude, Earl can insult whoever he wants. However, it is not proper to imply physical threats against somebody. He should not be let back in for days 2 or 3- in fact, Earl should insist on that.

 

[KRJ]

Hmm

What a ridiculous question. What do you think? I've spent the last 30 years promoting the positive aspects of pool. All I'm saying is that it is what it is. Gambling match behavior will never be the same as tournament match behavior...period.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Great post Scott. This guy "paksat" has been hammering Earl since yesterday....."please, everone listen to me, "paksat"...Earl is mean....I don't like him, I won't pay to see him, blah blah blah.

Hey paksat, the kiddy game is down the street. This is pool as Scott clearly explained. Nobody is asking you watch or love Earl. All of sudden pool fans are becoming girly men who need to be held tight and tell them everything is OK....wtf

Grow some nuts or hit the bricks, I don't really care which one it is.

 

[paksat]

What a ridiculous question. What do you think? I've spent the last 30 years promoting the positive aspects of pool. All I'm saying is that it is what it is. Gambling match behavior will never be the same as tournament match behavior...period.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I knew the answer before I even asked it

 

[paksat]

Great post Scott. This guy "paksat" has been hammering Earl since yesterday....."please, everone listen to me, "paksat"...Earl is mean....I don't like him, I won't pay to see him, blah blah blah.

Hey paksat, the kiddy game is down the street. This is pool as Scott clearly explained. Nobody is asking you watch or love Earl. All of sudden pool fans are becoming girly men who need to be held tight and tell them everything is OK....wtf

Grow some nuts or hit the bricks, I don't really care which one it is.

Please do your best to ignore me if you don't mind from now on, you're almost as bad as earl.

 

[Altissimo15]

To anyone who thinks violence is the key is out of their mind. They are playing for money and what is said between two players is between the players. What Earl said might have been seen as out of line to everyone who already hates him but ask and see what Shane thought of the comment. He probably could care less either way.

The guy Mars should never have inserted himself into the action. If you say you would have done the same thing then you are just as wrong.

If the two apologized then it should be over. That situation was between those two men and it should end when they agree to end it: from what I hear that happened last night.

Tournament behavior should never be expected or enforced in a gambling match.

People always make comments about how nuts earl is be they fail to look at why he sometimes goes to far. It's because of everyone in the crowd who hackles him, they don't stop until he gets to that point. If you are one of these people you need to take a look in the mirror. If you are the owner of the establishment that is holding the match you need to get off your ass and send these people on their way.

 

[Scott Lee]

Altissimo...While I agree that violence is no answer, heckling has been part of gambling since the Stone Age. If the players can't handle it, they should get out of the heat. Keep in mind that I don't agree with this behavior, but it's just part of the whole process when money is involved. It's never been any different, and it's not gonna change.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

To anyone who thinks violence is the key is out of their mind. They are playing for money and what is said between two players is between the players. What Earl said might have been seen as out of line to everyone who already hates him but ask and see what Shane thought of the comment. He probably could care less either way.

The guy Mars should never have inserted himself into the action. If you say you would have done the same thing then you are just as wrong.

If the two apologized then it should be over. That situation was between those two men and it should end when they agree to end it: from what I hear that happened last night.

Tournament behavior should never be expected or enforced in a gambling match.

People always make comments about how nuts earl is be they fail to look at why he sometimes goes to far. It's because of everyone in the crowd who hackles him, they don't stop until he gets to that point. If you are one of these people you need to take a look in the mirror. If you are the owner of the establishment that is holding the match you need to get off your ass and send these people on their way.

 

[justadub]

Thanks Dub, You explain maybe better than I do. I still havn't heard if poolsharkallen is event there or just going by what he heard in the mix of all this.

Anyway, Earl and Shane always seen to get along with each other off the table I have seen this many times with my own eyes. I also have heard Earl tell me how much respect he has for SVB and his game. If Earl said what is being reported here I am sure that he didn't mean it to be hurtful, mean or insulting. Now listen to this before you go off on that statement. I am pretty sure it wasn't meant he chose the wrong words or way to say it. That you can take to the bank. If he said it it was wrong, but I know he would not try to hurt SVB, he likes him too much.

I am not trying to protect Earl either. He deserves a lot of what he brings on himself and should think before he acts sometimes and other times he is justified. He is a tough one to figure out either way.

Shane to me is a great player and a great person to have in the sport. He conducts himself like a Gentleman always and never tries to get into it with anyone. He just plays pool and does it very well. I have a lot of respect for him and as we all know we will be seeing him in the HOF.

You, of all people Mark, have more invested in this match, save perhaps for Earl/Shane/John and Justin/TAR. And I hope you're taking notes, getting prepared for all that you're in for. You will most certainly have your hands full.

I think it's gonna be great. Just like this one has been, save for the one unsightly incident.

And it's all good for pool, people. Remember that. Just because Earl is being Earl doesn't mean that the other 35 million people that play the game in the US are gonna all start stomping around, woofing and becoming ogres. Earl gets away with what he does because A) he's a legend, and has walked this walk before, and B) he's still amongst the best in the game. Whether anyone likes that fact or not, those who are at the highest level of any endeavor get more leeway with poor behavior. This isn't unique to pool.

If/when Earl isn't a top-level competitor any longer, fewer people will tolerate the boorish behavior. Joe six-pack isn't gonna get away with Earl-antics most places, so Earl isn't going to have a "bad influence" on our game. On the contrary, he is bringing attention and excitement to it.

I hope he keeps it on simmer, and not into meltdown mode. Simmering Earl seems to be the best of both worlds.

 

[u12armresl]

You're right. They keep needling and needling until he goes off the edge and then they get their kicks from it.

To anyone who thinks violence is the key is out of their mind. They are playing for money and what is said between two players is between the players. What Earl said might have been seen as out of line to everyone who already hates him but ask and see what Shane thought of the comment. He probably could care less either way.

The guy Mars should never have inserted himself into the action. If you say you would have done the same thing then you are just as wrong.

If the two apologized then it should be over. That situation was between those two men and it should end when they agree to end it: from what I hear that happened last night.

Tournament behavior should never be expected or enforced in a gambling match.

People always make comments about how nuts earl is be they fail to look at why he sometimes goes to far. It's because of everyone in the crowd who hackles him, they don't stop until he gets to that point. If you are one of these people you need to take a look in the mirror. If you are the owner of the establishment that is holding the match you need to get off your ass and send these people on their way.

 

[KMRUNOUT]

All of this talk is interesting, and I happen to agree that Earl's demeanor is suspect. That said, this is a gambling match, and I remember days gone by where "anything goes" was the rule. Freddy and others have posted about gambling matches where guns were pulled, and threats made (IIRC, one person said, "If you make that shot, I'll shoot you!"). I was never at Detroit Rec or The Rack, but I'm pretty sure that back then, high stakes gambling was however it played out. Every player out there sharked each other, trying to get the cheese. Not saying it's "right"...just that it happened then, and it happens now.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Scott,

I hear ya...I personally take the Christian approach of trying to treat others as I would like to be treated. I think Earl said some things he shouldn't have, and so did John (Mars?). Its sad that with someone like Earl, he could gain so much ground with people by doing so little. If Earl went up to Shane in front of everyone when the match starts tonight and just said "Shane, I apologize if I offended you with the remark about you being deaf. All I meant was that I wish I couldn't hear the people talking like you. I guess I felt you had an advantage over me in that way, and it was spiteful of me to fire in that direction. It was insensitive and I'm sorry." I think if Earl said that, it would take gain him TONS of respect, and really make him look very good, far more so than if someone else made such an apology. (Because it would be so unexpected).

Also, Mars could say "Earl, I'm sorry if you took my comment as a physical threat. I just didn't want to see you disrespect my man Shane. I know you have the game to win on the table, and that's what everyone *really* wants to see. All I meant was that I would pull out of the match, and that would definitely be a bad ending for you. Lets play pool."

I think Strickland would respect that, I really do.

But Scott you're right...people get into habits, and the society fosters those habits...someone needs to step in and do it differently.

KMRUNOUT

 

[ccshrimper]

Earl was completely out of line with that comment but I have no doubt if SVB was winning by 11 games right now most people would be laughing about it and talking about how crazy Earl is. Mars and Shane had to expect this type of behavior before the match and they still accepted it thinking it would be easy money again.

 

[watchez]

Others stomp around, act like ogres and disrespect their opponents and the crowd and good put up on a pedestal. I think it is all about people's perception.

 

[KMRUNOUT]

Great post Scott. This guy "paksat" has been hammering Earl since yesterday....."please, everone listen to me, "paksat"...Earl is mean....I don't like him, I won't pay to see him, blah blah blah.

Hey paksat, the kiddy game is down the street. This is pool as Scott clearly explained. Nobody is asking you watch or love Earl. All of sudden pool fans are becoming girly men who need to be held tight and tell them everything is OK....wtf

Grow some nuts or hit the bricks, I don't really care which one it is.

nah...I think it is just evolution. Some are further along than others. We used to just smash whomever with a club any old time...generally we grew past that.

I didn't take Scott's post as saying how it should be, just observing how it is. However, I disagree that gambling behavior will *never* be like tournament behavior. That is a choice each of us make. It comes down to how many of each style there are, and how the "bad" ones are handled. I hold out hope for humanity, foolish as that may be.

KMRUNOUT

 

[JoeyA]

I've been getting up to speed on who said what to whom and when and thought I would throw my two cents in.

Earl is not excused for his poor taste in explaining himself about the crowd noise.

I've been a witness to fans and friends of his opponent, deliberately taunting Earl and sharking him. Earl's not a friend of mine and I barely know him but to say that he has a burden to carry with all of the people who go to see him play, hoping they will do something that will set him off is an understatement. I couldn't take the heckling while I am playing and would go off.

I've been in the company of John Mars and I can comfortably say that John wasn't sharking Earl with his strong language. (after the match was over). IMO, John is the kind of guy who sticks up for his friends and he felt that Earl was being totally disrespectful to Shane. Whether Earl said the things he said purposefully to get Shane out of stroke can never be known unless Earl were to confess to it. At times, Earl talks faster than he thinks and says some very stupid things. This was one of them. The fact that John is very much involved with the match games that Shane gets involved with on www.theactionreport.com gives him a lot more responsibility to address the problem. Could he have used other words to get his point across? Sure. Maybe just like Earl could have used other words to get his point across. When emotions run high, we all say things that we might not normally say. I'm guilty of it and so are most human beings.

This is a GREAT MATCH between two great players on and with unsual equipment. The air between John and Earl has been cleared and the festivities will continue tonight at 7:00 p.m. If I'm in tonight, I plan to watch it live. There can't be any better value for livestreaming than this.
JoeyA

 

[jimmy-leggs]

You're right. They keep needling and needling until he goes off the edge and then they get their kicks from it.

If your trying to tell me that people go there just to put Earl on tilt,you have no clue.He starts his lunacy behavior,then people wait for himself to implode.
Your making it sound likes its all the crowds fault for his behavior.LMAO.
But,if its the crowds fault then he has earned it from the lack of respect to them.

 

[cuesmith]

I wont deny that What Earl said was in poor taste and not a nice thing to say with anyone.

Why would you (John) threaten earl with
"He can take my threat anyway he wants but he shouldn't take it lightly. I hope he doesn't choose to insult Shane again by saying he wishes he was deaf, but if he does I like his chances of his day not ending well."

Seriously John what are you going to do, go beat him up, have someone beat him up? How in the world could this end well. I've seen situations like this before and the next day the guy came in with his own people who were very capable and that squashed the threats of violence. Point being, what good can come out of this, you threaten him, he feels threatened he plays bad you win money? You threaten him he gets someone who you are threatened by and then there is that hanging around the room.

What he said was wrong, no doubt about it, he said it to Shane and I know that as Shane's backer you represent a large portion of his financial interests, but threatening someone like that is out of line. Do you think you owe Earl an apology for talking to him like that, or is the goal to get him scared and get inside his head?

The thing which frustrates me is that we all know of Earl's antics, and people instigate him in every single city, they come on here and post that they will be at a tournament yelling out things or waiting for an explosion. The man has demon's he needs to deal with, but how would you feel knowing everywhere you go someone is going to be rooting against you and needling you to the point of where you blow up and can't make a living. People doing things just so you blow up and then letting you have it over and over. A lot of people believe he can't help it and needs help.

I don't dispute that you have done good things for pool John by putting Shane up against anyone in the world, I just wonder why threaten someone with physical violence. He apologized to you for the comment, is he due one for a threat?

I agree with most of what you said, but one thing I would interject is that Earl truly likes Shane, and I believe Shane likes Earl as well. I don't believe Earl made that statement meaning to be disrespectful to Shane in any way. I think he was just frustrated by the way the crowd was acting and in his frustration he said what he did pertaining to HIM wishing he didn't have to listen to all the heckling. In retrospect it was not the best choice of words but I don't feel he meant any disrespect to Shane. On the other hand I also feel that John used poor judgement in what he said to Earl. And to come on the forum and reiterate his statement, making it plain that he meant exactly what he said, was also in poor taste. Threatening violence is never a smart move, especially in public!

 

[Ratta]

It s all buisness, sharking and a lot of money. If Shane wouldn t play Earl Strickland at the moment, almost nobody would be that much interested in this match. It s long ago, that so many ppl opened so many threads just because of ONE match. Earl polarizes since he s in the pool-world!
It s Earl-nothing else. And furthermore i am sure that if somebody else (whoever) let some of *those* words out .....even then almost nobody would give a shit about it.

just my humble opinion,

Ingo