Holley: Passion makes for Pats fans

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 12/20/16

Boston sports fans from the Warwick area can usually tune in to hear WEEI's Michael Holley every weekday from 2 to 6 p.m., but this weekend they got an extra dose. Holley held a book signing for

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Holley: Passion makes for Pats fans

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Boston sports fans from the Warwick area can usually tune in to hear WEEI’s Michael Holley every weekday from 2 to 6 p.m., but this weekend they got an extra dose.

Holley held a book signing for his latest work, Belichick and Brady: Two Men, the Patriots, and How They Revolutionized Football, at the Barnes & Noble on Bald Hill Road on Saturday evening. The New York Times best-selling author welcomed a long line of eager New England fans, each offering stories of their connection to the four-time Super Bowl champions.

“Passion,” Holley said, in an interview with the Warwick Beacon after the signing, about what differentiates New England fans from other regions around the country. “I’m telling you, that’s the greatest thing, the greatest asset. People might think, ‘Oh, you’re just saying that,’ but you have to look at other places in the country. It’s just not the same. Not to say other markets aren’t into sports, but it matters so much here.”

Holley went further to say that lines like those that showed up to Barnes & Noble on Saturday, wrapping around the Nook station in the center of the store, don’t happen in other areas. He made it personal, grabbing a copy of his book and pointing out one key distinction that would not be possible without New England’s tremendous fan base.

New York Times best-selling author,” Holley said, reading the words across the bottom of the cover. “That doesn’t happen anywhere else. I just don’t think you have that line out there for a sports writer in other parts of the country. You don’t. This career that I have is because of the fans, and I realize that.

“And that’s all right,” he added with a laugh.

The former Boston Globe columnist has authored five books about New England sports thus far, four centered on the Patriots. Patriot Reign: Bill Belichick, the Coaches, and the Players Who Built a Champion (2005) made the NYT Best Sellers list. He co-wrote Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery and My Return to the NFL with former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi (2008) and released War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team in 2012. Holley reached Best-Seller status again in 2009 with Red Sox Rule: Terry Francona and Boston’s Rise to Dominance.

He has parlayed the success of New England sports into success of his own, as teams from the area have combined to win nine titles in the past 15 years. He’s been around to see every one of them.

“I know that I’m in the right place at the right time, and I think people aren’t just passionate about the games, they’re passionate about watching the games, about reading about them, talking about them,” Holley said. “That’s just special. That’s not normal. We can never take that for granted.”

Holley should be in the area again during the spring when he releases his sixth book, Papi: My Story, which he is writing with retired Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. The book is due out on May 16, 2017.

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