Profile of Dick Allen on Famous Like Me

Richard Anthony "Dick" Allen (also sometimes known, especially in his earlier years, as Richie Allen, a nickname that he came to despise and attempt to disassociate himself from) (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).

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), and was widely blamed by sportswriters for the Phillies' pennant swoon that year.

One bright spot was his power hitting. In those pre-steroid days, he was muscled like a Mickey Mantle or a Jimmy Foxx, and likewise hit some very long home runs. One memorable shot went over the left-center field roof at Connie Mack Stadium, a truly Ruthian blast.

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".

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.

The Cardinals at least acceded to his wishes regarding his name, as Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck made a point from Game One of calling him "Dick Allen".

Allen earned another All Star berth in St. Louis. Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst recalled that when he was asked before Allen's acquisition if he wanted Allen, he had said no, he'd heard Allen had a bad attitude and the team didn't need him. After the season, when Schoendienst was asked if Allen should be traded, he said no, Allen had helped the team and his attitude was not a problem.

Decades before "Bic Mac", Allen entertained the St. Louis fans with some long home runs, at least one of them landing in the seats above the club level in left field. As Jack Buck said at the time, "Some of the folks in the stadium club might have choked on a chicken leg when they saw that one coming!" Nevertheless the Cardinals traded Allen to Los Angeles before the 1971 season.

After a relatively quiet year with the Dodgers, Allen was traded to the White Sox for Tommy John prior to the 1972 season. For various reasons, Allen's previous managers had shuffled him around on defense, playing him at first, third and outfield in no particular order, a practice which almost certainly weakened his defensive play and which may have contributed to his frequent injuries, not to mention his perceived bad attitude. Sox manager Chuck Tanner's unique style of handling ballplayers made it possible for Allen to thrive, for awhile, on the South Side. He decided to play Allen exclusively at first base, which allowed him to concentrate on hitting. That first year, Allen almost single-handedly lifted the entire team to a division title, as he led the league in home runs (37), RBI (113), walks (99), on base percentage (.422), slugging percentage (.603), and OPS (1.023), while winning a well-deserved MVP award. However, the Sox fell short at the end and finished 5 1/2 games behind the World Series-bound Oakland Athletics.

Allen continued his power hitting unabated, sending unlucky pitchers' fastballs to the upper deck, the roof, and even the distant (445 feet) center field bleachers, a rare feat at Sox Park.

Despite making the All-Star team in each of his three years with the team, he had once again outlived his welcome by 1974, when he walked out on September 14 after feuding with Ron Santo, an emotional sort in his own right who was playing his final year of big league ball. The Sox sold Allen to the Atlanta Braves for only $5,000 despite the fact that he led the league in slugging (.563) and OPS (.938). Allen refused to report and retired. He briefly returned to the Phillies and Athletics, but he was not the same player. Finally, Allen left baseball in typical style, walking out on the A's when they considered making him a designated hitter.

After retirement, Allen had a string of bad fortune, with his uninsured house and horse stables burning down in 1979. He subsequently left his wife for a younger woman; she took him to court and got everything he had left, even the rights to his baseball pension. He has written an autobiography titled Crash, which Bill James has called "one of the best baseball books in recent years".

Quotes

• "Now I know why they boo Richie all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir." - Willie Stargell, after Allen once hit a home run onto the roof of Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium.

• His own quote on artificial turf: "If horses can't eat it, I won't play on it."

External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis

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