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Playing with Purpose
Playing with Purpose: Inside the Lives and Faith of the Major Leagues' Top Players--Including Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, and Josh Hamilton
Meet the €œstarting lineup€ of talented major league players with fascinating faith stories in Playing with Baseball. Just in time for the new pro season, this book chronicles the lives of several players who stand strong for their Christian faith on the diamond. Veteran CBA author Mike Yorkey, whose Playing with Purpose biography of NFL rookies Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy was a best-seller, now profiles major league stars both established and up-and-coming€”including Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Beltran, Stephen Drew, Adrian Gonzalez, Ben Zobrist, Mark Teixeira, Jeremy Affeldt, and Mariano Rivera. Playing with Baseball will introduce you to talented athletes with compelling faith stories.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 17, 2014
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars because of how it has changed my outlook on the lives that some Major League baseball players are living today. This book is a great read if you really like baseball and want to grow in your faith in Christ. This book is composed of 13 short stories about the lives of Major League baseball players. The Christian baseball players that this book revolves around are, Clayton Kershaw, Ben Zorbrist, Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Stephen Drew, Jeremy Affeldt, Matt Capps, Mark Teixeira, Brian Roberts, Josh Willingham, and Mariano Rivera. Sadly no Cincinnati Reds players are in here. When you read this book you soon realize that these MLB players do not have baseball on the top priority of their lives they are Playing With Purpose to honor and give God all of the glory. Mike Yorkey is a great author in this book. I have read other books of his and really enjoy reading his work. He writes for all ages to enjoy and read comfortably. When you read this book you will find out things you did not even think of would happen to MLB players. Albert Pujols was my favorite player to read about he has an amazing story of how he came from the Dominican Republic, battled through some trials in his life, to then go on and hit record homeruns. I hope you choose to read this book you will not regret it.
October 19, 2014
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars because it really opened my eyes about how some of the MLB players live there lives. This book is an amazing book. I would recommend it to anyone who is a Christian and loves playing baseball. In this book you will find a lot of stories about today's greatest players and their faith. Some of the players in this book are; Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw, Matt Capps, Mark Teixeira and the great Mariano Rivera. As you read this book you will find out that these players did not have it easy. Some of the players had a strong relationship with Christ, but then end up going down the wrong path. When you are done with the first chapter in this book your eyes will open up because you will see that none of the players have baseball or money as their top priority; instead it is God. Mike Yorkey did a great job writing Playing With Purpose because I found out stuff about Major Leaguer players that I did not even know. He also made it easy to read so that everyone can enjoy it.
My favorite person in this book was Adrian Gonzalez because he grew up in a bad part of Mexico, played baseball with his brothers and ended up one of the greatest left handed hitters in baseball today.
I really hope you decide to read Playing With Purpose because it is a great read for all ages.
My favorite person in this book was Adrian Gonzalez because he grew up in a bad part of Mexico, played baseball with his brothers and ended up one of the greatest left handed hitters in baseball today.
I really hope you decide to read Playing With Purpose because it is a great read for all ages.
April 19, 2020
I love God and I love baseball so this is the perfect book for me. I have also read Mike Yorkey books in the past and have always enjoyed them.
In this book Yorkey examines the faith and careers of 13 major league baseball players. This book was written in 2012 so a lot of both good and bad have happened to these players since the book was written. It would be interesting to hear the faith stories of the players who have gone through tough times now. I hope and pray their faith is even stronger then it was before.
I know Ben Zobrist has gone through some marital problems and Josh Hamilton is still fighting his drug addiction and current accusations of child abuse. I think it is important to remember that these guys are people first and foremost. They happen to have been great baseball players too but they go through tough times just like us.
I enjoyed the ones on Carlos Beltran and Jeremy Affeldt the most but the whole book is full of great stories of guys who succeeded in baseball and gave the glory to God. I pray for each of them and their continued faith.
In this book Yorkey examines the faith and careers of 13 major league baseball players. This book was written in 2012 so a lot of both good and bad have happened to these players since the book was written. It would be interesting to hear the faith stories of the players who have gone through tough times now. I hope and pray their faith is even stronger then it was before.
I know Ben Zobrist has gone through some marital problems and Josh Hamilton is still fighting his drug addiction and current accusations of child abuse. I think it is important to remember that these guys are people first and foremost. They happen to have been great baseball players too but they go through tough times just like us.
I enjoyed the ones on Carlos Beltran and Jeremy Affeldt the most but the whole book is full of great stories of guys who succeeded in baseball and gave the glory to God. I pray for each of them and their continued faith.
August 7, 2017
I'm not a baseball fan at all, but my brother is. He enjoyed this book, and I like biographies, especially about Christian people, so I thought I'd give the book a try. Because I don't like baseball, I got really bogged down in the stats parts of the book, but I enjoyed the stories. Each one inspired me to live more like Christ. I will say that at times I needed a dictionary because Yorkey uses a few words that are too big to be in my everyday vocab. But overall it is a good book.
March 24, 2014
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PLAYING WITH A PURPOSE, by Mike Yorkey is a very motivational book. This book is about a group of hall of fame caliber baseball players and what their daily lifestyle is about. This book talks about plenty of individual baseball players and the work ethic that they had in order to get to the major leagues. This book isn't necessarily about the players on field performance as much as what they do off the field in order to have the success they have on the field. This book tells people about the struggles that they went through, and how they were able to push forward and become successful in there future. It says in the book that no one ever just gets to walk right up to the pros. You have to earn ever bit of what you want to accomplish in order for you to become successful. The people it talks about in the book didn't just give up when life was pushing them down. Instead they just pushed right back. This book talks about josh Hamilton, an outfielder for the Anaheim Angels. When he was in his teens he started hanging out with the wrong crowd. He became an alcoholic who would do drugs and had gotten a lot of tattoos. When he started playing with the Texas rangers they told him that he had to stop so these things or he would be release by the organization. Now josh is one of the best outfielders in the game. So baseball basically saved his life. This book is not just about josh. This book is about a lot of other great baseball players.
This book is a good book for baseball fans. This book is a great book for someone who likes baseball, and who is lazy and needs to be motivated in order to do something or bringing the best out I what you already have. This book gives you some examples on how you can overcome your own personal struggles in life. I like this book because it doesn't just talk about baseball players success in the pros, but instead it talks about there struggles in order to get to there successfulness in there career. This book is a book that will help you become a stronger person mentally. I would read this book any time that I need to do something that is difficult or challenging.
PLAYING WITH A PURPOSE, by Mike Yorkey is a very motivational book. This book is about a group of hall of fame caliber baseball players and what their daily lifestyle is about. This book talks about plenty of individual baseball players and the work ethic that they had in order to get to the major leagues. This book isn't necessarily about the players on field performance as much as what they do off the field in order to have the success they have on the field. This book tells people about the struggles that they went through, and how they were able to push forward and become successful in there future. It says in the book that no one ever just gets to walk right up to the pros. You have to earn ever bit of what you want to accomplish in order for you to become successful. The people it talks about in the book didn't just give up when life was pushing them down. Instead they just pushed right back. This book talks about josh Hamilton, an outfielder for the Anaheim Angels. When he was in his teens he started hanging out with the wrong crowd. He became an alcoholic who would do drugs and had gotten a lot of tattoos. When he started playing with the Texas rangers they told him that he had to stop so these things or he would be release by the organization. Now josh is one of the best outfielders in the game. So baseball basically saved his life. This book is not just about josh. This book is about a lot of other great baseball players.
This book is a good book for baseball fans. This book is a great book for someone who likes baseball, and who is lazy and needs to be motivated in order to do something or bringing the best out I what you already have. This book gives you some examples on how you can overcome your own personal struggles in life. I like this book because it doesn't just talk about baseball players success in the pros, but instead it talks about there struggles in order to get to there successfulness in there career. This book is a book that will help you become a stronger person mentally. I would read this book any time that I need to do something that is difficult or challenging.
March 5, 2012
Playing with Purpose: Baseball By Mike Yorkey
Playing with Purpose: Baseball is published by Barbour Publishing. I received this book as a preview copy through Netgalley. It will be available as a Hardcover on April 02, 2012.
This is part of Christian and Sports genre. It is a refreshing look at some major league baseball stars. Often the only news you here about athletes is encounters with the law, the use of steroids or other performance enhancing drugs, or their infidelity to their spouse. This book show a different side of the athletes, who have overcome obstacles in their life and live their life not just for themselves, but to serve and honor Jesus Christ with their actions.
To all baseball fans, I recommend this book. You learn about the careers of premier athletes, and you also get inspired by the life that they live both on and off the field.
From the Publisher:
Meet the “starting lineup” of talented major league players with fascinating faith stories in Playing with Purpose: Baseball. Just in time for the new pro season, this book chronicles the lives of several players who stand strong for their Christian faith on the diamond. Veteran CBA author Mike Yorkey, whose Playing with Purpose biography of NFL rookies Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy was a best-seller, now profiles major league stars both established and up-and-coming—including Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Beltran, Stephen Drew, Adrian Gonzalez, Ben Zobrist, Mark Teixeira, Jeremy Affeldt, and Mariano Rivera. Playing with Purpose: Baseball will introduce you to talented athletes with compelling faith stories.
Playing with Purpose: Baseball is published by Barbour Publishing. I received this book as a preview copy through Netgalley. It will be available as a Hardcover on April 02, 2012.
This is part of Christian and Sports genre. It is a refreshing look at some major league baseball stars. Often the only news you here about athletes is encounters with the law, the use of steroids or other performance enhancing drugs, or their infidelity to their spouse. This book show a different side of the athletes, who have overcome obstacles in their life and live their life not just for themselves, but to serve and honor Jesus Christ with their actions.
To all baseball fans, I recommend this book. You learn about the careers of premier athletes, and you also get inspired by the life that they live both on and off the field.
From the Publisher:
Meet the “starting lineup” of talented major league players with fascinating faith stories in Playing with Purpose: Baseball. Just in time for the new pro season, this book chronicles the lives of several players who stand strong for their Christian faith on the diamond. Veteran CBA author Mike Yorkey, whose Playing with Purpose biography of NFL rookies Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy was a best-seller, now profiles major league stars both established and up-and-coming—including Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Beltran, Stephen Drew, Adrian Gonzalez, Ben Zobrist, Mark Teixeira, Jeremy Affeldt, and Mariano Rivera. Playing with Purpose: Baseball will introduce you to talented athletes with compelling faith stories.
Read
March 17, 2016I read the book “Playing with Purpose”. This book tells the testimonies, or the life stories of current or past MLB players. This book includes the stories of many big name stars like Clayton Kershaw, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Mariano Rivera, and many others. All of these stories are very good. The story I hear the most is the Josh Hamilton story. Even though I have heard his story many times I still think it is my favorite out of all of them.
All of these stories have their own uniqueness about them. Each player has a story that someone can relate to. That is one of the things that make the book so good. Everyone has a chance to relate with the baseball player and see that they go through the same things we do. Another cool thing about the book is that I did not know that much about all these players. This makes it cool because next time I see them on TV I will know their story and know more about them. Another thing that I like about it is that I am a huge baseball fan, and I knew who all of these guys were. I thought it was awesome that I got to learn more about them more than I already did.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a baseball player. As a baseball player I could relate to some of the things they went through and the things they talked about.
All of these stories have their own uniqueness about them. Each player has a story that someone can relate to. That is one of the things that make the book so good. Everyone has a chance to relate with the baseball player and see that they go through the same things we do. Another cool thing about the book is that I did not know that much about all these players. This makes it cool because next time I see them on TV I will know their story and know more about them. Another thing that I like about it is that I am a huge baseball fan, and I knew who all of these guys were. I thought it was awesome that I got to learn more about them more than I already did.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a baseball player. As a baseball player I could relate to some of the things they went through and the things they talked about.
April 3, 2012
Playing with Purpose: Baseball is written by Mike Yorkey and published by Barbour Publishing.
The subtitle to this book is Inside the Lives and Faith of Major League Stars. The author writes about the lives of some influential baseball players. He shows how they have used their faith to help them through difficult times. He also shows how they share their faith with others.
Two of the athletes highlighted are Albert Pujols and Marino Rivera. I enjoyed all the chapters but these two were the highlights of the book for me. The writing style in the book was fast paced and I was never bored. I liked how the stories moved quickly and kept my attention enough to see what would happen next.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up his other Playing with Purpose books for Football and Basketball.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.
The subtitle to this book is Inside the Lives and Faith of Major League Stars. The author writes about the lives of some influential baseball players. He shows how they have used their faith to help them through difficult times. He also shows how they share their faith with others.
Two of the athletes highlighted are Albert Pujols and Marino Rivera. I enjoyed all the chapters but these two were the highlights of the book for me. The writing style in the book was fast paced and I was never bored. I liked how the stories moved quickly and kept my attention enough to see what would happen next.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up his other Playing with Purpose books for Football and Basketball.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.
Read
October 2, 2015The book playing with a purpose is about how faith has bettered the top baseball players in the game. Josh Hamilton’s faith in god keeps him focused on family and baseball which helped stop his drug addictions. When Josh’s faith was in god, “God began restoring everything josh had nearly destroyed.” (pg. 126). With the help of god Josh was able to come back to being an all-star in the game. Another player whose faith was placed in god became a very successful player on and off the field. Albert Pujols’s salary “reached 11 million annually which caused him to start the Pujols Family Foundation.”(pg. 77). Which helps families and children who have Down syndrome. When Albert put god and family before everything, god bettered him on and off the field. Throughout the novel you will learn about how placing your faith in god can better your life.
September 16, 2015
242 pages, PLAYING WITH PURPOSE by Mike Yorkey was a very manageable read and easy read for me. This is a nonfiction book, almost a biography type book about thirteen professional baseball players and their journeys through life with Christ.
May 23, 2012
I would recommend this book to young guys/girls into baseball. It is really encouraging to read the ups and downs even professional players face.
November 22, 2013
Nice to see people in the public eye living out their faith, but the book was poorly written, imo.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews