As I recall, it definitely was more than nothing and nobody really had any concept of everything .
Why did Earl lose the Hong Kong Color of Money $100,000 match to Efren?
- Thread starter jjohnson
- Start date
Overall, these replies cumulatively tend to agree with my original "corner man" thought. It might be a nuance but I don't think it should have been overlooked. It could have easily been rectified. Earl was a fish out of water in a hostile environment. He probably realized this. He either didn't give it any credence or didn't know what to do about it, unfortunately. It possibly cost him the match. Lesson to be learned: always consider the circumstances and situation in any competition. Give yourself the greatest opportunity for success.
i don't know about that. ronnie-o is a nutcase too, and with medications, regular psychiatrist, sports psychiatrist, and a strict fitness regime, he's won more than he ever did in (what should've been) his prime.
earl is still the best 9-ball player ever imo, but i think he would've won more in the 00's and 10's had he gotten more of that kind of support.
Earl tried drugs for his issues. Problem was he couldn't compete well taking the drugs. I had the same type of deal with beta-blockers for over a decade. I need to be on my toes a little to compete well and I was flat footed on beta-blockers. Sometimes you are faced with a no win deal and I understand that was the case with Earl. A little crazy off of med's and couldn't compete on them.
Second hand info but this is what I heard years ago.
Hu
Earl in hi-gear was easily the best 9b player ever. Only problem was as he got a lil older the demons started gettin the best of him.
Also...Efren started gettin' the best of him too. I think it bothered him more than just a little bit when the folks started to flee the Earl "ship" and jump aboard the Efren "ship". Just an opinion of mine. I've done no research on the matter.
Earl's fans never 'jumped ship'. even in semi-retirement they are as loyal/fervent as ever. Earl always thought the world was kinda out to get him so to speak. Its a lot of what drove him.
A few thoughts after reading this thread:
-While I acknowledge that this is a community of die hard pool fans, some of who are in the know on certain topics, there is also a lot of third and fourth hand information out there as well as just plain speculation. So while some of these details provided are possible. For example, Earl threatening to expose the promoter for their sharking or Earl not wanting to show up on day three because he felt doomed. Possible, and I do respect the posters who wrote this, but I am treating these as rumors only for myself. For those new here you'll find there are 9 rumors for every 1 set of true events.
-I completely agree with the assessment that Earl has demons that drove him to greatness that could at times be double edged. You can't say "Think of how great he would have been without those demons" because without those demons he might have been a banker or a mailman. The same thing that makes you laugh makes you cry.
-I don't think luck was the deciding factor in a race to 121, that Earl got a lead due to luck and that Efren came back because of luck. I don't dispute that there is some luck in pool, but the assessment that this was all about luck isn't one I can get behind.
So the most likely narrative here is that Earl had a huge high gear, particularly on softer pockets with his break working, and he used this to play some explosive pool and get a big lead. But pressure comes out in some amazing ways, and for him his demons woke up and he started self destructing. Maybe this played out in him getting confrontational with the crowd or perceiving sharking attempts everywhere, but the result is that he couldn't in the moment keep cool and keep focused on the table. Efren was just enough to use these opportunities to creep back into the match.
The fact that he had Efren down and came so close means Earl is one of the greatest. He definitely had a huge high gear. But it isn't fair to say he was better than Efren, because the demons and fumbles are just as much part of his game as the high gear. But he doesn't need to be better than Efren. Efren was awesome. So was Earl. They each took turns winning major events and are both hall of fame. History has room for both of these giants.
-While I acknowledge that this is a community of die hard pool fans, some of who are in the know on certain topics, there is also a lot of third and fourth hand information out there as well as just plain speculation. So while some of these details provided are possible. For example, Earl threatening to expose the promoter for their sharking or Earl not wanting to show up on day three because he felt doomed. Possible, and I do respect the posters who wrote this, but I am treating these as rumors only for myself. For those new here you'll find there are 9 rumors for every 1 set of true events.
-I completely agree with the assessment that Earl has demons that drove him to greatness that could at times be double edged. You can't say "Think of how great he would have been without those demons" because without those demons he might have been a banker or a mailman. The same thing that makes you laugh makes you cry.
-I don't think luck was the deciding factor in a race to 121, that Earl got a lead due to luck and that Efren came back because of luck. I don't dispute that there is some luck in pool, but the assessment that this was all about luck isn't one I can get behind.
So the most likely narrative here is that Earl had a huge high gear, particularly on softer pockets with his break working, and he used this to play some explosive pool and get a big lead. But pressure comes out in some amazing ways, and for him his demons woke up and he started self destructing. Maybe this played out in him getting confrontational with the crowd or perceiving sharking attempts everywhere, but the result is that he couldn't in the moment keep cool and keep focused on the table. Efren was just enough to use these opportunities to creep back into the match.
The fact that he had Efren down and came so close means Earl is one of the greatest. He definitely had a huge high gear. But it isn't fair to say he was better than Efren, because the demons and fumbles are just as much part of his game as the high gear. But he doesn't need to be better than Efren. Efren was awesome. So was Earl. They each took turns winning major events and are both hall of fame. History has room for both of these giants.
Agree with a lot here. IMO Earl was better 9b player mostly based on his break. Efren surely was better all-rounder but Earl day in-day out was a better 9b player.
Nothing short of a great post! I watched this match but it has been many years ago now. I don't think there is any way Efren could have came back without Earl faltering. Earl did falter and Efren isn't beaten until the last ball falls.
There is a factor rarely mentioned in pool, who leads and who follows. I'm not talking about points or games here but like a dance. It was much more obvious in straight pool days. Somebody would win a straight pool game of two hundred points or more, another great finished in single digits! Seems impossible but what happens is one person gets control of the table and the other person is facing an extremely low percentage shot every time they come to the table. Their only hope of recovery is to make one of these shots or return an equally tough safe. A player may come to the table three or four times in a 200 point game and never have a real shot.
Earl had control for awhile, then Efren. For whatever reason Earl blew up in the home stretch. Demons, sharking, some other things that have been speculated, why I don't know. A stranger in a strange land is giving up a huge spot. Earl needed not just a cornerman but an entourage backing him up to not be giving that spot.
Hu
Ton of great outs that session. Everything else - yeah yeah, sure, sure...