It is really hard to fathom the hatred that is
being spewed from the likes of Charlie Kirk and his ilk. All of their venom
directed at Simone Biles because she actually values her mental health is such
a sickening display. Then again of course, these are the same folks that stood
and applauded when Donald Trump mocked P.O.W.’s. Kirk has led his followers to
call Biles unamerican, simply because she bowed out of the Olympics to focus on
her mental health.
And this brings me to Willard Herschberger.
Herschberger was a catcher for the Cincinnati Reds before World War II. He was
born in California and was a high school baseball teammate of Richard Nixon,
who’d go on to infamy as president of the United States. In high school Willard
was a star player not only in baseball, but in football as well. It wasn’t long
before the scouts showed up, and Willard found himself playing in the minors
for the most popular baseball team at the time, the New York Yankees.
However, good times were marred with a tragedy. Upset
over family finances, Willard’s father took his own life via a handgun. Willard
navigated his way through this and despite early struggles, began to show some
promise as a minor league player. The Yankees however, had a future hall of
famer player named Bill Dickey blocking Willard’s path to the majors. The Reds
called the Yankees, since they were looking to have a capable back-up to Ernie
Lombardi, who was one of the top stars of the era. Not only did Willard perform
well, he almost took the starting job away form Lombardi. And Willard would
even get a chance to take a shot at the New York Yankees, the team that had
traded him away. The Reds faced off against the Yankees in the World Series.
Willard drove in the game tying run in game four, but the Reds lost the World
Series to the Yankees.
In 1940, Willard was secure in his position behind
Lombardi. However, events would take a tragic turn in July of 1940. The Reds
dropped a double header to the Boston Bees (now known as the Atlanta Braves)
with Willard going 0-6 in game two. Willard blamed himself for the loss,
confiding to teammate Billy Werber that had Lombardi caught that game, the Reds
wouldn’t have lost. Willard blamed himself for calling a terrible game for the
pitchers. He even made reference to taking his own life, just as his father had
done years before. Reds manager Bill McKechine talked to Willard and soon it
seemed that Willard had calmed down. McKechine then made a tragic error, he
assumed Willard would be fine.
The next day Willard missed batting practice. A
Reds official contacted the hotel Willard was staying at, and was informed by
Willard that he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to play. It was agreed
upon that Willard would at least be at the game in street clothes and would
cheer on the team.
The first game of the double header with the Bees
had come and gone, no sign of Willard. So the Reds called a childhood friend of
Willard’s that lived nearby and had him go to the hotel and check on him. When
he arrived, Dan Cohen, the man whose duty was to retrieve Willard, was welcomed
by a locked door. He then went to the front desk, and explained he was sent
there by the Cincinnati reds to check on one of their players. The manager,
with Cohen, was able to gain access to the hotel room, where they found Willard
dead in the bathroom. He had slashed his own throat. After the Reds finished the
second game, Bill McKechine gathered the team together, and informed them of
Willard’s suicide.
Willard Herschberger lived in a time where no one
gave any thought to mental health. You just picked yourself up, dusted yourself
off, and went about your day. The traditional role for a man was that you never
gave into emotions. You had to be tough at all times.
Willard is a cautionary tale. Donnie Moore is a
cautionary tale. Donnie Moore never got over giving up the game winning home
run that cost the Angels the shot at the World Series. Three years later, he was
dead, took his own life after a failed murder/suicide attempt.
Freddie Prinze seemed to have it all back in the
1970’s. He ended up taking his own life.
And this is why finally we take mental health
seriously. There is a lot of pressure in our daily lives. The amount of
pressure on a professional and Olympic athlete, especially in the time of
social media, has become tremendous. We need to support Simone Biles, not scold
her. We need to let her know we’re there for her, not there to mock her.
Clearly, Charlie Kirk and his ilk have a base to play to. A base of rabid
patriots who consider the slightest gesture as a challenge to the flag. To
them, Kirk has them believing that Biles is a traitor on par with Benedict
Arnold or Aldrich Ames. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Simone Biles is a brave woman. Many struggle to
admit to themselves in private what she admitted to the world. Hopefully this
starts a positive trend. A human life is more important than a sporting event,
even such as grand as the Olympics. And it’s about time we remember that.
