Something I want Earl Strickland to hear.

Earl and Lassiter may well be the two best nine-ballers ever.

The anecdote shared in the original post is an interesting one, for there is irony that Earl, who, along with Sammy Jones, popularized the jump shot (yes, I know they were not the first to jump!) in the early 1980's, came to hate the jump shot.

Earl, though not the player he once was, still finds his old gear on occasion, and that, added to the possibility of a train wreck, draws fans to his matches. I think that if Earl were to put a great run to win a tournament (and, let's face it, only a bad roll in the double rack of the final cost him the 2011 DCC One-pocket title), it might just be pool's equivalent of what Jack Nicklaus did at the 1986 Masters.
 
hmmmm

master_cueist said:
EXACTLY my point! Once he started shedding all the gadgets, he had less to worry about and his game has shot up lately!
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Your point is you don't have a point. Earl does not need any advice from anyone on AZ on how to play, what size cue to shoot with, and what ear muffs to wear.

He has been on the road since he was freaking 14 years old. He is old school, and has enough tournament headlines to choke a horse. He is 50 years old now and still hangs with anyone in the world. And it appears he plays much better when agitated.... thus, I would not doubt he "looks" for something to complain or biotch about just to get that next gear......

So yes, you don't like him much..... Life ain't fair, and then you die.... whadya gonna do....:rolleyes:

And yes, sometimes he acts like a dork, but he is "our" dork :D Could you imagine the pool world without Earl ????

And this is pool for heavens sake, not the ballet! If we had to "fix" all those in pool who were "quirky", "shady", "grumpy", "smelly" or "drunk", there'd be very few left ;)
 
Every sport has an Earl. What would we do without em. I watch Earl for his extreme talent... and consider his antics a bonus...;)
 
Old School players Rule!!!

One day all you guys out there will miss Earl Strickland one of the most dominant players of his time,because the game is changing and the talent is not what it use to be.Back in the day Earl feared nobody(Gambling or Tournaments)and the talent was top notch,there would be 30 or 40 players at every local tournament in the Carolinas and you had to play perfect pool to win,I for one will miss the old school players that I grew up learning from and playing....KT
 
I never once said I didn't like him. I like his game very much. But I like his game better when he is playing the game just to play, when he is not worrying about all the BS, and he is playing like the old Earl.
ChicagoRJ said:
Your point is you don't have a point. Earl does not need any advice from anyone on AZ on how to play, what size cue to shoot with, and what ear muffs to wear.

He has been on the road since he was freaking 14 years old. He is old school, and has enough tournament headlines to choke a horse. He is 50 years old now and still hangs with anyone in the world. And it appears he plays much better when agitated.... thus, I would not doubt he "looks" for something to complain or biotch about just to get that next gear......

So yes, you don't like him much..... Life ain't fair, and then you die.... whadya gonna do....:rolleyes:

And yes, sometimes he acts like a dork, but he is "our" dork :D Could you imagine the pool world without Earl ????

And this is pool for heavens sake, not the ballet! If we had to "fix" all those in pool who were "quirky", "shady", "grumpy", "smelly" or "drunk", there'd be very few left ;)
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Yes, sometimes Earl goes over the top, and the difference is that he unlike most has no filter. He wears his heart on his sleeve and say things where most of us would just think it and not say a word. Think of this, he has tapped into his emotions in a way that most will never achieve good or bad. He is the only person I have ever seen emotionally loose it and play better. For me, if I get upset or pissed about something I may as well go home. Earls raw power at the table is what made me fall in love with this game.
 
8vxdds.jpg
 
hmmm

master_cueist said:
I never once said I didn't like him. I like his game very much. But I like his game better when he is playing the game just to play, when he is not worrying about all the BS, and he is playing like the old Earl.
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Ok, but he is not worrying about the BS, you are. There is only one Earl, and that is the "old Earl".... now he just added some options; wrist weights, paul bunyon cue, etc.... but he is the same....

And it didn't affect his game when he beat SVB or Archer this year. He'll NEVER play like the young Earl, because he will NEVER be young again, but the smart and crafty Earl that still brings his electric shot making abilities is worth the price of admission :thumbup:
 
master_cueist said:
Apparently nobody knows what constructive criticism is. I never said he was a bad player and I never said nobody watched him for the good pool. I happen to really like his game as a player, and nobody denies he is one of the greatest that ever lives, hence my very first words in my post. But under all of his gadgets he still has game, and if he would stop worrying about all the distractions, like all of his gadgets, he could probably step up and be the old Earl again. Thats all my post was saying, I wasn't trying to tell him how to play or anything like that. But since ALL of you think you know everything I will just let it be. And to whoever was saying he could give me the last 5 and 2 on the wire...If you or ANYBODY you know wants to give me the last 5 and 2 on the wire, you just let me know and I will let you know where to find me.
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Sorry Bud, You have started a mess for Earl Fan's! Earl's gadgets are due to him getting older and wants to get back to his "Warp Speed". He still plays GREAT, but wants to get back to HIS standards. He says the weights help him remain stable. Golfers always try new things... Why not pool players, Or more particular... Earl Strickland a World Beater! I will always be a fan of Earl win or lose. Pro Pool would not be the same without Earl "The Pearl Strickland". Earl is a true Gem... Be lucky you can still see him play and enjoy it while you can! Cheers Bud!
 
What some see as crazy additions to his game are products of an experienced and gifted player seeking to find more of an edge.He may be the most qualified person for research and development.Twenty years from now something Earl develops may be mainstream.Let him be!
 
master_cueist said:
. . . when he was younger he was playing Luther Lassiter I believe, and he said that he was hooked and jumped the ball with his full length cue and Luther jumped up and said foul, because he never seen anybody "jump" a ball before so there is no way that it could be legal. Earl said that he explained that it WAS legal and they continued on only to have the exact same thing happen again, he goes on to say that after the second time he said Luther sat down with a tear in his eye because he realized that the game of pool was changing and he wasn't used to it and perhaps didn't like it. I think that Earl should think back to that moment again, and turn the tables around on himself and realize that pool is changing just like when he was a young man and had to explain that to a great like Luther, and realize that either he has to just accept it and move on and play the game the way it is now, or just give it up and put away his cues. Just like the way he hates all these things so badly especially the jump cue, he should think of how Luther felt when he jumped the ball and Luther didn't think that should be allowed. Earl was the young player back then showing new tricks the old dogs don't like and not being able to understand why they didn't like it. Well now he is the old dog with new things coming out and he doesn't like it. He should just watch some old videos of himself, throw away the glasses, gloves, arm and ass weights, 70 inch cues and the attitude and just PLAY F**KING POOL!!!!!
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Earl just realized with greater maturity that "Wimpy" was right. Luther wasn't shedding a tear because he was getting left behind. The idea of Luther Lassiter getting left behind is a joke. He was one of the greatest who ever lived. The tear he shed was similar to a tear that might be shed by a loving father if his 20 year old daughter came to him and happily announced that she had gotten a job with an escort service.

If jump shots are allowed why not allow someone to climb up on the table barefoot, pick up the cueball with their foot, and drop it on the object ball. That would take a lot of dexterity and only the most accomplished would be able to use it successfully thereby taking pool to new levels of skill and the bright future.

"Wimpy" shed a tear the day pool died a little.
 
I was quoting Earl there, those aren't my words.
risky biz said:
Earl just realized with greater maturity that "Wimpy" was right. Luther wasn't shedding a tear because he was getting left behind. The idea of Luther Lassiter getting left behind is a joke. He was one of the greatest who ever lived. The tear he shed was similar to a tear that might be shed by a loving father if his 20 year old daughter came to him and happily announced that she had gotten a job with an escort service.

If jump shots are allowed why not allow someone to climb up on the table barefoot, pick up the cueball with their foot, and drop it on the object ball. That would take a lot of dexterity and only the most accomplished would be able to use it successfully thereby taking pool to new levels of skill and the bright future.

"Wimpy" shed a tear the day pool died a little.
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master_cueist said:
Apparently nobody knows what constructive criticism is. I never said he was a bad player and I never said nobody watched him for the good pool. I happen to really like his game as a player, and nobody denies he is one of the greatest that ever lives, hence my very first words in my post. But under all of his gadgets he still has game, and if he would stop worrying about all the distractions, like all of his gadgets, he could probably step up and be the old Earl again. Thats all my post was saying, I wasn't trying to tell him how to play or anything like that. But since ALL of you think you know everything I will just let it be. And to whoever was saying he could give me the last 5 and 2 on the wire...If you or ANYBODY you know wants to give me the last 5 and 2 on the wire, you just let me know and I will let you know where to find me.
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You made some insightful points, but watching him only for a meltdown isn't one of them. He's an inspired top pro player too.
 
I've thought about this quite a bit as I read this thread. You know why Earl is so popular with many of us? Beyond his amazing skill at the table, which can rival anyone's (and has for a great many years).....

Earl is more like us. He is flawed, and it's right out there for everyone to see. He struggles controlling his emotions, often spectacularly.

How many of us hit a shot poorly and make some sort of exclamation? How many people do you see slam their cues around? Or drop themselves into their seat in a huff? General b!tching and complaining? Just think about all the poor behavior you see or have seen in a pool room. I'm betting that most of it stems from that players frustration with something in their game. (And yes, there will always be some that are just plain poor sports, but they aren't the point of this part of the discussion. And probably a much smaller percentage of the all the people who exhibit such behavior.)

Even for those of us who don't lose it, even to as small a point as minor exclamations (or profanities)... how many of you aren't saying something to yourself when you miss a shot that you shouldn't have? The feeling is the same, it's the control of that emotion that is better maintained.

Earl lays it out there for all of us to see. Right or wrong. He reminds us of ourselves, in some small way. He is one of us, except that he plays WAY better. That is why so many of us are fans of Earl. Whether we know it or not.

I'm not saying that having good control of ones self at the table is a bad thing. I appreciate the skill and discipline that most all of the great players we see can maintain, under extremely high pressure. I strive to be better in my self control, as well. And I bet that Earl thinks so, too. But I believe he is so much more real than the other top pro's as a result of his lack of control.

Just a thought. Or two, or three. :p
 
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