Great post, Ivy.

I've been away a few days and have very little to add, except that Montagna's murder received almost zero press coverage in the New York papers, which leads me to believe that he wasn't quite as newsworthy as they would have had you believe a few years ago (Bambino Boss, etc.).

I also tend to agree with Carmela about Montagna's general intelligence and leadership abilities. Let's face it, sometimes people advance in their chosen fields in spite of their intelligence, not because of it. Right place, right time and all that. Plus, writing about a 35 year old "boss" made good copy a few years back. Today, not so much.

And slightly off topic: If you look at Patty's Bronx crew from, say, ten or fifteen years ago?

Boy, if they're not a testament to the dangers of mob life, I don't know what is. The only one who's still alive and not jailed for life is Johnnie Joe, and he has at least ten years to go on his sentence. He's my age (I'm 52), so he'll pretty much be an old man when he gets out. And let's face it, life probably ain't gonna be pretty for him. As it is, his wife and kids are already crying poverty.

"This is the business we've chosen." ----- You got that right.