Matt Lynch and Amanda ReCupido are a husband-and-wife team of writers and die-hard Chicago Cubs fans. As a Cleveland Indians fan myself, that is… painful, but I told myself I could get through this and not go down the rabbit hole of thinking what might have been if not for that rain delay after Rajai Davis hit the game-tying home run in Game Seven of the World Series in 2016…
Anyway!
Amanda and Matt have written a fantastic children’s book called Anthony Rizzo Is a Good Italian Boy, and even bitter Indians fans like me can recognize that it’s an essential book for baseball-loving parents to put in their rotation when they’re not also teaching their kids about Italian culture through a few episodes of The Sopranos.
This book is the best of both worlds, featuring one of baseball’s best, and one of the game’s most recognizable, players. I’ve always felt that baseball players are pretty underserved when it comes to publicity and promotion, especially when it comes to getting children invested in the game, and this book certainly helps pick up the slack.
Also, I really like the idea of baseball players having to hit giant saucy meatballs.
But the fun doesn’t stop there!
The couple just gave me a sneak peek of their brand-new book, called Tommy DeVito Is a Good Italian Boy. Recognizing that, hey, adults like to read too, Amanda and Matt are about to release a book about Joe Pesci’s character from the movie Goodfellas.
Here’s an exclusive excerpt:
Tommy DeVito is a good Italian boy. He always…
…stops by his mother’s house for a meal before burying a body upstate.
…ask to make sure he’s heard you correctly while in a noisy restaurant, and will ask follow-up questions to make sure he clearly understood your meaning.
…keeps his mouth shut, and never rats on his friends.
…waits until he sees smoke before fleeing the scene after burning down a restaurant for insurance money.
…makes sure his friend has a date too if he wants to take out a Jew broad.
…digs the hole if he offs a busboy in a fit of rage.
…knows not to buy anything after a big heist because the cops are watching.
…goes home to get his f@#%ing shine box.
Anthony Rizzo Is a Good Italian Boy is available now, and Tommy DeVito Is a Good Italian Boy will hopefully be in stores soon.