Ten Questions For The Pearl
How does it feel to be a new sponsored player by JFlowers, and can you describe your interaction with their company?
How does it feel to be back in action representing USA for the Mosconi Cup?
How have you been training for this year's Mosconi Cup?
Do you feel like USA has a good chance of winning the Cup, with many placing team Europe as a strong favorite?
Do you feel like the crowd at the Cup is a big factor? How will you deal with tough fans, and hecklers if any this year? Are you prepared for that if so?
You are such an icon in pool, arguably the greatest player in USA history in pool. Do you feel like your experience and leadership will help the team win?
You and SVB stand tied at 5 US Open wins a piece, and are two of the most dominant forces the pool world has ever seen. Can you describe the contrast between your game and his, and perhaps talk a little bit about that, and perhaps other players in the game you respect, or would like to say something about?
Everyone on team USA, I believe, has been on winning USA teams. How do you feel this helps the team as a whole, and what do you think Jeremy Jones needs to do to help the team get the "W" at the end of the event?
How big would it be for you to be on another wining USA team, what would that mean to you? Can you please describe in detail?
Who on Team Europe would you most like to beat 1v1?
Saturday, November 26th, 2022 – This is the Tallahassee Squirrel checking back in on the pool scene, after a break hunting acorns, stocking up, whatever, it's top secret, and this isn't about me, this is about my favorite player ever, Mr Earl "The Pearl" Strickland, a pool savant of the highest level perhaps the world has ever, will ever, see.
This article is about the Mosconi Cup 2022, with SVB, Woodward, Domiquez, Styer, and Strickland on team USA; then you have Filler, Shaw, Alcaide, Ouschan, and Ruiz; David (USA) vs Goliath (Europe), you have all players in the top form, of the prime of their game, and such a deep pool to take swimmers from, they didn't even need Fedor Gorst. That's a lot of fireworks, firepower, and fanfare, so be if you are forsworn to an oath of "USA! USA! USA!" That kind of chant, if that's your team? Let it out. On the converse side, if you chant "Euuuuuuuuuuuroooooooopeee!" Let that be known.
But make no mistake players, team USA has their collective backs against the wall in many ways, however, they also have the advantage of being the underdogs, going into the fight, and if they overcome one of the greatest team Europe's ever produced, and somehow get the win against that wall of world Titans of pool they have to select from, then we have truly, team USA, risen to the occasion.
Let us now return our focus back to the main point about this article, what we are talking about here, what is at stake for team USA, what team Europe stands to gain or lose, should they lose, but they have so many world class, world champions, and beasts like Jayson Shaw and his recent record breaking straight pool run of 669 balls (check that), Ruiz, such an awesome champion, and I feel lucky to be his friend on Facebook, and some may say that's "Fakebook" with fake friends, I feel like he is a genuine friend as well, and also "10 Questions For Earl Strickland," and those were geared towards the Pearl answering them for us for the JFlowers sponsorship, Strickland cover feature article December.
Then, I was used to the Cup, from years past, early in December, but not starting November 31st, through Dec 3rd! We've come right up on it while I was eating Turkey, and I got caught a little short, behind the billiards times, adrift at sea, if the metaphor fits, but then it hit me: who else does it better than SPM? Will we leave it to Billiards Digest, Billiards Buzz, InsidePool Magazines to cover the game in the same, rogue, hardcore solider news, from a US Army veteran, trained in primary MOS 46Q (Journalist) – who has the skills to cover the game in the same way? Many perhaps, or perhaps not. I like to dabble in pool, but writing is my absolute forte – my vocabulary can hit hard as a hammer, or soft like a feather, which is the nature of water, both hard and soft.
So all the above is to set the stage for that David (USA) vs Goliath (Europe) team match up, what we here predict days going in, or specifically what this Tallahassee Squirrel sees for this year's event, to be held in a few days.
I'd like to see my home team USA win the cup and tie up the series at 14-14, or fourteen a piece, or 14 all, whatever – otherwise, I think Europe will pull ahead 15-13 with a win this year.? Will Earl "The Pearl" Strickland interact with the raucous crowd, break his cue? Or will Strickland and team USA rise to the task and take down the European juggernauts?
USA, has come through with back to back wins for the Cup in recent years, 2018,19 I believe, but have faltered more in the last few I recall – so USA needs one of those Rocky-Balboa-story endings, where one is faced against nearly insurmountable odds, and yet rises to the task.
For myself, I formulated ten questions for Strickland, if he had time, just days before "kickoff," to talk up the game perhaps, have something to say, but I may be just a little late, and have to cover him during the Cup, his performance, hope he and team USA shoot well, that he can help lead the way as the old and new guard with Styer – SVB himself selected a record 16 back-to-back times – dating back to 2007, and Shane Van Boening has been killing it ever since – both SVB and Strickland have 5 record US Open titles. But suffice it to say: I may not have gotten the questions in on time for Strickland to be able to respond. We will see.
