Claim: Phillies general manager, Paul Owens (born February 7, 1924 and nicknamed "The Pope") was seeking out a righthanded power hitter and first baseman and both Mike Schmidt and Dave Cash lobbied him to acquire Dick Allen, who had to be persuaded by future teammates that the organizational and racial climate in Philadelphia was improving since his last experience with the team.
Evidence: Paul Francis Owens (February 7, 1924 – December 26, 2003), nicknamed "The Pope", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) front office executive, manager, and scout. Early in the 1975 season, Phillies general manager Paul Owens wanted a righthanded power hitter and a first baseman with more power than Tommy Hutton, a left-handed contact hitter. Both Mike Schmidt and Dave Cash lobbied Owens to acquire Dick Allen. Allen had to be persuaded by several of his future teammates that both the organizational and racial climate in Philadelphia had changed for the better since his 1969 departure from the team.