Andre Dawson Appreciative of Expos Experience
Andre Dawson will soon soar into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Montreal Expo. Dawson is often referred to as ‘Hawk,’ a nickname given to him as a kid.
Dawson is the only player to be elected into Cooperstown this year. (Whitey Herzog, a manager of four teams, and long-time National League umpire Doug Harvey are the other inductees.) It was not believed that Dawson would go into the Hall as a Cub, but it was decided he would wear the tri-colored Expos hat when he takes his place among baseball’s greats.
The Hawk had an incredible 21-year career. He played 11 of those seasons, followed by six formidable years with the Cubs. He was the National League's Most Valuable Player for Chicago in 1987, when he led the league with 49 homers and 137 RBIs. Dawson finished his career with 438 homers and 1,591 RBIs as a member of the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox and Marlins.
"He's certainly a guy we competitively respected," said D-backs manager Kirk Gibson, a member of the Tigers when Dawson played for the Expos. "He's very deserving. Those are the types of people anyone would endorse going into the Hall of Fame. He's a very professional guy, who did it right, played hard every game and certainly had his assets."
The Hawk had initially decided that he wanted to go into the Hall as a Chicago Cub, but he was overruled by the Hall’s officials, making him the second player to go in as an Expo, joining catcher Gary Carter, who was elected by the The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) in 2003.
"I understand the position of the Hall," Dawson said. "The most important thing is that I'm in the Hall of Fame. The cap wasn't a huge issue. It was just a preference of mine."
Carter, like Dawson, also played most of his career in Montreal, playing 11 seasons himself with the team. Carter then joined the New York Mets where he played five seasons, winning the World Series in 1986. He was very up front as well with his desire to go in as a Met but the Hall prevented it, making him the first Expo to go into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall has taken over designations of teams for its inductees in 2001, after a controversial decision by Dave Winfield, who elected to enter as a Padre rather than a Yankee.
Dawson said he plans to address all the teams he played for, but the Cubs will hold a special place in his speech.
"I plan to acknowledge the presence of the Cub fans," Dawson said. "They meant a lot to me and my family. I truly enjoyed playing there. I just want the Cubs fans to know what a huge impact they had on my career."
The city of Montreal is without baseball right now after the beloved Expos were moved to Washington by the MLB in 2004.
The team went to the playoffs just once, in 1981, when they came within one game of going to the World Series.
Dawson played in 103 games that season, hitting 24 homers and driving in 64 runs.
Dawson eventually left as a free agent from the expansion team that formed in 1969.
"They gave me my start," said Dawson, who was drafted by the Expos in the 11th round of the 1975 First-Year Player Draft. "It was an expansion franchise that had a lot of talent in its organization, me being one of them. I could go down the list. But we were always a trade or two away from getting to the next level."
"It was very tough to get the quality free agents to come across the border and play in Montreal. That was one of the key elements that didn't get us to a World Series or to the postseason on a regular basis. But it was fun. In the beginning the fans were learning about the game, but they came out when we were popular and successful," added Dawson.
Dawson does hold a special place for Montreal in his heart and he expects more Expos to join him in Cooperstown in the future.
Names expected to possibly join Dawson include Tim Raines, but his ballots have not come close to breaking the 75% barrier necessary to enter.
Vladimir Guerrero played his first eight years in Montreal, before leaving for Anaheim as a free agent in 2003 and currently plays for the Texas Rangers.
Moises Alou is also a possibility as he played his first five seasons in Montreal.
"I'm going to go on the record to say I won't be the last Expo to get in," Dawson said. "Tim Raines has a shot to get in. He played longer in Montreal than he did anywhere else in his career. If he does he's likely to get in as an Expo. Vladimir Guerrero. You never know what particular cap you're going to wear. If you had an impact with that organization, you have a good chance of getting in wearing the cap or uniform of that organization."
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