If memory serves, as it's been a while since I read it as well, Eddie was retired in the book, but wasn't a booze salesman. He owned a pool hall of his own.
I don't remember any kind of long term mentorship done by Fast Eddie, but his comeback to play Fatty again. Playing in malls and on tv in exhibition matches and had to learn to play 9 ball himself.
Walter Tevis started publically writing about pool when Sigel was a toddler. Even though he wrote "The Color of Money" much later in life, IMHO, he had those stories in his head for a long time.
Tevis died the same year as the novel in question was released so there's really no telling when he actually wrote it or how that could work with the Sigel allegations.
(((edited - found a copy of the book in a box in my office - started reading again and on page 5, Eddie's character mentions the exibition matches being on "ESPN? Home Box Office?" HBO was started in 1972 and ESPN in '79, so the first 5 pages would have to have been written after 1979)))
