Getbig.com: American Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure
Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: funk51 on June 20, 2026, 09:29:34 AM
-
Dick (Richie) Allen famously scrawled several messages in the infield dirt with his cleats while playing first base for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1969 season.
Society for American Baseball Research
+2
Facing intense racial hostility and relentless booing from home fans, Allen used the dirt to protest, vent his frustration, and interact with the crowd. Over the course of several games, he scratched out the following words:
Society for American Baseball Research
+2
BOO: A literal reference to the noise the crowd was directing at him.
OCT 2: The final day of the regular season, signaling when he would finally be "free" from the Phillies.
COKE: Scraped out in reference to the nearby Coca-Cola sign. He would go on to hit a home run over the sign shortly after writing it.
WHY and NO: Short, direct protests in response to MLB officials and umpires telling him to stop writing in the dirt.
MOM: Written after an umpire erased his previous message and demanded he stop playing around; he later explained he wrote it because his mother was the "only one who could tell me what to do".
Society for American Baseball Research
+3
The dramatic and symbolic protest inspired the popular folk song "Letters in the Dirt" by singer-songwriter Chuck Brodsky
-
Richie (call me Dick) was my baseball hero growing up.
I imitated his stance and swing.