Going with the Pitch: Adjusting to Baseball, School, and Life as a Division I College Athlete [Paperback]

Ken Jacobi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2011

When I signed my National Letter of Intent to attend Binghamton University I officially become a Division I scholarship athlete. As my pen slid across the paper, I thought that the most difficult part of the journey was over. Little did I know that arriving on campus as a vulnerable freshman, playing baseball in the snow belt, and having the coach who recruited me leave before my first semester ever began were just a few of the obstacles I would face on my personal “Road to Omaha”. This journey, a four part chronicle beginning with my freshman year and culminating with senior year, offers an insider’s view into the life of a college athlete. As I share my experiences on the baseball diamond, in the classroom, and up in the dorm room, the entire college baseball experience comes to life. To be able to live, sleep and play baseball with my best friends for four amazing years is an adventure that I will forever cherish. From late night study sessions, to eight hour bus rides, to game winning hits, this is my story of learning how to adjust in the face of adversity by "Going with the Pitch”.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Hi, my name is Ken Jacobi. I am currently 24 years old and reside in Stamford, CT. Now almost 2 years removed from the college baseball game I have attempted in this book to share my insider's view into the world of college baseball.
           
 When I began to reflect on my four years at Binghamton University, I realized that I had a very important story to share. It seems that every year I read great stories about the top college and professional athletes who have had super-successful seasons/ careers. Every blog has the top 100 list of some category, every book is about the guy who signed for a million dollars and every news clip talks of how Joe Schmo has set a new record. But the fact is that 99.9% of the athletes (and non-athletes) never make any national stories. Most have to simply fight and battle every day just to be their own success story....
 
This book is my "success story". Over the course of 300+ pages I describe the full college experience, from getting recruited, to showing up for my first class in the fall, to the "big game", and finally to saying goodbye to baseball. Throughout it all, I recount my happy times, I share my low points, and I reveal my most vulnerable of times as well.  
 
I hope you enjoy this story, but more importantly I hope you are able to gain something by reading about my college experience and how I learned to adjust by "Going with the Pitch". --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Back Cover

"In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love..."


             THIS IS MY STORY


When I signed my National Letter of Intent to attend Binghamton University I officially become a Division I scholarship athlete. As my pen slid across the paper, I thought that the most difficult part of the journey was over. Little did I know that arriving on campus as a vulnerable freshman, playing baseball in the snow belt, and having the coach who recruited me leave before my first semester ever began were just a few of the obstacles I would face on my personal "Road to Omaha".
               This journey, a four part chronicle beginning with my freshman year and culminating with senior year, offers an insider's view into the life of a college athlete. As I share my experiences on the baseball diamond, in the classroom, and up in the dorm room, the entire college baseball experience comes to life.
To be able to live, sleep and play baseball with my best friends for four amazing years is an adventure that I will forever cherish. From late night study sessions, to eight hour bus rides, to game winning hits, this is my story of learning how to adjust in the face of adversity by "Going with the Pitch". --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1460919890
• ISBN-13: 978-1460919897
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 8.9 x 5.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #937,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, my name is Ken Jacobi. I am currently 26 years old and reside in Stamford, CT. Now 3 years removed from the college baseball game I have attempted in this book to share my insider's view into the world of college baseball.

When I began to reflect on my four years at Binghamton University, I realized that I had a very important story to share. It seems that every year I read great stories about the top college and professional athletes who have had super-successful seasons/ careers. Every blog has the top 100 list of some category, every book is about the guy who signed for a million dollars and every news clip talks of how Joe Schmo has set a new record. But the fact is that 99.9% of the athletes (and non-athletes) never make any national stories. Most have to simply fight and battle every day just to be their own success story.

This book is my "success story". Over the course of 300+ pages I describe the full college experience, from getting recruited, to showing up for my first class in the fall, to the "big game", and finally to saying goodbye to baseball. Throughout it all, I recount my happy times, I share my low points, and I reveal my most vulnerable of times as well.

I hope you enjoy this story, but more importantly I hope you are able to gain something by reading about my college experience and how I learned to adjust by "Going with the Pitch".

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff! October 6, 2011

By rhp44

Format:Paperback

Having had the experience of both playing and coaching at the Division I level in the cold Northeast I found Ken's book to be fascinating. Baseball, perhaps unlike other sports, grips all of us who play at a particularly high level.....most of us left the game on someone else's terms. I actually couldn't put the book down and found it to be very accurate.
The rift between players, parents, and coaches regarding playing time will never go away....it's a timeless issue. There's a big world out there outside of baseball; I'm fortunate that I got out of it and had the opportunity to experience so many other wonderful things. Many of my friends are still in the game; I often wonder if they realize what they're missing. Great book, I'm sure Ken is a great kid and will have learned more from his experiences than most non-athlete college students. I know I did and there's not a day in my business career that I'm not thankful for the many lessons playing and coaching provided me.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply An Entertaining Book For Any College Athlete November 30, 2011

By Mark Anderson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book portrays the entire young life of an everyday normal college baseball player. The struggle that he depicts is very real, and also very accurate. Not everyone can be an all-conference player, but at the same time, not every player gets a chance to prove that he can be one. Ken seems to take on the struggle of a lack of playing time like everyone should - head on. He didn't back down, give up, or throw in the towel. The kid hung in there, stuck it out, busted his ass 4 years in a row, became a better player, and helped his team win a conference championship his senior year! It seems like Ken and his coaches didn't see eye to eye when it came to his playing time later in his career, but these are the kids that make a program better. I'd rather have a bench full of Ken Jacobi's clawing to get that last spot in the starting lineup rather than a bench filled with physically gifted athletes with little drive or focus. I've read a lot of reviews on here about thinking that the author is whining and complaining the whole time. I disagree with every last one of you. This sounds like it was a strictly internal struggle. Ken wanted to be in the starting lineup everyday, and he was deducting every logical reason of why he wasn't in there throughout the piece. I don't think this book was written to "slander" his coaching staff by any means. I believe that this book was written to give an inside scoop of what happens to handfuls and handfuls of normal everyday college players each year. I think that this book shows that if you remain dedicated that good things will come. I also thoroughly enjoyed the small excerpts of his college life, party life, and the team camaraderie. Congratulations to Ken on all of his accomplishments - on and off the field (including writing this book).

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, Candid and Interesting Tale November 12, 2011

By cpc

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Going With The Pitch tells the all too honest tale of the everyday college athlete. It does not tell the story of the superstar, the mvp, or the all-conference selection. Unfortunately, these stories rarely, if ever, reach the public, and I am glad Jacobi had the courage to share what he experienced.

The book is enjoyable and written in a frank and humorous manner. You will laugh at the recollections of college shenanigans, but you will also feel Jacobi's lows. Ultimately, you will be happy that you went along for the ride.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Recruited HS Baseball Player Should Read This May 18, 2011

By Bill R.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ken tells a story that occurs far too often and is told far too little. Not the story of the superstar who had a little bit of luck fall his way, but the story of the player who didn't catch that break or wasn't the coach's favorite player. I played football in college and my story fell in line with Ken's story. When I was recruited I was told things that were more than a stretch of the truth, but as a high school player most kids are so excited about being the center of attention they don't understand the business aspect of the game that enters at the college level. Every high school baseball player being recruited to play baseball in college should read this book. It is an easy read and difficult to put down. I finish the book with tears in my eyes, remembering my own last days of college sports and taking the cleats off for the last time. I'm so happy Ken's career ended the way it did and he wrote this book for the next generation of college athletes. Thank you Ken.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacobi Pitches An Accurate Story May 14, 2011

By Mrs. McK

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thank you Ken, for an engaging, intelligent read. I finished your book in 2 days! You were a dedicated, talented, passionate athlete, hamstrung by your coaches. The most important virtue a coach can have is to be sincerely concerned about his athletes as human beings as well as their talent. The greatest level of coaching is coaching that constructively affects the lives of athletes both on & off the field.

"It's not the strong, nor the intelligent who survive, but those who are quickest to adapt." - Charles Darwin
You did a great job of adapting, not to mention boosting the team gpa!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up May 11, 2011

By dtp

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Going with the Pitch provides the reader with a realistic perspective of the trials and tribulations associated with Division 1 athletics. The book outlines the ups and downs of his baseball career and his life. Ken's unique perspective relates to more than just people who have a love affair with the game of baseball, as Ken truly does, and provides valuable insight on how far determination and a lot of persistence can get you. I found myself rooting for Ken throughout Going with the Pitch, and I recommend others root him on as well.