Athletes - Dick Allen

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > Dick Allen

	Athletes - Dick Allen

Richard Anthony "Dick" Allen (born March 8, 1942 in Wampum, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/third baseman right-handed batter who played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), St. Louis Cardinals (1970), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74) and Oakland Athletics (1977).

Phillies years

Allen was an immensely talented slugger whose considerable skills were only rivalled by his childish antics and ability to infuriate everyone from teammates to managers to fans. The Phillies saw his potential immediately and signed him in 1960 for a large $60,000 bonus. His career got off to a turbulent start as he faced racial harassment while playing for the Phillies' minor league affiliate in Little Rock. He nevertheless led the league in total bases. His first full year in the majors in 1964 was a great one, as he led the league in runs (125), triples (13), extra base hits (80) and total bases (352); finished in the top five in batting average (.318), slugging percentage (.557), OPS (.939), hits (201), and doubles (38); and garnered Rookie of the Year honors. But it was not a perfect year. He also led the league in strikeouts, fielded horribly at third base with a league-leading 38 errors (though to be fair he had never played the position before), but was not blamed blamed by sportswriters for the Phillies' pennant swoon that year. That distinction fell to Manager Gene Mauch for his mishandling of his pitching staff the last two weeks of the season.

Allen was one of the top power hitters of the 1960s, a period when baseball was dominated by pitchers. In those pre-steroid days, he was muscled like a Mickey Mantle or a Jimmie Foxx, and likewise hit some very long home runs. He used a 42-ounce bat, bucking the Ted Williams-inspired trend of using a light bat for increased bat speed, and relied on his massive arm strength to drive the ball. One memorable shot went over the left-center field roof at Connie Mack Stadium, a truly Ruthian blast that was the basis of Willie Stargell's famous quote: "Now I know why they boo Richie all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir."

Although Allen enjoyed several good years in Philadelphia, making All Star teams from 1965-67 and leading the league in slugging (.632), OPS (1.027) and extra bases (75) in 1966, he quickly wore out his welcome due to erratic behavior. He got in a fistfight with popular Phillie Frank Thomas in July 1965, gashed his throwing hand by pushing it through a headlight on August 24, 1967, and earned a 26-game suspension in June 1969 after being stopped by police for erratic driving and showing up late to a doubleheader; he also began drinking heavily.

Even Allen's name was a source of controversy: he had been known since his youth as "Dick" to family and friends, but for reasons which are somewhat obscure at this late date, the media referred to him upon his arrival in Philadelphia as "Richie," possibly a conflation with longtime Phillies star Richie Ashburn. After several years, he asked to be called "Dick," saying Richie was a little boy's name.

The Phillies "boo bird" fans, known for being tough on hometown players even in the best of times, exacerbated Allen's problems. Initially the abuse was verbal, with obscenities and racial epithets. Eventually Allen was greeted with showers of fruit, ice, refuse and flashlight batteries as he took the field. He began wearing a batting helmet while playing his defensive position, which gave rise to another nickname, "Crash Helmet", shortened to "Crash".

Quick stops in St. Louis and LA

The Phillies finally had enough and sent him to the Cardinals before the 1970 season. Even this deal caused controversy, though not of Allen's making, as Curt Flood refused to report to the Phillies as part of the trade and sued baseball in an unsuccessful attempt to be deemed a free agent.

Allen earned another All Star berth in St. Louis, and his personal problems seemed to abate. The Cardinals even acceded to his wishes regarding his name, as Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck made a point from game one of calling him "Dick Allen".

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dick Allen ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Dick Allen; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay