Playing for Pizza

Christmas was very good to me. Six new books to read including Clapton's autobiography and three by this Mississippian author, John Grisham.
"Playing for Pizza" is a short novel, 258 pages, published by Doubleday in 2007.
"Playing for Pizza" is a departure from my experience with Grisham, for all that I have read to date focused on the actions various southern lawyers. This book is about a journeyman quarterback who has run out of NFL opportunity. Rick Dockery's last big league stop was in Cleveland, where by a series of events, the third stringer was thrown into a playoff game in which he proceeded extract failure from the jaws of success. Irate Browns fans want to lynch the Iowa boy, and in his escape is invited to play quarterback for the Parma Panthers. Parma is a city in Italy. NFL Italia is a real football league that has 8 teams, each is allowed 3 American players. For 2000 euros a month (3000 US) Rick jumps at the opportunity to escape the US sports reporters.
Before he ever plays a game , the expatriate falls head over heels for the northern Italy cuisine. Once playing with the team, Reek, as he is called by the Italians, comes to feel like this the most comfortable he has been since playing at home in high school. The team has never won the Super Bowl but have high hopes to be carried there by their experienced, strong armed quarterback. During the season Rick is offered a $100,000 salary to come play in the CFL, he turns it down because he feels responsible to his teammates. Reek does deliver the trophy with a 76 yard, in the , throw that seals the game.
To summarize, this jaded NFL quarterback finds a home, he loves playing with men who play for free, he loves the food, he loves opera and he might stay for next season.
This was a fun book, I recommend it to Grisham fans who are looking for a change of pace. On a scale of 1-10, "Playing for Pizza" gets a 7. True to Grisham form, like Dan Brown and Clancy, he tells a good story from the first person position.