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Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame
After watching his career as a professional baseball player go down in flames, Cy Young Award-winner Barry Zito discovered a real connection with God and a renewed passion for life.
In 2007, pitcher Barry Zito signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. At that time, it was the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. He was at the top of his game, in peak physical condition, and had the kind of financial security most people can only dream of.He was also miserable. And it began to show. Zito's career declined over the next few years until he hit rock bottom--watching from the bench as his team won the World Series in 2010. In the months that followed, Zito came face-to-face with the destructiveness of his own ego--his need to be viewed as the best. He also came face-to-face with God and with the truth that he was loved no matter what he achieved.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.
In 2007, pitcher Barry Zito signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. At that time, it was the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. He was at the top of his game, in peak physical condition, and had the kind of financial security most people can only dream of.He was also miserable. And it began to show. Zito's career declined over the next few years until he hit rock bottom--watching from the bench as his team won the World Series in 2010. In the months that followed, Zito came face-to-face with the destructiveness of his own ego--his need to be viewed as the best. He also came face-to-face with God and with the truth that he was loved no matter what he achieved.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.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2019
42 people are currently reading
1066 people want to read
About the author
Barry Zito
5 books6 followersPitching 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.”
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October 23, 2019
My holidays are over (exhale). It is back to the grind of living day to day but for me that means lots of reading time. The World Series started this week as well and I am looking forward to a Fall Classic for the ages. During the last two days of holidays, I picked up a baseball memoir, just in case I pined for the sport while I was offline. One of my favorite baseball books is Moneyball, which details the small market Oakland Athletics and how their management has fielded competitive teams on a low budget year after year. The book features the 2002 edition of the team that consisted of a young, dominant starting pitching staff and a team of nobodies, which went on to win twenty games in a row and over one hundred overall. One of the pitchers on that team was Barry Zito, who turned in the best season of his career with a 23-5 record en route to the league’s Cy Young award. On the surface, a top athlete appears to lead a life that average denizens can only dream of; yet, Zito’s had been a life of internal turmoil. Curveball is his memoir of achieving personal harmony amid the fame and fortune thrown in his direction.
Barry Zito was the surprise third child of his parents Joseph and Roberta, who at the time were parents to teenaged Bonnie and nine-year-old Sally. Joseph had already reached middle age by the time Barry was born yet doted on him like any loving parent would. Yet, Joseph was also a schemer. Both Joseph and Roberta were respectable musicians, hobnobbing with celebrities from Nat King Cole to Frank Sinatra, yet both careers did not last forever and Joseph turned to scheming to provide for his family. Eventually the scheming would take the Zito family to Las Vegas and then San Diego, with the family always struggling to make ends meet. When Barry turned six, it became apparent to his parents that he possessed real athletic talent, so Joseph came up with his biggest scheme of all: to raise a son who would became one of the best big league baseball pitchers of all time. Only knowing the environment that he grew up in, Barry easily followed suit and started down a path toward adult fame.
Barry’s pitching skills took him all the way to a first round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics. He joined the team at age twenty two in 2000 and became part of their big three pitching staff alongside Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. The Big Three pitchers lead the team depicted in Moneyball to stardom and propelled Zito to personal fame. Having been raised in a home where he did not know where his next meal would come from, Zito took to fame and fortune like a fish to water. He moved his family to a nice home, becoming his parents sole provider; in their senior years, Joseph and Roberta Zito could finally live easily. Yet, Barry also became obsessed with the materialistic culture almost expected of the rich and famous stars of Los Angeles. He became addicted to expensive cars, watches, clothes, and eventually purchased two glitzy homes, one each in Los Angeles and Marin County, hosting glamorous parties at each. The lifestyle took its toll on a once promising top flight pitcher, who, while logging multiple years of over fifteen wins, never quite achieved the level of his 2002 award winning season.
Before the 2007 season Zito signed a lucrative seven year contract with the San Francisco Giants, becoming the highest paid pitcher in baseball. Over the course of the contact, Zito pitched like a middling pitcher, not like the ace he was expected to be. During those years, he was booed by fans and longed to become invisible in Los Angeles, living the lifestyle of the rich and famous in the offseason. The price of fame took its toll on him as Zito appeared to have it all by Americans’ standards, yet professionally he continued to sink into an abyss. He turned to one self help book after another in attempt to find himself as a professional pitcher and a person. Nothing seemed to work, and in 2010 he hit rock bottom as pitcher, being left off of the Giants’ playoff roster, that eventually went on to win the World Series. During these bleak years Zito was introduced to Amber Seyer, and it was love at first sight for him. Still dependent on his father for validation and most materialistic things to define success, it took Zito nearly two years to break away from this cycle and see in Amber what a special person she was. After successfully breaking away from the cycle of co-dependency and needing others’ approval to feel successful, Zito happily wed Amber in 2011.
As a religious person, it was refreshing to see that a religious awakening also played a key role in allowing Barry Zito to find personal happiness. I found it ironic that I found myself reading about another religion on the last day of my holidays, but at the same time, happy with religion declining in America, that the Zito family would find inner joy through their faith. While Barry Zito never did become the most successful pitcher of all time as his father once envisioned, he did manage to balance fame and fortune with the things that mean the most to him- his family and religion. Today, the Zitos have two children and Barry is enjoying a second career as a song writer, based in Nashville. I enjoyed this quick read about him as both a baseball player and a person, and, for a lack of a better word, refreshed to see someone be redeemed by religious beliefs and not become defined by the materialistic culture in which we live.
3+ stars
Barry Zito was the surprise third child of his parents Joseph and Roberta, who at the time were parents to teenaged Bonnie and nine-year-old Sally. Joseph had already reached middle age by the time Barry was born yet doted on him like any loving parent would. Yet, Joseph was also a schemer. Both Joseph and Roberta were respectable musicians, hobnobbing with celebrities from Nat King Cole to Frank Sinatra, yet both careers did not last forever and Joseph turned to scheming to provide for his family. Eventually the scheming would take the Zito family to Las Vegas and then San Diego, with the family always struggling to make ends meet. When Barry turned six, it became apparent to his parents that he possessed real athletic talent, so Joseph came up with his biggest scheme of all: to raise a son who would became one of the best big league baseball pitchers of all time. Only knowing the environment that he grew up in, Barry easily followed suit and started down a path toward adult fame.
Barry’s pitching skills took him all the way to a first round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics. He joined the team at age twenty two in 2000 and became part of their big three pitching staff alongside Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. The Big Three pitchers lead the team depicted in Moneyball to stardom and propelled Zito to personal fame. Having been raised in a home where he did not know where his next meal would come from, Zito took to fame and fortune like a fish to water. He moved his family to a nice home, becoming his parents sole provider; in their senior years, Joseph and Roberta Zito could finally live easily. Yet, Barry also became obsessed with the materialistic culture almost expected of the rich and famous stars of Los Angeles. He became addicted to expensive cars, watches, clothes, and eventually purchased two glitzy homes, one each in Los Angeles and Marin County, hosting glamorous parties at each. The lifestyle took its toll on a once promising top flight pitcher, who, while logging multiple years of over fifteen wins, never quite achieved the level of his 2002 award winning season.
Before the 2007 season Zito signed a lucrative seven year contract with the San Francisco Giants, becoming the highest paid pitcher in baseball. Over the course of the contact, Zito pitched like a middling pitcher, not like the ace he was expected to be. During those years, he was booed by fans and longed to become invisible in Los Angeles, living the lifestyle of the rich and famous in the offseason. The price of fame took its toll on him as Zito appeared to have it all by Americans’ standards, yet professionally he continued to sink into an abyss. He turned to one self help book after another in attempt to find himself as a professional pitcher and a person. Nothing seemed to work, and in 2010 he hit rock bottom as pitcher, being left off of the Giants’ playoff roster, that eventually went on to win the World Series. During these bleak years Zito was introduced to Amber Seyer, and it was love at first sight for him. Still dependent on his father for validation and most materialistic things to define success, it took Zito nearly two years to break away from this cycle and see in Amber what a special person she was. After successfully breaking away from the cycle of co-dependency and needing others’ approval to feel successful, Zito happily wed Amber in 2011.
As a religious person, it was refreshing to see that a religious awakening also played a key role in allowing Barry Zito to find personal happiness. I found it ironic that I found myself reading about another religion on the last day of my holidays, but at the same time, happy with religion declining in America, that the Zito family would find inner joy through their faith. While Barry Zito never did become the most successful pitcher of all time as his father once envisioned, he did manage to balance fame and fortune with the things that mean the most to him- his family and religion. Today, the Zitos have two children and Barry is enjoying a second career as a song writer, based in Nashville. I enjoyed this quick read about him as both a baseball player and a person, and, for a lack of a better word, refreshed to see someone be redeemed by religious beliefs and not become defined by the materialistic culture in which we live.
3+ stars
September 16, 2019
Barry Zito was a star pitcher in the early 2000’s for the Oakland Athletics, winning a Cy Young award and was part of the excellent staff for the Athletics that allowed them to compete with teams from bigger markets at the start of the Moneyball era. His success in Oakland turned into a big payday for him when he signed a contract before the 2007 season with the San Francisco Giants, which at the time was the biggest contract awarded to a pitcher. He did not come close to the same success with the Giants that he did with the Athletics.
It is at his lowest point during that time with San Francisco, when he was left off the postseason roster during the Giants’ 2010 championship run, that this book starts and from there, Zito takes the reader inside not only his career, but his entire transformation – both when he was a high school and college pitcher when he was always following the advice of his father on the best course to take and also near the end of his career, when he, with the help from his wife and Giants team chaplain, to follow the advice of God and turn to his Christian faith to guide him on the best decisions to make.
The book really was not much different in structure or in types of reflection than other sports memoirs. Zito’s reflections on family, the role of his father in his career, his transgressions in excessive living life in the fast lane, and even his decision to reaffirm his faith and let that aspect of his life become more important and prominent. All of these aspects, as well as his discussions about his performance on the mound, are all present in other sports memoirs.
So what makes this one different? Readers will immediately realize how refreshingly honest Zito writes without embellishment or exaggeration. There wasn’t a single passage in which I felt that Zito was not being completely honest with his audience and hearing him describe some of his inner struggles with trying to please his father, just for starters. It went as far as him transferring from a four-year college (UC Santa Barbara) to a junior college because, according to Zito’s father, Barry had a better chance to be a first round draft choice playing at a junior college. When he still wasn’t a first round draft choice, he transferred to another four-year school and then was a first round pick for the Athletics. The role of his father is told completely and with nothing held back by Zito.
This information about his father and the completely unfiltered version is also present in every aspect of his baseball career and his devotion to his faith. There is a good balance in all of these aspects of his life up to the best story of the book which is near the end. Zito won two World Series rings with the Giants – 2010, when he was left off the postseason roster as mentioned earlier and in 2012, when he was pitching better and won a World Series game as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. He shares that of the two rings, the 2010 one is more meaningful to him. If this doesn’t make sense, once one reads this honest assessment of himself, it is easier to understand why he believes this.
Any fan of baseball, of honest memoirs, or just of a good read will want to read this one. Don’t expect anything amazing or provocative – just a truly honest reflection of a baseball career that reached both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
I wish to thank Thomas Nelson – W Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
It is at his lowest point during that time with San Francisco, when he was left off the postseason roster during the Giants’ 2010 championship run, that this book starts and from there, Zito takes the reader inside not only his career, but his entire transformation – both when he was a high school and college pitcher when he was always following the advice of his father on the best course to take and also near the end of his career, when he, with the help from his wife and Giants team chaplain, to follow the advice of God and turn to his Christian faith to guide him on the best decisions to make.
The book really was not much different in structure or in types of reflection than other sports memoirs. Zito’s reflections on family, the role of his father in his career, his transgressions in excessive living life in the fast lane, and even his decision to reaffirm his faith and let that aspect of his life become more important and prominent. All of these aspects, as well as his discussions about his performance on the mound, are all present in other sports memoirs.
So what makes this one different? Readers will immediately realize how refreshingly honest Zito writes without embellishment or exaggeration. There wasn’t a single passage in which I felt that Zito was not being completely honest with his audience and hearing him describe some of his inner struggles with trying to please his father, just for starters. It went as far as him transferring from a four-year college (UC Santa Barbara) to a junior college because, according to Zito’s father, Barry had a better chance to be a first round draft choice playing at a junior college. When he still wasn’t a first round draft choice, he transferred to another four-year school and then was a first round pick for the Athletics. The role of his father is told completely and with nothing held back by Zito.
This information about his father and the completely unfiltered version is also present in every aspect of his baseball career and his devotion to his faith. There is a good balance in all of these aspects of his life up to the best story of the book which is near the end. Zito won two World Series rings with the Giants – 2010, when he was left off the postseason roster as mentioned earlier and in 2012, when he was pitching better and won a World Series game as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. He shares that of the two rings, the 2010 one is more meaningful to him. If this doesn’t make sense, once one reads this honest assessment of himself, it is easier to understand why he believes this.
Any fan of baseball, of honest memoirs, or just of a good read will want to read this one. Don’t expect anything amazing or provocative – just a truly honest reflection of a baseball career that reached both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
I wish to thank Thomas Nelson – W Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
August 26, 2019
I’ve read many sports biographies over the years and there is a tendency for the authors to at times tell too much of the year-by-year details of the athlete’s career. Writing like this can take away from the overall message or themes that a writer is trying to focus on. Thankfully, this is not the case in Curveball. Zito focuses on his spiritual journey of ridding himself of his ego and the temptations of the ‘good life’ as his tries to ‘feed the monster’ of entitlement. It takes him until many years into his career to determine the true difference between hubris and confidence.
This journey is what makes this book such a worthwhile read. Chapters are filled with self reflection and important anecdotes that reveal how he made his departure from that need for fame and to really started to delineate what he can control from other’s expectations. The rock star off the field was routinely at odds with the athlete he was trying to be on the field.
Everyone has tried the quick fix and Zito uses this book to discuss that many times only changes that actually stick are ones learned through experience. This is a rare biography that gets to the heart of this matter. From one lefty to another: Kudos to you, Barry.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/08/24/cu...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
This journey is what makes this book such a worthwhile read. Chapters are filled with self reflection and important anecdotes that reveal how he made his departure from that need for fame and to really started to delineate what he can control from other’s expectations. The rock star off the field was routinely at odds with the athlete he was trying to be on the field.
Everyone has tried the quick fix and Zito uses this book to discuss that many times only changes that actually stick are ones learned through experience. This is a rare biography that gets to the heart of this matter. From one lefty to another: Kudos to you, Barry.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/08/24/cu...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
January 1, 2021
Interesting career. I always enjoy reading an athlete's own perspective on their career. Particularly enjoyed reading about Zito's childhood and breaking into the bigs. Appreciate the value he places on character in the face of adversity. Should be required "adversity training" for any professional athlete (I'm looking at you, Cespedes).
January 6, 2025
I love reading biographies for random, relatively solid MLB players. I knew Barry Zito had pitched with the Sounds and I had seen him live, but I enjoyed getting to go through his career and read about his growth in his personal life.
December 22, 2020
J'ai bien aimé cette bio. Les pitchers au baseball ont une pression difficile à décrire. Ils sont seuls sur le monticule dans un sport d'équipe. Ils doivent jongler avec l'adversité, leur mental, leur forme physique. Tu peux être puissant et te faire cogner. Tu peux avoir une excellente courbe comme Zito et te faire cogner. Tu peux être précis et te faire cogner. Tu peux bien lancer et te faire cogner. Peu importe ce qu'il se passe, tu n'es pas tout le temps en contrôle de ta destinée. Et c'est exactement avec ça que Barry Zito a eu de la difficulté toute sa carrière, du moins, c'est ce qu'il nous explique dans sa bio. La pression d'un gros contrat peut effriter la confiance d'un joueur. C'est ce qui lui est arrivé. Je le recommande fortement.
December 11, 2023
Biography of a major-league baseball pitcher who prepared as a child to be a major leaguer with his dad. He and his dad strategized and practiced and met most of their goals. His dad was incredibly instrumental in giving good guidance. Very touching story of their relationship. Eventually Barry was in the major leagues, earning $126 million in a 7 year contract. He had it all...luxuries, money, women, freedom, a beautiful house, cars,...but something was missing. How he came to his senses in order to be able to write this book, which critiqued his earlier life and earlier career....I kept waiting for it...how did he deflate his big head??? How he finally came to his senses is a fascinating story. I loved reading it and I loved how he told it. Not giving everything away here!
November 8, 2019
Barry Zito had a roller coaster of a life. From becoming a first round pick, to not even starting on the team. Zito had a work ethic that was undefeated, with help from his dad. Barry has a very supportive family, that helped him become the baseball player that he wanted to be. After signing a 126 million dollar deal, Zito gradually got worse and worse at the sport he loved. Fighting the backlash and fans yet once supported him.
January 18, 2021
A great memoir even for non-baseball fans. Barry takes us through the highs and the deep lows as the pitcher for both the A’s and the Giants. Even at his professional peak, and despite the money, women, celebrities, exclusive nightclubs, mansions, and exotic cars, Barry details his ongoing battle with self-worth and identity which later lead to his spiritual epiphany.
October 10, 2023
One of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. The life lessons, journey, and humility of Barry Zito are extremely powerful. I highly recommend it. Longer review below:
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Barry. He came from a musical family. His parents met while working with Nat King Cole. He had two older sisters. And when he born with a unique birthmark on his left wrist, his mother announced that Barry would be doing something special with that hand one day.
Fast forward to the major leagues. After years of training, practice, and mental preparation, Barry Zito was pitching for the Oakland A's, and he had developed one of the most devastating curveballs in baseball history. When he was traded to the San Francisco Giants, his new contract broke records. But with that came new expectations from his team, his fans, and himself. There was no place to go but down.
I won't bore you with the weird way I discovered this book, but I will reiterate that the right books always find us at the right time. I'd never heard of Barry Zito, I don't follow baseball, and he retired from the sport years ago. None of those things mattered when I read (and listened) to his memoir, because this is not a book about baseball. It is a book about one man's personal and spiritual journey, and I found it fascinating.
Yes, it is easy to say that life for Barry Zito has been cushioned by that enormous contract, and it probably has. There's a lot to be said for financial stability. But, like all of us, this is a man who sought fulfillment, and that is something that can only be found elsewhere.
I recommend Curveball most highly. It's available on Libby. Read it, listen to it (narrated by Zito himself,) and ponder the messages of growth and humility by this man who had to do a lot of things wrong before figuring out what really matters.
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Barry. He came from a musical family. His parents met while working with Nat King Cole. He had two older sisters. And when he born with a unique birthmark on his left wrist, his mother announced that Barry would be doing something special with that hand one day.
Fast forward to the major leagues. After years of training, practice, and mental preparation, Barry Zito was pitching for the Oakland A's, and he had developed one of the most devastating curveballs in baseball history. When he was traded to the San Francisco Giants, his new contract broke records. But with that came new expectations from his team, his fans, and himself. There was no place to go but down.
I won't bore you with the weird way I discovered this book, but I will reiterate that the right books always find us at the right time. I'd never heard of Barry Zito, I don't follow baseball, and he retired from the sport years ago. None of those things mattered when I read (and listened) to his memoir, because this is not a book about baseball. It is a book about one man's personal and spiritual journey, and I found it fascinating.
Yes, it is easy to say that life for Barry Zito has been cushioned by that enormous contract, and it probably has. There's a lot to be said for financial stability. But, like all of us, this is a man who sought fulfillment, and that is something that can only be found elsewhere.
I recommend Curveball most highly. It's available on Libby. Read it, listen to it (narrated by Zito himself,) and ponder the messages of growth and humility by this man who had to do a lot of things wrong before figuring out what really matters.
February 17, 2020
Keeping this book within its genre (I’ll call it “athlete memoir”), it’s not bad. As can be gleaned from the title, Mr. Zito finds true inner redemption(born again Christian) after years of self help books/gurus, Eastern Mysticism, and New Age philosophy, drugs, women, and good old American consumerism (consumptionism?) A word to atheists and agnostics: He does not beat the reader over the head with his later onset Christianity, save for Appendix 2 entitled “The Gospel According to Barry Zito” (I didn’t mind Appendix 2, as I am a Christian, though of the Catholic variety).
The reason I say this book is not bad is because I truly believe Mr. Zito engaged in some serious self reflection and divulged uncomfortable facts about himself. I spent a good portion of this quick read thinking what a flake this guy is! However, an area of self reflection I think he falls short in is his self diagnosis of a co-dependent personality. The psychology manual of diagnoses (DISM) does not recognize a co-dependent personality disorder and a quick search of internet finds that codependency is easily applicable to many behaviors and has been overused by some self-help authors and support communities.
Proper diagnosis aside, the underlying irony in this book is that though Mr. Zito goes through great lengths to inform the reader that chasing (and in his case, achieving) fame and fortune does not lead to happiness, it appears he continues to do just that in his post-baseball life (e.g., See barryzitomusic.com).
Overall, I liked it.
The reason I say this book is not bad is because I truly believe Mr. Zito engaged in some serious self reflection and divulged uncomfortable facts about himself. I spent a good portion of this quick read thinking what a flake this guy is! However, an area of self reflection I think he falls short in is his self diagnosis of a co-dependent personality. The psychology manual of diagnoses (DISM) does not recognize a co-dependent personality disorder and a quick search of internet finds that codependency is easily applicable to many behaviors and has been overused by some self-help authors and support communities.
Proper diagnosis aside, the underlying irony in this book is that though Mr. Zito goes through great lengths to inform the reader that chasing (and in his case, achieving) fame and fortune does not lead to happiness, it appears he continues to do just that in his post-baseball life (e.g., See barryzitomusic.com).
Overall, I liked it.
June 26, 2020
Whenever I read a sports book, I usually know what to expect. Nothing too deep, more style than substance.
That is so NOT true for Barry Zito's book, Curveball. This is the 1st sports book I've read in, I don't know how long, that actually went in-depth into his life, and feelings. You almost, never, ever get this honest account.
If you are an A's fan, you get to understand his thought process from draft day to free agency. With the Giants, you get the bad (a lot) and the good (not so much). But through and through, his honesty, integrity, and fears were real.
I've worked in sports for over 30 years, and this is as laid bare as an athlete can come.
Now for a side story. I interviewed Zito twice (2004, 2010). The 1st time I asked for a few minutes, and he said he'd be back in 5 minutes. I baseball talk that usually means, see ya. To my shock, I came back around about 15 minutes later, and waiting in the dugout was Zito. He said, "I said 5 minutes"
I share that so you know when he talks about treating people well, he is telling the truth.
If you're looking for a book that gives the 411 on pitching mechanics, or how they took Roger Clemens deep, this may not be for you.
However, if you want a book that goes through the emotional process these players go through, this is a great read.
Well worth your time!
That is so NOT true for Barry Zito's book, Curveball. This is the 1st sports book I've read in, I don't know how long, that actually went in-depth into his life, and feelings. You almost, never, ever get this honest account.
If you are an A's fan, you get to understand his thought process from draft day to free agency. With the Giants, you get the bad (a lot) and the good (not so much). But through and through, his honesty, integrity, and fears were real.
I've worked in sports for over 30 years, and this is as laid bare as an athlete can come.
Now for a side story. I interviewed Zito twice (2004, 2010). The 1st time I asked for a few minutes, and he said he'd be back in 5 minutes. I baseball talk that usually means, see ya. To my shock, I came back around about 15 minutes later, and waiting in the dugout was Zito. He said, "I said 5 minutes"
I share that so you know when he talks about treating people well, he is telling the truth.
If you're looking for a book that gives the 411 on pitching mechanics, or how they took Roger Clemens deep, this may not be for you.
However, if you want a book that goes through the emotional process these players go through, this is a great read.
Well worth your time!
September 30, 2019
Barry Zito’s family was steeped in the occult from two generations back on his mother’s side. Barry’s father made it his mission to train Barry and manage his baseball career, which he did from the time Barry was a young boy. Barry’s dad taught him he could control everything with his mind. When his game was “on” Barry was full of confidence. When he was losing, Barry couldn’t figure out how to make his thoughts be in charge.
Berry fell into the same sins many ball players and others with an excess of money face. Because he was one of the highest paid pitchers in baseball, he felt he had to justify his outrageous salary with wins. This was a self-imposed pressure that only made his game worse.
Read Curveball to find out if Barry was able to pitch his way out of the slump, or if he got help of another kind.
Berry fell into the same sins many ball players and others with an excess of money face. Because he was one of the highest paid pitchers in baseball, he felt he had to justify his outrageous salary with wins. This was a self-imposed pressure that only made his game worse.
Read Curveball to find out if Barry was able to pitch his way out of the slump, or if he got help of another kind.
April 4, 2020
Barry Zito’s autobiography will be a worthwhile read for baseball fans. Even for non-fans, his story makes for a compelling read. Zito shares everything about him and his life, beginning with the uncomfortable circumstances of his father’s birth and continuing through his childhood and professional career as a decorated Major League pitcher. What’s most impressive about Zito’s story is how candid and reflective he is about how he dealt with success and failure at each level. People looking for a lot of “inside baseball” anecdotes may be disappointed, though Zito does manage a fair amount of name-dropping to keep things interesting on that front. The real story is his mental, emotional, and spiritual journey, which will have you rooting for him by the end.
October 11, 2020
I would give the beginning of this book a 5. Barry wrote about his parents and grandparents and I found that very interesting. I was a Barry Zito fan when he played baseball and I am still a fan. I did not realize at the time the turmoil that he was going through. He wrote about his trials and tribulations and, in the end, how he found Jesus. If that is what turned his life around and gave him peace (time will tell) then that is great, but I thought he wrote way too much about it. Too many Bible quotes. I find it sad that he had to go through all that he did just to be Barry. From reading his book, I would describe him as submissive and obsessive. But a nice guy! I will always be his baseball fan and I like his music also.
January 29, 2022
Fantastic story about a man once troubled, seeking validation and answers at every turn. Falling victim to drug abuse, selfishness and vanity. He finds redemption through spirituality and religion. Reading other reviews from this book, it seems as though the reader's personal views on religion taint the experience of the book and the stories that Zito tells. For that I say review the book for what it is, not that you cannot use methods he did due to your own beliefs. I'm far from a religious person but find it hard to criticize anything that inspires one to live a better and more fulfilling life.
October 6, 2019
I was a HUGE Zito fan the first time he was an Athletic. This book actually makes me kind of hate him as a person. I know we’re supposed to find some redemption in him at the end because he’s found Christ but honestly, it’s too heavy handed, the same way Born Again Christians try to convert you.
Not enough baseball, Hollywood kiss and tell and too much weird spirituality. If Barry Zito came knocking on my door with the good word, I definitely would turn off the lights and pretend to not be home. I kinda wish I had done that with this book.
Not enough baseball, Hollywood kiss and tell and too much weird spirituality. If Barry Zito came knocking on my door with the good word, I definitely would turn off the lights and pretend to not be home. I kinda wish I had done that with this book.
Read
July 16, 2020The autobiography of Barry Zito, a Cy Young winner and pitcher for the Oakland As and the San Francisco Giants. It documents his rise to fame, his intense inner struggles, the implosion of his career, and his conversion to Christianity. It is rather honest and, quite frankly, fairly quirky. It is a story of redemption. It was interesting to see how his problematic relationship with his father played a central role in his downward spiral—it would probably be a good cautionary tale for parents of athletes.
October 31, 2020
I always really liked Zito despite not being an A’s or Giants fan, so I was excited to see he’d written this. Unlike a lot of other sports memoirs I’ve read, we get to see genuine growth from him as a person, which was nice. It’s a quick read and doesn’t get too bogged down in recounting every detail - we get to see the full picture of his career, but he keeps it moving. While I personally did not connect 100% with his religious experience, he’s never preachy or judgmental in describing it. Overall a really solid memoir!
May 29, 2020
Very well written story! This is a case of someone who was unequipped to handle fame and fortune; he felt earning his father’s love was to win. Filling his needs (so he thought) was with material things! I love that Barry Zito shows the reader all of him; the winner, what it took to get their, how he finally found peace. I respect the man for what he went through!
August 4, 2020
Having grown up in the Bay Area as a huge baseball fan, I really enjoyed getting to look deeper into the life of Barry Zito, both on and off the field. I appreciate how honest it felt as he related his personal struggles growing up and in the big leagues. I remember cheering for Zito in 2012 when the Giants won the World Series, and now I appreciate his personal victory even more.
June 3, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about the life of Barry Zito!!! I loved the message of having people in your life you love push you to find the best part of yourself!!! That's what Amber Seyer did for Barry Zito and ultimately having Barry trust God with his life in baseball and in general!!! I immensely recommend this book to anyone who loves God and baseball!!!
July 11, 2021
Living in Las Vegas and San Diego I knew Barry Zito’s family as I went to school with one of his sisters . I spent sleepovers and Thanksgiving with them . It was odd to read about people that you once knew . Hope Barry has truly found peace in his heart . He is forever the little “ Bear “ with the bowl haircut :)
April 9, 2022
Follow the life and career of pitcher Barry Zito, as well as an inside look at his psychological and (many) spiritual journeys. Zito was always a unique personality, so his is an interesting life. The down side of this book was that only about 10% is devoted to his life now and his Christian beliefs. I would be far more interested in hearing more about how his spiritual life now.
February 18, 2020
There were parts of this book that weren't great, but overall it was a good read. The last third really brought the story of Barry Zito's life together and explained why some of the earlier things in the book were there. Way to turn your life around Mr. Zito! Thank you for sharing your story.
July 8, 2020
One of the best books I read this year! I am a huge Barry Zito fan and I remember rooting for his redemption story as much as anyone. I appreciate his brutal honesty and his story is so inspirational.
July 21, 2019
The author wrote a great account of the personal journey they embarked on. The honest and detailed writing made it easy for the reader to feel invested in their journey.
Read
September 20, 2019I really enjoyed the book. It really explained a lot of what was observed when he was with the Giants. I am thrilled that he ended up in a good place!
December 20, 2022
There are lots of memoirs by guys who had great careers, but what about by one who flamed out after he signed a big contract? (Though based on the signings in the last few days I'm guessing Bogaerts and Correa will be able to write one 15 years from now)
Things I learned:
- Zito's grandfather was a general under Mussolini
- Zito's dad was the band leader for Nat King Cole
- Barry was a bit of a bad kid, drugs and such
- Seattle drafted him in the late rounds and a Mariner scout gave tremendous aid to Zito adding zip to his fastball
- Barry's departure from UC Santa Barbara in the middle of the night was without honor
- Seems to have some Clooney in him - date a pretty girl, often an actress, for a year or so and then move on
- I blame the Giants as much as Zito for the $126M contract; he'd had three straight non-elite, simply above average years, and yet, they still gave him $18M per
What I'm surprised by is that Zito didn't focus on his most redeeming performance after his Cy Young year - his playoff pitching. In 10 starts he went 5 &2/3 + with 1 run or zero runs 6 times, and he only got shelled once. That adds up to a 2.83 ERA - nice!
As far as Zito "arcing", I didn't buy it. He married a model and still seems very intent on being famous, now with music. And he's apparently all about some Jesus now. So what to make of him? A very good to great pitcher for 4 years, then above average for 4, and then into replacement level territory just in time for a lucrative long-term deal ... save for the playoffs, where he still brought it.
Worth the read if you're an Oakland fan who wants to re-experience the good times, or a Giants fan who wants to confirm that management really screwed up with this signing.
Things I learned:
- Zito's grandfather was a general under Mussolini
- Zito's dad was the band leader for Nat King Cole
- Barry was a bit of a bad kid, drugs and such
- Seattle drafted him in the late rounds and a Mariner scout gave tremendous aid to Zito adding zip to his fastball
- Barry's departure from UC Santa Barbara in the middle of the night was without honor
- Seems to have some Clooney in him - date a pretty girl, often an actress, for a year or so and then move on
- I blame the Giants as much as Zito for the $126M contract; he'd had three straight non-elite, simply above average years, and yet, they still gave him $18M per
What I'm surprised by is that Zito didn't focus on his most redeeming performance after his Cy Young year - his playoff pitching. In 10 starts he went 5 &2/3 + with 1 run or zero runs 6 times, and he only got shelled once. That adds up to a 2.83 ERA - nice!
As far as Zito "arcing", I didn't buy it. He married a model and still seems very intent on being famous, now with music. And he's apparently all about some Jesus now. So what to make of him? A very good to great pitcher for 4 years, then above average for 4, and then into replacement level territory just in time for a lucrative long-term deal ... save for the playoffs, where he still brought it.
Worth the read if you're an Oakland fan who wants to re-experience the good times, or a Giants fan who wants to confirm that management really screwed up with this signing.
August 1, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
2024 RC 37/42
I had no idea what to expect when I started this book.
That’s not true, actually, I knew exactly what to expect when I started this book. I have followed Barry Zito his entire career, from the day he was called up to the Oakland A’s to his last game when he pitched against Tim Hudson, and all of the San Francisco Giants years in between. I am a Northern California Native and a HUGE (obsessed) baseball fan. I love both the A’s AND the Giants. I always have, I was raised that way by two sports loving parents. And I raised my daughter that way as well, and Barry Zito is her favorite player. We encountered him several times during our many, many baseball adventures as she grew up. He was always gracious and funny and generous with his time. One of my greatest memories with my daughter involves an interaction with him at Oakland A’s Fan Fest, when she finally had her turn to take a professional picture with him. After the photo she asked him if she could give him a hug and he said “Of course I’ll hug a pretty girl” and let me tell you, I heard that and started to cry. Do you know what that meant to the self confidence of my 14 year old daughter? EVERYTHING.
This book is about self confidence. It’s about his spiritual journey. That’s what I didn’t expect. I suppose it’s right there in the title, but I really just expected baseball stories and the wisdom he gained along the way. It managed to deliver both the stories and an important message. Barry, you have written a wonderful autobiography. It has touched me and really given me some perspective.
2024 RC 37/42
I had no idea what to expect when I started this book.
That’s not true, actually, I knew exactly what to expect when I started this book. I have followed Barry Zito his entire career, from the day he was called up to the Oakland A’s to his last game when he pitched against Tim Hudson, and all of the San Francisco Giants years in between. I am a Northern California Native and a HUGE (obsessed) baseball fan. I love both the A’s AND the Giants. I always have, I was raised that way by two sports loving parents. And I raised my daughter that way as well, and Barry Zito is her favorite player. We encountered him several times during our many, many baseball adventures as she grew up. He was always gracious and funny and generous with his time. One of my greatest memories with my daughter involves an interaction with him at Oakland A’s Fan Fest, when she finally had her turn to take a professional picture with him. After the photo she asked him if she could give him a hug and he said “Of course I’ll hug a pretty girl” and let me tell you, I heard that and started to cry. Do you know what that meant to the self confidence of my 14 year old daughter? EVERYTHING.
This book is about self confidence. It’s about his spiritual journey. That’s what I didn’t expect. I suppose it’s right there in the title, but I really just expected baseball stories and the wisdom he gained along the way. It managed to deliver both the stories and an important message. Barry, you have written a wonderful autobiography. It has touched me and really given me some perspective.
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