before i was the man i am today, i'm proud to say i was and will always be one of "eddie's kids". uncle eddie tought us a lot about life while we accompanied on his rounds and we were all in awe at the immense respect he commanded by the cowering proprietora he was shaking down. he taught us there's a right way and a wrong way to burn down buildings for insurance-fraud. he didn't live in the past despite his age and success--i remember he was one of the pioneers in equipping gangs of thugs with aluminum bats instead of the venerable wood.

i haven't spoken with eddie since i dared question his choice of a mid-1980's rolls-royce as reliable transportation.