Last Inning

A main theme of "Last Inning" is DUALITY and the fine line between love and hate. Our protagonist Marcus faces both sadistic torment and total adulation at the hands of his father Michael, who blames him for the death of his wife. When Marcus was born, his mother died delivering him. Michael was then forced to abandon his baseball dream to raise Marcus. Pushing his son into first Tee-ball, then little league and high school baseball, Michael forged Marcus into a professional athlete. Anything that made Marcus a better player, Michael did. No matter how Marcus felt about it. Marcus, motivated by a deep-seated guilt over the death of his mother and the need for his father's love and approval, played the game, despite the fact he would have rather just been a kid. The bitterest irony for Michael is that his son has far more talent than he ever did. Which makes Michael subconsciously resent Marcus even more. The greater fame Marcus reaches through the sport of baseball, the worse his father treats him. Even though Michael loves his son and is proud of him, he is also extremely jealous of Marcus. And the higher Marcus' sports career rises, the more Michael drinks.