I have a copy of Allen's autobiography, "Crash." The first chapter is called "The Frank Thomas Incident." Obviously I can't copy the whole chapter here, but here are some excerpts:
I was down at third base fielding ground balls; Thomas was in the cage taking batting practice. Johnny Callison...said, 'Let's **** with Lurch.' Most of the players called Thomas 'the Big Donkey." But i had personal nicknames for everybody. I called Thomas 'Lurch' because he reminded me of the character on 'The Addams Family.
(Thomas swung and missed at a pitch.)
So Callison yells, 'Hey Lurch!' Thomas yells back, 'You rang?' Callison says, 'Why don't you try to bunt instead?'
But instead of answering Callison's taunts, Thomas glares at me and screams, 'What are you trying to be, another Muhammad Clay?' Thomas knew it was Callison who had taunted him. The 'Muhammad Clay' remark was meant to say a lot.
I went down to the cage [to hit], and there's Thomas, waiting for me. I went over, right in his face. I said, 'Frank, I told you, that stuff don't go with me.' Then I popped him, a short left to the jaw. He went down, then he got up swinging that bat. I ducked, but he caught me on the left shoulder.
As far as I was concerned, the fight was over. After Thomas hit that pinch-hit home run, I walked up and shook his hand. In our own way, the way two ballplayers do, we were getting over it.
Thomas was released after the game. Gene Mauch ordered the players, including Allen, not to talk about the fight or they would be fined. Callison is quoted as saying that "Mauch wanted him gone--and here was his excuse."
