I've got a story for you guys about Earl...I was at a tournament with a friend of mine some thirteen or fourteen years ago. My friend is a much older gentleman (at that time maybe 71 or 72) and we met hitting some balls around at a rec center on an Air Force base in DC while I was on active duty. We became good friends and at one point I asked him if he wanted to check out a tournament with the Pros doing their thing. He said..."yeah, OK let's do this and do we went".
We got there early and got good seats and watched the Pros played. As they played I let him know who this Pro was and who that Pro was...etc. One match in particular involved Earl Strickland and someone I did not know. It was a pretty good match with Earl doing his thing and in one particular situation Earl was trying to make a shot and get position on the next ball. Earl executed the shot but did not make it. My friend leans over to me and says..."he should have banked it". Now my friend is not the best straight in shot maker in the world as a matter of fact at that time he was rated a 4 on the APA but he had an uncanny ability to see and make banks...even two and three rail banks. I just looked at him and said..."yeah you're probably right but Earl thought otherwise".
The match ended with Earl winning and then after he gathered his belongings sat next to us after his match...next to my friend no doubt. At that time there was a break in match play and so my friend leans over to Earl and said..."good match". To which Earl replied..."thanks". Then my friend asks him..."what happened on that one shot"? Earl looked puzzled and my friend proceeded to the table and set up the shot and explained that he should have banked it. It was then that I was looking for my exist as here is a 4 APA ranked player telling Earl Strickland how that shot should have been played. So Earl says... show me and my friend as calm and matter of fact as can be showed him. Earl kinda laughed and said do it again...and so my friend did it again and again. Earl came down to the table and my friend went on to explain how that shot can be made over and over again...and got Earl to make it. After that, they chatted for like a half hour like they had known each other for years.
Afterwards they shook had and parted ways...I was just stunned! I explained to my friend who that was that he just gave a lesson to and he turned to me and said..."we all put our pants on one leg at a time" and then said..."he's a nice fella".
We got there early and got good seats and watched the Pros played. As they played I let him know who this Pro was and who that Pro was...etc. One match in particular involved Earl Strickland and someone I did not know. It was a pretty good match with Earl doing his thing and in one particular situation Earl was trying to make a shot and get position on the next ball. Earl executed the shot but did not make it. My friend leans over to me and says..."he should have banked it". Now my friend is not the best straight in shot maker in the world as a matter of fact at that time he was rated a 4 on the APA but he had an uncanny ability to see and make banks...even two and three rail banks. I just looked at him and said..."yeah you're probably right but Earl thought otherwise".
The match ended with Earl winning and then after he gathered his belongings sat next to us after his match...next to my friend no doubt. At that time there was a break in match play and so my friend leans over to Earl and said..."good match". To which Earl replied..."thanks". Then my friend asks him..."what happened on that one shot"? Earl looked puzzled and my friend proceeded to the table and set up the shot and explained that he should have banked it. It was then that I was looking for my exist as here is a 4 APA ranked player telling Earl Strickland how that shot should have been played. So Earl says... show me and my friend as calm and matter of fact as can be showed him. Earl kinda laughed and said do it again...and so my friend did it again and again. Earl came down to the table and my friend went on to explain how that shot can be made over and over again...and got Earl to make it. After that, they chatted for like a half hour like they had known each other for years.
Afterwards they shook had and parted ways...I was just stunned! I explained to my friend who that was that he just gave a lesson to and he turned to me and said..."we all put our pants on one leg at a time" and then said..."he's a nice fella".
