Haven't seen this..... any video of it?
EARL STRICKLAND Returns to TEAM USA
- Thread starter spartan
- Start date
Is it true that Shane demanded Earl be on the team?
If so, Shane better find a way to be the "Earl whisperer" to calm him down and get him to play decently
Who do you think is paying JJ? Of course MR is involved in the picks.
Last edited:
It’s smart biz for Earl to be there.
Also Earl has been playing 7 days a week all year.
JJ ain’t stupid, he’s a bright guy and knows how to build team energy.
I know this ain’t a popular opinion, but I happen to think it’s a good idea the whole way around.
Best
Fatboy
PS please don’t throw me off the island-the water is cold
SomeDeadGuy
Member
Could it be to light a fire under SVB? I really hope Earl can catch a streak for old times sake….but it might say more about US players post CoVid.
SomeDeadGuy
Member
OK. This is a reaching but in a team event, no matter how bad you leave him, he's certain he will make it and has a good chance to pull it off.
VarmintKong
Cannonball comin’!
That would be cool if it made ESPN... or even McPaper, USA Today.
This pretty much sums it up.
VarmintKong
Cannonball comin’!
This is lame. Casual interest is created through narratives. Create a BS story ‘bout the Kentucky crackers who all grew mullets to cheer on their hometown prodigy. Hell, the wigs don’t even have to be real and they can film it in Saginaw, Michigan.
This is just trying to manufacture drama. That is good, but Matchroom isn’t good at it. Remember Oi’s interview where he started singing and dancing at the World Cup of Pool? At the US Open, he did the same thing, after talking about a microphone and an apple, as the interviewer pandered to the audience. It was like you could hear the producer saying, “now Nayouki do that silly thing you did 2 tournaments ago, women in the 18 to 36 age group loved it.”
If there isn’t enough drama in the spectacle of the sport itself find something about the people that others can relate to. You already have the ‘Murcia vs. the world angle going for you. Milk that.
This is just trying to manufacture drama. That is good, but Matchroom isn’t good at it. Remember Oi’s interview where he started singing and dancing at the World Cup of Pool? At the US Open, he did the same thing, after talking about a microphone and an apple, as the interviewer pandered to the audience. It was like you could hear the producer saying, “now Nayouki do that silly thing you did 2 tournaments ago, women in the 18 to 36 age group loved it.”
If there isn’t enough drama in the spectacle of the sport itself find something about the people that others can relate to. You already have the ‘Murcia vs. the world angle going for you. Milk that.
From the bottom of my heart, I find the inclusion of Earl on team USA to be repulsive. I am not a shrink, but I am married to someone who is sort of like one, and I think Earl was included because MR figured if the American Team can't be competitive, let's at least make it a carnival show...at Earl's expense. This is totally disgusting. I understood all of the MR apologists until this point. There is very little good in American pool, and as a result we should expect some bullying. This is repugnant.
kollegedave
kollegedave
JC
Coos Cues
Can you name names? Can this young talent consistently beat Earl much less Europe top players?
Not really. Since it's not going to be a pool competition a side show is the next best thing I guess.
JC
Coos Cues
The problem is he is a professional pool player with a lower fargo than a welder from Michigan.
Who cares about the beating. I don’t want to send my mentally ill countryman as the entertainment for uk hooligans. There is losing and then there is a loss of dignity…this is the later.
Kollegedave
Anybody who thinks the Mosconi Cup has ever been a real pool tournament has been in APA too long.
This is a carnival show crap shoot with its races to five and all the hoopla.
It is entertainment…not pool.
Just like WWE isn’t real wrestling.
Who gives a damn who wins?
Grab a beer, watch it, and be entertained.
I think Earl should be the whole American team…he should be the only American player against the whole damn bunch of them. They should make him some kind of superhero costume to wear.
GO EARL!!!
This is a carnival show crap shoot with its races to five and all the hoopla.
It is entertainment…not pool.
Just like WWE isn’t real wrestling.
Who gives a damn who wins?
Grab a beer, watch it, and be entertained.
I think Earl should be the whole American team…he should be the only American player against the whole damn bunch of them. They should make him some kind of superhero costume to wear.
GO EARL!!!
VarmintKong
Cannonball comin’!
Where’s your proof of this?
It's not that shocking that Earl was picked, and it will surely generate ratings for Matchroom. If it compromised the chances of Team USA, this year, it is not by much, as any team that the US put together would be a heavy underdog.
All that said, this pick is a joke. Participation in events on the US Pool calendar should be a requisite for selection, and Earl barely ever competes in US based events. The Mosconi spot has always been a big incentive for American hopeful to compete as often as possible, but now, a precedent has been set that a Mosconi Cup spot is available to those that compete as well as those who do not. It sends out the wrong message to those who aspire to earn a spot on the team and one must wonder what the criteria really are for inclusion on the team. Of course, this renders ridiculous the recent Matchroom announcement that Justin Bergman would not be considered for a Team USA spot because he wasn't committed to being a full-time professional pool player.
This selection devalues the US based pool events, which are seemingly no longer the stepping stone to Mosconi selection, and that's not good news for pro pool in America, and it may hurt participation levels down the road.
Let's see if success in Matchroom events ultimately figures in the selection process. At the World Pool Championships, the only three Americans reaching stage 2 were Shane, Skyler and Jeremy Sossei. A Sossei pick for Team USA might soften the blow for me. Then again, maybe performance by Americans in Europe-based events is also not weighed in evidence when the picks are made.
The only possible justification for this selection is that another massacre like we got in 2020 at the Mosconi would endanger the continuation of the Mosconi Cup itself by causing poor viewer ratings. Perhaps that's the reasoning here, and if so, America has shot itself in the foot by failing to nurture and develop new talent in professional pool.
All that said, this pick is a joke. Participation in events on the US Pool calendar should be a requisite for selection, and Earl barely ever competes in US based events. The Mosconi spot has always been a big incentive for American hopeful to compete as often as possible, but now, a precedent has been set that a Mosconi Cup spot is available to those that compete as well as those who do not. It sends out the wrong message to those who aspire to earn a spot on the team and one must wonder what the criteria really are for inclusion on the team. Of course, this renders ridiculous the recent Matchroom announcement that Justin Bergman would not be considered for a Team USA spot because he wasn't committed to being a full-time professional pool player.
This selection devalues the US based pool events, which are seemingly no longer the stepping stone to Mosconi selection, and that's not good news for pro pool in America, and it may hurt participation levels down the road.
Let's see if success in Matchroom events ultimately figures in the selection process. At the World Pool Championships, the only three Americans reaching stage 2 were Shane, Skyler and Jeremy Sossei. A Sossei pick for Team USA might soften the blow for me. Then again, maybe performance by Americans in Europe-based events is also not weighed in evidence when the picks are made.
The only possible justification for this selection is that another massacre like we got in 2020 at the Mosconi would endanger the continuation of the Mosconi Cup itself by causing poor viewer ratings. Perhaps that's the reasoning here, and if so, America has shot itself in the foot by failing to nurture and develop new talent in professional pool.
I have trouble understanding any intimidation factor when it comes to pool. I mean, why be intimidated? It's not exactly like stepping into the ring with Tyson Fury...it's just pool, only egos and wallets get hurt.
Screw it! Go USA! Go Earl! Should you lose, none of you will be rushed to a hospital....you lose, that's all.
Screw it! Go USA! Go Earl! Should you lose, none of you will be rushed to a hospital....you lose, that's all.