Major League Baseball Player. When healthy, he was very much a topflight shortstop who even took part in two triple plays and twice led the National League in fielding average; however, he was always snake bitten when it came to injuries, so much so that many people though he was a hypochondriac. Joining the crack Wabada Amateur Team under the tutelage of John B. Sheridan, he then moved on to Muscatine and Keokuk of the Central Association. He was then drafted by Portland of the Pacific Coast League who sent him to their affiliate at Rock Island of the Three-I League for seasoning. It was then that he was drafted out by the Chicago Cubs. A right-handed thrower and left-handed batter, he was a very good hitter who rarely struck out. As a rookie in 1918, he smacked out 161 hits to lead the National League, helping the Cubs reach the World Series where they lost to the Boston Red Sox. His .340 average in 1922 was the highest mark for a shortstop since Honus Wagner's batted .354 in 1908. Because of injuries, real and imagined, he never fulfilled his promise. The Cubs team Captain, he actually quit the team several times, one time seeking advice from a doctor over a stomach ailment that had been giving him problems for several years. After he retired from baseball, he took time off, spending it mostly golfing. He eventually opened up a Tavern in St. Louis, became an investigator for the St. Louis County attorney and worked as a watchman for a drive-in theater. He even returned to baseball in 1931 as a scout for the Cubs. On August 14th, 1940, he was found dead on the side of the road, lying near his car on a highway in Frontenac, Missouri. He had shot himself in the neck with a shotgun, which he had just purchased from a mail-order store. Left on the dashboard of the car was a suicide note that said, "Call Mrs. Ruth Hollocher." He was only 44 years old. Over the course of his major league career he accrued a lifetime batting average of .304 in 2936 career at bats with 14 home runs and 241 RBI.