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William Robert Allison
Minnesota Twins
Outfield
Born: July 11, 1934, Raytown, MO
Signed: Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent, January 24, 1955
Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1958-1960; Minnesota Twins 1961-1970
World Series Appearances: Minnesota Twins 1965
Died: April 9, 1995, Rio Verde, AZ (age 60)
Bob Allison was a two-sport star at the University of Kansas before signing with the Senators and beginning his long tenure with the Senators/Twins franchise. He made his first All-Star team in 1959 and won A.L. Rookie of the Year honors after hitting .261 with 30 home runs and 85 RBIs. He'd have his most successful seasons after his team moved to Minnesota, as he drove in at least 100 runs in both 1961 and 1962 and was named to two more All-Star teams in 1963 and 1964. He was a regular for the Senators/Twins throughout most of the 1960s, playing steady outfield defense and displaying a strong throwing arm. He led the league in runs scored with 99 in 1963, and he finished in the top ten for on-base percentage in four different seasons. Allison retired following the 1970 season with a career batting average of .255, 1,281 hits, 256 home runs and 796 RBIs. He was posthumouly inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2003.
Died: April 9, 1995, Rio Verde, AZ (age 60)
Bob Allison was a two-sport star at the University of Kansas before signing with the Senators and beginning his long tenure with the Senators/Twins franchise. He made his first All-Star team in 1959 and won A.L. Rookie of the Year honors after hitting .261 with 30 home runs and 85 RBIs. He'd have his most successful seasons after his team moved to Minnesota, as he drove in at least 100 runs in both 1961 and 1962 and was named to two more All-Star teams in 1963 and 1964. He was a regular for the Senators/Twins throughout most of the 1960s, playing steady outfield defense and displaying a strong throwing arm. He led the league in runs scored with 99 in 1963, and he finished in the top ten for on-base percentage in four different seasons. Allison retired following the 1970 season with a career batting average of .255, 1,281 hits, 256 home runs and 796 RBIs. He was posthumouly inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2003.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #90
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Allison was a role player at this point in his career, but he still made more starts in left field for the Twins than any other player. He started 52 games at the position, with Graig Nettles (#99) getting 44 starts. In 81 games overall, Allison batted .228 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. A favorite player of manager Billy Martin (#547), Allison, pitcher Dave Boswell (#459), pitching coach Art Fowler and Martin were enjoying a few adult beverages at a bar in Detroit in August when Boswell and Fowler exchanged words. Allison took Boswell outside to cool off and was subsequently knocked out by the 6'3" pitcher. Martin intervened, beating Boswell so badly he was hospitalized.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #116
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1959-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Topps Heritage Then & Now High Numbers #TN5
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 116 in the Beckett online database as of 5/15/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 13th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25. If I stick to composing posts five times a week, and I'm already slipping off that pace a little, I should go through the stack and be caught up by the week of January 22, 2024!
The Card / Twins Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
The photo here is likely a few years' old, and Allison appears to be wearing the same short sleeves on his 1967 (the combo card) and 1968 Topps cards. The back of the card highlights the three home runs Allison hit against the Indians on May 17, 1963 off three different pitchers - Mudcat Grant (#306), Jerry Walker and Ron Nischwitz. The same feat was justifiably celebrated on the back of his 1965 Topps card. His 22 home runs in 1968 did in fact lead the Twins, with Tony Oliva (#600) coming in second with 18. Oliva led the club with 68 RBIs, with Allison and Ted Uhlaender (#194) each having 52 RBIs. Allison's Rookie of the Year win in 1959 is also mentioned.
Accuracy Index: Allison's card scores a solid five for using a new photo of him in a Twins uniform.
1969 Season
Allison was a role player at this point in his career, but he still made more starts in left field for the Twins than any other player. He started 52 games at the position, with Graig Nettles (#99) getting 44 starts. In 81 games overall, Allison batted .228 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. A favorite player of manager Billy Martin (#547), Allison, pitcher Dave Boswell (#459), pitching coach Art Fowler and Martin were enjoying a few adult beverages at a bar in Detroit in August when Boswell and Fowler exchanged words. Allison took Boswell outside to cool off and was subsequently knocked out by the 6'3" pitcher. Martin intervened, beating Boswell so badly he was hospitalized.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #116
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1959-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Topps Heritage Then & Now High Numbers #TN5
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 116 in the Beckett online database as of 5/15/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#29 Dave Morehead - Kansas City Royals / #31 Mets Rookie Stars
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