An open letter to Earl "The Pearl" Strickland
Just be the pool legend that fans know you are (without the drama)
DEAR MR. STRICKLAND,
First and foremost — I am a big fan, in case you’re not sure where this letter is headed…
I started playing pool in the college rec room as a student. We were lucky to have several regulation 9-ft. tables to choose from, at a student-friendly rental rate of $2/hour. Knocking balls around on a table with six pockets was the perfect cheap pastime for poor college kids.
My pool playing buddies and I got to know about you and your peers back then. You all had style and big personalities and, of course, groovy nicknames. Captain Hook, King James, Kentucky Colonel, Cool Cat, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Lou, Earthquake, The Scorpion, The Rifleman, The Professor, The Kaiser, The Miz, The Magician…1
Ah yes, The Magician. You played him in the final of the Sands Regency Open XXI on June 11, 1995. It was 9-ball, whoever wins 13 games gets the cheese. With the score at hill-hill and your opponent at the table seemingly unstoppable, he unluckily potted the 8-ball after attempting a safety shot on the five. The 5-ball rested near the middle of the far short rail; the cue ball snookered behind the six near the other end of the table. You realized what happened and looked up to thank the pool gods, arms stretched to the heavens.
Any pool enthusiast would know what came next. The Magician executed the timeless “Z-shot” and made the five into the corner pocket. The crowd went nuts, the commentators shouted in disbelief, and the sport would never be the same again.
You shook your head in awe and joined the spectators in applause. In fact, you gracefully conceded the match as your opponent was getting ready to pocket the game-winning ball. You held up his arm high to celebrate his incredible victory.
No doubt that Z-shot was the highlight of the match and became legendary. People scroll back the video to rewatch it over and over again (I’m guilty). But what I also consider legendary was your genuine sportsmanship and your honest evaluation in the post-match ad-hoc interview from the commentator booth:
“I’m very fortunate to be in the finals. I didn’t play well this week, some guys fainted over a few shots for me, but overall I feel like I gave a good performance. I made a few mistakes here and there. I think that I might have won the match had I corrected some safeties or something like that. I played a poor safety on the last game. But you know, I’d rather it end like that than winning the tournament, actually.”
And of the opponent:
“He’s a dedicated player, I think he practices a little more than I do. But you know, I played all of them and he’s the greatest.”
This is the Earl Strickland who holds countless titles and accolades and tournament records. Three World 9-Ball Championships (only person to win it back-to-back), five U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, and BCA Hall of Fame inductee.
There are reels and documentaries about you and your skill and your passion. You have adoring fans all over the world who share the same passion for the game and can only dream of possessing half of your level of skill. Honestly, there’s nothing more you need to prove — you are truly one of the greatest pool players in history.
Doesn’t mean we, the fans, want to see you simply fade away. No! We love that you’re still competing in tournaments and in the spotlight. We even appreciate that you’re starting to miss more shots than during your prime years — something we, as amateurs, can certainly relate. We just cringe whenever your passion spills over to become outbursts, unsportsmanlike conduct, and disruptive antics.
You’re 61 years old and still strike fear in the hearts of opponents at a pool game. But I hope you’d strive to win hearts again, just like you did in 1995 after losing one of the greatest finals match in pool history.
EKLENT KACI WINS THE WORLD 10 BALL CHAMPIONSHIP. The semifinals were Fedor Gorst vs. Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Eklent Kaci vs. Joshua Filler. Both were great games, but the Gorst-FSR match will go down in history as one of the most memorable pool matches. There were plenty of safety battles and amazing jump shots, especially by Gorst. But at hill-hill with Gorst breaking, the pool gods decided to play pranks starting with a dry break. FSR took control of the table and forced an early no-contact foul by Gorst on the 2-ball (after 18 games Gorst hadn’t fouled on any kicks). FSR played safety again on the 4-ball and force another no-contact foul by Gorst. FSR continued another safety on the same ball but Gorst made good contact this time — only to foul on a cue ball scratch after contact. Gorst lost the match to three consecutive fouls, almost unheard of in pro tournaments and even more astonishing considering Gorst’s caliber.
The final pitted FSR against Kaci. FSR hoped to add a world 10-ball title after winning the 8-ball and 9-ball titles, but ultimately Kaci put a hard stop to that. The Albanian won 10-8 to capture the title which he’d also won in 2021.
PREMIER LEAGUE POOL IS MEH SO FAR. Considering the lineup of 16 great players, such as Jayson Shaw, Earl Strickland, Shane Van Boening, Naoyuki Oi, Albin Ouschan, FSR, etc., Day 1 of this event concluded with a yawn. Perhaps due to the short race (to five) and wide range of pro levels (top players vs. “the rest”), plus an arena with no audience. Unsurprisingly, in his match against FSR down 3-1, Strickland blamed a miss on the 5-ball on his opponent moving in the chair. The referee defended FSR while Strickland continued to lodge complaints. FSR won comfortably, 5-1.
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First time I have read or heard of it. Have you ever gotten a response from Earl?