false 2580238 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1200403199m/2580238.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1200403199s/2580238.jpg Q: American football in Italy seems like an unlikely subject for a John Grisham novel. What was the inspiration for Playing for Pizza?
A: Three years ago when I was in Bologna researching "The Broker", I discovered American football. One of my guides in the area played football for the Bologna Warriors for 10 years. I couldn't believe that American football actually existed there, but the more I heard about it the more intrigued I became.
Q: There is some great football writing in this novel. What kind of research was involved in capturing how this American institution is played in small town Italy?
A: The only way to research the book was to go to Parma and watch a game. The coach is an American who played at Illinois State, and he proved to be extremely valuable. I met many of the Italian players and the story simply unfolded.
Q: Speaking of research, you write lovingly of Italian food and wine in this book. What's your idea of the perfect Italian meal?
A: First course: prosicutto and melon; second course: stuffed tortellini; third course: roasted stuffed capon, all served with a great Barolo wine.
Q: Without giving away too much of the plot, your protagonist falls in love by the novel's end. Did you know when you started writing that Rick would get the girl?
A: Of course.
Q: You have a new legal thriller coming in January 2008. Can you give us any hints about what to expect?
A: I really don't like to talk about a book until it's finished. Sorry. But it will not be another work of non-fiction, nor will it be about football. Lots of lawyers in the next one.
]]> 1205297 23 3090264 24 9 2007 Playing For Pizza: A Novel total:6171|5:599|4:1613|3:2460|2:1159|1:340| 6171 19485 8131 1617 721 3.56 321002 16348 1140152 3.32 28 15 11498069 425508 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 5976
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 2 7 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 02 19:13:41 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 19:22:27 -0800 2008
Out of pure curiosity I now occasionally pick...more...]]> 29536597 104600 2399214 0440244714 9780440244714 39 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255723295m/2399214.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255723295s/2399214.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2399214.Playing_for_Pizza 3.03 125 starting quarterback for the Mighty Panthers . . . of Parma, Italy. The Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. And now they’ve got Rick, who knows nothing about Parma (not even where it is) and doesn’t speak a word of Italian. To say that Italy—the land of fine wines, extremely small cars, and football americano—holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement. . . .]]> 2007 2 3 false Thu Aug 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 13:02:06 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 12:38:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 28167809 636197 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 2 2 false Mon Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 10:38:39 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 21 07:44:28 -0700 2008 The Broker in which Grisham none-too-subtly extolled the virtues of the Ital...more...]]> 15359351 890768 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 4 2 false Wed Feb 13 15:48:51 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 08 20:20:22 -0800 2008 24380468 1199965 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 4 2 false Tue Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 20:34:02 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 15:00:37 -0700 2008 47078857 1127263 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 4 1 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 14:47:34 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 14:52:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 18384847 674412 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 3 1 false Sat Mar 22 11:25:13 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 22 11:25:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 17177263 877629 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 3 1 false Sun Mar 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 06 12:30:45 -0800 2008 Thu Jun 12 16:16:02 -0700 2008 more...]]> 16289156 903066 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 3 1 false Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 19:44:23 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 20:13:07 -0800 2008 Skipping Christmas, I had thought that Grisham was completely locked into formula novels. I had loved The Firm, The Pelican Brief (even though it is so often criticized for its improbability), The Client, and The Rainmaker, but thought The Runaway Jury was stale and contrived. Then, I read Ski...more...]]> 14363513 729365 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 4 1 false Sun Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 09:39:19 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 03 16:53:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 11717666 558114 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 5 1 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 11:42:49 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 14 11:09:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 10913772 398888 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 4 1 false Sun Dec 23 09:17:28 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 15 17:51:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 10653489 254719 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 5 1 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 17:24:21 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 18:56:01 -0800 2007 more...]]> 8087187 223993 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 1 1 false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 22 14:21:27 -0700 2007 Wed Nov 07 13:25:52 -0800 2007 more...]]> 7258226 465428 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 3 1 false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 04 10:07:17 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 07 15:53:46 -0700 2007 more...]]> 54086971 584414 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 5 1 false Mon Apr 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 21:30:51 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 21:36:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 22654990 1082931 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 2 1 false Tue May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 20 19:18:40 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 13:09:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 12055399 760232 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 2 1 false Fri Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 09 07:41:46 -0800 2008 Fri Aug 08 08:05:37 -0700 2008
Washed-out 3rd string NFL quarterback Rick Dockery has just struck out, big time -- losing a huge lead in the divisi...more...]]> 28363932 999346 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 2 1 false Sun Jul 27 12:09:49 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 12:29:35 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 27 12:09:49 -0700 2008
*Really deserves one star after an extremely lacking explanation of Othell...more...]]> 28459793 817413 1205297 0385525001 9780385525008 1549 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130m/1205297.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198728130s/1205297.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1205297.Playing_For_Pizza_A_Novel 3.16 6171
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.]]> 2007 4 1 false Sun Jul 27 17:45:46 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 27 17:49:56 -0700 2008 more...]]> 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2580238