Earl, According to Earl
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| Defiant to the end, MVP Strickland dominated the '05 Mosconi Cup. (Photo by Lawrence Lustig) |
"Earl is a purist to a fault," contends Janet Shimel, president of longtime Strickland sponsor J-S Sales Co. "He truly believes, and he sticks to his principles even if the opponent doesn't have to."
Case in point: A vocal opponent of the jump cue, Strickland insists on using his standard cue even when the "gimmick cue" is allowed in a tournament. And, on many occasions, opponents have intentionally pushed-out or played safes into areas that would force Strickland to jump a ball.
Even topics as obscure as bathroom breaks come under Earl's scrutiny.
"Guys take 15-minute bathroom breaks," Strickland scoffs. "That's wrong. I've never taken a break during a match … ever! It's dead wrong. You stay in shape and you fight through your problems."
"He lets little things bother him," Shimel admits. "He's even said he's cursed by good hearing, which causes him to get upset by the slightest murmurs in the crowd.
"You can't really categorize Earl. He's just a simple guy who wants to play the game the way it was meant to be played."
To a fault, as Shimel points out. Strickland often bites the hand that feeds him, challenging promoters to show more respect for conditions.
"A lot of promoters turn pool into a carnival," Strickland says. "And that's disrespectful of the sport. At tournaments like the Challenge of Champions they make you play on a parquet floor. You can't do that. Hell, just buy a stinking carpet! But this guy [promoter Matt Braun] writes books for a living. He doesn't care about the sport. The players are just props."
Even pool savior Kevin Trudeau has been subject to Strickland's wrath.
"The guy pays $200,000 to produce an event," says an incredulous Strickland, "and doesn't even have lights over the table! I couldn't even see when I was playing. I'm 44 years old competing against 20-year-olds. What kind of respect does that show us as athletes? You think I'm going to run a tournament and not have proper lights over the table?"
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