Earl Strickland Professional Maximizer Pool Cue Stick

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Manufacturer Description:

Excalibur Maximizer Pool Cue - 99459

• Black fiberglass and graphite pool cue with stainless steel joint

• Endorsed by professional pool player Earl Strickland

• Fiberglass and graphite shaft

• 13 mm deluxe brown leather tip

• Professional 15.5-inch tapered shaft

• Super-slick shaft that never needs sanding

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Earl Strickland - 9 ball Pool Player

Earl 'the Pearl' Strickland began playing pool at the tender age of nine and after much devoted practice he entered his first professional tournament at around age 15 turning full-time professional only five years later.

Earl Strickland has many times won the prestigious Player of the Year Award and his illustrious career has included five wins at the U.S. Open 9 ball Championships - more than any other professional pool player in the world and three WPA World 9 ball Championships.  In fact Strickland is the only WPA World 9 ball Champion ever to win this prestigious event two years in a row. He is also invariably invited to compete for the USA against Europe in the annual Mosconi Cup tournament.

Strickland is known for his volatile temperament and broke his own cue, smashing it against the floor in frustration after missing a shot during a match against Thomas Engert in the Mosconi cup although he did in fact go on to win the match 7-4 despite the rowdiness of the crowd who certainly were not on his side.  Earl has however shown a different side to him on occasions and after heated arguments with referee Michaela Tabb during a 2003 World Championship game with Steve Davis, he bought the referee flowers by way of an apology which he brought to his next game. Because of this unpredictable temperament and his equally unpredictable style of play,  the crowds inevitably will surround his table at major pool events. Achievements in 9 ball

In fact it was in 1983 at Lake Tahoe that a victory first brought Earl Strickland into national prominence. At Caesars Palace Pro Billiard Classic in Las Vegas in 1984, Strickland was said to have played "like a polished gem." He was clearly becoming a dominant force on the tournament trail and recognized as a future world champion also very notable for his speed of play. Onlookers said he had the "skill, endurance, patience, temperament, and tenacity of which champions are made. Because of his dominance, Strickland was named The National Billiard News Player of the Year in 1984.

Strickland is said to have once run 11 consecutive racks against Nick Mannino during the first PCA tournament in 1996 where there was a stipulation that anyone who could break and run 10 racks would win US$1,000,000.  Apparently Strickland's last shot was a tough nine-ball combination in which Earl showed no fear and "fired it in with authority" to win the prize giving him another nickname that of ' the million dollar man'.

Cuetec Dumps Earl Strickland (finally!)

Well, it only took 16 years, but Cuetec has finally fired BCA Hall of Fame Member Earl Strickland. Strickland endorsed Cuetec cues from 1990 through January 2007 but with the sale of J-S Sales (Cuetec’s parent company) to Imperial USA, that relationship came to a grinding halt.

It seems that the new owners of Cuetec didn’t want pool’s version of John McEnroe attached to their cue line. As far as I’m concerned, this should have happened years ago. Strickland is a continuing stain on the game of pool. His antics are childish and more importantly, completely played out. It was entertaining at first, but after seeing “the pearl” throw a tantrum at every event, the act grew real old real fast. He clearly has no respect for the game, the industry or the players.

Strickland, never known to take responsibility for anything, continued his impressive run of being a horse’s ass by blaming the fact that he can’t win anymore on Cuetec. “If they [Cuetec] made a better cue, I’d still be winning. But I was handicapped with that cue.” He then went so far as to compare himself to Tiger Woods. “J-S sent me an invoice for $3,000 for stuff I got from them. You think Tiger Woods would ever get an invoice from Target?” Well Earl, maybe the difference between you and Tiger is that Tiger is a consistent winner who isn’t an embarrassment to his sponsors and the game he plays. You might also consider the fact that golf has a slightly bigger audience than 9 Ball.

Meanwhile, the quality of Cuetec cues doesn’t seem to be bothering pool’s real version of Tiger Woods: The Dutchess of Doom, Allison Fisher. She once again took home a truckload of Player of the Year honors and is still the most consistent pool player in the business. All that with a cue that was a “handicap” according to Strickland. As they say, it’s a poor carpenter that blames his tools, especially when someone builds a mansion with the same tools you used to create the crapshack you’ve turned your career into.

Hasta La Vista Earl. Here’s to hoping that no cuemaker is ever foolish or desperate enough to sign you up as a sponsor.

Groups Announced For IPT World Open Championships

The International Pool Tour announces the official player groupings for the IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship. The tournament starts Sunday, September 3, 2006 at 10am in Reno, Nevada at the Grand Sierra Resort.

This historic event boasts the biggest prize fund in the history of the sport. $3,000,000 is the total prize purse, and the winner of the tournament will win an historic $500,000!

Here are the official groupings:

Group 26:

Strickland, Earl
Ouschan, Jasmin
Storm, Tom
Acosta, Roland
Fusco, Pete

World Cup of Pool 2006

Matchroom Sport is announcing the first ever PartyPoker.com World Cup of Pool, which will be held at the Newport Centre, Newport, Wales, from Tuesday, August 22 to Sunday, August 27.

The event features 32 two-man teams from around the world and includes some of the sport's greatest players.

Former 9-ball World Champions and longtime rivals Earl Strickland (USA) and Efren Reyes (Philippines) are in the fold. While snooker stars Steve Davis, Tony Drago and Ronnie O'Sullivan will also be joining.

Earl Strickland won the Riviera Hotel Pro 8-Ball Open in Las Vegas Nevada Interview

AZB: First off, I would like to congratulate you on your winning the Riviera Hotel Pro 8-Ball Open. You were playing some outstanding pool and, after beating Kim Davenport, you seemed unbeatable for the rest of the event.

You made a comment to the fans after your win that this showed you were more than just a 9-Ball player. Is this really the first 8-Ball title you have won?

Earl:Well, it's the first title I have won other than 9-ball. I've won 95 or 100 9-Ball titles. I'm approaching the century mark but I don't know exactly how many I have , I haven't counted them up but to win an 8-Ball event after winning so many 9-Ball events felt really special.

AZB: I would imagine that any time you start a tourney, you have to think that you can win it. However, was there any one time in Vegas where it really hit you that you could win the event?

Earl:Well, to start with I got an easy draw and I believe that even when one the top players wins a tournament, a lot of times it starts out with getting the right kind of draw. Playing the kind of players you like to play. And I got a good draw and around the 4th round I finally had to play somebody that was a brand name player. I squeaked thru Davenport and I think he was the first match I had against one of the top players. I squeaked thru him 7-6. After that I felt a little more comfortable but you can never feel real comfortable. I got a lot of help along the way. Things went my way but I played well too.

AZB: Last season, the best you did were a couple 9th place finishes. This year you have won 2 events already. What are you doing differently this year as compared to last year.

Earl:Well, I've been working on a few things. I've been practicing more for one thing. This game takes a great deal of practice, kind of like golf. I've tweaked my sticks a little bit too. I've changed the size of my shafts, changed tips, and did a few things here and there with the sticks. A few subtle changes in my bridges, stances and grips. Just trying anything to try to get back to where I used to be.

AZB: I wouldn't think that the size of the shaft would make that much of a difference.

Earl: Well, it's just like Golf or anything else. Maybe a lot of these guys aren't as picky or technical as I am with the shaft and the tip and the weight but it's a lot like other sports. You look at Sampras with a tennis racket, I mean he has got that thing tweaked just the way he likes it and that's the same way I like to have a cue. And a golfer is the same way. They are gonna tweak a golf club to get it as close to what they want as far as weight and the flexibility of the shaft and the length of the club and the way the club is set. There are so many different little things that I have got to have just right now. Years ago when I was younger, I don't think those things came into play as much. You get a little older, you need the stick to be pretty much right on cue.

AZB:There is a great difference between a professional player of your caliber and an amateur player. What originally gave you the drive to be a professional pool player?

Earl:Well, to start with, I grew up in a small town in North Carolina, a little tobacco town where they would harvest tobacco, cotton, soybeans and corn. I grew up on a farm. I had a real wholesome life growing up, but my dad took me to the poolroom in 1969. I was just 9 years old and he introduced me to pool. The guy that owned the place is really the guy that gave me the chance to play and really learn the game. His name was Carson Naylor. He owned the pool room in Roseboro North Carolina. It was just a friendly little farm town where everybody knew each other and I grew up playing pool there. I had a good life growing up and I've had a good life so far playing pool. I'm glad I learned the game. A lot of people couldn't be introduced to the game the way I was. It was a different life then. The 70s was a loftier era. That's when I was growing up. But I have to say the guy that owned the pool room is the one that game me my real chance. Growing up, he helped me in a lot of ways, he taught me a lot of things. I had a real bad temper as a kid, and still do in a lot of ways. (Chuckles) Just ask my wife. Ask a lot of the fans too. But I've gotten better about that. My behavior is much better than it ever was playing the game. I'm becoming more professional every day.

AZB: If there was one piece of advice you could give to the amateur players out there, what would it be?

Earl: Well, I would recommend that if an amateur ever wants to become a professional player, they are going to have to learn to play on a 4 1/2 by 9. I see a lot of people playing on 3 1/2 by 7; no disrespect to 3 1/2 by 7, they can play on those too; but they will have to learn how to play the 4 1/2 by 9 and they have to learn all the bridges and all the stances. I think that's the most important part of learning all the shots. If you don't know how to make the bridge, or stand properly, or even grip the cue properly then you're gonna learn bad technique as you grow and learn to play. At a young age you really need to learn good technique.

Who's Hot and who's not? Knock-out draw

As Cardiff recorded the highest temperatures in the United Kingdom, several stars of the blue baize were wilting in the heat on Judgement Day.

Former world champion Nick Varner was one of several American casualties. The Hall of Fame inductee threw away a 4-1 lead over Antonio Lining and with it went his chances of qualifying for the Last 64. He'll be joined on the plane home to America by Charlie Williams, who never showed in Group 5.

Johnny Archer and Earl Strickland left it to the last minute to scrape through their groups. Archer started his campaign with three losses but came with a late run on the rails and Strickland, the defending champion, needed just one win out of three matches on the final day, but lost the first two, putting himself under pressure to win the last, which he did.

The Filipino players will be well represented in the knock out draw. Efren Reyes leads the way with a perfect record of seven wins, with 35 racks won and only 18 lost. Reyes' record is only better by Canada's Alex Pagulayan who lost only 14 racks. Marlon Manalo, better known as a snooker star also notched seven straight wins, for the loss of 21 racks and the fourth player with a perfect record was Ralf Souquet, who also lost 21 racks.

QUALFIERS: DRAW

Group 1: Ying-Chief Chen, Jorge Llanos, Earl Strickland, Mark Williams

Group 2: Francisco Bustamente, Thomas Engert, Evgeny Stalev, Raymond Cruz

Group 3: Ralf Souquet, Max Eberle, Fabio Petroni, Alex Lely

Group 4: Efren Reyes, Sin-Young Park, Roxton Chapman, John Horsfall

Group 5: Marlon Manalo, Mika Immonen, Haruyoshi Hinokiyama, Pascal Budo

Group 6: Akikumo Toshikawa, Ching-Shun Yang, Teddy Garrahan, Mukesh Rehani

Group 7: Hui-Kai Hsia, Rico Diks, Sten Jarledal, Johnny Archer

Group 8: Satoshi Kawabata, Niels Feijen, Steve Knight, Ernesto Dominguez

Group 9: Steve Davis, Ramil Gallego, Warren Kiamco, Tony Drago

Group 10: Lee Vann Corteza, Cory Deuel, Young-Hwa Jeong, Kevin Smith

Group 11: Alex Pagulayan, Tommy Donlon, Danny Harriman, Shintao Sugaya

Group 12: Hiroshi Takenaka, Che-Wei Fu, Oliver Ortmann, Niclas Bergendorff