Enemies- Strickland and Soquet

[JAM]

Oh it's nothing personal. i say that about 60% of the people i run into. hell some times i guess i fall into that category myself. just that BS handshake he threw at Ralf should have gotten his chin tapped at least.

people keep acting crazier and crazier until one day someone puts them in their place.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that's for sure. I believe that some members of this forum do not understand some subject matters fully; thus, resulting in untoward statements from time to time. It is a shame that the American pool culture is cruel to its own. It is also the reason why pool sucks in the United States. It ain't the pro players. It's the American pool culture that is bringing it down. If those within the American pool culture cannot embrace its own, then why should mainstream America do so?

Professional pool is exactly where it is in these United States because it has no respect. After all, when you read over and over again, ad nauseum, especially on this "pool forum," that pro players are the scum of the earth, bums with no jobs, it is quite revealing what the American pool culture thinks of American pro players. Some of these same people who condemn the pro players, however, by their own admission, can't run three balls in a row.

These are the people who claim to make a lot of money at their traditional non-pool-related jobs, stating how rich and successful they are. Yet none of them can play pool well enough to compete in tournaments. They just like to sit back on the sidelines or on this forum and condemn those who do run three balls in a row. Somehow it makes them feel better, I guess. Inferiority at its finest.

Recreational pool, i.e., leagues, social shooters, bar bangers, and weekend warriors, that's where it's at today. It's financially more desirable, and it's a hell of a lot more fun. :smile:

 

[Rubyron]

just that BS handshake he threw at Ralf should have gotten his chin tapped at least.

Lol! I have a feeling Ralf in NOT going to be tapping anybody's chin anytime soon. I would be impressed if he mustered up a slap. He sure can play pool though.

 

[gunzby]

I would really love to see Earl flip the switch and just run through the field again. I think the best way he could slap unruly fans is by playing lights out pool.....particularly during the Mosconi Cup.

 

[poolplayer2093]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that's for sure. I believe that some members of this forum do not understand some subject matters fully; thus, resulting in untoward statements from time to time. It is a shame that the American pool culture is cruel to its own. It is also the reason why pool sucks in the United States. It ain't the pro players. It's the American pool culture that is bringing it down. If those within the American pool culture cannot embrace its own, then why should mainstream America do so?

Professional pool is exactly where it is in these United States because it has no respect. After all, when you read over and over again, ad nauseum, especially on this "pool forum," that pro players are the scum of the earth, bums with no jobs, it is quite revealing what the American pool culture thinks of American pro players. Some of these same people who condemn the pro players, however, by their own admission, can't run three balls in a row. These are the people who claim to make a lot of money at their jobs, stating how rich they are, but yet none of them can play pool well enough to compete in tournaments. They just like to sit back on the sidelines or on this forum and condemn those who do run three balls in a row.

Recreational pool, i.e., leagues, social shooters, bar bangers, and weekend warriors, that's where it's at today. It's financially more desirable, and it's a hell of a lot more fun. :smile:

what i was saying wasn't just about pool. people in all walks of life seem to have forgotten how to act when they go out in public.

pool isn't doing well in this country because there's little to no reward for it. if you add up all the table time, tournament and gambling losses and it's just really hard to find a reason to play.

 

[gunzby]

Lol! I have a feeling Ralf in NOT going to be tapping anybody's chin anytime soon. I would be impressed if he mustered up a slap. He sure can play pool though.

I instantly thought of this.

 

[gunzby]

what i was saying wasn't just about pool. people in all walks of life seem to have forgotten how to act when they go out in public.

pool isn't doing well in this country because there's little to no reward for it. if you add up all the table time, tournament and gambling losses and it's just really hard to find a reason to play.

They could easily make a For the Love of the Game 2 about playing professional pool

 

[JAM]

what i was saying wasn't just about pool. people in all walks of life seem to have forgotten how to act when they go out in public.

pool isn't doing well in this country because there's little to no reward for it. if you add up all the table time, tournament and gambling losses and it's just really hard to find a reason to play.

Now you're talking! :smile:

Look, the ongoing Earl saga will continue forever more. Earl is America's Higgins. He's a complicated animal, but no one can deny that he may hold more championship titles than quite a few other American champions in times gone by.

I can't muster up enough enthusiasm to complete pool-related projects anymore, some of which I have invested and devoted thousands of hours of my time. I take breaks from this forum from time to time in an effort to regain my enthusiasm.

This year, I intend to get back on that tournament trail. I hope I can enjoy it, the way I used to. I'm a little more knowledgeable about some aspects now, than I was previously. I won't make the same mistakes again.

 

[JimS]

A detriment to the game? Please! Earl will fill more seats than anyone out there. Whether you like him or not doesn't matter, he's like a car wreck, you can't help but stop and watch.
MULLY

I took my grandsons, then about 10 and 7 years old, and their dad to watch a tournament up by Chicago a few years back and I was telling them about Earl and his great play.

We sat in a raised area directly above the pro tables and as luck would have it Earl was to play John Pinegar directly in front of us. I was excited to be able to be just a few feet away from Earl for my first time seeing him in person and for the boys to see one of pool's all time great players. I told them all about his accomplilshments and skill and they were ready to see some incredible pool. What they saw was a horrible person verbally attacking his young opponent for no reason other than to try to shark him.

The match was barely started when Earl started in on the young John. He berated him, constantly telling him what an amatuer he was and how he couldh't play a lick, etc. The crowd then went against Earl so he complained to us that it was so unfair of us to try to damage his chances of playing well by giving him dirty looks and clapping for John when he won a game or made a good shot. He said he just couldn't understand why nobody loved him.

It was awful. I was embarrased to have my young grandsons see this. Afterwards they bombarded me with questions about why Earl had been so mean to the very young Hennesse. It was that episode that those young boys remember several years later and which will be their lasting memory of professional pool. It was Earl's unbelieveablly rude behavior that completely over-rides everything else they witnissed that night.

Earl acted like an immature punk and I'll never again attend a match where he's playing. I think he should be quietly boy-cotted and totally ignored. His behavior is a total embarassment to United States professional pool. He should be barred from participation.

 

[havoc]

tsk,tsk,tsk

I took my grandsons, then about 10 and 7 years old, and their dad to watch a tournament up by Chicago a few years back and I was telling them about Earl and his great play.

We sat in a raised area directly above the pro tables and as luck would have it Earl was to play John Pinegar directly in front of us. I was excited to be able to be just a few feet away from Earl for my first time seeing him in person and for the boys to see one of pool's all time great players. I told them all about his accomplilshments and skill and they were ready to see some incredible pool. What they saw was a horrible person verbally attacking his young opponent for no reason other than to try to shark him.

The match was barely started when Earl started in on the young John. He berated him, constantly telling him what an amatuer he was and how he couldh't play a lick, etc. The crowd then went against Earl so he complained to us that it was so unfair of us to try to damage his chances of playing well by giving him dirty looks and clapping for John when he won a game or made a good shot. He said he just couldn't understand why nobody loved him.

It was awful. I was embarrased to have my young grandsons see this. Afterwards they bombarded me with questions about why Earl had been so mean to the very young Hennesse. It was that episode that those young boys remember several years later and which will be their lasting memory of professional pool. It was Earl's unbelieveablly rude behavior that completely over-rides everything else they witnissed that night.

Earl acted like an immature punk and I'll never again attend a match where he's playing. I think he should be quietly boy-cotted and totally ignored. His behavior is a total embarassment to United States professional pool. He should be barred from participation.

jim how could you turn on your own?

i hope you know that was dripping with sarcasm.

 

[Craig Fales]

Oh it's nothing personal. i say that about 60% of the people i run into. hell some times i guess i fall into that category myself. just that BS handshake he threw at Ralf should have gotten his chin tapped at least.

people keep acting crazier and crazier until one day someone puts them in their place.

Not to mention Earl called him an F&*$ker then.

 

[mudball]

Ralf has slowed his game way down at the US Open a few times while playing Earl on the tv table on purpose to get in Earl's head, and I'm sure he has told all of the Euro Mosconi team the same thing except Drago. In my mind it is still sharking, but then they really do need some advantage to beat The Mighty Earl.. --NC boy--Leonard

Get real. Earl does plenty fine beating himself. Trust me, I don't want to see him continue on the path that he is. He is an AMAZING talent and its a shame how his attitude (competitively) has been on a downward spiral =/

 

[TheBook]

One thing for sure, if you were to have two rooms, side by side, with Germany Champion Ralf Souquet in one room giving an exhibition and American Champion Earl Strickland in another room giving an exhibition, there would be a marked difference in railbird audience.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I have a feeling that Earl's room would fill up quicker than Ralf's! :thumbup:

For the record, I don't believe anybody deserves to have their teeth kicked in. What an assine thing to say.

Guys like Earl and Keith are what makes the game. A few years back at the Glass City it couldn't have been any better then when they played eachother in the last game of the night. What a crowd pleaser.

Either one will always draw a crowd because of their flair.

 

[TheBook]

I think Earl also made a reference to what he thought was Ralf's sexual preference.

Since Earl don't like slow play what does he think about speed pool?

 

[mullyman]

Earl's skill level and speed of play was (is) such that he would draw a crowd even if he wasn't a brat. The Jerry Springer show draws a crowd too but that type of behavior is not the reason we want people to watch pro pool. We can agree to disagee but I think his supreme talent was enough to fill seats without the nastiness and poor sportsmanship. You can be a fiery competitor without being a jerk.

Earl is like Pete Weber (bowling) people sit on the edge of their seats just waiting, and possibly even hoping, that he's going to explode and give it to someone. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but it does draw people. Personally, I think he could be fired up without being so rude but that's just me. I still like him though. When my wife and I met him a few years back he went out of his way to make us comfortable. I'll forgive him for his nastiness at the table.
MULLY