NEW YORK RACING

Beware of Italians Bearing Greek Gifts

News: New York

BY SENIOR EDITOR JEFF CARLSON

Beware of Italians Bearing Greek Gifts When we hit Little Italy, Mulberry Street is packed with people here for the Feast.  The Boss decides that we should skip our regular joint, Vincent's, and dine "al fresco" at the booths in the festival.  Frankly, I think the Boss uses excuses like the feast to give him a chance to be with the "common people" and enhance his reputation as a modern day Robin Hood.  As we make our way to the Ravenwing Social Club to see the old dons, we stop along the way and start with fried calamari, fried shrimp with a fra diavolo sauce, sausage and peppers, ice cold beer, then its time for dessert and a bag of hot zeppole fits the bill perfectly.  Well, Italians love to eat and talk about eating.  As we are walking along, the parade of the saint comes up the street and the crowd thinks the torch is part of the parade and Ronnie gets swept up with the torch in one hand and a cannolli in the other.  The Boss snaps at Rokeby and Chappy to follow the torch and get it and Ronnie back.  They soon re-appear with Ronnie and the torch in tow, laughing and chuckling and ribbing Ronnie.  The Boss doesn't say anything but he does give the
prinse an odd glance.  When we get to the Ravenwing, we go in to pay our respects to the old dons and sitting having coffee are two of the top guys, BentNoseDoubleBrassKnuckle Tony and ThreePinkyRingFinger Frankie.  We're invited to stay for some espresso and soon everyone is reminiscing about fixed races, point shaving college hoops especially the testcase team and of course the Lufthansa job, back in the old days.  Even the Boss looks like he is starting to relax and
enjoy himself.  BentNoseDoubleBrassKnuckle Tony whispers in the Boss's ear and the Boss gathers himself up and announces that we are leaving.  When we hit the street we start making our way back to the limos and the Boss tells
us that TwoEarOneEyeNineToe Giovanni, the boss of all bosses, the baddest dude on the planet, the maker of made guys wants to see the torch. TwoEarOneEyeNineToe Giovanni says that the torch was actually made in Sicily and the Greeks lifted it from the first boss of bosses and took all the credit for the Equinics and all that other crap, that rightfully belongs in Sicilian history and lore.  I don't know about that, but you don't argue with a guy like TwoEarOneEyeNineToe Giovanni.  You know, it took years to find out how he got that name but near as I can tell: he has two ears and Vito Corleone shot one of his toes off in an accident when they were pulling a heist in the old days, but the one eye always got me, cause he had two eyes until Joey Clams told me that on his first button job, the contract had a glass eye and after whacking the guy, he took the eye and had his famous tie tack made.  His big joke was to make decisions and the say the eye's have it. When we get to the cars, the Boss tells Ronnie that he has to take the torch to Giovanni, but his house is over on Staten Island and he will have to take the Staten Island ferry to get there.  A couple of Gio's guys will meet him when he gets off the ferry and take him to the old mans house.  The Boss tells Theburgler, Sanibel, Othello, Cusimano31 and Harlequins to go with Ronnie and make sure everything goes ok, no slip-ups.  As we start to go our separate ways, the Boss pulls Harlequins aside and whispers in his ear, "if Ronnie makes it off the boat in Staten Island, the five of you will be bait for the fishermen at the Fulton Fish Market tomorrow. Will Ronnie survive the boat trip?  Will the torch be sent to Sicily?  Will the Boss finally win a bet?  
To be continued.......................

Jeff Carlson New York Racing Senior Editor is  covering this assignment.