Earl Strickland's antics at the Mosconi Cup...

[Newton]

I don't care whether Earl is a hall of famer or not what he done to Souqet last night inexcusable, I mean what gives him the right to act like an ass just because he got beat i'll tell you what NOTHING.

The americans deserve to lose this, why? because when you can't keep a lose cannon like earl under control then he shouldn't be in the team much less be in a pressure situation where it is more than likely he will lose when the chips are down.

Just my opinion.

Well said!!! I can't lay down on this thread. Earl is colorfull player but when he misbehave time and time again, I simply can't defend the behavior like many of us here try to do. Most miss understood player etc. I don't buy it. I have no doubts that Earl is a kind and well-meaning player, but as mentioned above, if he has problems during a tournament when the heat is turned on and simply can't accept a loss, then I think there must be something wrong.

We have a loose canon i snooker as well, but last time Rocket did have a reaction he was humble enough to apologize and was punished by the snooker comity. Some one remember the Moscony cup where Earl was going against the audience calling them things where Johnny A had to drag him with him to have him stopped with his little "speech" ? Any reactions on that ?

Any way, let's see how it goes today then and hopefully the best team would win.

N

 

[JAM]

...I can't lay down on this thread. Earl is colorfull player but when he misbehave time and time again, I simply can't defend the behavior like many of us here try to do. Most miss understood player etc. I don't buy it. I have no doubts that Earl is a kind and well-meaning player, but as mentioned above, if he has problems during a tournament when the heat is turned on and simply can't accept a loss, then I think there must be something wrong.

Let me do a little recap on what has happened at this year's Mosconi Cup, Newton, becuase I can't lay down on this thread either.

Before Earl's match with Souquet, he was approached by numerous fans requesting autographs and pictures, to which Earl complied with their wishes. Minutes later, when he is in the heat of the battle with Souquet, these same fans were SCREAMING obscenities at Earl, rooting for him to lose.

During the middle of the match between Souquet and Earl, there was a commercial break. The people in charge of putting video clips on every single TV surrounding the TV table put up some video clips of Earl misbehaving. Now Earl has to shoot against Souquet, watching these video clips that the media put up there during his match, in his peripheral vision.

When Earl was in the practice room, a media member approached him and tried to instigate an argument. Here Earl was minding his own business, practicing, and had to request this media person be removed from the practice room, so that he could concentrate and get ready for his match.

Then at the conclusion of Earl's match with Ralf Souquet, you have audience members throwing things at Earl at the TV table. One item that hit him was a baby pacifier. The referee and other staff turned a blind eye to this. It is one thing to root for your favorite team, but I don't think it is appropriate for audience members to throw things at the competitors of the Mosconi Cup.

Team USA this year does not seem to be united, but to say the antics are all Earl is wrong. In fact, the antics this year are ones that have been made towards Earl. What a shame.

JAM

Edited after reading Jerry Forsyth's post!

 

[Chesscat]

Concept rejection

How do you "playfully reject a handshake", much less just after you have forcefully insulted one of the greatest players in the sport? I remember when Soquet won the Camel Pro event in Charlotte, and he was so emotional it was unreal. He shed tears after losing to Alcano a year ago at the World Championship. He is a credit to the sport, one of the biggest credits. As far as the rest of the post, maybe the writer has a big inside scoop as to how to interpret things, but I reject, 100%, the proposition/concept of "playfully reject a handshake" after losing.

Chesscat

 

[Newton]

Jam

Adding all the "happenings" before the match would for sure made pretty much all of us in a bad mood. However, a simple handshake after a match is something I think pretty much all of us could have managed to put together, even if we was in sorry a*s angry state. I guess refusing this was like putting gasoline on the BBQ where both Drago and the audience reacted.

Anyway, I guess Earl get a fair bit of these types of bothering comments just because many know that he has a bad tamper, which I again think is a little unfair. It's a way of putting a player on the edge, which could be used as an advantage for a opponent. If this was valid for me personally, I would have worked with my self to overcome it by laughing it away and increase my psychic (or how it's spelled) strength. It's not sure that all of us would have solved a personal problem like this, but it just my humble solution. However having a bad tamper is not excusing you to miss behave !

Without having the privilege to follow the episodes on Video, I'm commenting on the news posted at www.mosconicup.com and for those posts done by those who have followed the matches online.

Let's hope that Earl is not bugged and put on the edge any more and that we all have some enjoyable matches to watch without any more episodes (or for me read the updates on the web)

N

 

[TheWizard]

No matter what the reason for Earl going off like that, it is yet another reason that puts sponsors off pool because it gives potential sponsors of a lack of professionalism in the competition arena, and when the media are constantly showing footage of a great player having a bad moment, only makes it even harder for top pool players and professional pool in general, to get the recognition that it deserves, and that is a sad thing indeed, not just for pool players, but for the sport as a whole.

I am disgusted at both Earl's behaviour and also the behaviour of the fans, if the fans and/or the players can't behave, then they shouldn't bother turning up because they're only ruining everyone else's enjoyment of the sport that we all know and love.

Willie

 

[JAM]

Jam

Adding all the "happenings" before the match would for sure made pretty much all of us in a bad mood. However, a simple handshake after a match is something I think pretty much all of us could have managed to put together, even if we was in sorry a*s angry state. I guess refusing this was like putting gasoline on the BBQ where both Drago and the audience reacted.

Anyway, I guess Earl get a fair bit of these types of bothering comments just because many know that he has a bad tamper, which I again think is a little unfair. It's a way of putting a player on the edge, which could be used as an advantage for a opponent. If this was valid for me personally, I would have worked with my self to overcome it by laughing it away and increase my physiology strength. It's not sure that all of us would have solved a personal problem like this, but it just my humble solution. However having a bad tamper is not excusing you to miss behave !

Without having the privilege to follow the episodes on Video, I'm commenting on the news posted at www.mosconicup.com and for those posts done by those who have followed the matches online.

Let's hope that Earl is not bugged and put on the edge any more and that we all have some enjoyable matches to watch without any more episodes (or for me read the updates on the web)

N

Very nicely said and well-thought-out words, Newton!

I hope that the staff at the Mosconi Cup institute some measures to allow each and every team player to give their best performance.

I truly believe that this year, Earl Strickland has not been afforded the same respect as the other competitors in the Mosconi Cup for the reasons I have stated previously in this thread.

Right when Earl may have wanted to shake Souquet's hand at the conclusion of the match, he could have been distracted when audience members were throwing things at him. Sadly, some of these audience members were the very ones who, before the match with Souquet, requested autographs and pictures taken with Earl, to which he complied as he does at every single tournament he attends.

From what I can ascertain, the spirit of Team USA at this year's Mosconi Cup is not as strong as other years. Maybe next year, they should do a Team Europe versus Team Asia. I am disappointed by the lack of American participation, fans and spectators alike, at this year's Mosconi Cup.

JAM

 

[sjm]

Every now and again, when Earl's top blows over, it reminds me of my minority view in this matter.

Though I'm as tough a critic of Earl as you'll find anywhere, I cannot help but assign some of the blame for his unacceptable behavior to his fellow professionals, who have, as a rule, tolerated his deviant conduct over the years, rather than taking united and decisive action against him.

For reasons I have never understood, Earl's fellow pros never really understood that he was, by dragging down the image of their sport, dragging them down with him. Now they all have to deal with his act, and, at least to a point, they have themselves to blame.

 

[BlackDragon]

thats earl, via 'viewabilty' he's the tops. Winnabilty, thats possible too, but he needs support cause he is a livewire imo you didn't really cover it in three options..

 

[corvette1340]

I love the USA more than anyone I know. I defend this country to the end of the Earth to all the liberals and idiots that live here and always complain about the government and what could be better, blah, blah, blah. The US is the greatest country in the world and we have as much or more liberties and freedoms as any country.
That being said, I have respect for other countries and their rights and beliefs as individual nations. In team sporting events such as the Mosconi Cup, sportsmanship is paramount. The fans and spectators have EVERY right to cheer and jeer whomever they want. The fact that the European team has a lot of fans speaks volumes to me. A lot of Europeans traveled to the Cup to support their team. If they want to boo Earl then that is their right. It is sportsmanship at its finest. Everyone should watch the Ryder Cup and see the way people heckle Colin Montgomerie or Tiger or Phil when it is across the pond. The difference is that the players in the Ryder Cup conduct themselves with class and dignity because they recognize it as a sporting event and value the fans and their rousing support for their country.
What Earl did yesterday was inexcusable and he should never be allowed to represent this country again. I don't give a damn if every person in the MGM GRAND was against Earl, he could have shown some class but he does this same sh*t every time. He has brought all of this on himself with his actions over the years. He allows himself to get taken mentally out of matches and then blames it on the fans instead of shrugging it off and bearing down. Earl was and is a great champion, but he is an as*hole when it comes to respecting his opponents, fans, and countrymen.

 

[Newton]

Well, I have to say that if I was a professional in any thing and had the following happening with me :

* I lost my sponsor (Cutec did stop their agreement did'nt they?)
* My own fans was going against me after I have performed in my "work"
* The focus was constantly on my bad act performed earlier in my "work"
* I knew I had a problem when people was cheering against me and I sometimes actually told the people cheering some uncontrolled words
*I knew that I could be on the edge and fire up for nothing making me look bad.

Then I would actually would start to think that there may be something I'm doing wrong in my "work".... Maybe I should look in to my self and consider a change and overcome some of this so that I had a good sponsor, the audience loved me and cheered for ME and maybe I could be humble and accept that I may have a bad day at "work", actually accepting that this is something I need to overcome in a humble way in the public atmosphere so no more TV recordings was done when I was having a bad act...

That is how I would have solved my "work". If I own a gas station where suddenly my customers stopped coming because the person in the desk was rude and miss behaved against my customers, I simply had to do something with it because this would ruin my "work" and make me a bad reputation....

I'm sure Earl have worked on these issues, but I think he should maybe try some more. Just another drop of thoughts from the high North

N

 

[chevybob20]

I'm no fan of Earls, but I can't believe that Sky Sports and that A** Bag comentator had the gaul to "Shark" a player during his match. I will not be purchasing the last day online. They (Sky Sports) were looking for some antics from Earl all weekend and when they didn't get it "they" pressed the issue. Imagine that, a "Canuck" knucklehead commentator routing against an American.

 

[JAM]

I'm no fan of Earls, but I can't believe that Sky Sports and that A** Bag comentator had the gaul to "Shark" a player during his match. I will not be purchasing the last day online. They (Sky Sports) were looking for some antics from Earl all weekend and when they didn't get it "they" pressed the issue. Imagine that, a "Canuck" knucklehead commentator routing against an American.

I am elated to see somebody else recognize what is actually happening to Earl Strickland at this year's Mosconi Cup. This thread should be renamed as:
ANTICS DIRECTED AT EARL STRICKLAND AT MOSCONI CUP.

JAM

 

[9 ball]

Earl Strickland can be summed up in two words

Earl Strickland = NO CLASS

 

[corvette1340]

I am elated to see somebody else recognize what is actually happening to Earl Strickland at this year's Mosconi Cup. This thread should be renamed as:
ANTICS DIRECTED AT EARL STRICKLAND AT MOSCONI CUP.

JAM

lol, even if this is the case, why not turn the other cheek and prove them wrong? Why not rise above the others' attempts to unravel him and just play? Instead, he gives them EXACTLY what they want and shows his classless side and embarrases the rest of the USA.

 

[ugotda8]

..........

Originally Posted by ugotda8
Earl Stickland is one of the greatest players to ever pick up a cue.
NO Doubt
. I think what we see from Earl today is exactly what we have built him up to be.
chicken or the egg.....We have built him b/c ofthe way he acts

I once watched Johnny Archer (Who is undeniably a great man) drop his cue into the floor with a groan over what was clearly a lucky shot against him. Everyone there, including his opponent, saw and heard it. And, we also knew he was right; it was a very lucky shot.

Had Earl done this same thing, the article would have read "Earl Strickland throws cue at opponent, nearly killing him".

The reason headlines werent wrriten to that effect is b/c Archer simply isnt that kind of guy....emotions force reactions out of folks ....normal stuff.. but when you cant control them .. then problems like Earl's arise.

Go easy on me though, okay?
that wasnt so bad ... was it ?



Agreed. Well put without killing me. Still breathing here!

 

[Timmey]

TODAY I WATCHED EARL BE TAUNTED BY THE INSECURE EUROPEANS WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE UNLESS THEY ARE ALONE WHEN THEY ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHEN IN A MOB; THIS COMING FROM A GUY WHO HAS LIVED IN ENGLAND AND HAS MANY GOOD FRIENDS FROM THERE BUT RECOGNIZE THEIR SOCIALISTIC TENDANCIES. BACK TO POOL, EARL WAS HASSLED BY THE MOB AS THEY KNEW IT WOULD PISS HIM OFF AND THE EURO CAPTAIN EITHER GOT LUCKY OR WAS SMART TO PUT RALF VS EARL AS YOU KNOW RALF WON'T LOSE IT. I SENT RALF A NOTE LAST NIGHT SAYING I FOUND IT WEIRD THAT I WAS PULLING FOR EARL AS I AM USA FIRST ALWAYS.

EARL PLAYFULLY REJECTED THE HANDSHAKE FROM RALF WHICH CAUSED THE "KAISER" TO LAUGH IT OFF AS IT WAS JUST EARL AND WAS TO THE MOB NOT HERR SOUQUET. HOWEVER, THE "MOB" GOT ON EARL AND DRAGO YELLED TO EARL, "WISH YOU WOULD TRY THAT TO ME" IN A THREATENING TONE. I LATER RODE THE ELEVATOR WITH EARL AS WE RETURNED TO OUR ROOMS AND I ASKED HIM IF HE HEARD DRAGO AND HE DIDN'T. I TOLD HIM WHAT HE SAID AND EARL RESPONDED THAT THE JELLY BELLY THREATENING ME? HE LAUGHED IT OFF. HELL THE GURU IS 62 YEARS OLD AND GUARANTEE I COULD WHIP DRAGO ALL THE WAY BACK TO MALTA. I AM NOT AVOCATING EARL RESPOND AND FIGHT ANYONE BUT IN THIS CASE, I FEEL FOR EARL AND A SMALL PART OF ME WISH EARL WOULD HAVE HEARD THE ROUND MOUND OF MALTA. LEFT EARL SUGGESTING HE LET IT GO AND USE HIS TALENT TO HELP THE USA CLOSE THIS THING OUT; WE AIN'T DEAD YET BUT CAN'T GIVE ANYMORE AWAY.


U S A!!!!!

Well, very interesting to read... So the Europeans don't know how to behave when they are in a group, or, as you call it, a mob.

I haven't heard from any european player behaving like a Strickland this year. In fact, I have never heard of a european player behaving like Strickland. This comes from a european player, who has the same nationality as Herr Souquet.
Darn right everybody should get on Stricklands behind, everybody knows he will snap sooner or later, and once it comes to that point, he is out. He is a psycho and does not set a good example, neither for the sport nor for the country he represents.

Btw, Souquet is the captain of the european team, and you can be sure that the move to set himself against Strickland was well planned. We all know what a classy guy Ralf is and it is just weak of Strickland to behave like that, but that's what he is; a bad sportsman.

Even though you are all right and violence should not be part of billiards, but I surely would have loved to see Drago kick Strickland's butt, maybe that would have shut him up for good.

 

[!Smorgass Bored]

Damn Those Foreigners All To Hell

After day one, Stan James (the bookmaker) made the U.S.A. Team a 20-1 favorite. When all other explanations fail, follow the money.... imo

Doug
( j/k )


.

 

[Johnnyt]

I am hard of hearing but I could have swore I heard Earl say when someone said Team America, that Earl said,"we ACT like a team". If I heard this correct I think it's great that he got it out in the open. To me they all looked like they are playing pretend. I believe our American team thinks "after me you come first. Johnnyt

 

[DawgAndy]

With out reading all the posts I'll say this, Earl is the reason I won't watch the Cup. Earl was great and could probably be again. For whatever reason he won't take responsibilty for his decline. He'd rather blame equipment, luck ,his oppents whatever instead of himself.
I think Matchroom brings rowdy Euros to the events soley for the booing and yelling, good TV I guess if you like Wrestling and shit.
Anyway, I'll watch the Cup when Earl is off the Team, why do his teammates put with him? They should boycott until he's replaced.

 

[vagabond]

I surely would have loved to see Drago kick Strickland's butt, maybe that would have shut him up for good.

Timmey,
Strickland was not alone.If push came to shove I had all my boys there to guard strickland.Glad that Jellybelly did not make a move.