Hi, my name is Joseph Pigliatti. I am also known as Joey the Pig, Joey Moccasins, Strong Arm Joey, Joey Ballerina, Wild Jack Joey, Joey the Ditch Digger, Joey the Con, Joey the Pit Bull and Joey Cherry Donut. If you don’t mind, I prefer Joey the Pig.
The good people at gambleonthis.com have asked me to write an article about the time a gangland war almost broke out over a silly little game of craps. It is a bad memory but I will try.
Anyhow, a bunch of us wiseguys were hanging out at Little Anthony’s Pool Hall in the old neighborhood. It was a Monday night and we usually got together for a little craps. We was just about to start shooting when in walks Billy the Weeper. Billy the Weeper is only the eldest son of the most feared Boss in the city, Don Donatello.
Once, Don Donatello ripped the heart right out of a man’s chest just because the guy looked at him the wrong way. Then Don Donatello mailed the heart to his mother on Valentine’s Day. The only problem was that the guy’s mother had died 3 month’s previously. When the package was returned to the Don and he opened it he tossed his lasagna that he had for lunch all over the package. But I digress.
Anyhow, Billy the Weeper loved to play craps so he decided to join us at the pool hall. Shortly after Billy the Weeper shows up Rocco the Big Bully walks in the door. Rocco the Big Bully is the eldest son of the second most feared Boss, Don DaVinci. As you can probably guess the tension in the air was as thick as bad blood.
We started shooting craps and just as Billy the Weeper is about to shoot Rocco the Big Bully walks up behind him and yells boo! Billy started to cry he was scared so bad. Billy cried over everything. Hence the nickname. When we was kids in the school yard we use to call him Billy the Baby. Since his father was so powerful we upgraded his nickname to the Weeper. But I digress again.
Billy got a hold of himself and tossed the dice. We was playing craps against the side of the wall. Anyhow, the most amazing thing I ever saw happened. One of the dice bounced off the wall, hit Billy in the nose, ricocheted off his nose and hits Rocco the Brute right in the eye. Rocco hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
We rushed Rocco to the emergency ward where they had to remove his eye. Rocco swore revenge against the Donatello family. At that point we was ready to go to the mattresses. There hadn’t been a war between the families in nearly a decade so there was a lot of beef’s that had been piling up.
Anyhow, cooler heads prevailed. The two Don’s decided to get together to straighten this thing out. Both Don Donatello and Don DaVinci met in the backroom of Pasquale’s Pizzeria. Needless to say one of the Don’s did not leave Pasquale’s Pizzeria with his heart.
And that is how a gangland war almost started over a silly game of craps.
Until next time, arrivederci.
© by Joseph Pigliatti. All rights reserved.