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Summary
Summary
The painfully honest and personal story of one of baseball's most intriguing players.
In Curveball, Zito shares his story with honesty and transparency. The ups and the downs. The wins and losses. By sharing his experiences as a man who had everything except happiness, Zito offers readers a path through adversity and toward a life defined by true success.
Despite achieving the kind of fame and fortune that most people only dream about, Barry Zito was plagued by both internal forces and external circumstances that robbed him of any sense of peace--until he finally found a purpose worth living for.
Barry explores the twists and turns of his own journey, including:
his dad's constant push and pursuit for excellence, which translated into a toxic father-son relationship, how achieving superstardom in the major leagues created crippling fear, the personal destruction brought on by fame and fortune, and the disastrous seasons with the San Francisco Giants, including being benched for the 2010 playoffs and World Series.Zito comes face-to-face with the destructiveness of his own ego--his need to be viewed as the best. He also comes face-to-face with God and with the truth that he was loved no matter what he achieved.
Reviews (1)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In his revealing debut memoir, former Major League Baseball pitcher Zito explores the work-hard play-hard lifestyle he lived before turning to God. The son of a music talent manager and pastor, Zito struggled with the strictures of home life and became addicted to drugs as a teenager, but he managed to keep himself clean for long stretches and became a star college ball player before being picked in the first round of the 1999 MLB draft. His whirlwind journey through the minor leagues was wrought with late-night partying and drug relapses. Once called to the majors, the partying only increased. After signing a $126-million contract with the San Fransisco Giants, Zito, overwhelmed by the fear of not living up to expectations, fell into a pitching slump. He began reading self-help books and tried various spiritual and mental practices, including hiring a spiritual healer; his fragile state hit a fever pitch when he was removed from his team's 2010 playoff roster. Relying on the team chaplain and his devout girlfriend for support, Zito decided to convert to Christianity. Quickly, his career improved and he pitched in his first World Series game. Christian readers and baseball fans alike will enjoy this redemptive, detailed account. (Sept.)
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. xi |
| Introduction: Fame, Shame, and the Love of the Game | p. xv |
| Chapter 1 Half-Italian, Ail-American | p. 1 |
| Chapter 2 Let the Games Begin | p. 13 |
| Barry's Basics-First Base | p. 27 |
| Chapter 3 The Point of Release Is Everything | p. 31 |
| Chapter 4 Method to the Madness | p. 45 |
| Barry's Basics-Second Base | p. 57 |
| Chapter 5 At Least Now We're in the Building | p. 61 |
| Chapter 6 Ride That Wave | p. 77 |
| Barry's Basics-Third Base | p. 97 |
| Chapter 7 Creating My Own Monster | p. 99 |
| Barry's Basics-Home Plate | p. 113 |
| Chapter 8 Tattoo That Number on Your Forehead | p. 115 |
| Chapter 9 Trying Everything, Getting Nowhere | p. 135 |
| Chapter 10 Nobody's Fault but Mine | p. 157 |
| Chapter 11 But He Was Never There, Until Right Now | p. 173 |
| Chapter 12 Stay on Your Side of the Fence | p. 193 |
| Chapter 13 No Regrets, No What-Ifs | p. 207 |
| Conclusion: The Tale of Two Rings | p. 221 |
| Appendix 1 God's Gift of Mercer | p. 225 |
| Appendix 2 The Gospel According to Barry Zito | p. 229 |
| Appendix 3 Barry Zito Baseball Career Awards and Stats | p. 235 |
| Notes | p. 239 |
| About the Authors | p. 243 |