Artemus Ward "Nick" Allen (September 14, 1888 – October 16, 1939) was an American

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. He played for the Buffalo Buffeds/Blues,

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Allen became a minor league baseball

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

after his playing career was over and earned the nickname "Roarin' Nick" for his altercations with

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

. He stood at 6' 0" and weighed 180 lbs."Nick Allen Statistics and History"
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27.

Career

Allen was born in

Norton, Kansas Norton is a city in and the county seat of Norton County, Kansas, Norton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,747. History Norton was founded in 1872. Like the county ...

. He started his professional baseball career in 1910 in the Kansas State League. He batted .188 in 105 games that year and then moved on to the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Class B level Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymo ...

, American Association, and Northern League, each for just one season."Nick Allen Minor League Statistics & History"
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27. In February 1914, Allen signed with the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

's Buffalo Buffeds. He made his major league debut on May 1, 1914 but various injuries shortened his rookie season.Sandoval, Jim
"Nick Allen"
''bioproj.sabr.org''. Retrieved 2010-12-27. In 1915, he returned and played in an MLB career-high 84 games. He committed 21

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

and batted .205. The Federal League folded after 1915, and Allen was sold to the Chicago Cubs. He played 5 games for Chicago, going 1 for 16 at the plate. He then returned to the minors for 1916 and 1917. The Cincinnati Reds bought his contract in 1917, and he was a backup catcher on the major league squad from 1918 to 1920. In 1919, he batted .320 (in 15 games), and the Reds won the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

pennant and

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

. Allen was traded to the American Association's

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

before the 1921 season. He batted .317 in 128 games during his first campaign in St. Paul. He then served as the team's manager from 1924 to 1928, winning one pennant."Nick Allen's Obit"
''thedeadballera.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27. In mid-1929, he took over as manager for the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa ...

of the Western League and guided that team to a pennant, as well. Allen was a manager and

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for various teams in the 1930s. Known as "Roarin' Nick" because of his "umpire baiting" on the field, Allen claimed that his actions were done solely to increase attendance at the ballpark. Allen was hospitalized in February 1939 for cancer, and he died on October 16, 1939.

References

External links

Retrosheet

SABR BioProject Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Nick 1888 births 1939 deaths Baseball players from Kansas Brooklyn Dodgers scouts Buffalo Blues players 20th-century American sportsmen Buffalo Buffeds players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Dubuque Hustlers players Major League Baseball catchers Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Minor league baseball managers New York Yankees scouts Newton Railroaders players Baseball players from Cook County, Illinois People from Norton, Kansas Providence Grays (minor league) players St. Paul Saints (AA) managers St. Paul Saints (AA) players Topeka Savages players