That has been my contention...that if it wasn't for a "high profile" corruption case against John Connolly and company, the media wouldn't have been as fascinated with the Bulger story as they have been. I may be wrong because my knowledge of the Winter Hill Gang is average at best, the "few" books I've read have left me with "mixed reviews" on how strong Whitey truly was. He played both sides of the fence long enough not to be bothered by the Feds and was allowed to earn, but in no way, shape or form would I ever believe he was stronger than Raymond Patriarca Sr.

I'm from Ohio originally, and Danny Greene was the big Irishman in Cleveland and he made a lot of money running the North Collinwood neighborhood rackets in Cleveland and through the International Longshoremen's Union. He was a tough son of a bitch and tried to take on the Cleveland mafia...until that car full of explosives pulled up next to his green Cadillac..once he came out of the dentist's office, BOOM! My point is that if Patriarca wanted him dead or had a need to kill him, he would have been dead. If Whitey waged an all out war against the Mafia, he would have lost...outgunned, outmanned, pure and simple. But Whitey worked with the Italians in "some capacity" which worked to his advantage.