Jump to content

Dick Allen HOF


Dick Allen

Recommended Posts

Should have happened a long time ago when he was alive. One of the most electric players in sports history. Well deserved. Hope his family enjoys this forever. Anybody who saw Dick Allen play for the Sox realizes he is a Hall of Famer. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/9/2024 at 9:27 PM, Dick Allen said:

The coolest player ever. Everyone else looked like a dork wearing a helmet in the field. He looked cool.

Expand  

He had a certain swagger and a flair to everything he did even small things like the way he would adjust his batting gloves, or that little flip of the mitt when he would catch a ball at first base.  The man was just naturally cool.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dick Allen saved the Sox from being sold to Bud Selig by co-owner Arthur Allyn and moving to Milwaukee along with John Allyn who didn't think Milwaukee was worthy of a charter member of the American League .Arthur also tried to sell the team to Lamar Hunt. John eventually sold the team back to Veeck who in turn sold it to Reinsdorf.

Katt said they called Allen Mos  which was short for Moses because he led the White Sox out of the wilderness. He called Katt Old Timer.

Fun interview although Matt Vasgersian's ignorance that Phillies fans booing Allen was racially motivated when Vasgersian tried to compare them booing him to the same as booing Steve Carlton and Jack Schmidt  as an act of  respect. Kaat set him straight.

Phillies were the last NL team to integrate in 1957 , 10 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Allen's rookie year with the Phil's was 1963 only 6 years after their 1st African America ballplayer.

Edited by CaliSoxFanViaSWside
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  On 2/13/2025 at 10:45 PM, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

The HOF should not put someone on a team based on 'wishes'. They should put them in with the team they were known for IMO.. 

Expand  

The Fisk argument. More games with White Sox...but iconic moments in 1975 and forever connected to Boston Red Sox lore, also originally from that region of the country if I remember correctly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 2/13/2025 at 10:12 PM, Quin said:

Screenshot_20250213-171543.png

Haven't seen this mentioned elsewhere, but the Hall makes a sad choice for DA.

Expand  

What a slap in the face to Chicago, and the fans that treated Dick Allen with the respect he deserved.   Maybe if the organization wasn't currently run by Reinsdorf, Dick's family would have honored his wishes and let him be inducted with a White Sox cap.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Allen's family has decided that he will wear a Philadelphia Phillies cap on his plaque, honoring the team that gave him his first professional contract in 1960.

The Pennsylvania native made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1963, then won NL Rookie of the Year in 1964. He remained in Philadelphia through the end of the 1969 season, at which point he demanded a trade and got sent to the St. Louis Cardinals.

6 years in Philly versus 9 with the White Sox, lol...

 

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/former-chicago-white-sox-mvp-winner-dick-allen-to-wear-philadelphia-phillies-cap-on-hall-of-fame-plaque-class-of-2025-classic-era-committee-01jkrjp82q71

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dick was an exceptional two-sport star at Wampum High School in western Pennsylvania. He starred on state championship basketball teams.

But his ability to hit a baseball overshadowed his hoop skills. Baseball scouts began following Dick as a junior. Scouts in those days doubled as salesmen. Era Allen served as her son’s negotiator. She was most comfortable with a 66-year-old Phillies scout, John Ogden. Upon graduating from in 1960, Allen signed a pro baseball contract that included a $60,000 bonus.

Ogden also signed Dick’s older brother, Hank (1960) and young brother, Ron (1964). Each played in the Majors. Hank was a teammate when Dick made his pro debut, an 18-year-old shortstop with the Elmira Pioneers of the Class D New York-Penn League. Dick joined the team in Geneva and homered in his first game. A sign of things to come.

After 1969 season, the Phillies traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals. He also played for the Dodgers and White Sox (1972 AL MVP). His 15-year career ended in Oakland in 1977. 7 All-Star teams, 351 home runs, .292 average.

In today’s metrics his 165 OPS+ from 1964-73 led the Majors, better than Hank Aaron, Harmon Killebrew and Willie McCovey. For a stretch of 11 seasons (1964 through 1974), he had a .940 OPS, second only to Hank Aaron’s .941.

Ten years after his 529-foot home run, No. 15 returned to the Phillies. He singled in his first at-bat, May 14, 1975, against the Cincinnati Reds at Veterans Stadium. Dick drew a standing ovation from the 30,908 fans. The past was forgotten. With Allen in the lineup, the Phillies won the NL East in 1976, ending a 26-year postseason drought.

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-alumni-hall-of-famer-dick-allen

 

To be totally fair, his Pennsylvania roots run REALLY deep.  You also have to consider his career coming "full circle" and ending up playing for the Phillies in 1976 and helping them to the post-season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...