I didn't claim to have ties. I just spoke with some people who might be considered to know a little bit. Now, if you really wanted to ask about my friend who's a La Cosa expert with a heavy lean to the East Coast, all you had to do was ask. I have a very tiny but credited part in a movie he shot while still a student. I'm "Saul the Jew." In fact, about two months ago, I shot an improv scene for him with three of us discussing the virus for a movie he's working on. And I'm still "Saul the Jew." I make a fine "Saul the Jew."
Anyway, my friend's name is Dennison, and he really knows East Coast relationships and history intimately, but he could probably use some back-up on the West Coast history. Alan, is there any chance he could use you as a resource some time down the road? I'm sure he'd be interested in Zooming. At some point, I will be giving him a Las Vegas tour with an eye to La Cosa history, and you undoubtedly know more than me, so you might be a great resource.
And Alan, as far as making payoffs as a runner -- well, I was asked by a couple of southern writers who've had collections of short stories published if I could do a story about an automobile and coming-of-age. At first I said I had no story like that, but then one of them said he had seen a photo of me as a kid standing in front of a Lincoln with a bunch of other "youths" (as they say in My Cousin Vinny). And I said, yeah, I guess I do have a coming-of-age story about a car. So my story was accepted and edited, and now I'm waiting to hear on the publishing date for the book. Anyway, what you said about what you did in college. I was a freshman, I think.