Earl, According to Earl
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| Enter Earl: In 1982, Strickland (second from right) scored his first title at the expense of Buddy Hall (right). |
Strickland, who has played tennis for years and is a single-digit-handicap golfer, often draws comparisons between those sports and pool. He views himself, and other professional pool players, on an even plane with the top professional golfers and tennis players, and can't understand why pool and its stars aren't accorded the same respect at and away from the table.
And as contrary as it must seem for a player who has confronted and cussed at fans and players, who has quit matches in mid-game, and who has berated promoters over equipment issues, Strickland insists everything he does spins from his desire to preserve the integrity of the game.
"Anything I've done, good or bad, has been for the integrity of the game," he says with convincing conviction. "Whether people see that or believe that or not, that's what I live for. I play to see the game reach the level of respect that it deserves, because it's the greatest game there is."
Strickland's outbursts and fits of outlandish behavior are legendary, but they are strangely consistent with his contention that he's simply reacting (and, admittedly overreacting!) to perceived affronts to the game he loves.
In a Camel Pro Billiard Tour event in 1999, Strickland dismantled his cue and walked out in the middle of the championship match. Offended by opponent Cory Deuel's newly perfected "soft break," Strickland refused to play. The game, he insisted, had been compromised.
"That's cheating," he says. "Players should respect each other and play the game."
(It should be noted that the soft break has since been barred in most pro tournaments.)
Amazingly, Strickland's hard-line stance in that Camel finale jeopardized his No. 1 ranking and imperiled his shot at the $60,000 Camel Bonus as the year's top point-earner. He went on to win the Camel points title and the bonus, but even had he fallen short, Strickland still would have defended his actions.
"I do those things to prove a point," Strickland insists. "I quit to show you how wrong it is to have people play like that. I won't play like that, and I won't watch it."
In the 2005 U.S. Open, Strickland virtually handed his match to Germany's Ralf Souquet in protest over his opponent's methodical play.
"If a player slow-plays," Strickland says, "which I think is disrespectful of the game, I don't even want to play."
Strickland went on to win seven matches in a row on the losers' side to finish fourth.
"I'm not going to watch a guy labor over four balls that are hangers," Strickland barks. "We should have a shot clock in every match. Make people think and shoot. In tennis you have 20 seconds to serve.
"I'm 44 years old and I treat myself like an athlete," rationalizes the 6-foot, 170-pounder. "I work hard to stay in shape. Then I'm punished by slow, lethargic players who take 40 strokes, powder their hands, take 20 more strokes, then get up and take a sip of water! You think that helps sell the game?"
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