Strickland "Is an Embrassment"

[Slasher]

I think Earl should be encouraged to get some help, he obviously is troubled of mind. I feel sorry for him. he is probably suffering inside more than we know. Many mental illnesses can be treated succesfully with drugs. He deserves the benefit of the doubt, I don't think he's just an asshole.

 

[9 Ball Girl]

Good post, Blackjack.

Like I posted on CCB, Earl is a real person--meaning that he's not fake--and I like that. Tony Robles is also a real person. The difference between the two is that one loses his temper in private (believe me I know) and the other one in public. With Earl, and I'm not trying to make up excuses for him, he usually beats himself up. We've all been there where your opponent is getting every last friggin' roll and you're not getting squat. People like to see Earl get that way and start to egg him on by applauding or cheering perhaps in a more exaggerating way for his opponent just for the hell of it. I've seen it happen.

I guess his ranting could be much worse (wasn't there a baseball player who got into a fistfight with a heckling fan?).

 

[9 Ball Girl]

(forgive my misspellings, if any)

Tennis has John McEnroe
Basketball has Ron Artese
Boxing had Mike Tyson
Futbol has Cauhtemoc Blanco
Pool has Earl Strickland
Hell's Kitchen has Chef Ramsey (ok, not a sport LOL)

You all get the idea. Every sport has one. And IMO, every sport needs one.

 

[vagabond]

(forgive my misspellings, if any)

Tennis has John McEnroe
Basketball has Ron Artese
Boxing had Mike Tyson
Futbol has Cauhtemoc Blanco
Pool has Earl Strickland
Hell's Kitchen has Chef Ramsey (ok, not a sport LOL)

You all get the idea. Every sport has one. And IMO, every sport needs one.

Around 15 years ago in Lexington,Ky ,Earl told me that he wanted to be `` McEnroe of pool``

 

[Timberly]

So you are saying that out of all the people clapping, Earl just decided to pick your wife for no other reason than doing the proper thing, which is applauding the introduction of a player. There must have been something else that you are leaving out.

This seems to be the part that not very many people get. Earl does not have to be provoked by someone in order for him to act out like he does. Sometimes there are people that will provoke him but not all the time. It seems like every time this happens, someone is so quick to point out that it wasn't his fault, that he was provoked. Excuse me folks, but whatever happened to accountability for one's actions?

I keep seeing people say what a jerk Nick VB was. I didn't get that from the story at all. Knowing Nick's family has got to be familiar with pool etiquette, coupled with the fact that no one has ever (to my knowledge) complained about the actions of Nick's "guru's", I'm lead to believe that Earl knew who they were, saw, not heard them whispering amongst themselves and he started in on them.

There are many of us here that know Rich and his wife. Those of us that know them, know that they're HUGE supporters of pool. They genuinely love the game and spend many miles traveling to spectate at events. They're some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They're respectful of other spectators and of the players themselves. I can assure you of one thing... Rich's wife did nothing more than clap for Earl's opponent. (and Earl) Earl just happened to be looking at her after they announced Bustamante and he saw her clapping. He had his target right then and there.

I would think the story that breakup relayed would be enough to back up Rich and hopefully get people to realize that more times than not, Earl is not provoked, he is the provoker. I watched him do the same thing to a guy at the US Open warm tourney in Cambridge, MD last yr.

Earl has never done anything to me personally so I have no personal beef with Earl. I respect his game tremendously.

Have any of you ever been to a baseball game? Ever see someone heckling one of the outfielders? I've seen it more times than not. Know what the player did? IGNORED it. Personally, I've yet to see anyone provoke Earl. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen from time to time, I'm just saying I've never witnessed it myself. Either way, if someone did provoke him, I can assure you it's not to the extent of what a baseball player hears everyday for 9 innings.

Until I'm told otherwise, I'm going to go on my instincts from what I deduced from the story and from what I know about Earl.... He saw them whispering, he didn't hear them, and even if by some chance he did hear them, he didn't act like a pro and ignore it and play his game. He yelled at his opponents family in an attempt to shark his opponent.

Rich's wife wasn't his opponent so why pick on her? Because A) it's still a tactic that can be used to break his opponents mental game, and B) I seriously believe he has a mental disorder of some sort on some level. I'm certainly not a psychiatrist by any means but I've heard & seen him enough that I feel comfortable in making that statement.

 

[quitecoolguy]

Doc i agree... to a pont..its not that american players dont have any back bone..it that the american players are getting there Ass's handed to them buy a person playing better than them..notice i didnt say better player..i am a firm believer that player like Johhny Archer and Earl the Pearl and up and comming stars Larry Nevell can play that level of pool ..but it all comes down to who has put in the most and best practice time..and who wants it more..nothign to do with taking or not taking guff..the american have got to realize you cant rest on you past accomplishments and exspect the Foriegn players to just lay down and say ohhh your a past US Open winner sure go ahead and beat me..they are gunning for the American players to prove that they can beat them...the only time i see Us players showing that american fire and sprit is in the Mosconi Cup..and that stands for bragging rights..but make it a world event and the Philipines and Chinia and Japan can put together a team of their best players and it would be a rap..the only time american players would see the cup was on T.V unless they brought all of their heart and soul to the match..and a sharpened game.. but that is just my opinion for what its worth

 

[Blackjack]

Good post, Blackjack.

Like I posted on CCB, Earl is a real person--meaning that he's not fake--and I like that. Tony Robles is also a real person. The difference between the two is that one loses his temper in private (believe me I know) and the other one in public. With Earl, and I'm not trying to make up excuses for him, he usually beats himself up.

Wendy

I have a great idea... how about next summer we talk Tony into sending Jonathan off to a summer vacation trip with Earl. lol

The results of such an adventure would be interesting.

 

[JoeyInCali]

I do not think gulfport doc is bad mouthing.u ask any body who knew willie,they will all describe willie much worse than the DOC.Willie once assaulted the TD as per the book I read.EARL NEVER DID THAT kind off stuff.

Really?
Watch the video of the straight-pool match between Efren and Rempe in Portlan d Maine.
You can hear Earl go bonkers screaming on top his lungs at a ref over an argued call.
Ask the pros what they think of Earl.

 

[Cuebacca]

I think these three quotes sum up the answer:

[...] he usually beats himself up. [...] People like to see Earl get that way and start to egg him on by applauding or cheering perhaps in a more exaggerating way for his opponent just for the hell of it.

[...] Earl just happened to be looking at her after they announced Bustamante and he saw her clapping. He had his target right then and there. [...]

Rich's wife wasn't his opponent so why pick on her? Because A) it's still a tactic that can be used to break his opponents mental game, and B) I seriously believe he has a mental disorder of some sort on some level. I'm certainly not a psychiatrist by any means but I've heard & seen him enough that I feel comfortable in making that statement.

I think Earl should be encouraged to get some help, he obviously is troubled of mind. I feel sorry for him. he is probably suffering inside more than we know. Many mental illnesses can be treated succesfully with drugs. He deserves the benefit of the doubt, I don't think he's just an asshole.

Earl really should be encouraged to get some help, and when people provoke him it just makes matters worse. He's clearly paranoid to at least some degree, although sometimes its a self-fulfilling prophecy for him.

This time though, it sounds like the whole incident with Rich's wife just shows that deep down, he's expecting people to be against him. His mind is playing tricks on him in these cases, as he automatically assumes the worst, misinterpreting some body language or fractionally audiable conversation.

There could be a dark side to Earl where he gets so pissed that he's declaring war, turning this all into a big shark to conquer all his "enemies" who, in his mind, hate him. However, I bet when he goes home, the true Earl regrets his outbursts and longs to be at peace with himself and pool fans.

Hopefully he will realize that help is really out there. It would be great if he could find the right meds, and/or discover the right self-improvement path to slay his inner demons, and get his head straight and be happy. He'd probably be an even stronger pool player for it, which would be scary.

 

[Gabber]

good post T

Timberly said,

This seems to be the part that not very many people get. Earl does not have to be provoked by someone in order for him to act out like he does. Sometimes there are people that will provoke him but not all the time. It seems like every time this happens, someone is so quick to point out that it wasn't his fault, that he was provoked. Excuse me folks, but whatever happened to accountability for one's actions? Right on.

I keep seeing people say what a jerk Nick VB was. Who said that? I didn't get that from the story at all. Knowing Nick's family has got to be familiar with pool etiquette, coupled with the fact that no one has ever (to my knowledge) complained about the actions of Nick's "guru's", I'm lead to believe that Earl knew who they were, saw, not heard them whispering amongst themselves and he started in on them.

I,ve seen Nick play many times. He was always polite and a credit to the game, I can't imagine him behaving badly. Also ,I don't think his family flew 5,000 miles to be insulted by Earl or by any of Nick's opponents.
Imagine, youre playing the biggest tourny of your life, your family[ at great expense] comes to watch you and your opponent tells your mother to shut up! What would you do? I think Nick handled himself like a Pro . Respect is a two-way street.
Lets face it, if Earl though the 9ball was the wrong shade of yellow, he would see a conspiracy against him. To Earl, the whole world is against him, including the spectators!

Gabber.....

 

[Rich R.]

So you are saying that out of all the people clapping, Earl just decided to pick your wife for no other reason than doing the proper thing, which is applauding the introduction of a player. There must have been something else that you are leaving out.

No, I didn't leave anything out.

Unless you have seen Earl in action, you will not believe this can happen. I've seen him do it a number of times. At the Open, his target just happened to be my wife.

Earl doesn't need anyone to provoke him. He does that job himself.

 

[Rich R.]

I know Earl and I know most of these incidents occur due to relentless provocation.

So applauding the introduction of players is "relentless provocation"?

I'm sorry again, David, but with Earl, he doesn't need any provocation. For reasons known only to himself, he will pick someone out of the crowd and target them. At the Open, it happened to be my wife. I have seen him do it before with just as little provocation.

I won't say that Earl never gets provoked by fans, but more times than not, Earl provokes himself.

 

[Timberly]

I said "I keep seeing people say what a jerk Nick VB was."

And Gabber asked "Who said that?"

The following are two that I remember from last night in the other thread here in the main forum... my jaw dropped when I read them....

I'm shocked no one has put the blame on Nick in this fiasco. All I hear is Earl, Earl, Earl. He held his hand and wouldn't let go for christ sakes and then he has the audasity to demand Earl to look at him in the eye. My question is who in the blue hell does Nick think he is to demand this????I don't know either of them on a personal level but if what people are saying is true than Nick is the one that fueled the fire. Earl should of told him to let go of his hand before he jap slaps him.

Nick had the responsibility to tell his "gurus" to keep quiet and show respect to his opponent. I would guess it is no coincidence they started their sharking when he was playing Earl. Earl has every right to confront Nick and his gurus. The Tour has responsibility to throw these hecklers out. Crazy fans are great for many sports, but for golf, tennis and pool some sort of civility is necessary for the sport to thrive. That is why pro golf and tennis has produced so many more millionaires than pool.

 

[Timberly]

Earl is not the only player to lose his temper. Many players have had outbursts that never got any attention in this or any other forum.

I think it's safe to say that anyone that has gone to a couple of tournaments, pro or not, can say that they've seen someone lose their cool. What surprises me is that you seemed surprised that people only talk about it when Earl does it. Unless myself and the rest of the pool world is missing something, the rest of the players do not do this at every tournament. That is why it is an issue with Earl. Every tournament he shows his ass. It's not just a punch in the wall, or jabbing is cue at the ground either. It's flat out showing his ass. Loudly being rude and disrespectful to his opponent and/or the crowd. Regardless of who his actions are geared towards, it also affects those playing in matches around him.

Once in a great while there might be some idiot in the stands that says something to him intentionally to see if they'll get a rise out of him. The saddest part is that they don't have to provoke him. Earl will make it happen on his own. I don't care if some idiot says something to him once or a 100 times, it's still Earl's choice on how he reacts to it. Earl chooses to act like a fool then he should be accountable for those actions. During those times that he's not provoked, like with Rich's wife... who do we blame then? It's not her fault, and since people don't want to hold Earl accountable, who do we fault for his actions then?

 

[Timberly]

This was posted in the IPT section but I think it's worth posting here too...

Unfournately,i dont think the world cares,especially after what happen at the world cup soccer,look who was voted the best player! Earl is Earl,and yes,he does go off,but VB should have just walked away also

I keep seeing people say "Earl is Earl" and everyone should expect it and walk away. Could someone please tell me why everyone else (players & paying spectators) should have to walk away while it's perfectly ok for Earl to show his ass.

I rarely read any of the Earl threads because it's always the same... most are turned off by him & don't agree with him but there's always a few that make every excuse in the world and think what he does is perfectly ok. It's going on in two different threads in the main forum right now. It just amazes me how people will come up with lamest excuses to not hold him accountable for his actions.... amazing!

Earl is a great player and still a big threat to win this, however to say Earl is hard done by and people always push is buttons is the lamest excuse I've ever heard! Earl certainly doesn't need anyone to push his buttons to go off and act like an ass, I actually think he looks for it to pumo himself up and shark his opposition. Keep it real!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Well said Craig.

 

[Blackjack]

I think it's safe to say that anyone that has gone to a couple of tournaments, pro or not, can say that they've seen someone lose their cool. What surprises me is that you seemed surprised that people only talk about it when Earl does it.

I'm not surprised. My point is that there are people that intentionally go out of their way to piss Earl off. I'm pretty sure Rich's wife isn't one of them.

Unless myself and the rest of the pool world is missing something, the rest of the players do not do this at every tournament. That is why it is an issue with Earl. Every tournament he shows his ass. It's not just a punch in the wall, or jabbing is cue at the ground either. It's flat out showing his ass. Loudly being rude and disrespectful to his opponent and/or the crowd. Regardless of who his actions are geared towards, it also affects those playing in matches around him.

Did I say the rest of the players do this at EVERY tournament? I don't think I did. Everybody has their moments, Earl's dial is usually set to "EXPLODE" and that's no secret. There are people that entertain themselves with that dial setting.

Once in a great while there might be some idiot in the stands that says something to him intentionally to see if they'll get a rise out of him. The saddest part is that they don't have to provoke him. Earl will make it happen on his own. I don't care if some idiot says something to him once or a 100 times, it's still Earl's choice on how he reacts to it. Earl chooses to act like a fool then he should be accountable for those actions. During those times that he's not provoked, like with Rich's wife... who do we blame then? It's not her fault, and since people don't want to hold Earl accountable, who do we fault for his actions then?

(I owed you one) ... So what you're saying is that players should be held accountable, right? Shouldn't the fans/family members be held accountable for their actions as well? Why should Deno take any action against Earl when their is nothing set up to protect the players in the event of fines being levied? What protects Earl or any other player and who represents him in situations such as this? I'm confused by your attitude because I've seen you angry and spitting fire - as a spectator. I bring that up only to say that we all have our moments.

In the end, Earl is Earl and he makes no excuses for that. If that response irritates you, talk it over with Earl personally. Everybody knows his temperment, if he explodes he explodes. Its no worse than some of the things I've seen others do that are just as bad (Reid VS Viera) does anybody remember that? lol

 

[billiardbum]

IPT wants it...

The IPT wants someone like Earl, just like Nascar needs Earnhardt, and Stewart. Actually the IPT told the players to be aggressive, and competitive He is a good guy away from the table, but is a little out there.

 

[will8834]

Dont make me angry, you would not like me when im angry.

 

[worriedbeef]

well Efren's expression just about sums this discussion up!

 

[PoolBum]

Funny thing is, that's is the angriest I've ever seen Efren. Yawning.