Curveball
How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame
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Narrated by:
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Barry Zito
About this listen
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 listeners 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.
Photos of Zito throughout his career are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Barry Zito (P)2019 Thomas NelsonListeners also enjoyed...
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- Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball
- By: John Feinstein
- Narrated by: John Feinstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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John Feinstein is one of the most influential sportswriters of the last three decades. In his masterful new audiobook, Where Nobody Knows Your Name, Feinstein delivers a fascinating account of the mysterious proving ground of America’s national pastime, pulling back the veil on the minor leagues of baseball.
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Living on the Cusp of a Dream
- By W Perry Hall on 04-09-14
By: John Feinstein
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The Last Innocents
- The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers
- By: Michael Leahy
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Legendary Dodgers Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Wes Parker, Jeff Torborg, Dick Tracewski, and Tommy Davis encapsulated 1960s America: white and black, Jewish and Christian, wealthy and working class, pro-Vietnam and anti-war, golden boy and seasoned veteran. The Last Innocents is a thoughtful, technicolor portrait of these seven players - friends, mentors, confidants, rivals, and allies - and their storied team that offers an intriguing look at a sport and a nation in transition.
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Reliving my youth
- By PJ on 05-24-17
By: Michael Leahy
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Surround Yourself with Greatness
- By: Chad Lewis
- Narrated by: Chad Lewis
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Surround Yourself with Greatness takes listeners around the world while looking through the eyes, mind, and heart of Chad Lewis - a once freckle-faced, four-eyed, skinny teenager who at an early age wrote in his journal, “My goal and quest is to surround myself with greatness...only greatness will penetrate the walls of my heart.”
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Chad Lewis is an inspiration
- By J.B. on 02-19-23
By: Chad Lewis
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108 Stitches
- Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game
- By: Ron Darling, Daniel Paisner - contributor
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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This is New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated broadcaster Ron Darling's 108 baseball anecdotes that connect America’s game to the men who played it. Darling has played with or reported on just about everybody who has put on a uniform since 1983, and they in turn have played with or reported on just about everybody who put on a uniform in a previous generation. Like the 108 stitches on a baseball, Darling's experiences are interwoven with every athlete who has ever played, every coach or manager, and every fan.
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Meh
- By Amazon Customer on 04-13-19
By: Ron Darling, and others
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Barkley
- A Biography
- By: Timothy Bella
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.
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Great insight to the big man’s life.
- By marci rodee on 07-03-23
By: Timothy Bella
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A Champion's Mind
- Lessons from a Life in Tennis
- By: Pete Sampras, Peter Bodo
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting 14 Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking. Until now.
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Not As Strong As His Forehand
- By A. M. Dalessandro on 07-21-09
By: Pete Sampras, and others
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Talk of Champions
- Stories of the People Who Made Me: A Memoir
- By: Kenny Smith
- Narrated by: Kenny Smith
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Kenny Smith was a star at the University of North Carolina before his storied NBA run, in which he won two championships with the Houston Rockets. His popularity skyrocketed when he joined TNT’s new show, Inside the NBA, which has thrived for twenty-four years and won multiple Emmys, receiving enormous acclaim for the insight, humor, social commentary, and unrivaled basketball coverage from Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson, Jr. Kenny is known to fans for his laser-sharp analysis and eloquent observations of the basketball scene and culture.
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Great book. Is heavy on racial topics, but appropriate
- By Mathias Noriega on 07-09-23
By: Kenny Smith
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The Captain
- The Journey of Derek Jeter
- By: Ian O'Connor
- Narrated by: Nick Pollifrone
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Every spring, Little Leaguers across the country mimic his stance and squabble over the right to wear his number, 2, the next number to be retired by the world’s most famous ball team. Derek Jeter is their hero. He walks in the footsteps of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, and someday his shadow will loom just as large. Yet he has never been the best player in baseball. In fact, he hasn’t always been the best player on his team. But his intangible grace and Jordanesque ability to play big in the biggest of postseason moments make him the face of the modern Yankee dynasty, and of America’s game.
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Great book, terrible narrator.
- By Butter on 05-09-14
By: Ian O'Connor
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The Master
- The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer
- By: Christopher Clarey
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.
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Roger, voiced by Schwarzenegger
- By S. Armour on 08-27-21
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America's Quarterback
- Bart Starr and the Rise of the National Football League
- By: Keith Dunnavant
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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No one can touch Bart Starr's record setting 5 NFL Championships including 3 straight. America's Quarterback tells the story of the man who helped create the legend of Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. This biography traces Starr’s life from childhood in Alabama to stardom in Green Bay and beyond. Not a simple sports story, Dunnavant traces the story of one man reaching for the American dream while professional football emerged from the shadows to capture the nation’s imagination.
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awesome
- By Anthony nyman on 03-30-15
By: Keith Dunnavant
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When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!
- By: Yogi Berra, Dave Kaplan
- Narrated by: Dale Berra
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Abridged
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Yogi Berra is one of America's most beloved baseball players of all time, known as much for his wit and humor as he is for his exploits with the New York Yankees. In this new book, Yogi provides inspiring, funny, and surprisingly moving essays on life, happiness, and getting through the slumps.
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Yogi’s inspiration and wisdom
- By The Duck39 on 07-15-24
By: Yogi Berra, and others
What listeners say about Curveball
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- LSU_Diesel
- 02-28-22
Hey Z!
Barry Zito's story and walk through his mindset is inspiring. From finding his wife and ultimately Jesus , the author and perfector of our faith. I was impressed and enjoyed the story from cover to cover as a baseball fan and a disciple of Jesus!
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- Quinn Hutchinson
- 04-29-20
Vulnerable and powerful
I have read a lot of books in my day and I can honestly say this was the best book I have ever read. Barry Zito does not hold back in sharing the raw truth of his up and down journey as a professional athlete. This book encouraged me to reflect on my own spiritual path. It empowered me to continually remind myself of what really matters and to stay true to my path. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and inspiring story.
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1 person found this helpful
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- S. O.
- 01-21-20
Baseball + Faith equals this great book
This book mixes baseball and life into one incredible read. Barry Zito mixes his real life struggles, career highs and lows and delivers a truly memorable memoir.
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- David E.
- 09-20-19
Honest
Very open and honest book by Barry about his life. I enjoyed it very much.
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- Jason
- 10-18-19
Inspiring from beginning to end
I couldn’t wait to read this book. I have been a fan of Berries Ito from the beginning of the square until the very end. With a inspiring story of determination and love of God I recommend this book to everyone.
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- Timothy Kraftson
- 03-13-21
Phenomenal!!
An honest look at the path to the big leagues, making it big, and the pressure and heartache that almost always follows the money and fame. Incredible story of redemption - a story we can all have.
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- David Studebaker
- 08-30-22
Bravo Barry!
Arguably the most honest sports memoirs I’ve ever experienced. As a Giants fan who watched his struggles and triumphs, it was fascinating to get a window into his world at the time and into the absolutely wild upbringing he had. I always give him mad props for doing the entire narration himself and not doing the usual reading of the first chapter and then letting an actor do the rest of the book. Made the experience even more raw and real and he did a stellar job. Highly recommend this one!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ron J
- 09-18-19
Zito Zito Zito
Being a former A's season ticket holder, I enjoyed Barry's view of his youth to making it to the big leagues, through good times and bad. I will always look back and hold dearly the great times I shared with many of my closest friends amongst the left field bleacher bums and our shared times with 'The Big Three' (Hudson, Mulder & Zito)!
Thanks Barry for bringing back some of the old memories of the fun days at the Coliseum and your journey to that other team across the Bay. Blessings to you and your family for the great times!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kristin S.
- 09-29-19
Baseball and Truth - An All Star Book
Listened to this book in only three days! It was an amazing and powerful look not only at Barry Zito’s life but also a look at each of our own lives and the decisions and choices we make. It was a true testament both to Zito’s wonderful skill as a writer and reader (as he reads his work). It was also a wonderful testimony to God’s love, His grace and His mercy. Zito knocked this one out of the park!
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- Jeremy
- 08-31-21
Great Writing
This book was very well written. I enjoyed it very much because Zito writes out of his lofe instead of selecting the best memories . This is a great read and all sports fans will love it
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1 person found this helpful