No, I'm not talking about soccer, I'm referring instead to "Gridiron Gladiators" Italian-Americans in College, Semipro & Pro Football, Vol. 1: 20s-30s-40s," by Italian author Fausto Batella.

Like my cousin in Sestri Levante, who has played in Italy's American football league, Batella certainly knows more about the game than I do. But his book is such a labor of love -- and no small amount of research -- that his passion for the game is palpable and infectious.

I was excited to read that Peter "Pete" Robotti, who went to Connecticut State, played for the Jersey City Giants. Maybe he was a cousin of mine. His neighbor in the book, Paul Romano, who played for the Akron Bears and Paterson Panthers of the AFL, went to Wisconsin. Long-time Packers star Tony Canadeo is in there, along with his Green Bay teammate Chick Forte.

Across 225 pages, Batella details all the Italian-American players of American football across three decades, listing their schools, their teams and offering biographical information where possible, too.

The book is available from iUniverse, via the link below.