IMO, even the best players think Earl is still the Champion that deserves respect and is still a contender.
Good comments only about the Pearl...
- Thread starter tigerseye
- Start date
Never been around Earl Strickland away from the table, but, I never got tired of his stories, or watching him hit balls. During the exibition/school we attended, everybody was packed up ready to go and he was at the table, talkin and still hittin balls, say what you want about the man, he seemed to be loaded with passion for the game.
Thanks Earl!
Earl Strickland has been my very favorite active pro since 1984. Him and Lassiter are my two all time favorites, and only a fraction of an atom seperates them in my all time favorite list.
Earl is the greatest tournament 9 baller ever. I remember the very first time I met him in person. I'm not the type to get star-struck over anyone. But I remember a sensation like "I can't believe he's right there!"
When I approached him, I simply asked him if we could pose for a picture together. (Most of you have heard this story before, but I can't help myself here, we're talking about Earl Strickland!) Anyway, he poses for two shots (he said in case the first one wasn't good) and then asked about ME! I don't want to talk about ME, I just couldn't process that this guy was so nice and genuine. I asked him lots of questions about his early years, starting out in pool. That's what I really wanted to learn about. After about 15 minutes of standing along a wall talking, I thanked him for his time. He said "No, thank you for being a fan."
Fast forward another year. I took 8x10's of those 2 photos with me to a tournament that I knew he would be playing in in Ohio. I could only drive over, spend about 3 hours there and then drive home. When I got there, I found Earl, who promptly stuck out his hand to shake and said "Hey man, how are you?" After some small talk, I asked him if he would sign the photos. He signed them both "To Terry, your friend, Earl Strickland. Under one of his signatures, he signed "5 time U.S. Open 9 Ball Champion" Under the other, "6 time World 9 Ball Champion". Then he asked if I wanted a couple more shots together, we got someone to snap a couple and then, when I saw him again, he signed them the same way.."To Terry...your friend, Earl Strickland"
Those pictures are hanging on my wall in my poolroom, along with autographed photos of my other favorite players like Shannon, Varner, Grady, Billy, Freddy, Chao, Ortman, Hopkins, Souquet, Stalev, Vickery, Fusco, Sigel, Kennedy, McCready, Lisciotti, Parica, Ervolino, Staton, Laut, Andam, etc. I got two walls filled. It's like the Pro pool H.O.F.!
To this day, I consider myself very fortunate to have such a nice collection. And Earl started it, as his were the first that were nailed to the wall.
There is almost NO CHANCE that anyone else in pool will EVER win 6 World 9 Ball Championships and 5 U.S. Open 9 Ball Championships. We were lucky enough to have witnessed a player who can really be called a "once in a life-time talent."
I have great respect for the pro players and champions and I greatly appreciate that they've taken the time to chat, autograph photos, etc. And I have the utmost respect for Earl. May God bless him!
Earl Strickland has been my very favorite active pro since 1984. Him and Lassiter are my two all time favorites, and only a fraction of an atom seperates them in my all time favorite list.
Earl is the greatest tournament 9 baller ever. I remember the very first time I met him in person. I'm not the type to get star-struck over anyone. But I remember a sensation like "I can't believe he's right there!"
When I approached him, I simply asked him if we could pose for a picture together. (Most of you have heard this story before, but I can't help myself here, we're talking about Earl Strickland!) Anyway, he poses for two shots (he said in case the first one wasn't good) and then asked about ME! I don't want to talk about ME, I just couldn't process that this guy was so nice and genuine. I asked him lots of questions about his early years, starting out in pool. That's what I really wanted to learn about. After about 15 minutes of standing along a wall talking, I thanked him for his time. He said "No, thank you for being a fan."
Fast forward another year. I took 8x10's of those 2 photos with me to a tournament that I knew he would be playing in in Ohio. I could only drive over, spend about 3 hours there and then drive home. When I got there, I found Earl, who promptly stuck out his hand to shake and said "Hey man, how are you?" After some small talk, I asked him if he would sign the photos. He signed them both "To Terry, your friend, Earl Strickland. Under one of his signatures, he signed "5 time U.S. Open 9 Ball Champion" Under the other, "6 time World 9 Ball Champion". Then he asked if I wanted a couple more shots together, we got someone to snap a couple and then, when I saw him again, he signed them the same way.."To Terry...your friend, Earl Strickland"
Those pictures are hanging on my wall in my poolroom, along with autographed photos of my other favorite players like Shannon, Varner, Grady, Billy, Freddy, Chao, Ortman, Hopkins, Souquet, Stalev, Vickery, Fusco, Sigel, Kennedy, McCready, Lisciotti, Parica, Ervolino, Staton, Laut, Andam, etc. I got two walls filled. It's like the Pro pool H.O.F.!
To this day, I consider myself very fortunate to have such a nice collection. And Earl started it, as his were the first that were nailed to the wall.
There is almost NO CHANCE that anyone else in pool will EVER win 6 World 9 Ball Championships and 5 U.S. Open 9 Ball Championships. We were lucky enough to have witnessed a player who can really be called a "once in a life-time talent."
I have great respect for the pro players and champions and I greatly appreciate that they've taken the time to chat, autograph photos, etc. And I have the utmost respect for Earl. May God bless him!
no one can deny...
that earl had a million dollar stroke. I know I sound like one of those guys whose all about the players of yersteryear when I say this, but I honestly don't think that there is/has been a player as genuinely talented as earl - even shane. the way he put on packs was unbelievable - even by todays standards. I don't want to sound like I'm knocking shane when I say this, but when you look at the way a current champion like shane played when he beat cliff and dennis to win the world 10 ball, and look at the way earl played when he played the HK Challenge when he had his head on right the first couple days, you can see the difference. when he was in pure stroke and had his head on right, I don't think there is/was a man alive that could bring him down. bar none.
that earl had a million dollar stroke. I know I sound like one of those guys whose all about the players of yersteryear when I say this, but I honestly don't think that there is/has been a player as genuinely talented as earl - even shane. the way he put on packs was unbelievable - even by todays standards. I don't want to sound like I'm knocking shane when I say this, but when you look at the way a current champion like shane played when he beat cliff and dennis to win the world 10 ball, and look at the way earl played when he played the HK Challenge when he had his head on right the first couple days, you can see the difference. when he was in pure stroke and had his head on right, I don't think there is/was a man alive that could bring him down. bar none.