The Phillies: 10,000 Losses, But Hey -- Remember Dick Allen?

With the Phillies rapidly approaching their 10,000th loss -- a dubious and distinctive record -- it's important to think about the good things that have happened in Shibe Park and the Vet. There were the Whiz Kids of 1950, led by the superb young ace Robin Roberts; Gene Mauch's near- great, but cursed, 1964 team; the 1983 and 1993 NL Championship teams, and of course, the 1980 World Series winners.

It's probably the 1964 team, unfortunately, that those of a certain generation (and certain mixed feelings about Philly) feel characterizes the franchise the most. The Phillies were in first place in the NL on September 21 when they began a 10-game slide, eventually finishing tied for second, a game behind the pennant-winning Cardinals. You can see how the team fell off a cliff at the end.

A key to that 1964 team was rookie Dick Allen, who played 162 games at third base, finished fifth in the NL with a .939 OPS, led the league in runs, total bases, triples, extra-base hits, and runs created. He also hit 29 homers, drove in 110 (third in the NL), was voted Rookie of the Year, and finished seventh in the MVP voting.

That season was no fluke for Allen. He would be an All-Star seven times and was the AL MVP in 1972, when he played for the White Sox.

But Philly wasn't so kind to Allen. He brawled with Frank Thomas in 1965; Thomas was released, and Allen's stock declined. He remained unpopular to the point where, after an injury forced him to move from third to first late in 1967, he said, "I'll play first, third, left. I'll play anywhere--except Philadelphia."

What follows is an excellent mini-documentary, the "Dick Allen Story," which includes lots of great vintage footage. Enjoy.