Dick Allen may have been gone, but he was determined to come back. He pleaded with Hemond to bring him back, even though he was the property of the Braves and the interleague trading deadline had passed. Allen desperately charged the White Sox with depriving him of making a living by trading him to a team that he did not want to play for. The players said they would gladly take him back if he apologized for walking out on them before the season was over.

Tanner and Hemond finally...

The White Sox had power enough to go around this season. They hit 135 home runs to lead the American league for the first time in their history. Dick Allen hit 32 to lead the team and league, his second AL Home Run Crown in three years, despite hitting his last home run on August 16 and playing his last game on September 8. Allen also sported 88 RBI and a .301 average.

Bill Melton overcame his midseason slump to hit 21 home runs and bat .242. Ken Henderson came back from his knee...

October 2,1974
vs. Kansas City Royals
at White Sox Park

The White Sox close out their ho-hum season on a cold Wednesday afternoon in front of a smallish crowd of 1,969. Pride was the only thing at stake. The Sox went into the game at 79-80 and so needed a win to avoid a second straight season with a record below .500.

The Sox, for the most part, trotted out their A team, minus Bill Melton and Ed Herrmann. Bill Stein manned the hot corner for the Sox,...

September 26,1974
vs. Texas Rangers
at Arlington Stadium

Shortly after Dick Allen quits the team, Harry Caray infuriates Chuck Tanner by informing his viewers that the White Sox were better off now that Dick Allen was out of the picture. One thing he pointed out was that Allen made as many errors in the field-15, awful for a 1st baseman-as Bucky Dent had made at shortstop.

"You're gonna have a better team spirit" Caray told Tribune columnist...

September 14,1974

DICK ALLEN QUITS

I remember this Saturday afternoon very well. It was a warm day with plenty of sunshine. My aunt got married, and although I was only five years old I can recall some of the events of that day very clearly.

While I was partying with my family, Dick Allen drove to the ballpark with a sense of purpose. He hadn't been playing much in the past couple weeks and was nursing a cold. The night before, Friday the 13th, he had...