The "GREAT ONE" is Back!

[Roadkill]

Glad to see my favorite player has resurfaced.

I'm getting my passport ready for a trip to ole' Mexico to see the "Champions Pool Tour"!

Strickland is on new medication now, and I understand that he is more stable and ready to get his game back into high gear.

Earl, you're not getting older, your getting better!

 

[Russ Chewning]

I wish more people realized that Earl's issues are more about a personality order (possibly because of a chemical imbalance), rather than Earl just trying to be a jerk. Hopefully these meds work. I think the best thing would be for Earl to recover his skills and drive to win, but leave the craziness at the hotel.

Russ

 

[av84fun]

I wish more people realized that Earl's issues are more about a personality order (possibly because of a chemical imbalance), rather than Earl just trying to be a jerk. Hopefully these meds work. I think the best thing would be for Earl to recover his skills and drive to win, but leave the craziness at the hotel.

Russ

TAP...TAP...And the man never did anything worse than McEnroe, Connors and Nastasi did if the first place.

GO EARL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First, get your game in high gear....and then break a stinking pool cue EVERY MATCH!!!

SHAKE IT UP!!! The game as it is, is boring Americans half to death!!!

(-:

 

[poolcuemaster]

Earl the Pearl is the Man and he ain't ever boring and thats for sure.--Leonard

 

[Fast Lenny]

I just hope the meds dont make him a zombie who is numb.

 

[sydbarret]

I support this thread.

 

[David Beck]

I thought it was in New Mexico..

 

[av84fun]

I just hope the meds dont make him a zombie who is numb.

ME TOO! I can only hope that the new med is an improvement and has fewer side effects.

As many know, I have been a great supporter of Earls in spite of his volatile mood swings...partly because at least he gets ATTENTION which is one thing this sport desparately needs.

The other reason is quite personal but I've decided to share here, in hopes of creating a better understanding and less bashing of one of our greatest champions.

My mother was bi-polar and actually died from it, indirectly, many years ago.

Back then, it was called manic depression and there were no medications...only shock therapy which was nothing but torture.

The SINISTER thing about the disorder is that it is cyclical...between the aggressive side and the depressed side, the person is perfectly normal!

That normalcy can last for weeks if not months and you begin to think they have been cured and then WHAM they go in one direction or the other....and CANNOT HELP IT!!!!

On the manic side, my mother was boozing heavily at a restaurant next door to my office and choked on a piece of meet before the Heimlich Maneuver was created. Those with her thought she was having a heart attack and she was gone before the ambulance got there.

They called me and I thought she had just pilled and boozed up again but of course, when I got to the hospital, I was informed she had passed...and why.

I bring all this up because I am intimately familiar with the disorder and know that even with today's meds, it is a ***** to target the doses because A) they rise and fall in the blood stream between dosage periods and B) body chemistry changes from day to day based on dietary, emotional and other issues.

So even those who are taking their meds as directed cannot easily be maintained in a "neutral" state all the time.

So it is almost an act of cruelty to bash the man. I guarantee you that he does not WANT to go off like he sometimes does. That fact is sort of hard to accpet when we witness it and hard as HELL for those to whom it is directed...but in his HEART he does not want to behave objectionably.

In his brain...from time to time...it's a different story.

He doesn't want sympathy and might well be pissed of if he read this.

But PLEASE cut this great champion some slack.

Regards,
Jim

 

[henho]

If my personal medical history was on public display, especially in relation to mental health, I'd be going bonkers too.

 

[Milo]

Earl entertains like no other. Its good for pool.

Jim,

Thanks for the post. Wow, I had no idea. I just thought he was moody.
Entertaining players is what this sport needs.
I hope he keeps this in check. He is so talented.

 

[av84fun]

Jim,

Thanks for the post. Wow, I had no idea. I just thought he was moody.
Entertaining players is what this sport needs.
I hope he keeps this in check. He is so talented.

For clarity....I have NO first hand knowledge about Earl's health issues. That he suffers from bi-polar disorder has been WIDELY suggested for several years by people who ought to be in a position to know.

If the "new meds" the OP referred to is Tylenol + or something, I apologize to Earl...but I doubt it.

Regards,
Jim

PS: About being entertained, some people who have to duck his busted shaft (I don't think that ever happened...just kidding) might not feel too entertained. But McEnroe used to smash his racquets all the time and used language with the Ref that would embarrass a drunken sailer!

Personally, I thought he needed his ass kicked but I have mellowed with age...and have learned A LOT about marketing. You have noticed that it ain't your local minister or Boy Scout Troup Leader who gets his picture on the cover of magazines...it's Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears!!!

 

[smoooothstroke]

He seams very much normal to and i enjoy watching him play

 

[Fast Lenny]

ME TOO! I can only hope that the new med is an improvement and has fewer side effects.

As many know, I have been a great supporter of Earls in spite of his volatile mood swings...partly because at least he gets ATTENTION which is one thing this sport desparately needs.

The other reason is quite personal but I've decided to share here, in hopes of creating a better understanding and less bashing of one of our greatest champions.

My mother was bi-polar and actually died from it, indirectly, many years ago.

Back then, it was called manic depression and there were no medications...only shock therapy which was nothing but torture.

The SINISTER thing about the disorder is that it is cyclical...between the aggressive side and the depressed side, the person is perfectly normal!

That normalcy can last for weeks if not months and you begin to think they have been cured and then WHAM they go in one direction or the other....and CANNOT HELP IT!!!!

On the manic side, my mother was boozing heavily at a restaurant next door to my office and choked on a piece of meet before the Heimlich Maneuver was created. Those with her thought she was having a heart attack and she was gone before the ambulance got there.

They called me and I thought she had just pilled and boozed up again but of course, when I got to the hospital, I was informed she had passed...and why.

I bring all this up because I am intimately familiar with the disorder and know that even with today's meds, it is a ***** to target the doses because A) they rise and fall in the blood stream between dosage periods and B) body chemistry changes from day to day based on dietary, emotional and other issues.

So even those who are taking their meds as directed cannot easily be maintained in a "neutral" state all the time.

So it is almost an act of cruelty to bash the man. I guarantee you that he does not WANT to go off like he sometimes does. That fact is sort of hard to accpet when we witness it and hard as HELL for those to whom it is directed...but in his HEART he does not want to behave objectionably.

In his brain...from time to time...it's a different story.

He doesn't want sympathy and might well be pissed of if he read this.

But PLEASE cut this great champion some slack.

Regards,
Jim

Thanks for sharing this and Im sorry about your Mom.I had an aunt who is bipolar and had the electro shock treatment way back when,she can be fine for a bit and then go off,I mean really go off.Another person was my last girlfriend who when I dated her and she went off her own father warned me of her being bipolar but I stuck by her because thats just how I am,Irish/Italian breeds loyalty and stubborness I suppose.She would have good days but then she could be emotional crying or totally crazy and scarily violent where she would try to harm herself.

Earl is my favorite player and I hope he gets the help that he needs.I have been around people who act the way he does,most are bipolar or scitzophrenic sadly.I got the chance to speak with him in AZ recently and we were talking about how he played and his stroke and for some reason he thought I was being sarcastic so he kinda started to go off.So first hand I got to see what he can get like and its alot like my aunt and my old girlfriend would act.

Basically the person feels as if they are being attacked or made fun of and so even if they arent and the person is just talking to them like I was Earl not being sarcastic whatsoever it can be interpreted as the complete opposite in that persons mind.Growing up with my aunt and living with her like that taught me alot and realizing the person cant help it,but most people cant understand mental health issues and realize the person needs help or meds and not to be laughed at and made fun of,it makes it worse.

 

[av84fun]

PS: Here is some very interesting...and telling comments on the disorder.

"Some studies have suggested a significant correlation between creativity and bipolar disorder. Though studies consistently show a positive correlation between the two, the exact nature of the relationship between the disorder and creativity is still unclear.[3][4][5] One study indicated increased striving for and attainment of goals and achievements was correlated with onset of manic symptoms.[6] While the disorder affects people differently, individuals with bipolar disorder tend to be much more outgoing and daring than individuals without bipolar disorder. The disorder is also found in a large number of people involved in the arts. It is an ongoing study as to why many creative geniuses had bipolar disorder.

Re: that last sentence...for the record, my Mom was SCARY SMART!

She had an uncanny ability to reduce VERY complex problems into simple, rational and correct solutions with maddening frequency.

When I was 16, I asked to borrow her Ford Fairlane with 4 barrel carbs to go to the beach. Actually, I entered the amateur division of a drag race!

I was always a rebel with numerous causes...still am I guess.

Anyway, when I got home, she calmly asked..."How did you do at the drag race?"

Stunned, I said..."How did you KNOW???"

She said she had heard the radio ads...figured I'd enter...checked the mileage before I took the car.

The lake was half the distance as the drag strip and the mileage was almost exactly the round trip distance from our house to the track!!!

BUSTED AGAIN!!!

Gotta love her.

RIP Mom...see ya later!!!

(-:

 

[Fast Lenny]

PS: Here is some very interesting...and telling comments on the disorder.

"Some studies have suggested a significant correlation between creativity and bipolar disorder. Though studies consistently show a positive correlation between the two, the exact nature of the relationship between the disorder and creativity is still unclear.[3][4][5] One study indicated increased striving for and attainment of goals and achievements was correlated with onset of manic symptoms.[6] While the disorder affects people differently, individuals with bipolar disorder tend to be much more outgoing and daring than individuals without bipolar disorder. The disorder is also found in a large number of people involved in the arts. It is an ongoing study as to why many creative geniuses had bipolar disorder.

Re: that last sentence...for the record, my Mom was SCARY SMART!

She had an uncanny ability to reduce VERY complex problems into simple, rational and correct solutions with maddening frequency.

When I was 16, I asked to borrow her Ford Fairlane with 4 barrel carbs to go to the beach. Actually, I entered the amateur division of a drag race!

I was always a rebel with numerous causes...still am I guess.

Anyway, when I got home, she calmly asked..."How did you do at the drag race?"

Stunned, I said..."How did you KNOW???"

She said she had heard the radio ads...figured I'd enter...checked the mileage before I took the car.

The lake was half the distance as the drag strip and the mileage was almost exactly the round trip distance from our house to the track!!!

BUSTED AGAIN!!!

Gotta love her.

RIP Mom...see ya later!!!

(-:

I can agree with this that my old girlfriend was very artistic but also very unpredictable too,sometimes its a good things and other times it was pretty scary.

 

[Milo]

My grandmother had the same problem(btw she played pool her whole life)

My dads mom had a chemical imbalance also. Now at that time(65 yrs ago) they didnt know what she had or how to treat it. My dad adored her but he said she was very unpredictable. I remember her being a very sweet woman. A real character with a great sense of humor. I miss her.
And I sure wish I could of seen her pool game. My dad said she played very well. (she played 14-1)

 

[RunoutalloverU]

Strickland is truly one of the greats. Although I think he might be exaggerating slightly when he says he runs 5 miles a day, im glad he is on the right track.

 

[Rick S.]

Strickland is truly one of the greats. Although I think he might be exaggerating slightly when he says he runs 5 miles a day, im glad he is on the right track.

He's not exaggerating the slighest. While staying with me for 2 weeks, he missed 2 days of running the entire time. He did go run twice in one day, 8-9 miles.

Same with the situps...he does hundreds at a time. Hell, it made me sore just to watch him. I got to give it to him, he's dead serious about it.

Meds.... for the last couple years he was prescribed a medication he couldn't take and be able to play pool. The side effects were too drastic. Said it made him feel 'funny'...therefore, he wasn't taking it most of the time.

Recently, (3-4 months ago) he went back to the Dr. and they tried a new drug. It's working 98% better. He can play while taking it now. He takes it on time, when he supposed to. Daily......

There is a big difference in him, all for the good. Earl was always a little 'hyper' (to put it milldly!) previously. Fidgeting around, continously. Now, he can actually sit still.

He's back to hitting them pretty damn good too. He's practicing 8-10 a day, between that and the health regimen he's been on....it's all good.

Being around him a little....I'm seeing more, and more of the old Earl. I used to see flashes, here and there. Now, I see more... I see a Man with a heart as big as an Elephant's. A Man with desire to be on top of the world again...a Man who WANTS it more than anything.

And we all know he has the skill to do it.....and now he's on his way BACK.

Lord knows he deserves it....

Rick S.

 

[JAM]

And we all know he has the skill to do it.....and now he's on his way BACK.

As far as I'm concerned, he never left. Earl Strickland is an American pool legend with more pocket billiard titles than any other player before his time.

There is a reason why he is often requested to participate in high-profile events. It's always pleasure seeing Earl on the tournament trail. I can't wait to see him again this year at the U.S. Open, a tournament he won five times.

JAM

 

[beetle]

I wish more people realized that Earl's issues are more about a personality order (possibly because of a chemical imbalance), rather than Earl just trying to be a jerk. Hopefully these meds work. I think the best thing would be for Earl to recover his skills and drive to win, but leave the craziness at the hotel.

Russ

I'm just glad Earl finally LISTENED to advice and became proactive with the issue. If I had a nickel for every time someone suggested he go to a doctor and get some medical advice.... Like with alcoholism, you can only be supportive for so long, and then it's up to the afflicted person to realize they've got a problem and make the decision to improve their life, starting with seeking professional help.