What was the reason for Tonys hate for Bobby Bacala in the beginning ?. The episode where old man Bacala turns up, Tony acts like he has had great respect and friendship with his dad yet was treating Bobby like that.

Was it because Bobby was part of Juniors crew or?

Obviously he grew to respect him for how much he took care of Junior and went to number 3 in the end.

Interesting question my friend. I have always thought that Tony felt like Bobby was eating to much, and didn't attend to some business aspects when he should have. But also after Junior tried to frick Tony over along with his mother in doing Tony. I feel he thought Bobby had alot more to do with it than he did.

Good points, so was Bobby and the Bacala's in general in the same crew as Junior. Its so hard to work the family tree of the crews out with the Sopranos as some of the more back ground guys you saw now and again and barely remember their names.

Tell that fat fuck Bacala to come out from his mouse hole.

Always thought it was funny that Tony started respecting Bobby from the moment he got 'beat up' by him. Beat up might be a bit exaggerated, but Bobby did win that fight.

I think it was Tony thought Bobby was weak (he was) and could take advantage of him and then Tony grew to like him and respected Bobby for looking after Uncle Junior... The first episode of season 6 part 2 is a good one where they have the drunken fight..

When old man Bacala, wacked his so called god son , and died doing it reaching down to get his inhaler off the floor of the car , and that sign he hit , lol couldn't have been better . then Tony respected Bobby Guess that is my idea on this here ! But other points have been made also that make sense. Like what DE NIRO said.

Also welcome to the board Chopper !

And while I am on this subject ! Jr. what a lieing prick, he spoke with Tony on this thing, then he goes to others, and at the end denies it ! (Spit)

Thanks Frosty! Glad to be here.

The bad blood between Tony and Bobby Bacala was probably created because of Bacala being more around Uncle Junior, even though he was only helping him.

Was just going start a thread by saying pretty much the same thing. Very similar to my thread as to why Eugene attacked Little Paulie the way he did despite who his uncle was. I get it that Tony's initial resentment ("crawl out of his mouse hole", "calzone with legs", "salads", etc) was based on Bobby's alliegeance toward someone who just tried clipping him. Still, I get the feeling that Chase and staff either never had Bobby Sr in mind yet at time of Season 2's opener or they forgot about it by the time 'Another Toothpick' rolled around or a little of both.

Yeah. It was probably because Bacala Sr. wasnt in their minds at that point. I always wondered about this. Its pretty crazy when you look how Bobby rose up to number. That being said, I think his rise had more to do with attrition and the lack of a viable alternative.

I think much of Tony's dislike of Bobby stems from Tony seeing Bobby as the man Tony could never be. For example, Bobby had a stable,happy marriage to Karen. Even the other wives were moved by his devotion to her and the fact that he was one of the rare guys who didn't have a mistress.Bobby also was respected by Junior,who liked to remind Tony of his shortcomings both as an athlete and a nephew.Bobby seemed to be one of the few "inner circle" guys who wasn't in some way warped.Chris had the drug and inferiority drama,and Paulie was pretty much just plain (wal)nuts.Bobby was a low maintenance,laid back guy who did as he was told,carved out a niche,made a good living,and struck me as a man with a great deal of inner peace and personal happiness.Tony always seemed to have a "why me" attitude and I think that he looked at Bobby as a guy who just fell into a relatively happy life,as opposed to being a fundamentally decent guy who deserved his life.

Good point Lou. On the other hand though, the lack of instability in Bobby, the laid back mentality, the lack of a violent streak, may make him an easy target for the feds to flip. We found out in the 6th season he never made his bones until he was a captain. Giving that guy the number 3 spot and access to high level information may have been a bad move for Tony down the line.

Vinnie,you hit on a good point as far as Bobby flipping. His weakest spot was the kids,and if he were facing anything beyond a few years,I think he would do whatever the Feds wanted,to prevent his children from losing their Dad.He would have entered Witness Protection in a heartbeat to keep his kids with him. Just some food for thought,if Bobby had lived and went into the program,would Janice have gone with him,and if so,how long do you think she would have lasted. I think it would be an interesting dynamic for Janice to all of a sudden be an anonymous nobody, as well as the guilt she would (maybe)feel by betraying her brother.

Janice only does acts of Janice. If it came down to Janice having to raise Bobby's kids by herself or having to live somewhere else with Bobby she would go with Bobby. Janice's loyalty for the soprano family was only skin deep.

I think that there’s a lot to what Vinnie has said about Bobby not making his bones until he was a Captain, but I think that has more to do with Tony than with Bobby. Tony assigned the kill to Bobby as punishment. I think that Tony viewed Bobby as a good, faithful man, someone who valued family and authority as well as a person who wasn’t afraid to love his wife and kids. Tony also valued those things, but in the eyes of Tony’s world, those values made a man weak, and I believe that Tony viewed Bobby as the “weaker” side of himself.

Bobby was known as someone who never had a piece on the side, had interests outside of his world, and had never taken a life. Tony admired that kind of person in theory, but Bobby was perceived as weak, and Tony could never be perceived as that.

Think about the high school bully who is constantly beating up the kids he calls “homos,” and what’s going on in his mind.

In reality it is a weakness. When u are more devoted to your family than the "family" then there is always the potential to cooperate. Bobby would have never stood up for anything more than 5 years in the can. He wasn't built like that, he wasn't a real gangster

It was for to break his sisters ball after they got married

Tony hates Bobby for several reasons:
even though he was the son of Johnny Boy Soprano had to gain experience by killing Willie Overall, and doing the robbery, during a game of cards;
1) Bobby is one of the few characters with Johnny Sack that does not have mistresses and deeply loves his wife;
2) Bobby has children who love him, while Anthony Jr. hates him, Meadowlooks at him from top to bottom and Carmela, is with him, just for the money;
3) Bobby became a soldier and then captain, very easily as Tony, but Tony the envy his happiness

I agree that Tonys treatment of Bobby was your typical bully dynamic.
Which is driven home when Bobby bests Tony in the lake cabin fight, and Tony seems to gain some respect for him for standing up to him.

I'm thinking along the lines of what furio_the_nephew says. I think it all boils down to envy. He wishes his family was as loving as Bobby is with his children and his children love him just the same. He also sees Bobby as weak at times because Bobby tends to put a certain whine in his voice. Plus to boot Janice we all know is one of Tony's least favorite people in the world. But all in all I feel as if Tonys character has a certain envy towards Bobby which is why he constantly bullies him and talks down to him.

But Tony definitely gets a new found of respect for him when Bobby finally gets fed up with T's bullshit and puts the fists to him at the cabin.

well bobby was apart of the opposing faction. i mean his faction put a hit out on tony why would tony like him?

Tony also started giving Hesh a really hard time towards the end of the series, I could never really pin down what that was all about, other than Tony not wanting to pay back a debt.

Sorry if I quoted myself but I have also to say


Tony hate Bobby because:

1)Bobby thanks to his dad was made without haved killed nobody ( Tony must whack Willie Overall in 1982 and rob Feech La Manna;
2)Bobby loves his wife Karen and have a good relationship with the children that adore him (while meadow and AJ as well as Carmela are with him just for the money);
3)Junior respect Bobby and not his nephew;
4) Bobby was happy of what had,while the others (Paulie,Christopher,Tony ecc) are never happy of what they had;
5) Bobby don't have the vices that the other soldier had;
6) After Karen death,Bobby married Janice,and Tony hate his sister and every men that stay with her.

So Tony has begun to respect Bobby after he killed someone and beat him because so tony thinks, only those who are ready to kill and beat him, is a real man.

For me Bobby won't flip,also I would see him die with the AR-15 in the hands that whacked in a railway model store.

Everything I have written is my opinion, if I'm wrong, tell me where.

He was in Junior’s crew. The end!