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Starting and Closing: Perseverance, Faith, and One More Year
I wasn't afraid to fail. It's really as simple as that.
As a seven-year-old kid pitching a ball against a brick wall, John Smoltz decided to be a professional baseball player when he grew up. And from that simple decision until his last season on the mound in the major leagues, it was his faith, work ethic, and love for the game—even more than God-given talent—that propelle...more
As a seven-year-old kid pitching a ball against a brick wall, John Smoltz decided to be a professional baseball player when he grew up. And from that simple decision until his last season on the mound in the major leagues, it was his faith, work ethic, and love for the game—even more than God-given talent—that propelle...more
ebook, 304 pages
Published
May 8th 2012
by William Morrow
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I'm usually not into autobiographies but once I seen this book in my local library I had to pick it up. Being a fan of Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves, I knew this would be a good read. This book also drove me to write my first review here on goodreads so here it goes.
John Smoltz - Starting and Closing
The author, John Smoltz, was one of the best pitchers in baseball in my opinion. He pitched for the Altanta Braves from 1991 to 1999 and won the Cy Young Award in 1996 and a World Series Title in 199...more
John Smoltz - Starting and Closing
The author, John Smoltz, was one of the best pitchers in baseball in my opinion. He pitched for the Altanta Braves from 1991 to 1999 and won the Cy Young Award in 1996 and a World Series Title in 199...more
John Smoltz is one of the best pitchers to ever play major league baseball. For over twenty years he pitched for the Atlanta Braves, chosen eight times for the All-Star team and winning the Cy Young Award for best pitcher in 1996.
He pitched in the starting rotation for fourteen years when an injury caused him to move to the bullpen and become a relief pitcher. After three years in the bullpen, he asked to rejoin the starting rotation. Many people, particularly in the sports media, asked him why...more
He pitched in the starting rotation for fourteen years when an injury caused him to move to the bullpen and become a relief pitcher. After three years in the bullpen, he asked to rejoin the starting rotation. Many people, particularly in the sports media, asked him why...more
Every year when Spring Training comes around I find my self reading a baseball book. So this year when I found out that John Smoltz would be coming to my store to do a book signing and I was able to acquire an advanced copy I thought I had another baseball book I could enjoy. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. This book just didn't do it for me. First of all, as a dedicated and life time fan of the Mets, I'm going to have a certain animosity toward anyone involved with the Braves. But as a fan...more
I grew up a die-hard Atlanta Braves fan. Though I don't follow the game nearly as much as I used to (I used to record the team's stats and maintain a binder for a few years -- I was very serious!), I am still a Braves fan at heart. I've long been a fan of John Smoltz, as well. I had the good fortune to interview him in the Braves dugout for a summer project I worked on in 2002, the summer after my junior year at The College of William & Mary. (The project was a statistical analysis of the Br...more
Mostly Smoltz' view of his final years in baseball. Interesting and semi-entertaining although he seems be using this as a bit of a defense in some areas. John Smoltz was a hall-of-fame calibre pitcher and a top-drawer man of faith off the field, so that alone makes the book an interesting read. I would've liked to read more of his relationship with next=door neighbor and friend Jeff Foxworthy... there HAD to be some cool practical jokes in that neighborhood!
I felt that the book could have been...more
I felt that the book could have been...more
I'll admit to being a bit biased on this review. The Atlanta Braves are my favorite team in any sport, and John Smoltz is my all-time favorite Brave, so I doubt that there would have been any way for me to NOT like this book. For those who may not know, Smoltz was one of the key figures in the Braves' rise from 1980s doormats to 1990s contenders. He is one of only 15 pitchers with 3,000 + career strikeouts (and the only Brave on that list), has 15 career postseason wins, and is the only pitcher...more
Growing up in a Braves family (for example -- I have lots of memories of watching the Braves on TBS; my great-aunt had a photo of Maddux in her family pictures!) I grabbed this book when I saw it at my local public library. I was able to follow along with the baseball (particularly the Braves part!) but the rest of his baseball career was interesting as well.
The entire book talks alot about what he overcame to do what he wanted to do. It was very inspiring!
The entire book talks alot about what he overcame to do what he wanted to do. It was very inspiring!
Let me preface my review by stating that I'm a huge Braves fan and a huge John Smoltz fan. In the '90s when he, Glavine, and Maddux were part of the rotation, I listened to them on the radio all the time, especially in September when the season would be winding down and we'd be in our huge crunch time at work.
Reading Smoltz account of his time with the Braves, his disaster with the Red Sox and finally ending with the Cardinals, it felt as if he were actually telling me, about it. Because of his...more
Reading Smoltz account of his time with the Braves, his disaster with the Red Sox and finally ending with the Cardinals, it felt as if he were actually telling me, about it. Because of his...more
This book was phenomenal and much more than I expected. John's talk of faith and spirituality was an inspiration that even the non-baseball/Braves fan could appreciate. The book and its events were executed with such grace and respect that furthers my being a fan of superb pitcher and amazing person.
"Staring and Closing" is insightful and motivational, with some fun anecdotes from both John Smoltz' playing career and his post-career (starting a private school, public speaking, and broadcasting). I enjoyed getting to know Smoltz and found him quite transparent. I also appreciated his boldness in sharing his Christian faith in a simple but powerful way. It really is a terrific peek into his motivations and how he turns challenges -- even failure -- into the fuel for success. Some Braves fans...more
I am a huge Braves fan, but I think this book is for everyone. It reads just like Smoltz is talking to you. He talks about his internal drive and refusing to fail through his many surgeries and comebacks. He talks about his faith in a non-preachy way. Many of his points apply to challenges that we all face.
I live John Smoltz but just didn't find the auto-biography very interesting. For all of the great accomplishments that he had, I was expecting a more interesting read.
I am a die hard Braves fan but have stopped watching in the last few years when all of my favs retired/went to other teams.. I enjoyed reading this book by Smoltz, esp the parts about the joking around!
This was not a very good "baseball" book. John gets too caught up in his religious views and in his talk about his golf game. I just want plain old talk about pitching and/or talk about other Braves players. He did have a lot of good things to say about the St. Louis Cardinal organization.
Very quickly into this book, I realize I didn't like it or the author.
Good read, humorous, christian and Atlanta Braves....
Good book if you are a fan of baseball and especially John Smoltz. A little slow in places, but always returned to an interesting or funny side. The last third of the book was especially good.
This was an enjoyable read, but not as much baseball as I expected. A diehard Braves fan would probably find this more enjoyable.
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May 23, 2012 02:12pm