mapman72
New member
I have never been one to enjoy a player that "goes off" at the pool table. I always thought that poor sportsmanship, throwing cues, yelling at spectators, and making accusations about your opponents was simply out of line. I still feel that way about my opponents BUT...
That TAR match up was GOLD. I was tied up the first two nights but decided that I would try to catch the last night. I had heard that Earl was acting like a nut, but I had to see for myself. I started watching the free stream and I was totally prepared to get annoyed with Strickland, watch 10-15 games, and then go to bed. Right on cue, Earl rattles a ball in the corner, demolishes the area where he was sitting, and throws his ear muffs, plugs, etc. on the floor. From that moment on I was locked in and prepared to watch the rest of the match. It's the Howard Stern effect. People who hate him or love him used to watch just to see what he would say next. I stayed glued to the match for the rest of the night.
While taking a long drive the next day I phoned a good friend who is a professional and has played Earl many times. I told him what I mentioned in the paragraph above and he understood, but he also took the stance that it totally should not be allowed. He said it sharks the opponent and Earl gets into their heads. I get that, but what we saw and the way I was locked in, I couldn't help to think that maybe there is some sort of compromise that would allow for the personalities of pool players (good and bad) could show through without causing a major distraction to the opponent. If someone can find a way to capitalize on that, this great game that we love could be salvaged and even elevated to the level of other professional sports/games (golf, poker, etc.). Anyway, those are my thoughts and I'm curious to hear if anyone agrees or if I'll just get flamed. Fire away. :grin:
That TAR match up was GOLD. I was tied up the first two nights but decided that I would try to catch the last night. I had heard that Earl was acting like a nut, but I had to see for myself. I started watching the free stream and I was totally prepared to get annoyed with Strickland, watch 10-15 games, and then go to bed. Right on cue, Earl rattles a ball in the corner, demolishes the area where he was sitting, and throws his ear muffs, plugs, etc. on the floor. From that moment on I was locked in and prepared to watch the rest of the match. It's the Howard Stern effect. People who hate him or love him used to watch just to see what he would say next. I stayed glued to the match for the rest of the night.
While taking a long drive the next day I phoned a good friend who is a professional and has played Earl many times. I told him what I mentioned in the paragraph above and he understood, but he also took the stance that it totally should not be allowed. He said it sharks the opponent and Earl gets into their heads. I get that, but what we saw and the way I was locked in, I couldn't help to think that maybe there is some sort of compromise that would allow for the personalities of pool players (good and bad) could show through without causing a major distraction to the opponent. If someone can find a way to capitalize on that, this great game that we love could be salvaged and even elevated to the level of other professional sports/games (golf, poker, etc.). Anyway, those are my thoughts and I'm curious to hear if anyone agrees or if I'll just get flamed. Fire away. :grin:
