For the second time ever, and maybe for the last time, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted a former Expo with the Montréal Expos cap. The Hawk — Andre Dawson — was inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.
Dawson won Rookie of the Year honors in 1977 and played for Montréal through the 1986 season. He is one of three players in MLB history (Willie Mays, Barry Bonds) with more than 400 HR and 300 SB.
In the speech, Dawson thanked his Montréal Expos outfield partners: Warren Cromartie and Ellis Valentine, as well as fellow Hall of Famer and teammate Gary Carter.
Others from the Montréal Expos that were thanked by Dawson included his managers Vern Rapp, Jim Fanning, and Hall of Famer Dick Williams and teammates Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Tony Perez (HOF), and Pete Rose (should be in HOF).
Dawson said fellow teammate Tim Raines should be in the Hall of Fame. If/when Raines makes the Hall of Fame, he could go in as a Montréal Expo.
"Thank you to the Montréal Expos organization for drafting me and giving me my start. You gave me my first 10 years in the major leagues, the experience of a new culture, and playing across the border. Thank you Expos fans for your kindness and admiration."
For those who don't follow the Hall of Fame controversy over team caps, a player doesn't get to pick which cap that goes into the Hall. Gary Carter was known in many circles as a New York Met, but went in as a Montréal Expo.
Dawson became known in baseball after he signed with the Chicago Cubs, offering a blank contract to play for the 1987 season. Dawson ended up winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1987.
But as an Expo in Montréal, Dawson won 6 of his 8 Gold Gloves, 3 of his 4 Silver Slugger awards, and stole 253 of his 314 bases. Though Dawson won his only MVP with Chicago, he finished 2nd in the MVP voting in 1981 and 1983.
As for his knee injuries that have been tied to the artificial turf at Olympic Stadium, Dawson pointed out that his knee injuries started before reaching French Canada, and made it clear that other sports had an impact on them. Still, the Olympic Stadium turf didn't make it any easier on Dawson.
To be fair, it is understandable that Dawson shared a lot more love in the speech for the Cubs and its fans. Expos management had offered a pay cut after the 1986 season. And the collusion that prevented Dawson from getting a fair offer might still sting a bit.
"I never knew what it felt liked to be loved by a city until I arrived in Chicago."
But Montréal Expos fans did come to Cooperstown, NY — a short drive from Montréal — to honor one of the greatest players ever to wear a Montréal Expos uniform. And Dawson played 11 of his 21 seasons in Montréal. Dawson rewarded them with a 9-word sentence.
After the ceremony, Dawson reflected more on the fans of Les Expos:
"To see them out there today was great. I didn't play the game to be a crowd-pleaser. When I went out there I didn't want to disrespect the uniform or disrespect the fans. Whatever fans show up, I'm most appreciative of that."
Given how few opportunities that are left to honor the legacy of the Montréal Expos, Sunday was a nice treat. The coverage from the MLB Network showed a lot of fans in Montréal garb, some of them were wearing Expos and Cubs gear at the same time.
I do want to finish this tribute for Andre Dawson, and it's a story of him with the Cubs. Dawson was intentionally walked 5 times in a game — an all-time record. Current Cubs manager Lou Pinella was running the Cincinnati Reds on May 22, 1990 in a 16-inning contest. The first four times — the strategy worked. Dave Clark drove in the winning run after the 5th intentional walk.
I know this story oh so well because I was there. I sat in the bleachers that day, and I saw Dawson in the outfield for the Cubs. Since the Expos didn't get much publicity, other than watching them play the Cubs, this was the first opportunity to see how great Dawson was on the field.
But Dawson put up some amazing statistics while wearing the rouge, blanc, et bleu of Les Expos. And despite what the experts say, without his time in Montréal, Dawson wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.
photo credit: Mike Groll/AP