I Am in Shock Right Now...

[Fast Lenny]

and in total disbelief that people always post about Earl and his antics like its something new, you all seem surprised. Earl is a great player, he is who he is and I am sure Shane knew from past experiences he would have to deal with some stuff. I am not saying it makes it right at all but you guys whine about his whining, it wont change a thing.

Tell the man to his face next time you see him at an event that you admire his play but do not respect this or that, maybe if enough people tell him he will change, my money is he will not, he is who he is.

People want to see Earl because he plays great and is a character too. Shane is a professional and has nerves of steel, I doubt that he is bothered as much as people think by it. I am not saying it right but its funny every time Earl plays people post a zillion threads like its something they have never seen before.

 

[mosconiac]

I suppose people are posting their displeasure (which I have done in the past), which does have an effect...people stop paying to watch him play (which I did with this stream).

 

[NineBallNut]

Lol True that. It's obvious that more and more people grow tired of his antics every day. I just think it's funny that he rants about people not wanting him in there tournaments anymore yet he never stops to observe himself doing the very antics that are keeping him from them. Makes me wonder if he's ever watched a replay of himself acting a fool. He is still at the very top of the game and it is a shame he can't wake up get his mind right whille he still has the game to win titles. My only beef with him is that he pisses and moans about the talking, people moving, making noises, yet he is the worst violater of such things everytime I see him play. people don't like hypocracy, and that's just what he is giving us. But as long as the players allow it, and don't turn around like he would and tell him to sit down and stfu, then it will continue to happen.... just my 2 cents

 

[ykndoit]

and in total disbelief that people always post about Earl and his antics like its something new, you all seem surprised. Earl is a great player, he is who he is and I am sure Shane knew from past experiences he would have to deal with some stuff. I am not saying it makes it right at all but you guys whine about his whining, it wont change a thing.

Tell the man to his face next time you see him at an event that you admire his play but do not respect this or that, maybe if enough people tell him he will change, my money is he will not, he is who he is.

People want to see Earl because he plays great and is a character too. Shane is a professional and has nerves of steel, I doubt that he is bothered as much as people think by it. I am not saying it right but its funny every time Earl plays people post a zillion threads like its something they have never seen before.

I agree with ya. If it really, really bothered SVB, I'm sure he would say something. I'm the last person to blame outside distractions for my lack of concentration, but if I feel its blatent enough DURING my actual stroke, I'd confront the person. Otherwise, I just step away from the table and watch the circus. Everyone loves a good circus don't they?????.....:shrug:

 

["CaliRed".]

Yeah, it is funny Lenny that so many people get wound up about Earl like it's new behavior. Everyone knows how he acts. It's not new.

Sometimes he's a little better then his normal, sometimes he's a little or a lot worse then his usual.

In this matchup, he's banging his cue on the table and floor, he's clapping all the time when he sells out, he's rambling on and on and talking while Shane's shooting or getting in his line of sight and doing things.

I believe he's pretty much wore his welcome out and he's shooting himself in the foot.. pretty soon no one is going to want to deal with him, it's not worth the aggravation.

I happen to notice though.. maybe we will see Earl geared up with his lineback pads, because this playa appears to have a football getup at his feet.

 

[The Saw]

I suppose people are posting their displeasure (which I have done in the past), which does have an effect...people stop paying to watch him play (which I did with this stream).

Thats why I didn't buy/watch this stream. I was done with any Earl related streams after the 10' table match....

 

[JAM]

I've seen Earl shoot at various events. The first time I ever saw him was at the Capital City Classic in Lanham, MD. He did nothing but practice he break over and over and over again, wiping the balls each time between breaks. He was fanatical about clean balls. I thought to myself, man, this guy is sure is a perfectionist.

I mentioned this quirk to Larry Lisciotti about this guy Earl wiping the balls, worried about a spec of dirt, laughing at such a thought. Larry actually replied to me very seriously, stating that he can understand why Earl would want to have the clean balls, so he could control his break. Larry saw nothing wrong with it. :embarrassed2:

Years later, my BF ended up in the finals against Earl in Rochester, NY at a Joss tournament. I was prepared for there to be pressure and tension in the air. Much to my surprise -- and delight -- it was the exact opposite. Earl was having fun, laughing, smiling between shots, and looked like he was having a good time.

I understand Earl and recognize that he has an extremely high intelligence, which means his mind is always running in turbocharge. I have somebody in my family with the same problem. Earl is a nice person, but he has to live with this high intelligence which can sometimes make him interpret situations differently than other folks might. This holds true ESPECIALLY when it comes to affairs of the heart, and Lord knows Earl hasn't been lucky in love. Earl isn't a bad guy. He is, after all, a world-class champion.

Sadly, in the pool world, being a champion won't buy you cup of coffee. I hope Earl can find something else in life to latch onto for happiness *and* security in life. Pool is cruel to its own. Pool pros can only look forward to growing old and becoming mere dancing monkeys for the entertainment and profit of others. I feel sorry for Earl, a five-time world champion, to tell you the truth. :sorry:

 

[Neil]

...............

 

[JAM]

Seriously, there is only ONE person that has a right to say anything about his antics, and that is his opponent. (or those playing near him, if in that situation) And, he doesn't appear to be bothered by it. So, all we have here is a bunch of complainers complaining about their favorite topic to complain about. It gets really old.

And, yes, I am complaining about the complainers. It needed to be said. People on here don't like Ralph Soguet (sp?) because he has no emotion. Then you complain about someone that does show emotion. Even to the point of saying you can't watch it??? That just seems like taking your prejudices a little too far. But, your loss.

Tap, tap, tap.

 

[K.Mcphee]

Earl's entertainment value should off-set his abnormal behavior.....the "normal" people are tools.

 

[vagabond]

Seriously, there is only ONE person that has a right to say anything about his antics, and that is his opponent. (or those playing near him, if in that situation) And, he doesn't appear to be bothered by it. So, all we have here is a bunch of complainers complaining about their favorite topic to complain about. It gets really old.

And, yes, I am complaining about the complainers. It needed to be said. People on here don't like Ralph Soguet (sp?) because he has no emotion. Then you complain about someone that does show emotion. Even to the point of saying you can't watch it??? That just seems like taking your prejudices a little too far. But, your loss.

:rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:

 

[mosconiac]

How ever you slice it Neil, Earl is selling a product & hoping to make a few bucks at it. So yeah, I CAN have an opinion that I will not spend a dime on his product. I might even express it in a public forum (shock).

BTW, you are correct that his opponents also have the right to an opinion, but that plays no part in my decision. You forgot that tournament & stream organizers also have rights to opinions. They've started expressing theirs too by the way.

 

[Zbotiman]

The older players usually "get him!"

I've seen Earl shoot at various events. The first time I ever saw him was at the Capital City Classic in Lanham, MD. He did nothing but practice he break over and over and over again, wiping the balls each time between breaks. He was fanatical about clean balls. I thought to myself, man, this guy is sure is a perfectionist.

I mentioned this quirk to Larry Lisciotti about this guy Earl wiping the balls, worried about a spec of dirt, laughing at such a thought. Larry actually replied to me very seriously, stating that he can understand why Earl would want to have the clean balls, so he could control his break. Larry saw nothing wrong with it. :embarrassed2:

Years later, my BF ended up in the finals against Earl in Rochester, NY at a Joss tournament. I was prepared for there to be pressure and tension in the air. Much to my surprise -- and delight -- it was the exact opposite. Earl was having fun, laughing, smiling between shots, and looked like he was having a good time.

I understand Earl and recognize that he has an extremely high intelligence, which means his mind is always running in turbocharge. I have somebody in my family with the same problem. Earl is a nice person, but he has to live with this high intelligence which can sometimes make him interpret situations differently than other folks might. This holds true ESPECIALLY when it comes to affairs of the heart, and Lord knows Earl hasn't been lucky in love. Earl isn't a bad guy. He is, after all, a world-class champion.

Sadly, in the pool world, being a champion won't buy you cup of coffee. I hope Earl can find something else in life to latch onto for happiness *and* security in life. Pool is cruel to its own. Pool pros can only look forward to growing old and becoming mere dancing monkeys for the entertainment and profit of others. I feel sorry for Earl, a five-time world champion, to tell you the truth. :sorry:

You always seem to get it, JAM.

Here's something you might consider: "This guy is Ty Cobb!"
I see the similarities all over the place. What each one of them did for their respective sports and the personal behavior that haunted them all their careers.

Your insight is always fun!

 

[King T]

Getting to old to win?

Its not Earl's age that keeps him out of the winners bracket, he gives up when things arent going his way and then starts the side-show..., he wont compete anymore for some reason, naybe he just cant admitt to himself that to win again he is going to have to work like hell, there ae to many players that can get out, just like he can and the old days of people not wanting to play him are way in the past...,

as far as not having the right to complain about him.., its sports and thats what fans do in basketball, football, baseball or pool.

 

[PoolSharkAllen]

Earl is selling a product & hoping to make a few bucks at it.

The way it's currently set up, it's a zero-sum game. One player will go home 10K richer and the other will go home 10K poorer. For most people, this is hardly the path to riches.

 

[conetip]

I don't care how good Earl can play, his bad sportmanship is why I did not pay for nor watch any game he is playing.
If his antics were done by any one else they would be out.

 

[Bank2Win]

Earl in the Flesh

I think what some people don't realize is how different Earl antics are when you are actually there in the same room as he is. What the viewers see and hear on the stream and on TV is just a very small portion of what goes on. I know for me I was really looking forward to seeing Earl play, (I've seen him play many times before but never in such a closed tight environment as the TAR Studio), so i knew what to expect. But even knowing what to expect you still are shocked when you actually see it. One thing that Earl does that the viewers might not catch or are really able to pick up on is Earl will miss a ball, or something will happen and Earl will look you right in the eye and ask you a question, usually something stupid like "How lucky is that guy", "How bad am i playing", etc, etc...which i'm sure everyone has done, but Earl actually pauses like he expects you to answer him, which nobody does for the most part. After two days of this though you can only take so much of a guy looking you right in the eye asking you question and not responding, so I started answering back a few times. He didn't know how to react to that...he just shook his head and sat down.

After two days of it now, I for one am sick of it. I know Shane is too, as well as most of everybody in the room.

Just know that witnessing Earl live and in the flesh is alot different than watching a stream or TV.

I have to agree with what Earl says and i Quote "I am the greatest player ever to walk this earth".

The man can play!!!!

 

["CaliRed".]

I certainly am one that believers that some of these people that are gifted, and that have a full overdrive of passion and excellence, probably go thru some stuff that most people don't understand. They don't have to be famous, but you can only imagine what kind of added pressure you get when you are in the limelight have thousands or millions of people watching and dissecting your every move.

That said, I believe that Earl has some medical issues that could be diagnosed and treated with medication. He may already know what that is and continues to try and find the right meditcation, or maybe he found that they all interfered with his ability to play and he threw them in the toliet and remains untreated. If so, that is his own choice to make.. he needs to decide which is more important to him, his image he's created and now lives up to, or respect from his fellow players and his fans

I admire and respect what he has accomplished and his ability to play this game, but I also judge people on their character. As far as playing with someone like Earl, I would pass. He's doing a lot of things that are disrespectful and blantant. He knows their wrong. I'm all for recognizing good sharks and people that can pull them off and still keep you playing But his stuff is blantant. I think some of it is him knowing that he has a bad boy image and people are waiting for something wild and crazy to come from him. I also believe some of it, is that he is trying to live up to his past play. He's a major champion and it's not like he's lost 3 balls or so. He's still playing championship pool, while a lot of the players he grew up with are out of the game or not able to make the kind of living he can.

Some of it though, he can control. He can milk his image and he can be a little out there, but around the pool table he needs stay within the vast boundry of of what can fly in pool. He can learn how to not bang his cue on the table all the time, and there's no need to do the sarcastic clapping when Shane makes a easy shot that he sold out on.

You got to live with what you do. I take into account everything and my personal feelings about Earl is this. I admire and respect everything he has done and accomplished in the game of pool. I recognize that he may be strugglign with medical issues and that if he got correctly diagnosed and took his prescriptions that would help a lot. I also think he acts like a ass sometimes and does it knowing he is doing it. I also think he plays his image that he and the pool world have created for him. As a player I wouldn't gamble with him, ever. In a tournament, I wouldn't put up with the crap. I would lay down the law right away and say "look, we're two grown men here, lets play this match gentleman's rules".

I get angry at myself when I play, I get upset when I get all bad rolls and they get the good ones, I might whine a bit, but I sit down, I don't talk when they shoot and I keep myself in check. The worst part is after I miss or they get a roll, I'll ***** and moan on the way back to the chair

So I haven't lost my respect for his accomplishments and his passion for the game. Or that he's shooting a great stick for his age and could even raise his game a little this late in life. On the other hand, I'm embarrassed for him and the crowd when he acts like a ass. I would like to be close enough to him in his life, that I could try and get thru to him what's going on. That's my only wish, that I could keep him from self-destructing.

 

[SpiderWebComm]

I hope Earl walks into the TAR pit wearing Depends on the outside of his pants, rubber ducky shoes, a halter top and a beer hat (the one that holds two cans of beer and a split straw).

.... and I also hope he brings a quiver full of shafts.

 

[jalapus logan]

In the end, all we are talking about is just a game. There can be poor sports, class acts, and everything in between. But pool was then, is now, and shall remain only a game. This is even true when $ is on the line. Money does not change the fact that cue sports are just games whose outcomes do not start world wars, change global weather patterns, or any other damn thing. It's just entertainment, pure and simple. As such, why not have a villain or two in the game just to shake things up. How many pool matches do you want to watch where stoic, expressionless players are chasing stone cold cash much like zombies yearn for brains?

Games = fun. Pool = a game. Therefore, pool = fun. Nuff said, imo...