Gone before we understood

 

This 1976 Topps card is the first Dick Allen card I pulled out of a pack. It's the last card issued during his career. He wasn't finished playing. He'd return to the Phillies for the 1976 season and then play for Oakland in 1977 but no cards were made of him in those years.

 

Who knows why. Allen's career has always been wrapped in mystery. Much of it is because we were too stubborn to understand him. When I look back at how he was treated, by management, the media and especially fans, I'm saddened. I think when you're faced with that kind of repeated treatment, the criticism, the bigotry, the constant booing, the target of projectiles, it's going to affect you. It's clear it affected Allen, but everyone wanted him to be the perfect obedient ballplayer. They wanted him to change, but they didn't want to change themselves.

 

That first card I saw of Allen, I didn't know who he was. He seemed old to me and fat. I had no idea that he was one of the greatest sluggers of his time, that he led a colorful baseball career that his baseball cards couldn't contain.

 

 

Two years apart, Topps ran the same damn photo of Allen, showing him once as a Cardinal and once as a White Sock. It hardly seems worthy of someone who was perennially among the league leaders and very soon the American League MVP.

 

But that's the way it was for Allen. People felt the need to point out his "shortcomings" while ignoring others' drawbacks.

 

Take a look at a few card backs for instance:

 

 "Even Richie's famed independent attitude didn't deter him ..." Imagine that. As if being independent would be something that would cause you to start hitting .230. People just couldn't handle that someone could be so productive and yet be his own person. Can you imagine baseball card bios beginning with "Despite Mickey Mantle's repeated hangovers ..."?

A Ted Williams Company card of Allen -- one of the few post-career cards created for him -- makes sure to point out that Allen was "moody" and "often controversial." Oh, you mean like Ted Williams? I don't remember that wording appearing on Williams' cards.

 

 

Allen spent more than half of his career being called something that was not his name. While he insisted he wanted to be called "Dick" and felt that "Richie" was much too childish, the media continued to call him "Richie" or "Rich" and so did his baseball cards. I can't imagine anything more dismissive than refusing to call someone by the name he prefers.

 

It wasn't until his arrival with the White Sox, a club that seemed to embrace him willingly, unlike the Phillies previously, that his cards said, hey, that's grown-up Dick Allen there! Maybe give him a little respect.

 

It's fairly apparent there's a dividing line between Allen's cards from the '60s/early '70s, the "Richie Era" and his cards of the mid-'70s.

 

Not only does Allen feature his proper name, but he's wearing the helmet -- donned because people were throwing things at him -- and those wonderful oversized glasses.

I consider myself fortunate that Allen played very briefly for the Dodgers. It's allowed me to obtain several cards of him that I wouldn't otherwise own if he never played for L.A.

 

I have two of his 1971 Topps card -- the only Topps card showing him with the Dodgers -- one for my '71 set and one for my Dodgers binder.

 

 

I have a postcard and a stamp -- both showing the same pose -- because that's how much I wanted to see Allen in a Dodger uniform.

 

This is one of the Allen items I received this year, it's a '71 Topps Super card that Max sent me not long ago.

 

And this is another favorite that I grabbed just a few months ago. It is in the top five of favorite Allen cards.

Here are a handful of others:

 

 

One of the final cards issued of him during his career from the '76 SSPC set. This is so much more presentable than that Topps card from the same year.

 

 

Of course the '75 regulation size and mini size cards must make an appearance. "Why is Allen wearing a helmet while he's fielding, dad?" "Well son, because people were THROWING things at him."

 

 

I've mentioned before that this card is in my Dodgers collection because although it's the rare card of Allen wearing a Cardinals uniform, it shows a Dodgers logo on the back and lists Allen with the Dodgers.

 

Here we go with another two-team Allen, it's the 1990 Target card, showing him as an All-Time Dodger but with a White Sox uniform.

You just couldn't categorize Allen by your traditional rules. Not on cards, not on your team. Managers tried to set rules. Baseball cards had deadlines, Allen defied them all.

Now he's gone -- before he was selected for the Hall of Fame, which you know is coming some day -- and that right there tells you how misunderstood he was until the day he died.

Allen grew up in Pennsylvania, in Wampum, and didn't experience racism until he started his professional baseball career. His favorite player was Jackie Robinson growing up. And, like Robinson, racism changed him. How could it not?

Allen did his part to fan the flames of his publicized riffs, but patched up many of those disagreements years ago. Many years after his career ended, Allen became a fan favorite, one of the most popular former players on social media. It's too bad it took so long.

 

I don't know what the licensing rules are regarding showing Allen on cards, but I think several new Allen cards are in order. This is the most recent one that I know of from Fan Favorites, issued now more than 15 years ago.

Yeah, he's gone. But it's never too late to make something right.

Better late than never.