Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame

by Barry Zito, Robert Noland

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780785227885
Publisher:	HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	265
Sales rank:	295,688
File size:	26 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Pitching primarily for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants throughout his Major League Baseball career, Barry Zito is a Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion. After retiring from baseball, Barry settled in Nashville with his wife, Amber, and their two sons. Already well into his second career as a musician and songwriter, Zito recently released his debut EP, “No Secrets.”

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction: Fame, Shame, and the Love of the Game xv

Chapter 1 Half-Italian, All-American 1

Chapter 2 Let the Games Begin 13

Barry's Basics-First Base 27

Chapter 3 The Point of Release Is Everything 31

Chapter 4 Method to the Madness 45

Barry's Basics-Second Base 57

Chapter 5 At Least Now We're in the Building 61

Chapter 6 Ride That Wave 77

Barry's Basics-Third Base 97

Chapter 7 Creating My Own Monster 99

Barry's Basics-Home Plate 113

Chapter 8 Tattoo That Number on Your Forehead 115

Chapter 9 Trying Everything, Getting Nowhere 135

Chapter 10 Nobody's Fault but Mine 157

Chapter 11 But He Was Never There, Until Right Now 173

Chapter 12 Stay on Your Side of the Fence 193

Chapter 13 No Regrets, No What-Ifs 207

Conclusion: The Tale of Two Rings 221

Appendix 1 God's Gift of Mercer 225

Appendix 2 The Gospel According to Barry Zito 229

Appendix 3 Barry Zito Baseball Career Awards and Stats 235

Notes 239

About the Authors 243

Editorial Reviews

06/24/2019

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.)

Publishers Weekly