You won't believe it until you read it in a press release or in Jerry's column, and that's fine. It's your prerogative, you're entitled to it, and I've always given you the respect that you deserve.
But if you're talking about a strong number two, there are areas (especially in the Bronx and in Westchester), where the Luccheses aren't just number 2. To put it into horse racing parlance, they're 1A.
The Luccheses are tied at the hip to the Westside. So if you're saying that the Westside is going to be strong ten years from now (and who really knows anyway?), then you shouldn't discount the Luccheses. My two cents.
Well, I'm talking about overall. The Gambinos are still twice the size of the Luccheses. And statements by the FBI in recent years put the Gambinos at #2. I don't discount the Luccheses but I don't think any of the three smaller families have ever broken into the top two spots, but simply fluctuated among themselves for #3, 4, and 5. It's one of the few times I disagreed with the feds, some of which said back in the early 2000's that the Bonannos had become the #2 family in NY.
