Earl Vs. Shane Action Challenge Poll
- Thread starter Fast Lenny
- Start date
corvette1340 said:
Your cartoons rock!
JAM said:Earl: "There's one thing about having a chance and no chance. I'm the one who's got a chance to win 20 large, and the eggs on the Internet that talk all that BS about me got a chance to win zero. Now that's funny! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
JAM
what is even funnier is that I have almost as much of a chance to win the Action Challenge 2 as Earl does.
JCIN said:LOL...I see where you are coming from but I think people are forgetting sometimes that this whole thing started about 90 DAYS ago because two guys from this forum started BS'ing and said "Why not?" It is not like we have the pool world on speed dial and can call up Busty and Dennis and be like " We need you in Louisville to play 10 ball.....oh yeah and bring $10K apiece to bet.....uhhhh huh...screw the visa, just get here."
It would be really cool if it worked like that but it doesn't.
To me it is funny because 10 months ago everyone would of said Shane is nuts for playing Earl even. If it is something no one wants to see I guess we will just eat it on this one. Personally, I can't wait to watch it.
Is this match between Earl and Shane guaranteed, money posted and all that?
Chris
JAM said:
And in other sports the has-beens are has-beens and either play a senior tour, retire, or become a commentator (not for Earl) or businessman.
Look at boxing, one out of a hundred ex-champs can come back and still compete once or twice. I am not saying age is even a great factor in pool (Efren, Parica, even some older road warriors still match up great), but when it's over its older.
To quote Wilt Chamberlain, " If I'd have known someone [Kareem] was going to play for 40 years, I'd have went ahead and put [the career scoring record out of reach]."
JAM said:
Nobody is using him as a punching bag and EVERYBODY is giving him his due reverence. Everyone on here acknowledges Earl as probably the greatest US Champion ever, but at the same time are realists. Do you honestly think that Earl has a chance at beating Shane in a race to 100 ten ball? Not the Earl of '87 but the Earl of '07.
iba7467 said:
I understand your opinion and appreciate your view. Boxing and basketball, though, is a more physical sport than pocket billiards.
It was only a few short years ago that Earl made it to the semi-finals of the U.S. Open. It's ridiculous to think that he can't play anymore. He won the one-pocket event at the Carolinas Open last month in a tough field of players, and one-hole ain't even his game.
Earl may not be able to win back-to-back tournaments like he did for 10 solid years of his life, but make no mistake about it, he just might wake up and bite somebody in the butt on a field of green when you least expect it. He's still got a ton of heart and drive to want to win. As long as he still has that, I'm sure he can be a formidable opponent in any venue he steps foot in, to include this challenge match.
JAM
ETA: I would hardly label Earl Strickland as a "has-been."
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JAM said:
Any player can win any match at any given time at a certain level, but to consider that player a serious threat is just not the case. Even Earl not '07 as everyone likes to point out would likely have crumbled before 100 games.
I understand he has been a great asset to the game, and take nothing away from his achievements. However, it is his head not his heart that has caused him the most problems and as far as anyone can tell will continue to do so.
BTW, the has-been reference was not actually meant towards Earl.
iba7467 said:
I respectfully disagree, but that is what these forums are all about, to express opinions.
ANY player cannot win any match at any given time at a certain level.
Earl Strickland, in my most humble opinion, is not "any player," and I think his track record speaks for itself.
To rule him out of any competition because he is in his forties or think of him as a "has been" -- yes, I know you weren't referring to Earl, though you mentioned "has been" in a post about Earl -- is poor judgment.
When you reach the heights of excellence that Earl Strickland has, the wisdom is still there, and he's got a ton of game.
Again, he is a formidable opponent in any venue he steps foot in, bar none.
Twenty years ago, Earl would have been a lock in this challenge match to win. Today, he may not be a lock, but he's still got a chance to win.
JAM
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I supported the TAR guys from the very beginning and they both know this. I think these challenge matches on the "net" are a great thing for pool. I advised them against making this particular match for various reasons I won't go into here, but they booked it anyway. More power to them if they can make this one work. I see little interest in this match up, other than to see what Earl might do. Will he blow up is the biggest question.
I had recommended other players (like Dennis Hatch) as good opponents for Shane. That would be an exciting match!
I for one, question whether this match will even come off. I sense some apprehension in the other camp and that may include lack of funds. Earl may not want to play and come up "sick" after his return from the Philipines. Nothing would surprise me at this point. I'd say it's 50-50 that this match will go. Good luck on this one TAR!
I had recommended other players (like Dennis Hatch) as good opponents for Shane. That would be an exciting match!
I for one, question whether this match will even come off. I sense some apprehension in the other camp and that may include lack of funds. Earl may not want to play and come up "sick" after his return from the Philipines. Nothing would surprise me at this point. I'd say it's 50-50 that this match will go. Good luck on this one TAR!
Money is posted. If either party doesn't show the posted money is forfeit.TATE said:
All of our matches require up money. Keeps everyone on the same page.
I would just like to say that Mike Gulassey deserves a lot of respect for putting Earl in the box. As far as I know he is not a rich man and $10K means as much to him as to most of us. He should be comended for putting his money where his mouth is. It is a not as common a trait as many would hope for in the pool world. He has his reasons for looking for partners and he along with Earl have given their word the match will go off.
I believe them and think that it takes guts and heart to take a tough game when everyone says you are the dog. We all talk about respecting people who have heart, yet when someone shows a ton of it they get little respect.
JAM said:
Jam,
I don't think anyone is trying to downplay Earl's ability or his past accomplishments. I know that Earl still has a lot of game and is always a threat to compete in any tournament he enters. But, tournaments are short races where any champion can catch a gear and string some racks together and win. I think what everyone is trying to emphasize is that this is a race to 100 and he is playing against arguably the best player in the world right now and someone that is possibly getting ready to dominate the pool world for the next 10 or 15 years. Throw in the fact that ten ball is his best game and he is the world champion and I think it is a very big mismatch. Again, not trying to take anything away from Earl, but I think it would be a mismatch against almost everyone perhaps excluding Orcullo, Yang, and Alcano.
JAM said:
I also applaud Earl and especially Mike for going ahead with this. I can honestly say that if I were in Mike's shoes I might have doubts about putting up $10,000 on the match. I have seen stranger things happen in the sports world, but it would definitely be the upset of the early century if Earl could pull it off.
JCIN said:
I have a lot of respect for Mike Gulyassy. Always have and always will! I know that a portion of the 10K has been posted, a small portion. I wish Mike well and I hope that he finds the support he is looking for to raise the rest of the money.
Maybe Earl has been hustling all of us for the past 10 years to make one big $10k score! I can only dream..
I can only dream..