Earl - Mars comment question/comment

[jay helfert]

Yeah, and a lot of those same tush hogs would pull their jacket to the side so you could see there gun when you were ready to shoot the 9 ball in. A lot of the tush hogs were no different than what you guys hate Earl for.

I'm not talking about thieves here Neil. The out and out robbers are another category entirely. They'd wait until you won and then just rob you outside. I'm talking about the poolroom enforcers, let's call them Sargent Of Arms. These were normal guys who hung around the poolroom, liked to play pool and didn't put up with any nonsense. Yes, they were usually the biggest, baddest guys in the joint.

I always had one or two of these guys in my poolrooms, kind of silent security if you will. If someone got too loud or too out of line, they would go over and have a word or two with them. If that didn't work, they might find themselves deposited outside.

 

[punter]

Punter I respect your opinion and your comments. IMO Earl is (and maybe has been for quite some time) a 'savant.' Somewhat like Dustin Hoffman's character in Rainman, just another type of savant. Earl is a brilliant pool player who is unable (incapable) to socialize with other people in a normal way.

By the way, it was mentioned on here earlier about what should be acceptable behavior in gambling matches. In the action poolrooms of the 60's and 70's a player acting like Earl wouldn't have lasted fifteen minutes! You think John Mars was hard on Earl? Please! The tush hogs I knew wouldn't have said a word or given any warning at all. They gave their warnings after the guy was already on the floor.

I've been in a few of those bars in the 70's. I saw a very young Earl Strickland get beat out of a small amount by an old scuff named Joe Bob Humphrey. His buddy owned the bar, and let's just say it was a hostile environment.

Earl got even a week later, in Louisiana, when he showed up with backup and played Joe Bob one set, which Earl ran from the flip. Joe Bob never got out of the chair, and never said a peep, probably due to the backup Earl had.

Maybe Earl has picked up some of this sharking from his past, maybe he feels like he needs an edge now. Only Earl knows. But I think the vast majority would much rather see an Earl that just shoots his best game without all the sharking and talking. That's the real crowd pleaser. I wish he would get the message, and quit with the "everybody hates me" attitude.

On the other hand, if they want to have a match where talking and sharking is part of it, and advertise it like that before hand, like it seems Earl's match with Archer will be, it may be entertaing to the audience, as long as it doesn't get out of hand.

 

[Luxury]

I've seen Earl protect his eyes while playing Souquet he would stare at the floor until it was his turn to shoot.

 

[houmatroy]

not trying singling you out even if it looks that way..lol

Yeah, and a lot of those same tush hogs would pull their jacket to the side so you could see their gun when you were ready to shoot the 9 ball in. A lot of the tush hogs were no different than what you guys hate Earl for.

From all the years i traveled the road with road players i came to conclusion that it all balls down to how you carry yourself "period" and you didn't have to worry bout tush hogs..When I was bringing Jack Hynes around years ago I can't tell you how many times that it almost got real serious cuz Jack didn't know how to control his mouth..He just couldn't win the money..He'd have the whole joint wanting to kick his ass...many times I had to tell the place..Look..I'm getting him out of here but i aint lettting nobody take no free shots at him...Also with other players I've gambled pretty high with drug dealers..big time dealers and never had any problems..long as you didnt hustle them in the way like Oh i cant play..spot me then at the end u spotting them..they was the best action around for the most part..I've also been in a all black club where me & my player were the only white guys in the place...and we made a decent score & never felt like we were in any kind of danger.

 

[houmatroy]

good post !

I've been in a few of those bars in the 70's. I saw a very young Earl Strickland get beat out of a small amount by an old scuff named Joe Bob Humphrey. His buddy owned the bar, and let's just say it was a hostile environment.

Earl got even a week later, in Louisiana, when he showed up with backup and played Joe Bob one set, which Earl ran from the flip. Joe Bob never got out of the chair, and never said a peep, probably due to the backup Earl had.

Maybe Earl has picked up some of this sharking from his past, maybe he feels like he needs an edge now. Only Earl knows. But I think the vast majority would much rather see an Earl that just shoots his best game without all the sharking and talking. That's the real crowd pleaser. I wish he would get the message, and quit with the "everybody hates me" attitude.

On the other hand, if they want to have a match where talking and sharking is part of it, and advertise it like that before hand, like it seems Earl's match with Archer will be, it may be entertaing to the audience, as long as it doesn't get out of hand.

That's what seperates the different classes in all area's...kinda like in gamvbling...There's thousands of players that shoot jam up when they front running with a comfortable lead but only a handful that can play their same game from way behind...Heart & character is what it's about

 

[Neil]

..................

 

[punter]

From all the years i traveled the road with road players i came to conclusion that it all balls down to how you carry yourself "period" and you didn't have to worry bout tush hogs..When I was bringing Jack Hynes around years ago I can't tell you how many times that it almost got real serious cuz Jack didn't know how to control his mouth..He just couldn't win the money..He'd have the whole joint wanting to kick his ass...many times I had to tell the place..Look..I'm getting him out of here but i aint lettting nobody take no free shots at him...Also with other players I've gambled pretty high with drug dealers..big time dealers and never had any problems..long as you didnt hustle them in the way like Oh i cant play..spot me then at the end u spotting them..they was the best action around for the most part..I've also been in a all black club where me & my player were the only white guys in the place...and we made a decent score & never felt like we were in any kind of danger.

This brings to mind a conversation I had with a good player many years ago. His name was Joey Torma ( I think he was known as Dallas Joey) and I used to see him a lot at Delta Downs racetrack back in the 70's. He was friends with Danny Jones who was also a regular at the Louisiana horse race tracks.

He, like a lot of other players of the past, liked to play the horses. I asked him one time, "Joey, why do you bet your money here when you are such a great pool player, you could have a much better bet hustling on the road. And he replied, "I've been all over the country hustling pool. Many times I would go into a bar and they would say, 'There was good action in here last night, they were playing for $100 a game.' And when I finally did make a good score, I won $5000 in Florida, I got a gun shoved in my face, and I said here's all your money back and if that isn't enough, I got some out in the car you can have."

In my experience, watching and playing pool in the bars, bad stuff was more likely to happen in the $2 and $5 challenge games (rather than two top players matching up for bigger money) that used to be in almost every bar back in the 70's.

You learned pretty quickly the dos and don't of gambling with strangers in strange places. In other words you had to have a sense of when things might happen and how to handle it when it did.

 

[Scott Lee]

Neil...I know what you mean. I have known Earl for more than 30 years. 16 years ago I got to spend a whole week with Earl, during the Camel Pro Exhibition Tour. Back then I was an APA LO, and I got him 5 different gigs, in my five league areas. He was a complete gentleman, and if you get a chance to know him at all, he's really a nice guy (at least he was then). I have ultimate respect for Earl's skill at the table. I don't condone his behavior yesterday, nor in many of the events where he has made himself look bad. I think it takes a certain kind of killer mentality to get where Earl has been (10+ world championships/US Opens). It doesn't excuse the behavior, but I can understand where it comes from.

Earl is playing very well, and that is good to see. If he continues to play this well, he may win this match with Shane. I can tell you one thing for certain...if Shane does lose, it will be graciously, because that's the kind of person he is! Shane has the skills and the demeanor to be a champion that anyone would be proud to look up to. jmo

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

edit: Just for those wondering, Earl is a hero to me. But only a hero as far as playing the game. Not how to act, or as a person. To me, the two never go together. I can have great respect for the way someone does something, but loathe them as a person and want nothing to do with them. Earl, I've never really met him,(other than to say hi, ect.) and I'm not going to totally judge him just on what I read on here. The window is still open on my feelings about him.

 

[dudlock]

I'm not talking about thieves here Neil. The out and out robbers are another category entirely. They'd wait until you won and then just rob you outside. I'm talking about the poolroom enforcers, let's call them Sargent Of Arms. These were normal guys who hung around the poolroom, liked to play pool and didn't put up with any nonsense. Yes, they were usually the biggest, baddest guys in the joint.

I always had one or two of these guys in my poolrooms, kind of silent security if you will. If someone got too loud or too out of line, they would go over and have a word or two with them. If that didn't work, they might find themselves deposited outside.

yea I know some tush hogs too. Usually they would make a large bet and collect if they won and if they lost they would tell you to go phukk yaself. Normally when they got in a fight it would be with a 55 year old business man or a young kid by himself in the place who had never been in a fight. When they messed up they turned snitch immediately. When they reallly messed up and had to do time they were taking it up the ass in no time while snitching and dealing. You just deal with them with a cheap tarus 40 caliber loaded wi hollowpoints and throw away the weapon and make sure to wipe off the spent shells....lol