RIP Dick Allen

John Kelly

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
On the downside, late in the 1974 MLB season, he walked out on the White Sox with two weeks left in the season.

Some people thought he was retiring at that point in his career.

But he returned the following season with the Phillies.

There was plenty of speculation that Richie Allen had a drinking problem.

Hmmm...
 
blueline

blueline

EOG Master
Tribune said he died of a long-illness..
Also said chicago was his favorite city and he said if he went into HOF he would be wearing the hat of the siuth side team
 
John Kelly

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
I once saw Dick Allen at the $50 window at the old Sportsman's Park.

I was surprised I was taller than he was.

He was listed 5-11.
 
V

Valuist

EOG Master
John Kelly said:
On the downside, late in the 1974 MLB season, he walked out on the White Sox with two weeks left in the season.

Some people thought he was retiring at that point in his career.

But he returned the following season with the Phillies.

There was plenty of speculation that Richie Allen had a drinking problem.

Hmmm...
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He maybe went drinking with fellow extremely talented outfielder Bobby Bonds. Bonds' drinking problem is well known, and helped explain why he bounced around from team to team after his first 5-6 years with the Giants.
 
F

Foresthill

EOG Addicted
John Kelly said:
6. 1970- Right hamstring injury in mid-August 1970 that forced him to miss most of the rest of the one season with the Cardinals where he was on track to break their team HR record
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According to Baseball-Reference he hit 34 home runs with 101 RBI's while only playing in 122 games for the Cardinals in 1970 with a .279 batting average. He did all that in massive Busch Stadium II before the fences were moved in, which briefly happened in the mid 70's and permanently happened in the 90's.

The dimensions in 1970: 414' to Center, 386' to the power alleys, and 330' down the lines with a 10' high wall throughout the outfield.

He was my favorite every day player on the Cardinals for his one season with the team. Bob Gibson won his 2nd Cy Young award that season.
 
Viejo Dinosaur

Viejo Dinosaur

EOG Master
Rockfish said:
i could be wrong but i remember something like when he was with Philly the fans hated him and he hated the fans. He use to write fuck you in the dirt with his cleats either at first base or somewhere.
AS Fairwarning said he wore a batting helmet in the field because the Philly fans threw thing at him. Coins batteries. Hey maybe our own Viejo Dinosaur was in the stands throwing things at him. :eek:Those Philly fans are brutally tough.
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Allen probably my 2nd most favorite Phil’s player ever, right behind Mike Schmidt....and the stuff I was throwing was always at Gene Mauch....
 
R

Rockfish

EOG Addicted
Viejo Dinosaur said:
Allen probably my 2nd most favorite Phil’s player ever, right behind Mike Schmidt....and the stuff I was throwing was always at Gene Mauch....
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This is from the 1964 season from the link Fairwarning posted. Allen was a rookie. Can't blame Allen for the epic collapse.

By September 20 the Phillies had built a comfortable 6½-game lead with 12 to play in the National League, and looked forward to winning their first pennant in 14 years. But fate intervened. While World Series tickets were being printed, the Phillies lost ten painful games in a row. Cincinnati and St. Louis played their best baseball of the season and caught the Phils down the stretch. During the season’s final two weeks, Allen hit .429 and fashioned an 11-game hitting streak. On the season’s final day, with the Phillies needing a win and a Cardinals loss to force a playoff, Allen went 3-for-5 with two home runs in a 10-0 win over the Reds in Crosley Field. However, the Cardinals beat the New York Mets and clinched the pennant. Allen had done his part. It simply wasn’t enough.
 
R

Rockfish

EOG Addicted
i know it is 56 years ago but it always amazes me the paltry salary these guys were making compared to now.

Allen finished the 1964 season with a .318 average, 29 homers, and 91 RBIs. He led the league with 125 runs scored, but also set a NL strikeout mark with 138. He was the only Phillie to start all 162 games and earned himself the National League Rookie of the Year Award. It was little consolation for the disappointment he and his teammates felt. That 1964 season was the closest Allen ever came to playing for a pennant winner.
Allen began the 1965 season by holding out for a raise and refusing to report to spring training. He said he was asking for less than $25,000 and thought he was worth it. Phillies general manager John Quinn, known for being parsimonious, said that Allen was “asking for too much after one year.”13 Alen reluctantly came to terms for a reported $20,000
 
Viejo Dinosaur

Viejo Dinosaur

EOG Master
Rockfish said:
This is from the 1964 season from the link Fairwarning posted. Allen was a rookie. Can't blame Allen for the epic collapse.

By September 20 the Phillies had built a comfortable 6½-game lead with 12 to play in the National League, and looked forward to winning their first pennant in 14 years. But fate intervened. While World Series tickets were being printed, the Phillies lost ten painful games in a row. Cincinnati and St. Louis played their best baseball of the season and caught the Phils down the stretch. During the season’s final two weeks, Allen hit .429 and fashioned an 11-game hitting streak. On the season’s final day, with the Phillies needing a win and a Cardinals loss to force a playoff, Allen went 3-for-5 with two home runs in a 10-0 win over the Reds in Crosley Field. However, the Cardinals beat the New York Mets and clinched the pennant. Allen had done his part. It simply wasn’t enough.
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It was 6.5 with ten to play....
 
V

Valuist

EOG Master
railbird said:
I watched the 1976 and 77 Dodgers with Nana, Nana passed away in 1983
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He was Richie Allen for most of his career. He became "Dick Allen" with the White Sox. After he retired, around the track he was still referred to as Richie Allen.
 
V

Valuist

EOG Master
John Kelly said:
I once saw Dick Allen at the $50 window at the old Sportsman's Park.

I was surprised I was taller than he was.

He was listed 5-11.
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This begs the next question; just how old were you when you started betting horses? Maybe Allen kept a home in Chicago? Otherwise this couldn't have been 1972-74 as we have a rough estimate that JK is in his mid to late 50s. Unless Spt was allowing 10-13 year olds to place bets. Knowing Chicago racing, nothing can be discounted.
 
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O

ouch

EOG Dedicated
Viejo Dinosaur said:
It was 6.5 with ten to play....
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For the record, it was 6.5 with 12 games to play.

The 1964 Phillies returned from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 20th with a 6.5 game lead.

Starting on Monday, September 21st, they lost 3 to the Reds, 4 to the Braves (all at home), and then 3 more to the Cardinals in St. Louis. In all, 10 in a row.

They then won the final two games of the year in Cincinnati, but by then it was too late.
 
R

Rockfish

EOG Addicted
blueline said:
Those walls around the $50 windows made it look like the entrance to a rest stop bathroom
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Ha Ha! Your right. Never thought about like that. i certainly flushed a good amount of money down the toilet inside those walls. First floor grandstand east end closest to the paddock. Thats where i got all that great information that i used to flush that money down the toilet.
 
John Kelly

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
In 1975, Walter Paisley was Sportsman's leading driver with 63 victories. The other Top Ten drivers in wins that summer were Jim Dennis, Daryl Busse, Joe March Jr., Jerry Graham, Stanley Banks, Jim Dolbee, Carmen Alessi, Jim Curran and Dwayne Pletcher, in that order.

Attendance for that 60-night meeting averaged 14,381, highest in the State of Illinois and, at that time, and a new mark for Sportsman's Park. The on-track handle averaged over $1.4 million per night.


Source: Harnesslink.com
 
blueline

blueline

EOG Master
John Kelly said:
In 1975, Walter Paisley was Sportsman's leading driver with 63 victories. The other Top Ten drivers in wins that summer were Jim Dennis, Daryl Busse, Joe March Jr., Jerry Graham, Stanley Banks, Jim Dolbee, Carmen Alessi, Jim Curran and Dwayne Pletcher, in that order.

Attendance for that 60-night meeting averaged 14,381, highest in the State of Illinois and, at that time, and a new mark for Sportsman's Park. The on-track handle averaged over $1.4 million per night.


Source: Harnesslink.com
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in order

green/white
white/green
grey/red
grey/red/blue
green/orange
white/purple
white/green/red
blue/gold
yellow/grey
white/red/black
 
R

Rockfish

EOG Addicted
blueline said:
in order

green/white
white/green
grey/red
grey/red/blue
green/orange
white/purple
white/green/red
blue/gold
yellow/grey
white/red/black
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Blueline, i was around then but my memory is piss poor. i reached out to "my guy" who remembers this stuff. He concurs with your answers except for Curran. Small quibble he says Gold and Grey. i would have said yellow myself. Either way well done sir.
 
John Kelly

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
Valuist said:
This begs the next question; just how old were you when you started betting horses? Maybe Allen kept a home in Chicago? Otherwise this couldn't have been 1972-74 as we have a rough estimate that JK is in his mid to late 50s. Unless Spt was allowing 10-13 year olds to place bets. Knowing Chicago racing, nothing can be discounted.
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The time frame when I spotted Richie Allen: Late 1970's/early 1980's.

Cub manager Don Zimmer was spotted in the Sportsman's Park grandstand, too.

I also remember the buzz when Pete Rose had a table in the Sulky Room (?) at Sportsman's Park.

Served as an Andy Frain usher at Sportsman's Park at the age of 16.

Fabulous high school job.
 
Viejo Dinosaur

Viejo Dinosaur

EOG Master
ouch said:
For the record, it was 6.5 with 12 games to play.

The 1964 Phillies returned from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 20th with a 6.5 game lead.

Starting on Monday, September 21st, they lost 3 to the Reds, 4 to the Braves (all at home), and then 3 more to the Cardinals in St. Louis. In all, 10 in a row.

They then won the final two games of the year in Cincinnati, but by then it was too late.
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Phils blew the lead in ten straight games....they won their last two games in Cincy.....
 
O

ouch

EOG Dedicated
Viejo Dinosaur said:
Phils blew the lead in ten straight games....they won their last two games in Cincy.....
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Again for the record, the 1964 Phillies actually fell out of first place after losing their 7th game in a row (of the 10) to Milwaukee on September 27th. They would never see the top again during that season.

Trust me on this...........there are women that I have had sex with whose names I cannot remember.

But I'll never forget the details of the last two weeks of that season. When you are a kid, those kinds of events stick with you.
 
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