This is about Singletary's book. It may seem like a small topic, but to me it's big. It reveals a portion of the character of this fascinating man who has burst into our lives -- and hopefully stays a long time. So here goes.

When Singletary was introduced last week as 49er interim head coach, he sat in a chair at the front of the room while Jed York made preliminary remarks. I looked at Singletary. I was trying to size him up. It's my job to size up people.

I noticed he held a black book in his hands and when he got up to speak he set the book down on his vacated chair. I assumed the book was a Bible because Singletary is religious, although I considered it strange for him to carry a Bible into that meeting. And then I forgot about the book.

Today at 12:15 p.m. Singletary conducted his first Monday news conference and again he brought the book with him. He carried it up to the lecturn and put in on the side of the lecturn. We asked him questions for 25 minutes or so and, of course, no one asked about the book -- not when Vernon Davis and J.T. O'Sullivan are such hot-button topics.

I kept looking at the book. It is large -- I'd say 8 1/2 by 11, or even bigger. It is covered with black leather and the tops of the pages are gold leaf. It is quite a handsome serious substantial book, and of course that is a perfect description of Singletary himself. I noticed a marker of some sort between two of the pages. When the conference ended I stopped Singletary and asked about the book and here is our dialogue.

Cohn: What is that book you're holding?

Singletary: This book? I record every conversation every day, every minute of the day.

Cohn: So, you'll go back to your office and write a little summary of what we talked about here?

Singletary: Yes. It sort of keeps me up with myself. It's a reminder. It gives a flow of where we are as a team. Where were we yesterday? Where were we at this time last week? It just keeps me on track of where I need to be.

Cohn: How many times a day will you make an entry?

Singletary: Every time I have a conversation.

Cohn: So, it could be four or five?

Singletary: It could be ten times.

That is fascinating to me and I hope to you. Singletary keeps a running journal of his football life. He may also do it for his personal life -- I didn't ask. He writes ten times a day, and you get a picture of him dashing into his office, putting down his thoughts in ink in his own handwriting and then going to a meeting and after the meeting again doing his writing. I once read that F. Scott Fitzgerald didn't feel he had fully experienced any moment until he wrote about it. I wonder if Singletary is like that. I wonder if among other things he's a writer at heart.

Someone from Niners public relations told me Singletary did not start writing his notebooks after he became head coach. As far as this guy knows, Singletary always has written in his book. So there is a book collection somewhere. Maybe some day a Singletary manuscript will be valuable -- an original Singletary.

All this tells us he is a serious, introspective, thoughtful man. It also tells us he's a bit eccentric. And he's a throwback to when people wrote in notebooks and not on computer screens.

-- Lowell