this is a young man's game

Alright I'll be the first to admit it Perv has been coasting lately, think Lebron James the first half of this season. But now its playoff time so I am in Jordan mode, no 45, and back to my old ways of skeet skeet skeet skeet skeeting over everyone.
Cousin Cole killing it with a make it rain remix skeet skeet skeet edition

Episode 79 of the Sopranos was interesting on a couple of levels. The episode centered around the release of Chris's movie Cleaver. Things we must remember in the first couple of seasons Chris wanted to write a screenplay. Tony gave him an ultimatum either be with the family or pursue that hollywood bullshit.(And we all know the only dude who can go to Hollywood and still say gangster is Project Pat) Pretty much telling him you want in the game you full time, no part time gangster. Chris seemingly abandoned those aspirations until Tony got shot last season and when Tony was still half in a coma he asked for Tony's approval to pursue this movie. Tony lets him do it cause well he couldn't speak to say no because he just got out of a fucking coma, and when he is back in power, and finally coherent, lets it slide cause Chris tells him it will be a money maker.
making of Cleaver

The night of the movie premier goes off and the evil mob boss is a direct rip off of Tony (think what Aaron Lacrate did with b-more club), down to the white bathrobe and meetings in his cellar. Also of note is that Daniel Baldwin plays the mob boss. This leads me to wonder if he got this gig from his stint on Celebrity fit club, and the fact that he was too drugged and fucked up to lose any weight actually helped him land this role because as we all know a mob boss like Tony doesn't miss to many meals.

Also speaking of the Baldwin's you all hear the phone message his brother Alec left to his what 12 year old daughter? And guess what I approve of that message because nobody wants their daughter to be a stupid spoiled whore and they need to learn some discipline early in life and who better to give such advice than Alec Baldwin himself.

Baldwin to his daughter : Fuck you, that's my name. You know why missy? Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an 80,000 dollar BMW.

baldwin's daughter: dad I am 12 I can't drive.

badlwin: Your name is you're wanting. You can't play in the man's game, you can't answer your phone? Then go home and tell your mom your troubles. Because only one thing counts in this life. That is answering your phone. You hear me you fuckin' pig.
(Flips the blackboard)

ABC. A, Always, B, Be, C, Considerate. Always be considerate. Always be considerate when I call you up. AIDA. Attention. Interest. Decision. Action. Attention. Do I have your attention? Interest. Are you interested? I know you are 'cause it's fuck or walk. You answer that phone or you hit the bricks. Decision. Have you made your decision for Christ? And action. AIDA. Get out there and answer your damn phone.

Baldwin: Hey you see this watch? You see this watch?

daughter: Yeah

Baldwin: That watch costs more than your life. I made 970,000 dollars last year, how much you make? You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you cock-sucker. You can't take this, how can you take the abuse you get on a sit. If you don't like it, leave. I can go out there tonight, the materials you got, make myself 15,000 dollars. Tonight. In two hours. Can you? Can you?

Now the problem with Cleaver is that shit was parallel to real life a little to close, including the main character enacting revenge on his evil boss who slept with his fiancee after his death. Even if Tony never did sleep with Aide (no Joey that shit was worse than Jay Z's last albulm and hey Hov stop fucking with white people who like Nascar and Bud Light that ain't hip hop. What's next a duet album with Toby Keith?)

Tony in therapy even says he understands what this movie meant because he understands the sub-conscious too well now and wonders why Chris would hate him so much when he always wanted to take him under his wing and groom him. Now what I am wondering is if this is setting up for Tony's ultimate demise at the hands of Chris, hence the whole boss is a young man's game question that has arisen throughout the season, popping off with Johnny Sac finally losing his battle with cancer this episode and passing on to mob heaven.

Now NY has no boss and seemingly no one willing to step up. Phil is on the fence about wanting the position and yet is unwilling to really endorse anyone else in the family. The power vacuum in NY is going to directly affect Tony and NJ and leaves me wondering will Tony either die at the end of this season or become the kingpin of both NY and NJ? The idea of the show has been that NJ has always seemed somewhat inferior to NY, but now with no one in the power position its not to crazy to think Tony would want to stake his claim there. And even if there are fifty reasons why this will never ever occur, all which I will blindly ignore especially the fact the Feds are finally closing in on him, I think it is something worth watching as the season unfolds.

The logical new boss of NY is Phil Leotardo, who after his heart attack seems unwilling to take the job telling Tony that being the boss is a young man's game. The rest of the potential bosses included Gerry Torciano, who was feared and not well liked and ultimately met his demise this episode when another potential boss, Doc Santoro, had his shooter take him out. Doc is old school and feared but seems to be the Pauly of the NY family meaning he seems always destined to be a made man and nothing more. The only other challenger, and the one some would say is the rightful heir to the throne, is Carmine Lupertazzi Jr., who told Tony he has no interest in the position. He is happy in life and does not want the stress of the position and knows his father, who was boss before, would be happy with his decision not to follow in his footsteps as long as he found peace and happiness.

The show ends with a baptism for Chris's new baby as him and Tony embrace tightly and we are left to wonder if this embrace will lead Tony and Chris down the path of trying to destroy each other, or rather, are there outside factors lurking in the distance that will change everything and bring them closer together as Tony solidifies his power and Chris takes over as second in charge.