Is it actually "off the tracks" or are they just being very quiet and super secretive?

Why does the nose not get pushed aside and a new regime take over and make new young members?

Yeah, except they really didn't get raped by the feds like many of the other families did. The big busts were when the Carlisi & Infelice crews went away at the end of the 80s, those were the two big boy street crews & almost everybody went away. Stuff like Greylord & Gambat were organic & were bound to happen eventually. Family Secrets was by & large a joke though.

Hmmm wouldn't say they necessarily "fell off". The same thing happened to the Outfit that happened to every other American Mafia family. There aren't as many Italians in Chicago & Philadelphia as there are in NY, so the numbers will naturally make it look like Chicago & Philly have been hit harder, but the Italian American population, not to mention culture, has assimilated itself within those cities & is shrinking rapidly (has been for a long time). Italian American organized crime will naturally follow suit.

The idea that the Outfit is this gasping typewriter factory that is barely keeping it's head above water, and which consists of a few old bastards making the poker machine rounds, is laughable though. The Outfit is an institution & still a viable, feared criminal entity. Not what it used to be but still in place, and still keeping youngsters in the ranks.

Philly may have never had the political/aldermanic sway of the Outfit, or had the same ominous aura, but as far as street racket control within their respective cities during the heyday, Philly was not all that far behind Chicago.

Yes I'm agreeing with you, they were behind the Outfit. But they weren't THAT far behind. Especially when overall numbers are being taken into account.

I'd also say the outfit's overall influence (during the Giancana era only) surpassed the Gambinos & was equal with the Genovese family.

It was a combination of things. To begin with, I don't think that Accardo had as much power as people think he did, but at the same time I also think the same of Giancana.

At the time, Giancana was under a lot of pressure from the feds and had served some time for contempt of court. He was afraid that he was going to be constantly harassed to testify and then jailed because of contempt every time. I think it was more of a mutual decision between the three of them for Giancana to step down and take a leave of absence, but unfortunately for Sam, by the time he got back his power structure was gone and many of his key guys had been jailed or had died. Aiuppa and Cerone took it a step further and had him eliminated just in case he had aspirations of trying to reclaim the throne.

everything out there on auippa, which isnt much, makes him sound like a snake. a real grimey guy. would love some more info on him. theres barely any, and he was one of the top chicago guys for a long time. looks like a mean old fuck too. definitely one of the more interesting mob figures for me