Sox To Honor Dick Allen, '72 Team

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jun 22, 2012 5:20PM

Those red pinstriped uniforms the White Sox have been wearing on Sundays this year? Those are a tribute to the 1972 team that some say saved the franchise. And the leader of that team was eventual American League MVP Dick Allen, who challenged for the triple crown as the South Siders won 87 games just two years removed from a franchise-worst 56-106 season

At the urging of the Chicago Baseball Museum, the Sox will honor the 1972 team and Allen on June 24. Allen will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the team's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Coming off some tough seasons on the South Side, the veteran slugger helped rookie manager Chuck Tanner mentor a roster of youngsters while winning the MVP. The upstart Sox surprised many by remaining competitive with eventual World Series champion Oakland until September. That '72 team also helped draw fans to Comiskey Park, after attendance had bottomed out at just 400,000. By 1972, the team was rumored to be leaving town, but Allen and company helped prevent that and kept the Sox in Chicago.

That season ended up being the best of Allen's three years in Chicago, and near the end of the 1974 season he abruptly left the team weeks before the end of the season. Perhaps that's why Dick Allen has been an afterthought in the annals of team history compared to other greats despite his colorful personality. But as the team healed its relationship with Carlton Fisk in recent years, the team now appears to be trying to do the same with another star. As a new generation of Sox fans learn about Allen, we can only hope he's the same colorful fella who was often seen smoking in the dugout and recounted one his White Sox highlights thusly:

I was eating a chili dog when I heard Chuck [Tanner] wanted me to hit. I had chili all over my shirt, so I put on a new one and a pair of pants with no underclothes. Sparky Lyle threw me a slider, and it wound up in the seats. We won, and it was a memorable moment.

When you can hit the game winning homer while going commando and reeking of chili, you deserve a tip of the cap.