Earl Strickland/John Schmidt altercation at BCA

john schmidt said:
actually what happened is i was having a hard time racking them tight and i was looking at the first three balls real close . i knew earl would look at the rack and i wanted to make sure the first three were tight.problem was i did not look at the back three very close and in earls defense they were loose.now earl hates me i know ,but all he had to do was ask and i would have racked them again and probably apalogized.instead he calls the ref over and wont let me rerack them and starts telling everyone im a cheater and a total piece of shit.anyway i have little respect for earl for many reasons but in fairness i did give him a bad rack accidentally and he blew it out of proportion and handled it badly as usual.anyway talk to you guys later john schmidt
Hey JS thanks for the personal input and honesty. When I have a question I like to hear from the source. I always love a good pool story.
Fortitude & Prudence
Little Debbie
 
pretty common

robertno1pool said:
I just have the following questions:

1) Being my first tournament to watch the pros play, is it just me - or was there an exorbitant amount of trouble racking the balls? Some tables appeared worse than others. Would the Sardo rack eliminate this or was it just the condition of the tables and balls?

No more trouble than usual racking balls I suspect. Most pro's want a perfect rack and the abuse the cloth takes when a cueball skids or spins off of the one ball over and over in usually only one of two tiny areas quickly damages the cloth. I wouldn't be surprised if many tables didn't have slate damage in the same locations from wearing entirely through cloth sometimes before it is changed. What you saw was pretty much the nature of the beast and as long as we play on the cloth we play on I don't think any other equipment changes will make much difference. Who racks can make a difference but that leads to many unhappy people too. Sometimes when the ref racks you can't request a rerack and I have even seen rules that the rack couldn't be examined.

I think that more people should familiarize themselves with the advantages breaking an imperfect rack can give them and let the opponent rack. Then the breaker would only have to protest bad racks that put him/her at a disadvantage and it would be up to the racker to be sure that they did not give the breaker an advantage. While on the subject of racks, I do think it is ridiculous that nine ball isn't racked in a set order. Some racks are far more random than others and there are many arguments over what "random" means in the context of the rules.

Hu
 
jay helfert said:
Like another writer once said, "It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times".
The opening sentence of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Jay, are you referring to L.A. and Las Vegas?:D

Doc
 
robertno1pool said:
I3) How about when Jeanette Lee got mad after missing and hit a piece of chalk with her cue toward the VIP table I was sitting at. Although she apologized to the audience and her opponent, I do not see anyone making a big deal out of her behavior. It does not bother me much, heck a little more elevation and it might have hit me in the head rather than the side of the table. (Do the rules allow me to keep the chalk like at the ballpark??)

I would have kept the chalk :)

But please everyone, read about Jeanette Lee getting mad once more, then think about how many threads and posts this episode would have created if it was Earl Strickland who did it...

Come on folks, give Earl "The Pearl" Strickland some rest. I think he is a fantastic player, and even if you don't like him, pool needs players like him.

How boring pool would be if there was only players like Ralf Souquet. Excellent player who never miss a shot, but no emotions at all. I love players like Marcus Chamat, Alex Pagualayan, Tony Drago and Earl Strickland who all shows if they are happy or not with their shot or position.
 
robertno1pool said:
3) How about when Jeanette Lee got mad after missing and hit a piece of chalk with her cue toward the VIP table I was sitting at. Although she apologized to the audience and her opponent, I do not see anyone making a big deal out of her behavior. It does not bother me much, heck a little more elevation and it might have hit me in the head rather than the side of the table. (Do the rules allow me to keep the chalk like at the ballpark??)

The only thing that I could find relative to the offensive projectile incident is in the book titled, The Principles of War. It states that in
Section 3. Offensive's termination point

l. Meaning of the offensive's termination point
The offensive's termination point is the point where the attacker reaches the limit of offensive capability, which depends on the extending of the battle line, lengthening of the supply line, material shortages, etc.
---
When this point is reached, the enemy is at a very weak point and personally I would suggest vying for a flank counter-offensive envelopment. Leave the damn chalk where it lay and envelope her. If it is still around after your successful counter-offensive, you can collect it as 'other spoils of war". :D

JoeyA
 
thoffen said:
I've seen Josh play a couple times. He's a hell of an offensive player. Seemed to have disdain for the safety game, though. It's a shame. America needs the dedication of the Europeans and Asians.

That's certainly the way he played when we matched up back in 2001, but I figured that it was nothing that a little maturity and a few cases of the "broke, busted and disgusteds" wouldn't fix.:cool:

IIRC, he played a pretty good tournament at the DCC this year.
 
Wow!

Definitely the best advice I have seen on these forums! I sent some rep your way. :D :D :D


JoeyA said:
The only thing that I could find relative to the offensive projectile incident is in the book titled, The Principles of War. It states that in
Section 3. Offensive's termination point

l. Meaning of the offensive's termination point
The offensive's termination point is the point where the attacker reaches the limit of offensive capability, which depends on the extending of the battle line, lengthening of the supply line, material shortages, etc.
---
When this point is reached, the enemy is at a very weak point and personally I would suggest vying for a flank counter-offensive envelopment. Leave the damn chalk where it lay and envelope her. If it is still around after your successful counter-offensive, you can collect it as 'other spoils of war". :D

JoeyA
 
gulfportdoc said:
The opening sentence of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Jay, are you referring to L.A. and Las Vegas?:D

Doc

No, L.A. and Bakersfield. lol
 
Roy Steffensen said:
I would have kept the chalk :)

But please everyone, read about Jeanette Lee getting mad once more, then think about how many threads and posts this episode would have created if it was Earl Strickland who did it...

Come on folks, give Earl "The Pearl" Strickland some rest. I think he is a fantastic player, and even if you don't like him, pool needs players like him.

How boring pool would be if there was only players like Ralf Souquet. Excellent player who never miss a shot, but no emotions at all. I love players like Marcus Chamat, Alex Pagualayan, Tony Drago and Earl Strickland who all shows if they are happy or not with their shot or position.

Easy there Roy. I see your point about "colorful" players, and I use that term rather loosely when referring to Earl. But to criticize a great player and gentleman like Ralf cannot go unanswered. To call him boring is a mistake in my book. What's boring about watching someone play great pool?

To me, he is the right handed version of Mike Sigel, cool and calculating, and deadly accurate. I wish we had a few more just like him. Just to even the scales with the filipinos and Chinese greats.

One other thing. Earl WAS a fantastic player. He isn't any longer. He has been on a downward spiral for a couple of years now, and his game has become quite mediocre, sorry to say. Earl is actually a fairly soft draw for a top player. Sad, but true.
 
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Ralf plays almost perfect pool, no doubt about it, and he is a true gentleman, and yes, he showed some really heart after his silver-medal in the wpc.

But: It IS really boring to watch him play. He is the closest thing to a living machine, working slowly and methodical throughout each match, and hardly any emotions at all.
 
Roy Steffensen said:
Ralf plays almost perfect pool, no doubt about it, and he is a true gentleman, and yes, he showed some really heart after his silver-medal in the wpc.

But: It IS really boring to watch him play. He is the closest thing to a living machine, working slowly and methodical throughout each match, and hardly any emotions at all.

Guess what. It works for him!

Unlike you Roy, I do not find it boring to watch someone play great pool. In fact, I LIKE IT!

I like you too Roy, and maybe someday you'll play as good as that old bore Ralf.
 
jay helfert said:
Guess what. It works for him!

Unlike you Roy, I do not find it boring to watch someone play great pool. In fact, I LIKE IT!

I like you too Roy, and maybe someday you'll play as good as that old bore Ralf.

I wouldn't change the way of playing if I was Ralf, because it works very well for him :) (I know, have played him myself, and he sent me out of the tournament)

You're too funny Jay, me maybe playing as good as Ralf one day? Wouldn't bet on that ;) (but I think it's funnier to watch me play, though)
 
Roy Steffensen said:
Ralf plays almost perfect pool, no doubt about it, and he is a true gentleman, and yes, he showed some really heart after his silver-medal in the wpc.

But: It IS really boring to watch him play. He is the closest thing to a living machine, working slowly and methodical throughout each match, and hardly any emotions at all.

Ralf doesn't show emotion, deep inside he is emotional. Ralk just knows how to hide them when playing. I like his game and he shares his knowledge. When he was Hill-Hill with the Taiwanese for the Finals seat on the 5-ball, he explained clearly the reasoning behind why he shoot the shot that way instead of going hide and seek yet again.

We followed him like a deranged stacker at last years WPC. :D
 
black widow wins the masters

robertno1pool said:
I was there when Earl had the problem with the Rack. Seems like he should have discussed this with John Schmidt first, but he choose not to. I just wrote it off that he was struggling to stay in the tournament, wanting anything that would increase his odds of staying in, and struggling to play as well as he had in his earlier years. I could not hear the comments Earl was making to the crowd, since I was on the other side of the table.

I met John Schmidt between his matches, got him to sign a cue ball (great souvenir), and thanked him for the straight pool DVD I bought from him through this forum. A true gentleman. John played great at this tournament.

I just have the following questions:

1) Being my first tournament to watch the pros play, is it just me - or was there an exorbitant amount of trouble racking the balls? Some tables appeared worse than others. Would the Sardo rack eliminate this or was it just the condition of the tables and balls?

2) John - How about that verbal run in with Ron Wiseman during your match with him. Where you suggested he might sit down for a while - that you were really trying hard to get the balls to rack properly (rather than sharking). After a few "Or What"s exchanged, Ron got so upset; he ended up taking a break. John - I thought you handled the situation well. Just more racking problems. Some tables and matches required Steve Tipton to rack almost every game.

3) How about when Jeanette Lee got mad after missing and hit a piece of chalk with her cue toward the VIP table I was sitting at. Although she apologized to the audience and her opponent, I do not see anyone making a big deal out of her behavior. It does not bother me much, heck a little more elevation and it might have hit me in the head rather than the side of the table. (Do the rules allow me to keep the chalk like at the ballpark??)

jeannete was showing that not everything that happens in vegas, stay in vegas!!!! chalk was seen flying near mccarren airport causing the faa to shut it down fearing another 9/11 attack with the chalk landing in summerlin on andre agasse's tennis court scaring the hell out of steffie graf. as the widow's pet, i was required to retrieve the chalk and received a tennis ball up my ass from ms graf. john schmidt later refused to autograph it but earl wondered if a lite cue ball might work better in 9 ball.

by the way, jl apologized to all many times as she had never done that before except when getting george to bring out the trash and rack for her. [/COLOR
]
 
For the record...

How boring pool would be if there was only players like Ralf Souquet. Excellent player who never miss a shot, but no emotions at all.

Actually, I have seen Ralf both cry at a major event and pump his fist and yell at a major event. He also occasionally jokes or makes little gestures like shooting a gun with his fingers. He just doesn't do it as often, and doesn't give the opponent, ref, or fans unnecessary shit.

And to answer your probably-rhetorical question, "how boring would pool be..."

Actually, not boring at all. Some of us actually watch pool to see POOL, not to see characters. I want to see their shotmaking, decision making, and what they can do with the cueball. I love watching thorsten run balls perfectly in straight pool and set up for a perfect break shot and then execute it flawlessly. I'd rather watch that than watch earl bítch about the rack, smash the balls, run out, and then yell & stab at the table.

Having players with a 'game face' doesn't make a sport boring to watch. You won't see a whole lot of craziness on the golf course and often there's not much emotion during tennis matcher either (to be fair I sometimes find those sports boring to watch but I bet I wouldn't if I played them). My favorite poker player is Phil Ivey and he never has much of an expression even away from the table. Maybe I'm just weird.
 
Smorgass Bored said:
Good for you. Just keep breathing and LIVE.
Doug
( sitting back and waiting )

Smorgie, that's just plain mean!;)

CreeDo, I couldn't agree with you more. If a player seems like a robot while they're playing & shoot great pool then I'm more than happy to see that. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the players who enjoy some banter while they play as well but it's what they do on the table that matters the most. I'm sure when I'm playing in league or tournies & I'm totally focussed on the game I probably seem ultra serious, it's just what works for me when I play. I still enjoy a laugh & a joke but when I'm at the table I try to be all business. Emphasis on the "try!":D
 
CreeDo said:
...Some of us actually watch pool to see POOL, not to see characters. I want to see their shotmaking, decision making, and what they can do with the cueball. I love watching thorsten run balls perfectly in straight pool and set up for a perfect break shot and then execute it flawlessly. I'd rather watch that than watch earl bítch about the rack, smash the balls, run out, and then yell & stab at the table.

Having players with a 'game face' doesn't make a sport boring to watch. You won't see a whole lot of craziness on the golf course and often there's not much emotion during tennis matcher either (to be fair I sometimes find those sports boring to watch but I bet I wouldn't if I played them). My favorite poker player is Phil Ivey and he never has much of an expression even away from the table. Maybe I'm just weird.

Maybe you are; maybe you aren't!

Your likes and dislikes about pool, however, may be different than what others like and dislike about pool.

The American television public thinks pool is as boring as you do golf and tennis. That is why it is not gaining any notoriety in the United States.

Pool needs to attract mainstream America on TV, and in order to do that, something must change from the current status quo.

There are two schools of thought about pool.

One, the purists want to watch the beauty of the game in silence, if you will, admiring the strokes, shots, and skills set of the players. This is by far a minute minority of the American public, and this kind of pool ain't going nowhere when it comes to bringing in new interest, so that pool can advance as a sport.

The other school of thought goes along the lines of entertainment value, much like Minnesota Fats, Steve Mizerak, and Willie Mosconi. People tuned in and watched these great ones compete against each other, not so much because they shot well, but because they wanted to see what was going on between Willie and Fats, for example. This banter and entertainment seemed to gain interest from mainstream America, and as such, these guys put on exhibitions all the time for the television audience and was quite popular.

American pool traditionally has always had a different tone than the robotic European style of play, and if and when pool can become entertaining on American TV, it will be then that we may see a change as far as the ratings.

If American pool, the way it is showcased today, continues along its merry way, I believe it will never change as far as popularity. The whole point about getting pool on TV is so that folks get interested in the game and its players. Watching a pool player go through the motions like a robot and then stand there like an emotionless Buckingham Guard throughout the duration of a match just isn't American pool, and that is the problem. JMHO, FWIW!

JAM
 
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