Chili Dog MVP: Dick Allen, The '72 White Sox and a Transforming Chicago

by John Owens, David J. Fletcher, George Castle (Editor)

“Chili Dog Dick Allen, The 1972 White Sox and A Transforming Chicago” re-creates a unique time and place in baseball and Chicago history, when the arrival of a controversial slugger lifted the bedraggled Sox out of a daunting hole and briefly united a fractious fan base for the two hours-plus he played. Lead author John Owens, along with Dr. David Fletcher and George Castle, weave an entertaining narrative of Allen, his teammates and broadcaster Harry Caray bringing pride to a franchise that had one foot out of town to Milwaukee just 2 1/2 years previously and equal status in profile with the dominant Chicago Cubs. The best baseball books endeavor to re-create the time, place and “feel” of a team and the people around it. “Chili Dog MVP” follows in that tradition to recall a more innocent time in baseball intertwining with the hard truths of a hyper-political city like Chicago. In both baseball and life, for which the game is often a metaphor, past is prologue. Edited by baseball writer par excellence, George Castle. George has written 21 books, and is a historian for the Chicago Baseball Museum.

Genres: Baseball, Nonfiction, Sports

632 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Brian Holmsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great topic and interesting content, but far too long. Needed a stronger editor to remove so much of the redundant information and put it all into a story arc that would tell the story of the team and the man and how 1972 shaped it.

[Andrew Langert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I grew up in Chicago in the last half of the century and followed the Chicago White Sox religiously during that time, this outstanding book did more than just remind me of what I lived through. It taught me many things and tied what was going on the city to what was happening with Chicago's baseball teams.
This is several books in one. It is a book about Dick Allen, the slugger acquired by the White Sox prior to the 1972 season, who almost singlehandedly turned the team into a pennant contender, winning the American League MVP award in the process. It is also a book about the 1972 White Sox, with features on other stars of that team, including Wilbur Wood, Rich Gossage and Terry Forster. It also covers much of the political and cultural history of Chicago. Finally, the book covers the many ownership and management issues that impacted the White Sox over the years.
This is a very serious piece of work. Very well-researched. Brought up to date with 2021 interviews with dozens of people reflecting back on the era preceding, including and following that 1972 baseball season.
This is a must-read for any Chicago White Sox fan, for sure, and also for any other student of baseball. And it is written in such a way that anyone interested in how the city of Chicago has developed and changed in the last 50+years would enjoy reading the stories that comprise this fine piece of work

[Mickey Mantle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all things Chicago White Sox, there is no Happy Ending.
The book has a target audience. Baby Boomer Chicago White Sox fans who actually saw Dick Allen play. I am the same age as Dr. Fletcher. We probably attended a lot of the same games at Comiskey Park.
The book was painful to read in spots. The "good seasons" for the White Sox are blips on the radar.
Dick Allen and Harry Caray did save the moribound franchise for Chicago.
Dick Allen was an enigma.
Allen was absolutely correct in desiring to be paid for what he was doing at the moment, instead of trusting owners to "take care of him down the road".
At times the book is repetitive. I was at the 1971 home opener. I don't need to be told numerous times that they ran out of hot dogs.
I really am not concerned at my age with the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is farcical now.
Unlike the "unofficial" White Sox historian, these authors actually interviewed people.
Well done.
I truly enjoyed the insight as to the political and racial climate of Chicago in the 60s and 70s. I lived through it. It is spot on.
Again today, Sox fans are hoping for new ownership. The beat goes on.

[Barry Huebner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough for my Dad to have 8 season tickets to the 71-74 White Sox and I went to around half of the home games during that period. This book brought me right back to Comiskey Park and watching Dick Allen hit the monster Home Runs, seeing hitters trying to hit Wilbur Wood's knuckleball, the exciting 72 pennant drive against the A's, etc. I loved reading about all of the players that were my heroes when I was 10 years old, Bill Melton, Carlos May, Ed Herrmann, Pat Kelly, Jorge Orta, Rich Gossage, Jay Johnstone, Tom Bradley and others. Great behind the scene stories from players, batboys and others like Roland Hemond that personalized this book and saddened me when I finished it. Dick Allen is still my favorite player and deserves to be in the HOF!! If you are a White Sox fan and had a chance to see the 70's White Sox or if you weren't old enough to see them, this is the book that will bring you back to that time and put you right in the dugout at Comiskey Park.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book. As others have mentioned, some of the stories are repeated as each chapter tends to focus on a specific person, and it overlaps with others. I agree with that and I found it a bit confusing to follow just what happened in 1972 that way. But overall, if you think you'd like this book, you will. I'm going to buy this for several Sox fans.

[Tony Pisano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book. Most Dick Allen books seemed to focus more on his Philadelphia times and this was a very thorough view into his Chicago years. Can be a tad redundant but still amazing and supremely researched.

[Richard K. Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GREAT Read on a GREAT PLAYER and Team!

This is a great read if you are a White Sox fan or baseball fan in general. I loved the backdrop of the political aspects of Chicago which brought back lot of memories.