Earl 'The Pearl' Strickland looks to make it a record three World Pool Championship titles in 2002 as he took on the legend that is Francisco Bustamante in Cardiff, Wales. #WorldPoolChampionship
Congrats to Earl Strickland here. Well deserved! Kudos to Bustamante for giving his best despite losing his daughter some time during the tournament. I can't imagine how he must've felt - the pressure of representing the Philippines and grief for his daughter. Hats off to you, Bustamante!
Do you know any details...? Was it unexpected, or did he know she was terminally ill....? I couldn't have continued if it was unexpected.... Not a chance.!
This match is so much emotional for bustamente,, he lost his daughter during the tournament at wanted to come home but his compatriots urged him to continue coz he is the last filipino in the tournament, such a pity that he didn't win this world championship, have a good health django,, btw he and efren reyes is still winning money games here in the Philippines,, hod bless
I still salute our beloved Django.he had the courage to reach that far despite losing his daughter.As for Earl,he probably didn't know about Django's situation.I was in Earl's, I would just simply raise my hand,wave and reach my opponent's hand and say good things despite of losing.
Earl is a truly a great player and I don't discount that. I however don't blame Django for losing his concentration altogether, he just lost his daughter during this tournament :(
Losing his concentration? It went hill hill in a very competitive close match vs 2 of the greatest players of all time. Yes he lost his daughter and I would never say I know what he was going threw but what I do know is champions are only champions because they know how to turn everything off and focus on whatever it is they are trying to accomplish. That is the exact reason why only certain people become champions 99.9999% of people aren’t able to do that and that is what makes the difference in becoming a good player or a great player. He lost to a better man on that night period. These guy play 10 times and they each win 5 that’s how good these men are.
@Len W yea I agreed that Strickland is better but they are both great, I believe Strickland is the best pool player of all time. Last time I looked at Busta’s Wikipedia page he has a lot of other titles in 10 and 8 ball. In his country he plays a shit load of 10 ball tournaments.
@@marcuslarwa9098 goddamn. i pity you. i think you have never truly loved someone. my best guesses on whats on djangos mind. how does his wife feel? how does his wife react on him prioritizing billiards over her dead daughter? Whats their future from now on? the lost oppotunities and investments they made to their daughter. and some more. BUT OFCOURSE strickland was obviously the better man that day.
Does Earl have talent? of course he does, but many egocentric people have talent. I respect all talent, but I can't like this man or any man who is so totally full of himself.
@@robertburkhardt3506 Most of the other pros really like Earl(with exceptions), They know he's a very emotional player and compulsive person with more love for the game than anyone one on Earth, but they also know him away from the table and the good person he really is... (despite his ego)
Just before Earl ties up at 15-15, he literally JUST earns himself enough safety to give Francisco a really hard jump shot. I think if that Jump shot had gone in we'd have a completely different world champion.
*EARLS INTERVIEWS, SAYS THIS WAS HIS BEST MATCH. EASILY RECALLS THE YEAR, ETC. SAID IT WAS HIS BEST COMEBACK, HE WAS ALWAYS BEHIND. UNTIL HE GOT TO BREAK AND TOLD HIMSELF HE HAS TO DO IT NOW. AND ALL THE HARD SHOTS HE PRACTICED, ALL CAME UP IN THIS GAME, PER EARL*
Might be the best if not him then Reyes. Would love to see them both shooting lights out at the same time. This was a great match both men were on they’re game.
Imagine if Efren was actually as good as YT comments section think and they had to say: "Efren Reyes, a FIVE TIME US Open Champion! The only human in existence to have 5 other than the legendary Shane Van Boening" #GOAT
These clips are of world tournaments, why don't they still use the measle cue ball, and the Brunswick centennial balls, both the best made anywhere-Ron Cerelli former seminole tour player in fla.
You can see in other matches that Bustamante is one of the players that Earl knows he better play near his best or he will lose. I seen Earl lose to Bustamante and Earl actually smiled and looked happy for Bustamante and gave him a handshake and hug.
After watching Efren , what makes Efren head and shoulders above these 2 is the finesse that efren is able to use on the cue ball. Also the kick shots , Efren is the best!
Earl made at least 1 incredible kick in this match and many in other matches, And we've all seen Busty make many great kicks.... Efren may be "better", but it ain't by much...
Everybody does that. Tons of guys nowadays do it. He said himself he did it because he always wanted to do it but only after a great win and with this head to head match and title win it was fitting
Strickland is Just Waiting for Ambushed... This Game Busti Always Leading,, But Missed The Opportunity of Leading With Big Margin Because of his Counter Safety and Scratch on the Break...
request lang po pedi po pa seminar kayo libre ikot ikot kayo sa bawat lugar, sa pinas, paki turuan kung paano maging tulad nyo po kung san kina kal kula tumbok na akma upang matuto at marami maging tulad nyo po. .... pedi po ba ? libre po kung pedi pabalato nyo na kayo na rin mag pa meryenda. mas lalo kayong sisikat, sa buong mundo po... tyak.
56:05 jesus that is pretty much a 5\5 bullseye difficulty shot to land on the 2 like that, probably the best shot of the match but what the hell do I know 🙄. Earl said this was the greatest win of his career and I said that an estimation before he said it because I understand the game and the history and it doesn't get any better than this because at the time bustamante in a race to 17, was considered unbeatable and at the time, consider to have the best break in the world. Yeah, his daughter died but if bustamante won, ohhhh he did it for his daughter oh boo hoo hoo, yesssss and beat the white guy too!!!! weeee!!! Bustamante got BEAT, Earl the PEARL Strikland, didnt just "win" this match. That jacked up cut on the 1 etc etc when down in the match, could have been basically game ball from there vs a guy like bustamante. Of course Earl is arguably better, he was only voted by his peers to be the best 9 ball player in history with nine world titles and Shane Van boning who won five out of 10 US opens, who worships Earl like a god. .... yeah I guess Earl is better 🙄. My cue maker Mike gulyassy, who also is Earl's cue maker, played on the moscone cup twice and has beaten buddy hall and Mike Siegel and Nick varner numerous times but never beat Earl Strickland in a tournament or in a pool hall or even in his basement where Earl himself has stayed for months at a time. A ex pro I know told me, "it's not like Earl has more ability than all the other world champions technically, he has the same abilities, but the difference is, Earl is capable of putting fives and six packs on you and I don't give a fuck who you are, when you are the recipient sitting in the chair, you WILL feel it". Evgeny Stalev, who I consider one of the greatest cueists to pick up a stick in history, came here from Russia and was said that if he could even see the 1 ball, he was out.... was looking for action as he always did and was trying to get a game with some of the top pros that were there at the event at the time and was informed that they aren't here right now but will be this evening and then said Earl Strickland is over there in the corner and Evgeny said: ".....no....no." Earl the PEARL Strikland
evgeny was a great player who wouldnt miss when he was in amongst the balls playing well but his safety let him down .. has a few matches on youtube, does slop a few balls in and his safety isnt the best but his break was phenominal and he could tango with all the top boys, i think he and gorst are friends.
I thought for a second if I was playing Busty in the finals of the world hampionship and I heard what happened, would I 'dump'? No pro player esp with the World Championship on the line would do this, especially not Earl. I wonder if Earl had heard and knew the situation with his daughter. Poor little girl, may she R.I.P. 😥 The courage and character Busty had to even find the strength to play, and the heart and concentration to actually play well and come within a hair of winning, considering the circumstance, his nickname should be lionheart. I hope Earl didn't know cause if he did and still decided to jump on the table was embarrassingly low class and made you hate him more. In a way, Bobby Flay after winning Iron Chef jumping on the counter where you prepare food was even worse. But that was a gift decision anyway. The Asian Iron Chefs show respect to the utensils, cutting boards, etc. Same reason Ichiro took immaculate care of his glove and bats - I think he apologized to his bat one time after accidentally tossing it. Besides Iron Chef America was a joke, hmm surprise that a 2 out of 3 is gonna come down to 1 deciding game? I heard rumors that Bobby was gonna win in advance cause some project he was working on. But poor Busty..I can't watch this match cause 1. The bad guy wins and 2. It's tough to look at Busty sitting down..can only imagine what he's thinking and going through. Ironically, if this situation were altered and it was Efren/Busty and Efren had the horrible misfortune, Francisco might be the only player on Earth that would make sure Efren wins but in a very subtle way. Back in '98, Busty truly at the top of his game and basically untouchable, he deferred and let Efren beat him I think a South Jersey 8 ball tourney and possibly another. That was out of straight up reverence and deference, but a situation involving his children? In Busty's mind it would only be a matter of how to do it without being obvious. I'm the end the ultimate feel good story: 'Bustamante battles Earl...but also tragedy and heartbreak and loss.' Yes Earl, another world title is impressive. But if Earl did know..when Efren hit him and the world with the Z shot, nothing but applause, smiles, and lifting his arm up in triumph. Earl said something like 'I'd rather the tourney end like that than win.' Granted the World's is a bigger everything than a 1 out of 2 Sands tournaments each year. It just would have been storybook perfect. Another quick(quick?? Lol good one) and painful yet again..9/11, don't need to go into detail but everyday life was gonna change. My beloved yankees make the w.s 4th time in a row, 5 out of last 6. Capt. Jeter with his magic Wonderboy, saved us and punked Kim it seems 3 nights in a row. Omg game 7, only 1 out but bases loaded..2 strikes..bloop single...eghhhhhhhh. it was great at least making it that far but that would've been an even more powerful message and middle finger to our enemies
@@uriahotten3895 if a player is a great shot maker u think they couldn’t practice snooker and become good at it. U really think if Strickland or Basta put time into Snooker they wouldn’t compete at the top level?
Don't be such a drainer. It's really common - a lot of the fans like to see it as well. If it's the first time you have seen it then you obviously don't want pool much LOL. SVB literally just did it and he's the most respectable man ever. It just meant a lot to Earl. Absolute drainer. Absolute bore.
@@hatesitrick Its really common? Tell me who did that and then show me. I've been playing pool since the early '90s (not professionally) and seen a few live international professional tournaments and never did i've seen a player going on the top table and celebrate. Besides, Earl is infamous to be salty and had disrespectful exchanges with fans, players, referees, and tournament officials. The pool fans knows that he has a bad attitude in the game of Pool and thats the reason why they hates him.
There's footage of players doing it as far back as the 80s, and it's extremely common today and the fans enjoy it. Go ahead and hate on Earl for being emotional and volatile, but it's really stupid to criticize him this way for enjoying the biggest win of his life.
@@EUK007 I’ve just this second seen Matchroom Pool post the photo of SVB stood on the table on their RU-vid account 😂 if the promoter is celebrating this image then, well.
Nigel Reese is an excellent referee, but he made a huge mistake at 104:29. He reached in and removed an impediment without any request or coercion from Strickland. Yes, it seems like a conscientious thing to do, and certainly a nice thing to do. However, all referees should know and keep in mind that players have a rhythm they like to shoot within. What Nigel did didn't take Earl off his game but that isn't for Nigel to determine. Earl has always played at a fast pace, but he had to wait for Nigel to do what he did while Earl was in the middle of an extremely important run...and as mentally unstable as Earl can be at times, he could have just as easily gotten thrown off, missed the next shot and stomped back to his seat as he has done many times. Nigel should have stayed back and allowed Earl to handle all of the cleaning up of impediments unless Earl had requested, he do so. Can you imagine a referee doing that at his/her whim during matches? They would have a bunch of players very mad at them with regularity. Just think about how many times you have seen a ref do such a thing without a request from the player...virtually none even if you watch lots of pool. I have no doubt that Nigel later viewed his action as something he should have refrained from doing.
Back when they just gave it a power break to the table, lot of scratch here, this is Bustamante in his prime and if he had Biado's break he would be Invicible in 2001-2003
Only pool commentators make watching pool in mute better. Yelling like a cheerleader and pointing out the obvious is irritating. Get rid of all pool commentators. The old man is ok but the over excited cheerleader sucks like Billy & Danny. Video quality is great
Unlucky ? Earl is too good for buste during his prime , in fact Earl has defeated Efren more than Efren defeated him . Buste has never won to Earl from the 90’s not until the early 1997..
