Dick Allen

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).

Related Topics:
Nickname - March 8 - 1942 - Wampum, Pennsylvania - Major League Baseball - First baseman - Third baseman - Philadelphia Phillies - St. Louis Cardinals - Los Angeles Dodgers - Chicago White Sox - Oakland Athletics

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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.

Related Topics:
Slugger - 1960 - Minor league - Little Rock - Total bases - 1964 - Runs - Triples - Extra base hit - Batting average - Slugging percentage - OPS - Hits - Doubles - Rookie of the Year - Strikeout - Third base - Errors

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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.

Related Topics:
All Star - OPS - 1966 - Frank Thomas - 1965 - August 24 - 1967 - 1969 - Police

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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.

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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".

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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.

Related Topics:
1970 - Curt Flood - Free agent

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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. Nevertheless the Cardinals traded Allen to Los Angeles before the 1971 season.

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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. Sox manager Chuck Tanner decided to play Allen exclusively at first base, which allowed him to concentrate on hitting. In 1973, Allen virtually lifted the entire team to a division title and 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. Despite making the All-Star team in each of his three years with the team, he had once again out lived his welcome by 1974, when he walked out on September 14 after feuding with Ron Santo. The Sox sold him 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 birefly 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.

Related Topics:
Tommy John - 1972 - RBI - Walks - On base percentage - MVP - 1974 - Ron Santo - Atlanta Braves - Designated hitter

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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".

Related Topics:
1979 - Pension - Autobiography - Bill James

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