The author, Mario Pagnoni, standing next to his favorite painting. I was a public school teacher/coach for 32 years (but it only seems like three decades). Don't get me wrong - I loved teaching and coaching all those years - but I'm moving on to other things. I took early retirement as of June 2002 to spend time building my business (see link to Business Opportunity), doing more writing, and running sporting events for seniors (must be at least 50 years old to participate).
After years of pounding on my knees as a high school, college, and amateur athlete, bocce has become a kinder, gentler sport for me. Although I love to play, I'm not a great player. My contribution is that I interviewed the top players and assembled information from many sources, creating a compact, easy-to-read book. Originally published by Masters Press, The Joy of Bocce was "between publishers" for a time (book acquisitions editors have no vision - they ought to be umpires!). I have vowed to keep the title in print and have recently released the Joy of Bocce 2nd Edition.
Use the Feedback link to send comments and suggestions. I am interested in writing about the myriad variations of play around the country, and about the unique jargon used (e.g. on the south side of Chicago when players want to tap one of their own balls closer to the object ball, they "toots it up."
