EARL 'The Pearl' Strickland is still as grumpy as hell.
That's just how he is, how he was, and that's how he'll always be.
But when it comes to talking about one of his greatest rivals in Efren 'Bata' Reyes, the braggadocious American will never not give 'The Magician' his flowers.
"I didn't play safe good until I learned them from Efren. I learned all my safeties from Efren and you can tell that, you know?" said the two-time World Pool Champion.
"I can plant that ball pretty good in some tough spots, but the things I learned from Efren are amazing. He didn't teach me how to pocket balls. but he taught me a lot of other stuff."
It's a great deal of respect that Strickland is bequeathing Reyes given the storied history they have shared over the years, none more famous than their famed 'Color of Money' duel in Hong Kong back in 1996.
But Strickland, too, acknowledges that him, Reyes, and fellow greats Francisco 'Django' Bustamante and Ralf 'The Kaiser' Souquet are lightyears removed from the peak of their powers in this WNT Legends event.
READ: Strickland, Souquet strike back vs Bata, Django in WNT Legends Day 2
"Neither one of us are the player we used to be. Our nerves play a big part of it. Even on the safeties, (Reyes) was missing his safeties and that's rare for him," he said.
Forever rivals
It just comes with the territory for Reyes, 71; Strickland, 64; Bustamante, 62; and Souquet, 57 - one that 'The Pearl' was adamant in pointing out.
"You've got to remember that Efren's seven years older than me, ok? Let's don't forget that. He's still playing a remarkable role for his age, but you can see that his age shows up on certain shots and he decelerates, and I do the same thing but I'm not quite as bad as him yet, you know what I mean? But I'll be there," he said.
"I still think Efren plays phenomenal and he can still put the fear in a guy. And that's what I like about him."
Age may fade their skills, but Strickland stressed that time can never wane his passion for pool - which he will always share with Reyes share until the end of time.
"Efren and I are going to keep playing until we die. We're lifers, you know? It's a prison term. We're going to die on the table. Simple as that," he said.
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