You know I never read that eulogy before. I'm glad I did now. Bugs was truly a legendary pool player. EVERYONE knew that name, from the East Coast to the West Coast. He and Eddie Taylor were the Gods of Bank Pool, and they both walked on water. And Bugs and Ronnie were Gods of One Pocket too. So Bugs ruled in both realms.
I didn't know him nearly as well as Artie or Freddie, but at Least I got to see him play a few times. When he entered a room, there was a stir that went through the room. "Bugs is here," was on everybody's lips. Bugs had a presence, he commanded attention wherever he was. Just seeing him walk down the street you knew he was someone special. He was a Superstar of the highest order.
I can't really think of another pool player who had such a presence, other than Hubert Cokes who silenced a room when he walked in. Fatty was a magnet for attention but he was more of an entertainer than an athlete. And when Bugs played, you knew anything was possible. He had the power to overwhelm the balls, to control any situation. With Bugs, a long rail bank looked like a cross side for most other players. One other thing I remember was how good he hit long rail banks where he had to cross over the ball. So accurate! And BAM it was gone!
If you saw him play once, you would never forget it. Like Earl in 9-Ball in his prime, Bugs was a speed above the world.
