Earl Strickland Video showing him trying to hit his opponent with his cue.

[Kevin]

It's not going to happen, It's not 'newsworthy' according to most folks. It's such a sad situation. Just like the newspapers....disasters grab the headlines first, and foremost. Always have, and probably always will. People want to see the 'trainwreck'..........LIVE, if possible.

My profession (photography) involves shooting most of the major tournaments. I decided early in my career, not to EVER shoot, or publish a shot that would make a person-player look bad. In an shape, form, or fashion. If Earl and Gerda happen to get into a knockdown dragout fight on the main floor in Vegas next week, you won't see any photos of it from me.

It's the same away from the tournament trail...I just don't see why people continually want to make other people look bad. What do they get out of it? It's beyond me.....

The Pool industry is in sad shape anyway, and then we have people running it further into the ground posting obnoxious videos continually. Do you think that's helping the pool community out?? Come on....help the game!! Don't hurt it anymore than it is already.

Rick S.

I respect your judgment of pictures worthy of representing pool... and in billiards over 500 years with all the great shots executed... video depicts pool in it's essence better than a still shot really can. It is an active and motion sport. With fleeting emotions on display during and after the shot important and poorly represented by still shots. Might I recommend a digital HDTV camera for the complete reaction photo after the sequence, distilling the critical reaction moment?

The Sport remains true of billiards, the essence has never changed, you SAY you are better right now, PROVE it, on the same table at the same time, with the same rules and length of match at whatever game, money, or tournament format. Those be the rules. Who wins today? This can never be settled for all time.

"Wins" in what sense? Who got the most cash? In 1965 dollars? Most tournaments? Most fun matches won? Best player for amateur that never ventured beyond 50 miles of hometown but still won state tournament?
The best player for the cash ever was blah-blah-dickey in 1923, and I beat him in 1953 in one set on a game he dislikes, so therefore I am the best player in the world, 30 years after his prime, though some dispute his prime years and agree with me that I beat him in his prime... It is a spectrum of great players, great years, decades...Most tournaments won, percentage of them entered, .... it is impossible to highlight for sure because billiards has been played continuously day in and out for more than 500 years. But there is absolutely no doubt it is a great game forevermore, since it has been played continuously for 500 years or more.

What concievable measure from this day forth could players accumulate stats toward to achieve the greatest ever status?

None I suspect... the question of greatest ever for X game will continue forever.

Now is that a great game or what?

 

[CamposCues]

Earl

I like watching Earl play. I think he's funny when he gets mad. Heck, he's passionate about the game and sometimes freeks out a little but either way it's entertaining. I can't hate him for it.

 

[teebee]

In other sports-most notably tennis,hockey and golf, people throw things and yell at referees or bystanders on a regular basis. With pool's tough guy image you would think we could handle a certain amount of contoversial behavior. Most of us probably play with somebody worse than Earl (though far less talented) quite often. I wish Earl would act differently for a while just to get everybody off his back. But I would pay money to watch him play either way. Other sports seem to see the humor in the quirky sides of their heroes. Maybe we should try that. Earl is destined to fail if he is held under a microscope and allowed to be badgered at events by people who want to see him fail. Too bad.

 

[Franky]

I fail to see how posting links to these clips is offensive or in poor taste.

There will always be people who stumble upon these clips for the first time. It will always be a sore spot. The entire pool playing world does not share a single mind nor log of videos watched. People will see this stuff for the first time eventually, and be shocked then, just as Xbreaker was recently. I would be surprised if someone DIDN'T post about Earls antics from time to time.

I wish him the best though, as we all have our demons. But that doesn't mean we are actually capable of forgetting the past.

 

[Rick S.]

I fail to see how posting links to these clips is offensive or in poor taste.

There will always be people who stumble upon these clips for the first time. It will always be a sore spot. The entire pool playing world does not share a single mind nor log of videos watched. People will see this stuff for the first time eventually, and be shocked then, just as Xbreaker was recently. I would be surprised if someone DIDN'T post about Earls antics from time to time.

I wish him the best though, as we all have our demons. But that doesn't mean we are actually capable of forgetting the past.

STUMBLE is the right word. It isn't plastered on the front page, most people will miss it. Is it alright to sit back and make fun of a troubled person? Hell NO...Give the guy a break!!

Poor taste.....yes, when it's the 103rd time the video is posted.

Rick S.

 

[Franky]

You missed my point. When someone stumbles onto these clips, they may think, "Wow this is interesting, why not share these videos?"

 

[Hidy Ho]

I'm not defending the actions of Earl either, but he acted very much the champion when Efren executed his famous Z kick for the win. He raised the white flag and was very gracious. Of course, that was some time ago, and his behavior has deteriorated somewhere down the road.

My personal experiences with Earl are mixed - he ranted at me mistakenly for something another Asian had written, he forgot how he actually played in his trick shot show here, but he did remember that I broke and ran out on him.

He needs to learn to be proactive instead of reactive and realize that many so-called fans have but one mission during his matches, and that is to push his detonator. He is a champion with enormous talent and with commensurate monkeys on his back. I wish him well in his future with his new sponsor.

I remember Earl coming up to you at a practice table on Day 1 of Reno IPT tournament to "discuss" something. After he left, you didn't look too happy

 

[Stones]

As you can easily tell by now, I’m not a big Earl fan.

Let me say up front, he has an unbelievable talent for the game. The matches and shot making I have personally witnessed still make my jaw drop when I think of them.

But what made my jaw drop the most over the years was Earl’s behavior as a human being toward others at and away from the table. Here are some of the reasons why I bash away:

In ’83 or ’84, I lived in the Houston area the same time Earl lived there. The tournament at Red’s was coming up and Cassidy’s Billiards, the action room in west Houston, was running a tournament with the winner getting an paid entry into the Red’s tourney the following week along with some cash. This was the first large tourney I had ever played in and I was in hog heaven as a lot of the pros had come in early to participate.

Saturday afternoon, the buzz around the room was that Earl was coming in to put on an exhibition. Wow, the number one player in the world would be here, I thought. I had never seen Earl at this point.

Later that evening, a few players and myself were standing around talking when up walks this guy I had never seen. He started talking crap immediately to all of us about what he will spot us. When he got me, and these are his exact words, he said, “F#%#, I don’t even know you and you got the f#$#ing 7 and the 8.” Nice introduction, huh? He might have been trying to be funny but it came across as sheer arrogance.

As he turned to walk away, I asked the guy next to me who this guy was. He said, “That’s Earl Strickland, the number one pool player in the world.” My immediate response was, “Well, I think he’s a number one A$$H---E!” Well, Earl heard me and whipped around and gave me a really nasty glare but didn’t say anything. I thought, “Hey, bud, you can dish it out, so let’s see how you take it!”

I was still willing to give Earl the benefit of the doubt. The next week at Red’s, I took my son with me and we saw Earl along with some other players standing in the restaurant surrounded by some spectators. I explained to my son who Earl was and my son wanted to get an autograph as he already had gotten Rempe’s and Sigel’s along with some other players and all were very gracious. As we approached, Earl glanced over his shoulder at the spectators and said something along the line of. “Jeez, more wannabe pool players!” That did it for me and I took my son by the shoulder and lead him away.

Over the next few years, I watched Earl say and do things with other players and people that make my experiences with seem extremely mild by comparison which I will not go into detail about here. I always walked away baffled on how he got away with what he did without getting his head knocked around.

Like I’ve said in other threads, a lot of people think this behavior has come about in the last few years but my opinion is the only difference from then until now is that Earl doesn’t care now if there is a camera on him or not. What you see in these video clips is the real McCoy!

Now, society wants to come up with excuses for this behavior from bad childhoods, medical conditions, etc aka “the twinkie defense”. In other words, they want to point fingers at everything else except for a person taking responsibility for their own actions. I guess I’m old school because I’m not buying it in some cases because of the number of people I know who have overcome tremendous tragic situations in their lives.

End of story, and it’s my advice only, we may think it but that doesn’t mean we have to say it. Show some dignity, integrity and class. Learn a little personal discipline and keep your mouth shut when you’re down. Otherwise, buy a muzzle.

As far as my earlier post, One video!!!!! Showing one video of him being a gracious loser over the last twenty plus years does not clear him on this issue. I’m in agreement with Jay that as long as he continues to act this way, he should not be able to enter any major tournament or at the first altercation during a match, he is given the boot until he makes an honest effort to clean his act up. Otherwise, up the dosage.

As long as it’s accepted and defended for him to act this way in public, I’ll be a basher for life until he finds the handle which I don’t believe will ever happen. Until then, I’ll still watch him play in awe. What a talent!

JMO,

Stones

 

[Marvel]

First of all, I did not know these videos were shown before. I was directed to these links and found them to be quite unbelivable to say the very least, so I decided to share them here. As I watched these for the first time, my jaws actually dropped when I saw how he behaved in the World Championship. I simply could not believe what I was hearing when he tried to justify cheating against Charlie Williams.

I believe as a public figure, and according to some, a representative of the sports, Earl's action is out there for everyone to judge, and history will draw its conclusion on his influence to the game.

You are all free to express your opinion about Earl, although that was not really the objective of this thread.

Is it in poor taste? I do not think so, because these videos have been posted on youtube for the world to see--but then again, you are free to express your opinion, and choose to look at it any way you want.

For the record, if you read the posts I made before, you would know that I have expressed my positive impression of Earl in various occassions. This actually makes the videos that much more shocking to watch.

I have just finished watching the World Snooker Championship, whereas the players were acting like 100% gentlemen, and then I was directed to such videos, I was speechless.

What is the point of the thread? I guess it is somewhere along the line of showing something that I do not believe would actually happen in front of my own eyes. Frankly, I found what I saw quite disturbing. May be I am over reacting, because according to some of you, you have seen worst, and you think it is not a big deal.

I wish I could look at these, and find some logical explainations to defend Earl, but I can't. In my opinion, it is sad for Earl, his opponent, the promotor, and the image of the industry.

Thank you.
Richard

Tap Tap!


Nicely stood up there!

 

[Marvel]

What is even worse, Richard, is some public figures continue to do things behind the scene which have actually damaged American pool.

It is hard to believe that you, being a member of this forum for a lengthy period of time, have never seen the YouTube links of Earl Strickland previouisly, but it may be that you have not read those Earl-bashing threads, though they seem to pop up on a daily basis in recent times. There are numerous threads contributed to AzBilliards Discussion Forum every single day, and I, too, am unable to read them all.

I find the practices of what some of the American representatives did behind the scenes in the recent Mosconi Cup unbelievably sad. However, American Representative Earl Strickland came to the table every single day at the Mosconi Cup prepared, well rested, and ready to defend the American title.

Earl Strickland's accomplishments in American pool outshine any other American player I know of in my lifetime. At a time when it is well know that Earl is experiencing not only medical maladies, but personal difficulties as well, the timing of this thread seems very cruel to me. Everyone is most certainly entitled to their opinion about this American champion, and if you feel the need to feed your hatred of this American icon, just do a search on this forum for "Strickland" and read to your heart's content. The American pool culture traditionally is cruel to its own, which is why professional pool is dying a slow and ugly death.

BCA Hall of Famer Earl Strickland is one of the last great American pool players. Fifty years from now, there will be no more Earl Stricklands. In fact, professional pool will be dead in the water on American soil.

League play is where it's at in the United States. Players like Earl Strickland have not a damn thing to look forward to.

JAM

I don't know Earl that well, but what I know about him is, that he is a good guy who needs help badly. I had a chance to chat with him last summer, and my attitude towards him changed a lot. I really wished to help him and I did defend him when others were bashing him.

Still, I wouldn't defend his behaviour in these videos.

I've watched much pool from youtube, also checked this forum quite a bit, but this was the first time I saw these videos.


So who will tell him he needs help?

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Richard, why all the hard work to bash Earl? what are you trying to prove? I'm surprised this coming from a cue manufacturer. How could this help your business?

Having been around pool in the north east for the last 20 years I have seen and heard nasty things about most every top player, but I choose not to spread crap about people. We all have our bad moments, some more often than others obviously, but if we dig deep enough we can find dirt on everyone right?.....I remember hearing something about "glass houses"

Threads like this remind me of the little old ladies spreading gosip at the hair salon!

Gerry

This thread by Gerry sums up beautifully what so many of us feel. And just like JAM, I grow weary of Earl bashing threads. I don't even like reading them, but I feel complelled at times to just try to put the brakes on some of the haters. Mosty of my threads have a common theme, I enjoy learning as much as aI can about the great players. Their personalities are as varied as ours are. We all have hang ups, problems, fears and weaknesses. And this being America, we have the "right" (?) to say or write how we feel much of the time. But why? What good does another thread like this do? For pool, for Earl, for new fans, visitors to our forum, etc.?
Richard, I like you an aweful lot and I still do. You have answered so many posts in a dignified and informative manner. You love our great sport like we do. But I personally think that trying to gather up a group of rehashed clips and repeating old news is akin to kicking a guy who's already down and hurting. I am proud to always have been a strong Earl supporter as well as one of his most loyal fans. He is not perfect and doen't always act in the best interest of proper decorum. But like I said before, how soon we forget what he's done for our sport. 6 World Championships, 5 U.S. Open 9 Ball Championships and a host of other wins.
He brought so much excitement to his fans and we rooted for him like many root for their favorite sports teams. And after he's served his usefulness, some elect to just totally turn on him, besmirch him at every opportunity and ridicule him over and over. For what? What has he ever done PERSONALLY to any of the people who post negatively about him? He acts out towards a handful of instigating and agitating fans, who, if they did those things at a golf tournament, they would be escorted out. Very few sports outside of boxing & pro wrestling allow fans to get away with as much as so called "pool fans" can get away with.
I love Earl. He's always been wonderful and very gracious to me and I would venture to guess 95% of the fans.
Lastly, I've long suspected that many Earl bashers would want to shake his hand and talk to him if they ever came across him. Then they would all brag how they met him.

 

[Mike Templeton]

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Earl.

But I don't really think that this thread is meant to discredit Earl as much as it is meant to show Earl in a bad light because he has signed with Mike Gulyassy. Mike IS one of Richard's biggest competitors. And I think that Richard is trying to discredit Mike by showing Earl in a bad light. And Mike does have alot more experience than Richard when it comes to producing quality break/jump cues.

I think it is a marketing ploy by X-Breaker to try to keep Mike Gulyassy from selling more break/jump cues.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

I want to add one more very important (for me) thing. When I first read the original post I skipped over a lot of the begining responses and added my thoughts at the end of the thread. I wish I would have read Richard's response in post #13 before I responded because I would have worded my response differently.
Richard does not need me to speak with him, but after carefully reading his post, I am 100% positve that he was not "bashing" as much as he was perplexed about and seeking an understanding of Earl's outbursts. And even if he WAS bashing, that is his right. It just would have been very un-Richard like. Richard has a sterling reputation on our forum and his posting nature is akin to sjm's, always gracious and responsible. And me, well, I somehow always feel compelled to stick up for (rather than defend) Earl Strickland. I still whole heartedly agree with Gerry's thoughts and I will likely post things similar to what I said again when the next haters write what they will. But I don't believe that Richard falls into that catagory at all.

 

[Jaden]

regarding Earl bashing.

Personally I don't care if someone has alterior motives in showcasing someone's negtive points. From what I've seen of Earl, I can only say that I feel sorry for him, because having an attitude like he has has got to affect his game.

One thing I would like to point out is that Earl is an excellent player, and I can understand how somethings can just make you wanna go off. I also know that in modern society, we have become a pussy whipped version of ourselves, and men aren't allowed to be men anymore. If Earl went off on me like he's appeared to do some other people, I'd knock his ass out. I am congenial person, so for someone to go off on me it would take a first class dick wad, that's one of the reasons that I say that. I have a really bad time with what I don't think is fair, so I can empathise with Earl on that front, but still, there are some lines you shouldn't cross I think.

Oh well that's enough rambling. For the bashers, as far as I'm concerned, bash away.

For the Earl worshipers, you can go ahead and worship away, but don't expect everyone else to overlook his short comings out of respect for someone who in many people's eyes doesn't deserve any.

 

[Craig Fales]

As you can easily tell by now, I’m not a big Earl fan.

Let me say up front, he has an unbelievable talent for the game. The matches and shot making I have personally witnessed still make my jaw drop when I think of them.

But what made my jaw drop the most over the years was Earl’s behavior as a human being toward others at and away from the table. Here are some of the reasons why I bash away:

In ’83 or ’84, I lived in the Houston area the same time Earl lived there. The tournament at Red’s was coming up and Cassidy’s Billiards, the action room in west Houston, was running a tournament with the winner getting an paid entry into the Red’s tourney the following week along with some cash. This was the first large tourney I had ever played in and I was in hog heaven as a lot of the pros had come in early to participate.

Saturday afternoon, the buzz around the room was that Earl was coming in to put on an exhibition. Wow, the number one player in the world would be here, I thought. I had never seen Earl at this point.

Later that evening, a few players and myself were standing around talking when up walks this guy I had never seen. He started talking crap immediately to all of us about what he will spot us. When he got me, and these are his exact words, he said, “F#%#, I don’t even know you and you got the f#$#ing 7 and the 8.” Nice introduction, huh? He might have been trying to be funny but it came across as sheer arrogance.

As he turned to walk away, I asked the guy next to me who this guy was. He said, “That’s Earl Strickland, the number one pool player in the world.” My immediate response was, “Well, I think he’s a number one A$$H---E!” Well, Earl heard me and whipped around and gave me a really nasty glare but didn’t say anything. I thought, “Hey, bud, you can dish it out, so let’s see how you take it!”

I was still willing to give Earl the benefit of the doubt. The next week at Red’s, I took my son with me and we saw Earl along with some other players standing in the restaurant surrounded by some spectators. I explained to my son who Earl was and my son wanted to get an autograph as he already had gotten Rempe’s and Sigel’s along with some other players and all were very gracious. As we approached, Earl glanced over his shoulder at the spectators and said something along the line of. “Jeez, more wannabe pool players!” That did it for me and I took my son by the shoulder and lead him away.

Over the next few years, I watched Earl say and do things with other players and people that make my experiences with seem extremely mild by comparison which I will not go into detail about here. I always walked away baffled on how he got away with what he did without getting his head knocked around.

Like I’ve said in other threads, a lot of people think this behavior has come about in the last few years but my opinion is the only difference from then until now is that Earl doesn’t care now if there is a camera on him or not. What you see in these video clips is the real McCoy!

Now, society wants to come up with excuses for this behavior from bad childhoods, medical conditions, etc aka “the twinkie defense”. In other words, they want to point fingers at everything else except for a person taking responsibility for their own actions. I guess I’m old school because I’m not buying it in some cases because of the number of people I know who have overcome tremendous tragic situations in their lives.

End of story, and it’s my advice only, we may think it but that doesn’t mean we have to say it. Show some dignity, integrity and class. Learn a little personal discipline and keep your mouth shut when you’re down. Otherwise, buy a muzzle.

As far as my earlier post, One video!!!!! Showing one video of him being a gracious loser over the last twenty plus years does not clear him on this issue. I’m in agreement with Jay that as long as he continues to act this way, he should not be able to enter any major tournament or at the first altercation during a match, he is given the boot until he makes an honest effort to clean his act up. Otherwise, up the dosage.

As long as it’s accepted and defended for him to act this way in public, I’ll be a basher for life until he finds the handle which I don’t believe will ever happen. Until then, I’ll still watch him play in awe. What a talent!

JMO,

Stones

It's true that his attitude isn't something that just started happening...he's been like this for a long time...

 

[jimmy-leggs]

Personally I don't care if someone has alterior motives in showcasing someone's negtive points. From what I've seen of Earl, I can only say that I feel sorry for him, because having an attitude like he has has got to affect his game.

One thing I would like to point out is that Earl is an excellent player, and I can understand how somethings can just make you wanna go off. I also know that in modern society, we have become a pussy whipped version of ourselves, and men aren't allowed to be men anymore. If Earl went off on me like he's appeared to do some other people, I'd knock his ass out. I am congenial person, so for someone to go off on me it would take a first class dick wad, that's one of the reasons that I say that. I have a really bad time with what I don't think is fair, so I can empathise with Earl on that front, but still, there are some lines you shouldn't cross I think.

Oh well that's enough rambling. For the bashers, as far as I'm concerned, bash away.

For the Earl worshipers, you can go ahead and worship away, but don't expect everyone else to overlook his short comings out of respect for someone who in many people's eyes doesn't deserve any.

I agree 100 % .I think he is an absolute idiot and needs professional help but I'm also sick and tired of hearing his name on here ,PERIOD.He doesnt deserve the attention we are giving him,whether it be good or bad.
The guy is an all time great pool player but has about as much class as K.T.,so lets just let this headcase figure out his life and leave it be.
It irratates the shit out of me when i see the class-less things he does,but what can you do!He will either turn it around(I doubt it)or snap one day(likely)that is for him to decide.
Earl, I wish you all the best,but get some help so we dont have to read this EVERY FARTIN DAY.

 

[Ktown D]

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Earl.

But I don't really think that this thread is meant to discredit Earl as much as it is meant to show Earl in a bad light because he has signed with Mike Gulyassy. Mike IS one of Richard's biggest competitors. And I think that Richard is trying to discredit Mike by showing Earl in a bad light. And Mike does have alot more experience than Richard when it comes to producing quality break/jump cues.

I think it is a marketing ploy by X-Breaker to try to keep Mike Gulyassy from selling more break/jump cues.

That was my first thought as well. I am glad I was not the only one.

 

[wayne]

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Earl.

But I don't really think that this thread is meant to discredit Earl as much as it is meant to show Earl in a bad light because he has signed with Mike Gulyassy. Mike IS one of Richard's biggest competitors. And I think that Richard is trying to discredit Mike by showing Earl in a bad light. And Mike does have alot more experience than Richard when it comes to producing quality break/jump cues.

I think it is a marketing ploy by X-Breaker to try to keep Mike Gulyassy from selling more break/jump cues.

WOW! That is an interesting point of view. If this is the case, then Richard should be forced to crawl in a hole and not be allowed out for a very long time. I would consider his post much worse than anything Earl has done if he did it for the commercial reasons you mention. Here is hoping that Mike Gulyassy and Earl have a very successful relationship.

 

[X Breaker]

WOW! That is an interesting point of view. If this is the case, then Richard should be forced to crawl in a hole and not be allowed out for a very long time.

LOL .

I appreciate the sense of humor.

Richard

 

[wayne]

This thread by Gerry sums up beautifully what so many of us feel. And just like JAM, I grow weary of Earl bashing threads. I don't even like reading them, but I feel complelled at times to just try to put the brakes on some of the haters. Mosty of my threads have a common theme, I enjoy learning as much as aI can about the great players. Their personalities are as varied as ours are. We all have hang ups, problems, fears and weaknesses. And this being America, we have the "right" (?) to say or write how we feel much of the time. But why? What good does another thread like this do? For pool, for Earl, for new fans, visitors to our forum, etc.?
Richard, I like you an aweful lot and I still do. You have answered so many posts in a dignified and informative manner. You love our great sport like we do. But I personally think that trying to gather up a group of rehashed clips and repeating old news is akin to kicking a guy who's already down and hurting. I am proud to always have been a strong Earl supporter as well as one of his most loyal fans. He is not perfect and doen't always act in the best interest of proper decorum. But like I said before, how soon we forget what he's done for our sport. 6 World Championships, 5 U.S. Open 9 Ball Championships and a host of other wins.
He brought so much excitement to his fans and we rooted for him like many root for their favorite sports teams. And after he's served his usefulness, some elect to just totally turn on him, besmirch him at every opportunity and ridicule him over and over. For what? What has he ever done PERSONALLY to any of the people who post negatively about him? He acts out towards a handful of instigating and agitating fans, who, if they did those things at a golf tournament, they would be escorted out. Very few sports outside of boxing & pro wrestling allow fans to get away with as much as so called "pool fans" can get away with.
I love Earl. He's always been wonderful and very gracious to me and I would venture to guess 95% of the fans.
Lastly, I've long suspected that many Earl bashers would want to shake his hand and talk to him if they ever came across him. Then they would all brag how they met him.

My personal experience with Earl Strickland was very good and I have never personally experienced anything negative from him. However, one thing to consider is the players back during the Camel Tour voted on a number of things and one of the them was "the player with the worst attitude?" The winner (or loser) was Earl Strickland.