by Ben Hudd • March 6, 2023
Earl Strickland has become somewhat renowned for his bizarre outbursts in professional pool tournaments and the legendary American was the centre of attention once again on the opening day of Premier League Pool.
Strickland was beaten by defending champion Albin Ouschan, Naoyuki Oi and Francisco Sanchez Ruiz during the afternoon session, but it was his match against the latter that gathered attention in particular.
The three-time world champion trailed 3-1 against the current world number one in Sanchez Ruiz and was gifted an opportunity on the five ball to reduce the deficit.
He caught hold of too much of the ball and missed by a distance, proceeding to blame his Spanish opponent for moving in his chair. ‘I wish he would sit still. That’s why I miss because I keep looking at him,’ Strickland claimed.
‘He’s not moving,’ referee Desislava Bozhilova replied in Sanchez Ruiz’s defence, before Strickland made her chuckle by saying ‘I know but I think he’s gonna move’.
Strickland continued his complaints to the match referee going into the sixth and final rack, before leaving the one ball hanging over a pocket as Sanchez Ruiz comfortably emerged as a 5-1 winner.
Absolute Pool 
Earl the Pearl, one of the greatest players ever, is also a sore loser. He must win to feed a feeble ego. He is an enneagram type Three (like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong). Their core perspective demands performance acknowledgment and when losing, the anxiety and stress needs to be released. They blame others or put them down. And so, their need to win makes them ambitious and competitive and is their strength to become “the best”. And we all know, exaggerated strength becomes a weakness. Hence, the bizarre statements.
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