Richie Allen could swing a 37-ounce bat at wrist speeds up to 116 mph and launch a baseball to great heights and distances. He could also hit home runs with his feet. In one game, he had two inside-the-park home runs.
At times, he seemed able to hit home runs at will, as he did one day in 1974 in Kansas City for a 10-year old boy on crutches.
The boy was a rabid fan of the White Sox at a time when Allen was the team's heavy slugger.
In his first two months in the hospital receiving treatment for muscular deficiencies, the Sox were there with him on the radio via Harry Caray's vivid descriptions that told of Allen's exploits.
In late June, the boy was discharged from the hospital and began learning how to walk with crutches.
Three weeks later, he was pronounced fit to travel, and his wish was to see the Sox play a series in Kansas City, in the Royals' new park, which featured a huge waterfall beyond the center field wall.
In the first game the boy and his parents had seats six rows behind the Sox dugout.
In the first inning, Allen strolled to the on-deck circle and kneeled. The boy stood up and said, "Hit it in the waterfall, Richie! Hit it in the waterfall! Allen turned and looked straight at the boy and and gave him a wink.
The batter in front of Allen fouled off some pitches and then flied to center. Allen strode to the plate, tapped his bat on it, and on the second pitch sent the ball soaring toward center field and splashing intothe falling water. Allen's face broke into a broad, pleased smile as he loped around the bases. When he touched home plate, he looked in the direction of the happy, screaming boy -- whose aluminum crutches had fallen away and clanked onto the concrete floor -- and gave the boy another wink before disappearing into the dugout. The boy stood without crutches, tears ran down his face and he yelled at the top of his voice, Thank You, Richie! Thank You, Richie," and sat down between his dad and mom, who took turns hugging him. They left the game before Allen's second at-bat. When Allen came to the on-deck circle for the second time, he looked up for the boy, and seemed puzzled by his absence.
I saw it up-close. I could hear sobs all around me. I couldn't believe what I saw. To me, this had to rank as the greatest home-run of all time, far ahead of Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series home-run call against the Cubs.
Four years later, after Allen was cut by the Oakland A's in Spring Training, I ran into Allen and asked him if he remembered that day in July in Kansas City. He said, matter-of-factly, "Yes." A big smile spread across his face. He said no more.
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Posted August 4, 2003.
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