Last night I read an amazing article from Sports Illustrated (1991) about former Reds backup catcher Willard Hershberger. He was the only active Major Leaguer to ever commit suicide. The effect on his team was dramatic, even leading to Ernie Lombardi's eventual attempts at suicide when his playing days were over.
Some amazing information in the article, if you have the means, I highly recommend reading it. Hershberger played in High School with Arky Vaughn (and was a classmate of Richard Nixon's) and was extremely close to being drafted as a Pirates catcher (instead of the Yankees) which would have meant that Arky would have become a Yankee. Imagine adding a player of Vaughn's stature to an already powerhouse Yankee team?
Some amazing information in the article, if you have the means, I highly recommend reading it. Hershberger played in High School with Arky Vaughn (and was a classmate of Richard Nixon's) and was extremely close to being drafted as a Pirates catcher (instead of the Yankees) which would have meant that Arky would have become a Yankee. Imagine adding a player of Vaughn's stature to an already powerhouse Yankee team?
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