Advice from father
What advice did his father give him?
shareI might be able to relate to this. I just had a conversation with my 6 year old son recently. The advice Sr. gave to Jr. was that it is ok to dream but when the time comes, reality must take over. Was it ok for Jimmy dream about being a mjor league pitcher although he had a wife and three kids at home? OR!! Was it ok to be a husband and father althouh he was destined to be a baseball pitcher.
To sum it up I think Mr. Morris was telling Jimmy that he had to decide what he wanted to do and what he was meant to do. If Mr. Morris told him what he really thought, it probably would have been something to the effect that he needed to get his head out of the clouds and worry about his family.
I could be wrong but it's my humble opinion.
Actually, his advice was basically it was ok for him to dream (about being a pitcher) but he was meant to stay home and take care of the family. The big league career was the dream and he was telling him to give up on it. He said at the end, that's probably not the advice you wanted to hear.
That is why Jimmy Morris was so upset about what his dad said. Remember, he says afterward, "Sometimes I think he lies in bed just thinking about the one thing that he could say that would hurt me the most."
Clearly, the advice his dad gave was meant to discourage him from following his dream.