Philadelphia Baseball History

Despite a career average of .292, 351 total home runs, 1,119 total RBIs, the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year award, seven All-Star appearances, and the 1972 AL MVP award, during his fifteen years of eligibility of 1982 through 1997, Dick Allen never garnered more than 20% of the vote from the BBWAA for Hall of Fame induction. The oft-cited reason for this has been the character issue. Baseball writers viewed Allen as a divisive figure in the clubhouse. Bill James has accused Allen of “manipulat[ing] racism as an explosive to blow his teams apart.” But far from manipulating racism, Allen was a victim of racism, who was saddled with an undeserved reputation because of his reactions to regrettable treatment by players and fans alike.  Allen broke into the major leagues in Philadelphia, a city Curt Flood described as “[t]he nation’s northernmost southern city.”  Philadelphia was infamous for its treatment of Jackie Robinson when he broke the color barrier in 1947. The Philli...

Changes made last year to the Baseball Hall of Fame committee system may lead to the enshrinement of more modern players.  Whether that will include Dick Allen is an open question. There are two ways that a baseball player can be elected the Hall of Fame. The first way is by eligible voters who are members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Players become eligible for election five years after retirement. They will remain on the ballot so long as they receive at least 5% of the vote. In a year when a player receives less than 5% of the vote, that player drops off the ballot and can no longer be considered by the BBWAA. The second way player can become elected to the Hall of Fame is through the Hall’s committee system. For most of the Hall’s existence, this was known as the Veterans Committee. The Veterans Committee would consider not only players who were no longer eligible for election by the BBWAA, but would also consider executives, umpires, and ma...

October 21, 1993, my seats were high up in the 700 level of Veterans' Stadium. I had to strain my neck to look behind me if I wanted to see the replay on Phanavision. Of course, it didn't matter. Nor did I mind that no one actually sat during the entire three hour contest. It was game five of the World Series. The night before the Phillies had just blown a five run lead to fall behind the Blue Jays three games to one. The Phillies play-off life was in the balance. To the mound, Manager Jim Fregosi sent Curt Schilling. Schilling had been named Most Valuable Player of the NLCS, despite not earning a single win in the series. Instead, he went eight innings in both games he pitched, giving up only two runs. Yielding the mound to the Wild Thing, Mitch Williams, Schilling watched from the dugout, towel over his head, as the closer blew both saves. His 1.69 ERA was still enough for Schilling to win the MVP. As Schilling took the mound, we the fans knew that he was determined to see i...