Playing for Pizza

by John Grisham

Rick Dockery has never been a top-tier quarterback. Heck, some might even say that it’s a miracle that he even plays for the NFL. Nevertheless, Rick manages to get by, landing third-string jobs here and there. All of this comes to a halt when he is actually allowed to play in the AFC Championship game for the Cleveland Browns. Not only does he blow a 17-point lead, he also leaves the game with a concussion.

When he regains consciousness, he is forced to face reality: his NFL career is over. What’s a young QB to do?

His agent, Arnie, proposes a unique alternative to the NFL: Italy. Rick has been invited to lead the Parma Panthers to their very first football championship. But is he up to the challenge? Can he trade his high falutin’ NFL career for the slightly amateurish Italian football scene?

What follows is a journey of football and food. Oh, the food! Who knew that John Grisham could write about food?!

While this may not be great literature, it is an amusing and entertaining look at life in Italy. Dockery is the ultimate fish out of water, and Italy is a great reason for anyone, even a pro athlete, to expand his horizons.

3/16/12