It started with Rick Reilly winning a sportswriting contest as a kid growing up in Colorado. Consider it an early scouting report.

It will culminate with Reilly being inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame Monday in Salisbury, N.C. He will be presented by no less than John Elway. Apparently, Babe Ruth wasn’t available.

In between, Reilly wrote countless stories and columns that showcased his immense talents. Many of them from ESPN are featured in his new book, Tiger Meet My Sister…And Other Things I Shouldn’t Have Said.

Reilly writes his obituary in the first chapter. It shows his decision to give up sportswriting has been in the works for a while.

It is hard to argue with his plan to spend part of the year living in Italy. I’m sure he has a regular tee time with Costantino Rocca.

However, much like other greats he covered who retired early (Michael Jordan, etc…) only to come back, I think he will eventually feel the pull to start pounding the keyboard again.

Regardless, it is has been a helluva run. On the eve of his induction, I did an email Q/A with Reilly.

John Elway is going to be your presenter?

There’s something wrong with a world in which they can hold a Hall of Fame ceremony where I go in and John Elway doesn’t.

How do you feel about being a Hall of Famer? Are you in any other Hall of Fames?

I don’t think so. I’m so pumped about going into this one because it contains most of my heroes — Damon Runyon, Jim Murray, Red Smith, people like that. I never EVER imagined when I started out that I’d be on any list with those names on it. I never dreamed that big. It’s either an incredible honor or they are completely out of people to induct.

Why the obituary to open the book? It seemed like an obit of your writing career. Did you know when you wrote it you were going to sign off as a regular columnist?

Yes, I knew this would be my last sports collection, sort of the death of my sportswriting career, so why not write an obit for it? Besides, why leave it up to some dandruffed obit writer who’s got a bottle of Smirnoff under the desk and just had a fight with his wife? It was great fun to take stock of what I’ve done so far and what I haven’t. After I was done with it, I decided if I catch a skulled drive in the head right now and check out, it’s been hellaciously fun and rewarding.

Why are you giving up writing a regular column now?

Because I can finally afford to? At least for six months a year. I’m going to keep doing the Monday Night Countdown features and a few SportsCenter features during the NFL season and then, for the other six months, we’re going to live in Italy. I’m ready to read instead of write for awhile, listen instead of talk. Play piano, bathe in Italian wine, and catch up on my thumb twiddling. I’m going to do a whole lot of nothing. And on weekends, I’m not even going to do that.

Rick Telander used to say there’s only seven sports columns in the world. I think I’ve written all seven 11,000 times each. Do you realize I’ve published more than 2 million words? And every one of them has been about sports. I’m like a dog who’s never been out of the yard. I want to try writing film, travel, politics, music and, I don’t know, really strong Haiku. I’ll probably fall flat on my face but at least it will be a new challenge.

I always dreamed of retiring early. I never wanted to be one of these old sportswriters that was still hacking out columns at 90 and then died over their Olivettis. Dave Barry and I are friends and he’s been my role model in this. He quit his column when he was at the very top of the humor writing business and everybody thought he was crazy. And yet, now, he’s happier than ever and has written a hit book series — Peter and the Starcatchers — and done 100 other cool things. I know there’s actual life out there beyond groin pulls.

(Below: ESPN Front Row interview)

You got very personal in the book and even included the column about your father-in-law and the Redskins. Why did you go that route?

Don’t see how I can ask athletes to be transparent for my columns if I can’t ask that of myself.

What were your favorite columns in the book?

The one on my dad, the one on Chy Johnson, the one on the prison football team who were shocked to find that half their opponents’ fans (and cheerleaders) were rooting for THEM, the one where I spent two days trying to make a hole in one and finally succeeded on shot #694.

Looking back, how do you view your move to ESPN? 

I love trying new stuff and ESPN was like going back to college for me. I learned the TV industry, digital writing, found out what it was like to have my own traveling circus (Homecoming), learned (the hard way) to walk the tightrope of live TV, learned how to write for TV and found a younger audience for my columns. I met so many cool, smart people at ESPN. It’s an eye-opening experience to be inside what may be the most successful media company in history.

What other projects do you have in the works elsewhere?

Working on three movies and a book and some really good grocery lists.

Have you talked to John Skipper about opening an ESPN bureau in Italy?

Pardon the Antipasti?

Anything else?

Are you hiring?

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Reilly also did a Q/A with Chris Strauss of USA Today.