Six or eight years ago I was in Orange County for a funeral and stopped in at Hard Times before flying home to Hawaii. Having some time to kill, I talked to Al, reminiscing about old times. The last time I played him, years ago, was when we both played opposite-handed, and he beat me when I dogged it on the hill on a race to 11 for the cash at Bellflower Billiards.
I witnessed him beating many good shortstops on a bar table, playing opposite-handed. He was a fundamentally sound player with either hand. A close friend of mine, Hawaiian Brian, played many matches with Al, and they were always competitive. Al was not a flashy player with a big break, he just played a steady, fundamentally sound game that was anathema to many wanna-be champions. He was also a top bar table player in the LA area. But he was definitely a winner and well-known and respected player in the LA area in his prime. He could beat most of the shortstops left-handed. Ask Jay Helfert and others who knew him.
Hawaiian Jay