Is Earl Good for the Game?

R

recoveryjones

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was talking to a friend of mine, a(A+) player from my localpool hall. He just played in that big tournament in Calgary and had met Earl Strickland in the second round and lost 11-9.

During their match Earl did a few things of Strickland noteriety.

First he told my friend that watching him play pool was like watching paint dry...boring.

Secondly, Earl would miss and leave my friend 4 balls on the table. Instead of letting my friend shoot, Earl would rake the balls and give him the game. He apparently did this more than a couple times.

My friend missed and conceded Earl the 8 and 9. Earl smart talked him and said something to the effect of"No I want to shoot them."

Having said all of this ,I asked my friend what he thought of Earl.Instead of saying Earl was a jerk or something he said,"Earl's great for the game." Apparently whatever table Earl played on drew the biggest crowd of fans.They were there for the trash talk and there to see an awesome display of spin shots and pure power from a master 9 baller.

He also said Alex Pagulayan was quite entertaining(charasmatic) with his talk as well as his cue.Archer and Deule, although superb shooters left my friend feeling bored,(no,not like watching paint dry) as compared to playing/watching Earl.He was thrilled to have played Earl.

My question to my fellow forumsters: Is Earl good for the game , Yes or No. RJ
 
Of course Earl is good for the game, he might have his not so great moments but let's face it the guy can draw a crowd.
 
Is Earl good for the game

I am often amazed by the comments made about Earl in games, around the table,ect. I have seen both what I consider the best actions of a player and some I would have nailed him right between the eyes for. Reality check folks.....Earl isn't the only game in town...pay attention to the crap some of the others out there pull and say...I told Earl of a friend of mine with severe health problems and that the individual used a cuetech cue but we couldn't find a replacement, so what does Earl do...pulls one out of his case and says "here give him this one"! Earl may put his foot in his mouth more often than he should but at least he tells you to your face and loud enough for all to hear. Doesn't make it right but it is a fact. And yes I consider Earl a friend, but that doesn't mean I agree with all he does.
 
Yep, Earl is great for the game. Your friend is 100% right. As good as Archer is (every bit as good as Earl and alot more consistent) he is boring as sin to watch due to his emotionless business-like manner at the table. Alex and Earl are both full of personality on and off the table and it makes them ALOT more fun to watch.

Its what makes poker so fun to watch, not the game itself but the emotion and personality of the players. Watching Helmuth get owned by 7-2 os on a preflop all in when he has AA is something I really want to see one of these days, that would be some GREAT entertainment.

Archers and the like are not good for this sport, they are mechanical boring drones and after a rack or two I really loose interest in watching them play. Imagine what it must be like for a person who does not even really appreciate the game. CJ Wiley was another player great for the game, fast and loose and exciting much along the same vein as Earl. Scott Frost and his intense style and look is also great for the game. Alex as mentioned with his flamboyant personality is great for the game.

Archers boring emotionless business-like style may help him win but it will not help the sport grow or grab fans and as such it will not bring more money into the sport. Every tournament Archer wins and gets on TV with actually hurts the sport because he may be taking the place of someone who is truely exciting to watch that could spur interest.

The announcers and producers dont help matters any though. They create a atmosphere that actually discourages emotion and goes more towards the business-like boring game. I made a long post about this on a different thread, they need to spice this game up and make it larger then life so that is becomes escapism (sp?) to the viewer. It needs grand arenas, it needs show girls, it needs huge piles of real money sitting on the light, it needs to embrace its image as an adult past-time and adult sport of the style suited to Las Vegas and Sin City types of appeal. What we are getting ATM in production of the events is boring, ohh a 4 foot wide check, neato~ That sure beats poker bringing out massive stacks of $100 bills to drool over! Look a stodgy old ref with white gloves racking the balls, that sure beats a hot chick in a sexy outfit racking em! Where are they playing the tournament? The Hilton in Timbuktoo? Well that sure beats playing it in the Luxor in Vegas!

What do you expect? When you make a sport so dry and boring that the viewer itself could not care less if he were there playing in the event because it looks boring and dry you have lost. People want to see a lifestyle better then their own when they get entertained. They want to see hustlers playing pool with hot women all around being treated like kings and walking out into a packed casino after winning tens of thousands of dollars in cold hard CASH. Boxing knows what it is doing, it makes the boxers look larger then life, it hypes the scene, the location of the event, it makes sure that the viewer knows this is in Vegas, and it makes Vegas look like the center of everywhere and as such the event is THAT important and so are the boxers.

Got off topic a little but not much, because ATM people like Earl are the ONLY thing this sport has going for it.
 
I don't think twice about driving 100+ miles to watch Earl play...
 
Earl Strickland is the Ty Cobb of billiards...

Without a doubt the Great Earl Strickland is the Ty Cobb of pool...

Was Ty Cobb good for the game? Yes...

Is Earl Strickland good for the game? Definitely!!!!
 
If I was playing Earl and he said that watching me play pool is like watching paint dry, i would snap back with something like," well painting houses is my day job "

Now i will agree that there hasta be something to spice up pool. Be it Hot girls racking the balls, or Even have a couple high stakes ring games on ESPN, like 10,000$ buy-ins.

Another thing, is they should go back to winner breaks on TV, cuz i would love to see someone running 7 racks and turn and say " Its like a nightmare isnt it "


dave
 
No offense to the originator of the post, but this is one lame topic. It's like asking if Michael Jordan is good for basketball?, Tiger Woods for golf? The Pope for Catholics?
 
ghost ball said:
No offense to the originator of the post, but this is one lame topic. It's like asking if Michael Jordan is good for basketball?, Tiger Woods for golf? The Pope for Catholics?
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Ah yes but the pope,Mikey and Tiger are noted good guys and might make it through the Pearly gates.Would you wanna be handcuffed to Earl when he goes?
:D RJ
 
He's a great entertainer who occasionally disgraces the sport. On the whole, he's well worth having around, but I can't help but think that this charismatic and gifted man could have done more for our game if he had kept his uglier side in check.
 
sjm said:
He's a great entertainer who occasionally disgraces the sport. On the whole, he's well worth having around, but I can't help but think that this charismatic and gifted man could have done more for our game if he had kept his uglier side in check.
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100% agree. He's gifted. I love watching him play, but the antics are embarassing.

Chris
 
Ok, now i have a stupid question, but why does he wear those STupid OAKLEY sunglass's with the clear lens? i mean that hasta be the stupidest thing i have seen in a long time. I mean i could see if it was like the yellow shooters lens, or something, with a slight tint.

Now i know two guys on the Pro bowling tour who wear sunlgass's while bowling on TV, and they say its because the stage lights are so bright it gives off a nasty reflection on the lanes.

Now i could see Earl doing this if there was bright lights over the table, or playing outside. But still its a clear lens. Now of course i guess if i was as good at pool as he is, i could care less if i had a tophat on while playing.
 
It'd be so much better if he could show all his emotion without trying to shark the opponents all the time. I think I know who the player recoveryjones' referring to. He's a real nice guy and doesn't deserve to be belittled by Earl. It's quite unexcuseable for a pro player the likes of Earl to verbally and mentally shark a A+ local player in any tournament, or any player for that matter.
 
StormHotRod300 said:
Ok, now i have a stupid question, but why does he wear those STupid OAKLEY sunglass's with the clear lens? i mean that hasta be the stupidest thing i have seen in a long time. I mean i could see if it was like the yellow shooters lens, or something, with a slight tint.

Now i know two guys on the Pro bowling tour who wear sunlgass's while bowling on TV, and they say its because the stage lights are so bright it gives off a nasty reflection on the lanes.

Now i could see Earl doing this if there was bright lights over the table, or playing outside. But still its a clear lens. Now of course i guess if i was as good at pool as he is, i could care less if i had a tophat on while playing.
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My guess is his wearing them has something to do with being paid.
 
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