By Phil Rogers
This is tough to admit as a Chicagoan -- especially knowing that upstate New York will be a popular spot for baseball fans next July -- but the Hall of Fame made the right decision to put Andre Dawson in an Expos cap on his plaque.
Given both the popularity of the Cubs and the relocation of Montreal's franchise, the easy call would have been to point to Dawson's MVP season in 1987 as the reason to depict him as a Cub.
This is tough to admit as a Chicagoan -- especially knowing that upstate New York will be a popular spot for baseball fans next July -- but the Hall of Fame made the right decision to put Andre Dawson in an Expos cap on his plaque.
Given both the popularity of the Cubs and the relocation of Montreal's franchise, the easy call would have been to point to Dawson's MVP season in 1987 as the reason to depict him as a Cub.
But he gave Montreal 10 extremely good seasons, including eight in
which he either won a Rookie of the Year award, made an All-Star team,
received votes for MVP or won a Gold Glove. He was part of a remarkable
run for the Expos' player development staff and -- no matter what he
thinks about the turf at Olympic Stadium -- belongs more to Montreal's
fans than any in Chicago.
The Hall gets props for its integrity. And, in the end, does it really matter what cap a player is immortalized wearing? Cub fans will enjoy a trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., just as much with Dawson wearing his original cap, not the one he wore for six years in Chicago.
The Hall gets props for its integrity. And, in the end, does it really matter what cap a player is immortalized wearing? Cub fans will enjoy a trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., just as much with Dawson wearing his original cap, not the one he wore for six years in Chicago.
Get our updates on 
Dawson hit 20 homers and stole 20 bases in the same season 7 times with the expos. He never did this once as a cub. As an expo, Dawson stood out for his unique blend of power and speed. His defense was great for both teams, but his offensive versatility is better represented in his play with les expos than it was for the cubs. For this reason, he should go into the HOF as an expo.
Dawson hit 20 homers and stole 20 bases in the same season 7 times with the expos. He never did this once as a cub. As an expo, Dawson stood out for his unique blend of power and speed. His defense was great for both teams, but his offensive versatility is better represented in his play with les expos than it was for the cubs. For this reason, he should go into the HOF as an expo.
You, Rogers, are as big of an idiot as those at the Baseball HOF. NOBODY IN MONTREAL CARES ABOUT BASEBALL! IT IS A HOCKEY TOWN YOU MORON!!! Anyone else who says this is not so and claims to be an "Expo" fan is lying through their French-Canadian teeth. I hope Dawson only talks about the time he was a Cub and does not refer to anything about the time he was in Montreal.
I'm a lifelong 'spos fan now cheering for the Cubs (as I couldn't stomach cheering for the Nationals). This one was tough, but I think its right. I love the Cubbies, but the Hawk, along with Tim Raines and Gary Carter, embodied the Expos franchise. Do Cub fans think of the Hawk as one of the great all time Cubs? He's not Banks, and he's probably not Sandberg. But he is Ernie Banks in Montreal. Right call.
Wrong call. He should be in a Cubs cap. The HOF committee is so screwed up anyway, just look at why Ron Santo hasn't been elected. Ron should have been there already. When he does make it they'll probably screw that up to and put him in one of those old red White Sox caps
To HazyNichols: When Reggie went in, he chose the cap, not the HOF. And make no mistake: He was paid to choose the NY cap.
Ever since Wade Boggs and Dave Winfield made a mockery of the process by choosing the Devil Rays and the Padres hat, the HOF has made the call.
Dawson was a class act. Still is for that mattter. But his greatest years were undoubtedly with the Expos, 1987 notwithstanding. Probably the right call. But who really cares?
It's the Hall of FAME, and any lasting fame Dawson developed came as a result of his moving to Chicago, where he also had the one season that put him over the top in the voting. Plus, the man wants to go in as a Cub. Why does the Hall of Fame think it knows better? A parellel example is Reggie Jackson, who only played 5 of his 21 seasons in New York, yet is in the HOF wearing a Yankee cap. Why not an Oakland cap? It's obvious. The same should apply to Dawson.
Not only should he wear an Expos cap on his plaque, he should have to give his induction speech in French.
He should be glad he even was elected to the hall on a ballot where he was probably the 3rd or 4th most deserving. Nobody cares what cap you wear.
Andre Dawson was a great player for many more years in Montreal than he ever was in Chicago. Yes...I loved watching him play here, but he should be enshrined as an Expo not a Cub. This is why there is a Hall of Fame committee...so players don't dictate the outcome of any decision other than swaying the voters to enshrine because of on the field performance. Players don't own the hall...baseball does and I think in my heart Andre realizes that. There were some sour grapes when Andre left Montreal, but Montreal was a dying market and great players were unaffordable to keep.
I was at the game where Andre Dawson hit 4 home runs in in one game and tied the record!
Kudos for taking a principled journalistic stand in lieu of succumbing to the easy lure of pandering to hometown bias. As to the rights and wrongs of the decision itself, although I am a Montrealer and was a faithful follower of the Expos throughout their existence, I freely concede that a persuasive case could have been made for Mr. Dawson's induction as a Cub. I can only add one observation in this regard: as a diligent fan of a team that throughout its existence was anchored to the bedrock of its player development system, I can recall following in the local press with increasing anticipation Mr. Dawson's messianic success in and meteoric rise through the Expos' minor league system. In short, from a fan's perspective Mr. Dawson's connection with the Expos was even longer than mere span of his major league tenure here.
Mike 12:26. The reason players don't get to make the call anymore is because of Dawson (and others), who in the '90s started to build into their contracts which cap they would put on their Hall plaques if they made it so far. I don't know if Dawson had it in his Marlins contract the way Wade Boggs did with the Devil Rays, but I distinctly remember that as his playing career was winding down, Dawson was vocal about wanting to go in with the Marlins F logo on his cap. (Can you imagine the Cubs fans' reaction to THAT?)
All in all, the choice of the Expos is much better.
I think this is the right call if Dawson agrees with it. As a Cub fan, and a huge Dawson fan, I know he was an established major leaguer before he came to Chicago and he played with Montreal longer. I'm just glad they finally put him in the hall; what cap he wears is irrelevant next to that.
While the hall made the right call, it's wrong that players don't get the choice. Give the hall right of final refusal or something, but to just take it away, that's dumb.
Montreal lost the franchise because its fans didn't support the team by attending games - why now and what rationale supports rewarding Montreal fans by entering the Hawk as an Expo.
As a Cubs fan, I have to agree. Dawson had established himself as an MLB before he came to the Cubs. He was an icon on the northside, but his legacy was built in Montreal. This was a rare instance of sports making a decision based on integrity and not money or popularity.
Sorry Phil but I completely disagree, the Hall made the wrong call.
you are 100% correct. As a long time EXPO fan, The Hawk endeared himself to "les Expos" and a COUNTRY..not only a city. It's too bad that they had to leave and baseball has found itself in this predicament ...as have the other major league sports.
Andre you're one of the all time EXPO greats, don't be disappointed , be proud!