But when Chick hurts his leg, his dreams --- and his father's dreams --- of a career in major league baseball are shattered, and Chick is left with the hollow realization that his hopes for a strong relationship with his father were ruled by that dream of a career. Slowly his father fades into the background, and Chick finds solace in the bottle. His dad never offers him a job, even when he sees Chick struggling to keep above water financially. Chick realizes how much he had neglected his mother, the one who truly was his support, in order to garner favor with his father