I never said I was condoning his bad behavior. I DO think there was nothing wrong with his deaf comment, though. I just feel that Shane knew what he was getting into playing Earl. So did Mars. To expecdt anything less from
Earl, well, that's not really realistic, and bad planning on their part.
Should Earl handle himself better? Of course he should. Is he alone in the way he acts? Not by a mile. There are tons of people out there that do far worse than he does. He just happens to play a whole lot better than they do.
As far as it being streamed- that just shows just how bad pool is in this country. Just the fact that two of the "big boys" are going to match up makes headline news and the desire to stream it. The big boys should be matching up a whole lot more than they do. Streaming it doesn't change the fact that it is a gambling match, and what can go on in it. It only means that a lot of us can sweat it that otherwise wouldn't be able to. We, as the fans/spectators, have NO say in what happens or should happen there. It's all between the two contestants on what is and what is not allowed.
Heck, I've had guys stand right in front of me yelling "Miss it, miss it" when I'm trying to shoot. I've also been in "pro" tournaments where my opponent made sure he was standing right behind me on every shot and weaving back and forth. I never knew if he was going to snap and hit me from behind or not. Deal is, if you can't or won't play like that, then don't. But the "fans" have no say so in the match other than to choose whether to watch it or not.
As for Shane, he knew what he was getting into playing Earl. It's not his first rodeo. If it is bothering him to where it's affecting his play, then he knows what he needs to work on some more. And, it is a deficiency in his game that should NOT be there at his level of play. However, I seriously doubt that it's bothering him all that much.
As to Earl, of course he should act better. But, let's get a little realistic here. How many times has it been said that he is a few cards short of a full deck? Well, let's just assume that is true. Given that, why do so many expect an abnormal person to act normal?? Ever consider that acting normal is out of the norm for him with his mindset, and he's usually not even capable of it?? Sure, on meds he could probably be "normal". But, then his game would be normal too. What price would you be willing to pay to be as great at something as he is at pool? He apparently chose a little bit of insanity to be one of the best ever.
Now, as to his tournament play, well, that's a whole other "nut" to crack.
