By Roger Esty
During Prohibition the athletes in the Windy City liked to hang out in my grandfather's restaurant,The Bella Napoli. The Italian food was strictly Neopolitan. My grandfather,Diamong Joe Esposito,brought the finest chef from Naples to make sure the customers kept coming back. There was also music. Jazz was the rage, though my grandfather preferred opera. Italian of course. Enrique Caruso would have a plate of spaghetti in front of him when he was in town. And if Louie Armstrong was on the bandstand,Satchmo and his band would be scoffin' down a feed of the noodles too.Red Grange,the Cubbies and the White Sox(later their hosiery turned to black),and not too mention the fighters. When The Manassa Mauler was to try to win his title back from Tunney in Soldiers Field,the story was that Al Capone wanted Jack to win. Supposedly they had a conversation at the Bella Napoli.
Jack came back for the dough. He didn't think he had it anymore. His wife Estelle Taylor,the actress,hated fighting and wanted Jack to throw in the towel. But the money was out there and Jack really didn't really think he had much of a chance.He just didn't want to forget to duck that's all. He was getting concerned about how he'd walk around after he put his pants back on.
But Scarface thought Jack was the old Jack and didn't realize that Jack was just plain old. Paul "The Waiter" Ricca,who later became De Capo of the Outfit in Chicago was working at The Bella Napoli at the Capone/ Dempsey sit down. Years later when "The Waiter" had "retired" from the Mob,I remember him telling the story to my father. Diamond Joe's first son.
Capone wanted to "reach"the referee,Dave Miller. Capone was a rotten gambler. Lost big at everything from horses to roulette wheels. He wanted to put a big wager on Jack. Ricca said that Dempsey felt uneasy talking to Capone. Jack said he didn't want to do anything that would bring in an investigation. In the ring he was The Manassa Mauler. On the witness stand he didn't want to get mauled by a D.A.
Anyway,at the last minute they put in Barry as third man. They will be talking about the "Long Count" way after I'm gone. As far as Big Al...well he went back to losing at the craps tables.
During Prohibition the athletes in the Windy City liked to hang out in my grandfather's restaurant,The Bella Napoli. The Italian food was strictly Neopolitan. My grandfather,Diamong Joe Esposito,brought the finest chef from Naples to make sure the customers kept coming back. There was also music. Jazz was the rage, though my grandfather preferred opera. Italian of course. Enrique Caruso would have a plate of spaghetti in front of him when he was in town. And if Louie Armstrong was on the bandstand,Satchmo and his band would be scoffin' down a feed of the noodles too.Red Grange,the Cubbies and the White Sox(later their hosiery turned to black),and not too mention the fighters. When The Manassa Mauler was to try to win his title back from Tunney in Soldiers Field,the story was that Al Capone wanted Jack to win. Supposedly they had a conversation at the Bella Napoli.
Jack came back for the dough. He didn't think he had it anymore. His wife Estelle Taylor,the actress,hated fighting and wanted Jack to throw in the towel. But the money was out there and Jack really didn't really think he had much of a chance.He just didn't want to forget to duck that's all. He was getting concerned about how he'd walk around after he put his pants back on.
But Scarface thought Jack was the old Jack and didn't realize that Jack was just plain old. Paul "The Waiter" Ricca,who later became De Capo of the Outfit in Chicago was working at The Bella Napoli at the Capone/ Dempsey sit down. Years later when "The Waiter" had "retired" from the Mob,I remember him telling the story to my father. Diamond Joe's first son.
Capone wanted to "reach"the referee,Dave Miller. Capone was a rotten gambler. Lost big at everything from horses to roulette wheels. He wanted to put a big wager on Jack. Ricca said that Dempsey felt uneasy talking to Capone. Jack said he didn't want to do anything that would bring in an investigation. In the ring he was The Manassa Mauler. On the witness stand he didn't want to get mauled by a D.A.
Anyway,at the last minute they put in Barry as third man. They will be talking about the "Long Count" way after I'm gone. As far as Big Al...well he went back to losing at the craps tables.
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