| Rick Dockery was an NFL quarterback, or so it said in | | | | only three players on the entire team were paid while |
| newspapers that dared mention his name! Rick had | | | | the others played for the fun and thrill of the game. |
| attempted passes while under contract, usually a | | | | While Rick was making $2,000.00 a month plus room |
| short contract, for several NFL teams until he was | | | | and board, this was not what he envisioned. He |
| finally relegated to third-string and the last possible | | | | found a few women that he "worked" on and they |
| quarterback any team wanted to use. He loved the | | | | came and went in his Italian life. The practices were |
| game but his fame was from his interceptions, not | | | | brutal for an NFL quarterback. Other team positions |
| the completions, which hurt many teams. The book | | | | had to work very hard in the NFL but not the |
| opens with Rick in a hospital bed after being knocked | | | | quarterbacks. They could take it easy. Sure they |
| senseless in his last game. His agent, Arnie, was | | | | could-but not in NFL Italy. |
| awaiting his awareness to being alive and when Rick | | | | He got to know the players that were on the Parma |
| did finally come to, Arnie bid him a fast goodbye, | | | | Panthers who worked in all types of jobs regularly. |
| telling Rick to get some rest! Arnie was tired of | | | | Come practice and game day, these players were |
| teams calling him telling him not to peddle Rick to | | | | generally 100% hard guts for Parma through pain and |
| them. They all knew him too well. | | | | injuries and all types of playing surfaces and field |
| After regaining some of his wellness, Rick contacted | | | | sizes that differed throughout the league. The |
| Arnie requesting a chance at playing for another | | | | Panthers started their season well but went downhill |
| team. Poor Arnie. Rick kept bothering Arnie as he got | | | | when they played against the teams they knew they |
| more impatient regarding getting back to work and | | | | could beat easily. Bergamo had been the Italian Super |
| making some money. No NFL team would touch Rick. | | | | Bowl champs for so many years that no one |
| At last Arnie came up with a position for Rick in | | | | remembered when they hadn't won it. Of course the |
| Parma, Italy playing for their NFL Italy League. Parma, | | | | Panthers wanted in the worst way to win that Super |
| Italy? Where they make Parmesan Cheese? When | | | | Bowl and beat that great Bergamo team. |
| told of the tiny salary he would earn especially | | | | Plying for Pizza is a great variation of Grisham's |
| compared to the actual NFL, Rick balked but Arnie | | | | normal books. He can take almost any subject and, |
| said that was all he could get for Rick. Risk had | | | | with his knowledge and smarts, can turn it into a |
| visions of being a star in this Italian league, making | | | | great story containing humor, mystery, love, and |
| out with cheerleaders, and living a life of luxury that, | | | | almost any other subject into a great read. I look |
| in his mind, he had earned. | | | | forward to his next serious book but this one very |
| Rick's arrival in Parma was a real culture shock. No big | | | | much entertained me; most of John Grisham's fans |
| hotels to live in, no cheerleaders, no fancy | | | | should enjoy it too. |
| restaurants, in fact, no luxury at all and, worst of all, | | | | |