If the Philly sports writers at the time weren't such racists, Allen would be in the Hall of Fame today. They all sided with Frank Thomas in the 1965 "bat" incident. And then Gene Mauch prohibited Allen from talking about it, just one of his many stupid decisions as a Phillie manager. From 1964 to 1974 Dick Allen was the best hitter in baseball. When he went to the Chisox in 1972 he won an MVP Award and 2 Home Run Titles. He didn't kiss enough sportswriter ass to be in the Hall of Fame.
"Now I know why they boo Richie in Philadelphia. When he hits it out, there's no souvenir." -- Willie Stargell... like he should talk, he hit the longest homer ever at the Vet! And Dodger Stadium, and Montreal's Olympic Stadium, and Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. But not Three Rivers, that was done by... a Phillie, Greg Luzinski!
When Dick Allen was hit with a bat by a team mate in philly it was Frank Thomas the big white Frank Thomas who hit him in the right shoulder with a bat which effected his throwing and is why he WENT TO first with THE Sox. The story i heard was Thomas was pickin on ALLEN'S FRIEND TONY TAYLOR ,WITH SLURS ETC AND DICK ALLEN STEPPED IN TO DEFEND HIS FRIEND AND FRANK THOMAS HIT HIM WITH A BAT. THATS A BIG NO NO IN BASEBALL. THE PHILLIES TRADED FRANK THOMAS . THERE WAS A LOT OF
I saw an Allen at bat years ago on tv that has always stayed with me. I'm wondering if anyone knows when it happened. I thought it was the 1970 All-Star game. But it seems like he had no hits that year.
Allen was at bat and he hit a screaming liner to dead center that never rose more than 15 feet or so. It hit the centerfield wall so fast and hard that Allen, I believe only had a single out of it. On the replay, they showed Allen hitching the bat so far that...
@lemaxmas his bat was parallel to the ground. He whipped it around so hard and so fast only a slow-mo replay could capture it. I remember how astounded the announcers and fans were and so was I. Did anyone remember seeing that? Was it in the All-Star game?
@lemaxmas That pitch was low and away, placed perfectly by Dean Chance. Dick Allen clouts it over 400 feet with the monster 40 ounce club. Scientific, precise, no wasted movement. No 'roids. Physics at its best. We wish we could have him on the Mets or Yanks. He would be so much more appreciated in today's game. He could literally hit the ball 600 feet, according to some, at 5'11 190. This guy was no bullshit and the real deal.
@drjimiboy69 My father was 5'10" 180lbs, and Dick Allen wasn't that much bigger than him. Dude was just incredibly strong. Pops used to take us to Tiger Stadium, and he would consistently hit balls in the upper deck bleachers way above the 440ft sign during batting practice.
The sound of his bat hitting the ball was like the sound of a shotgun.
Respond to this video......all year and into his career. At the time of the incident he was looking at a possible triple crown season. He was instead raked over the coals by the press, many Pilly fans eventually bought into the negative hype and booed Allen relentlessly. His desire to try and play through the injury and his coming to the defense of a teammate prove that he was a team player indeed. Allen was very underrated. The most powerful hitter for average and the fastest big man.
@lemaxmas --i was a big fan of allens too. i was at this game in anaheim and followed his career afterwards. i had the good fortune of seeing him some years back at a little baseball card shop around the corner from our house and he was a very gracious man in person. when i told him i thought he was one of the great base-runners i'd seen he answered "Baserunners, not base stealers." amazingly, he wasnt that much bigger than me, and all that power. one of the great modern "wrist hitters".
@lemaxmas --when we saw him i brought a scorecoard of a phillies/dodgers game i kept score in. i gave it to him as a gift and all the loose pages fell out as he picked it up and he said "Whats this?...." and then he saw the lineups written in and said with some affection "Oh yeah, Schmidt, Luzinski......" his voice trailed off as he drifted into memories and then looked up and said "Thank you". its always cool when a childhood hero actually turns out to be a pretty good person too......
@majorhoop That is so true. I think it also proves that Dick Allen was and is quite the opposite from the rep that some idiot writers pasted him with. It was very thoughtful of you to do that for him and he was as you say a pretty good person to receive such a gesture. Great story. Thanks so much for sharing.
@curtisjones400 You are right. Can you imagine Allen, Mantle, Killerbrew, Howard, etc on steroids!!!
Dick Allen was an amazing player. Injuries and cruel behavior from the Philly press did more to drive him out of baseball than anything. I remember the year he had the fight with Dick Stuart because Stuart was picking on a fellow black teammate. Allen interceded and Stuart hit him in the shoulder with his bat. Allen refused to get out of the line up to help the team and injury troubled him...
@curtisjones400 I have been a fan of Dick Allen's since his rookie year. He's one of the most amazing all round players ever. His bad rap in fielding is largely due to his being trained as an outfielder & then at the last minute being asked to play third base in his rookie year. But I have to point out to you that Allen would have needed to hit 185 more homers to equal Mickey Mantle in the three years you suggest. As great as he was, he would not have done it at that time. He's still the best.
Allen also had one of the greatest quotes in sports history. "If a horse can't eat it I don't want to play on it." How many other athletes with premature bad knees would agree with that sentiment?
Willie Stargell had the best quote about Dick, "no wonder they always boo Dick in Philly, when he hits a home run he doesnt leave anyone a souvenier" talking about his prodigious power.
If I recall correctly, this was actually the first All Star game to be shown in prime time on the East Coast (it was a 4:15 first pitch local time in Anaheim). And in '67, teams still didn't have names on jerseys . . . . some of them anyway.
@curtisjones400. Mickey played his first season when he was only 19 years old. Dick wanted to debut with the Phils in 1963 but the Phils organization wanted him to play one more year in the minor so he integrate the Triple A affiliate in Little Rock.
Clouts a 420 foot shot on a breaking pitch low and away. In a different time and place he'd have hit at least 500 HRs. He had a severely injured ulnar nerve during '67 season which almost ended his career and little help on the anemic hitting Phils., save John Callison. A sensitive guy who deserved much better from the unworthy Phil. fans. Too bad he couldn't play his career with the Giants or Cards who were more enlightened re. black and Latin players. One of all time great talents.
amazing power, that ball was on the outside corner of the plate and he still got his hands extended and sent it well into the stands in dead center field, what a monster.
For the combination of sheer distance hitting power and running speed I rank Dick Allen with Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx.All three of those guys could hit balls over 500ft. and they could all run like deer.
Dick had HOF talent, but he had so many issues off the field (many which were not his fault, but I digress) that interfered with his play, and he was all but done as a player by the time he turned 33, so he wasn't able to make one of those second half of career runs and put his numbers to a point where he would have had a plaque long ago. I can't say he should be in the Hall, but he definitely could have, and would have in a slightly different, but mostly similar world.
@ccv707 -Dick Allen was prob one of the most talented players (hitting standpoint) ever. Strong as a mule. But his own worst enemy. Pulled some very childish/passive aggressive crap when with the Phillies in 1960s. But u r right------with a little more numbers, he would be in Hall
That was almost off the barrel end of the bat, and Anaheim has always been a pitcher's park. What could this guy have done if only management had given him a little leeway sooner -- instead of too much leeway later, by which point it was too late?
If the Philly sports writers at the time weren't such racists, Allen would be in the Hall of Fame today. They all sided with Frank Thomas in the 1965 "bat" incident. And then Gene Mauch prohibited Allen from talking about it, just one of his many stupid decisions as a Phillie manager. From 1964 to 1974 Dick Allen was the best hitter in baseball. When he went to the Chisox in 1972 he won an MVP Award and 2 Home Run Titles. He didn't kiss enough sportswriter ass to be in the Hall of Fame.
fek2000 1 month ago
Philly news media hated Allen and slurred him as much as possible. Read his bio "Crash" as it makes for good reading.
1400deadwood 3 months ago
"Now I know why they boo Richie in Philadelphia. When he hits it out, there's no souvenir." -- Willie Stargell... like he should talk, he hit the longest homer ever at the Vet! And Dodger Stadium, and Montreal's Olympic Stadium, and Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. But not Three Rivers, that was done by... a Phillie, Greg Luzinski!
UncleMikeNJ 3 months ago
When Dick Allen was hit with a bat by a team mate in philly it was Frank Thomas the big white Frank Thomas who hit him in the right shoulder with a bat which effected his throwing and is why he WENT TO first with THE Sox. The story i heard was Thomas was pickin on ALLEN'S FRIEND TONY TAYLOR ,WITH SLURS ETC AND DICK ALLEN STEPPED IN TO DEFEND HIS FRIEND AND FRANK THOMAS HIT HIM WITH A BAT. THATS A BIG NO NO IN BASEBALL. THE PHILLIES TRADED FRANK THOMAS . THERE WAS A LOT OF
RACISM IN THOSE DAYS.
starsandstrikes212 5 months ago
I saw an Allen at bat years ago on tv that has always stayed with me. I'm wondering if anyone knows when it happened. I thought it was the 1970 All-Star game. But it seems like he had no hits that year.
Allen was at bat and he hit a screaming liner to dead center that never rose more than 15 feet or so. It hit the centerfield wall so fast and hard that Allen, I believe only had a single out of it. On the replay, they showed Allen hitching the bat so far that...
lemaxmas 6 months ago
@lemaxmas his bat was parallel to the ground. He whipped it around so hard and so fast only a slow-mo replay could capture it. I remember how astounded the announcers and fans were and so was I. Did anyone remember seeing that? Was it in the All-Star game?
Thanks.
lemaxmas 6 months ago
@lemaxmas That pitch was low and away, placed perfectly by Dean Chance. Dick Allen clouts it over 400 feet with the monster 40 ounce club. Scientific, precise, no wasted movement. No 'roids. Physics at its best. We wish we could have him on the Mets or Yanks. He would be so much more appreciated in today's game. He could literally hit the ball 600 feet, according to some, at 5'11 190. This guy was no bullshit and the real deal.
drjimiboy69 6 months ago 5
@drjimiboy69 My father was 5'10" 180lbs, and Dick Allen wasn't that much bigger than him. Dude was just incredibly strong. Pops used to take us to Tiger Stadium, and he would consistently hit balls in the upper deck bleachers way above the 440ft sign during batting practice.
The sound of his bat hitting the ball was like the sound of a shotgun.
publicatdamagnificen 5 months ago
Respond to this video......all year and into his career. At the time of the incident he was looking at a possible triple crown season. He was instead raked over the coals by the press, many Pilly fans eventually bought into the negative hype and booed Allen relentlessly. His desire to try and play through the injury and his coming to the defense of a teammate prove that he was a team player indeed. Allen was very underrated. The most powerful hitter for average and the fastest big man.
lemaxmas 7 months ago
@lemaxmas --i was a big fan of allens too. i was at this game in anaheim and followed his career afterwards. i had the good fortune of seeing him some years back at a little baseball card shop around the corner from our house and he was a very gracious man in person. when i told him i thought he was one of the great base-runners i'd seen he answered "Baserunners, not base stealers." amazingly, he wasnt that much bigger than me, and all that power. one of the great modern "wrist hitters".
majorhoop 7 months ago in playlist Baseball
@majorhoop Great story, Majorhoop! Thanks for sharing. I would have loved to have met the man myself.
lemaxmas 6 months ago
@lemaxmas --when we saw him i brought a scorecoard of a phillies/dodgers game i kept score in. i gave it to him as a gift and all the loose pages fell out as he picked it up and he said "Whats this?...." and then he saw the lineups written in and said with some affection "Oh yeah, Schmidt, Luzinski......" his voice trailed off as he drifted into memories and then looked up and said "Thank you". its always cool when a childhood hero actually turns out to be a pretty good person too......
majorhoop 6 months ago
@majorhoop That is so true. I think it also proves that Dick Allen was and is quite the opposite from the rep that some idiot writers pasted him with. It was very thoughtful of you to do that for him and he was as you say a pretty good person to receive such a gesture. Great story. Thanks so much for sharing.
lemaxmas 6 months ago
@curtisjones400 You are right. Can you imagine Allen, Mantle, Killerbrew, Howard, etc on steroids!!!
Dick Allen was an amazing player. Injuries and cruel behavior from the Philly press did more to drive him out of baseball than anything. I remember the year he had the fight with Dick Stuart because Stuart was picking on a fellow black teammate. Allen interceded and Stuart hit him in the shoulder with his bat. Allen refused to get out of the line up to help the team and injury troubled him...
lemaxmas 7 months ago
@curtisjones400 I have been a fan of Dick Allen's since his rookie year. He's one of the most amazing all round players ever. His bad rap in fielding is largely due to his being trained as an outfielder & then at the last minute being asked to play third base in his rookie year. But I have to point out to you that Allen would have needed to hit 185 more homers to equal Mickey Mantle in the three years you suggest. As great as he was, he would not have done it at that time. He's still the best.
lemaxmas 7 months ago
Allen also had one of the greatest quotes in sports history. "If a horse can't eat it I don't want to play on it." How many other athletes with premature bad knees would agree with that sentiment?
tct911 7 months ago
Willie Stargell had the best quote about Dick, "no wonder they always boo Dick in Philly, when he hits a home run he doesnt leave anyone a souvenier" talking about his prodigious power.
dve8692 7 months ago
If I recall correctly, this was actually the first All Star game to be shown in prime time on the East Coast (it was a 4:15 first pitch local time in Anaheim). And in '67, teams still didn't have names on jerseys . . . . some of them anyway.
DukeofColumbia 8 months ago
@curtisjones400. Mickey played his first season when he was only 19 years old. Dick wanted to debut with the Phils in 1963 but the Phils organization wanted him to play one more year in the minor so he integrate the Triple A affiliate in Little Rock.
Ariamaluum 8 months ago
Clouts a 420 foot shot on a breaking pitch low and away. In a different time and place he'd have hit at least 500 HRs. He had a severely injured ulnar nerve during '67 season which almost ended his career and little help on the anemic hitting Phils., save John Callison. A sensitive guy who deserved much better from the unworthy Phil. fans. Too bad he couldn't play his career with the Giants or Cards who were more enlightened re. black and Latin players. One of all time great talents.
drjimiboy69 9 months ago
amazing power, that ball was on the outside corner of the plate and he still got his hands extended and sent it well into the stands in dead center field, what a monster.
dve8692 10 months ago
For the combination of sheer distance hitting power and running speed I rank Dick Allen with Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx.All three of those guys could hit balls over 500ft. and they could all run like deer.
brianwells456comcast 1 year ago
Dick had HOF talent, but he had so many issues off the field (many which were not his fault, but I digress) that interfered with his play, and he was all but done as a player by the time he turned 33, so he wasn't able to make one of those second half of career runs and put his numbers to a point where he would have had a plaque long ago. I can't say he should be in the Hall, but he definitely could have, and would have in a slightly different, but mostly similar world.
ccv707 1 year ago
@ccv707 -Dick Allen was prob one of the most talented players (hitting standpoint) ever. Strong as a mule. But his own worst enemy. Pulled some very childish/passive aggressive crap when with the Phillies in 1960s. But u r right------with a little more numbers, he would be in Hall
loyaldude10 1 year ago
@ccv707. He wanted to be treated like Mickey Mantle whose career was essentially over by the time he was 34.
Ariamaluum 10 months ago
That was almost off the barrel end of the bat, and Anaheim has always been a pitcher's park. What could this guy have done if only management had given him a little leeway sooner -- instead of too much leeway later, by which point it was too late?
UncleMikeNJ 1 year ago
@519ism 44!
milesofsmiles2 1 year ago
Amazing power. The pitch wasn't even that sweet, it was a little down and away and he still muscled it over 400 feet.
shanrico 1 year ago
@shanrico There's also a nice video of Dick Allen effortlessly hitting a home run to center in the Chicago White Sox 1973-1980 video on YouTube.
fek2000 1 year ago
Respond to this video...Dick Allen should be in the Hall of Fame.
tucquan 1 year ago