Andre Dawson

Congratulations to Andre Dawson on his razor thin selection to the baseball Hall of Fame.

After 20 years of being on the ballot, Dawson finally found himself as the biggest name available outside of Mark McGwire, and the writers graciously punched his ticket for a trip to Cooperstown this summer.

But is this the best way to select baseball immortality?

In 1989 Dawson received just 14 percent of the vote in his second year of eligibility and the prospects of Hall of Fame admission were slim.

Congratulations, Andre Dawson.

Finally, in your ninth year of eligibility, you will be taking your rightful place amongst the baseball greats in Cooperstown.

What should be a day of celebration for anyone who loves baseball once again has turned into a day of debate and disappointment. Well, unless of course you're Andre Dawson.

Dawson was a deserving and long overdue selection for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Few, if any, question the merit of his induction, as "Hawk" was one of the most complete players to ever roam an outfield.

The writers did a poor job this year in the elections for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Andre Dawson drew enough votes to gain election, while other, far more deserving candidates, were left to linger.  Dawson pulled in 77.9 percent of the votes, testimony to the idea that a veteran baseball writer will not let a complicated thing like the facts stand in the way of a good story.

Another cold winter day came and went, and only one man was floating on cloud nine after 2:00 pm EST.

That man was Andre "Hawk" Dawson.

Dawson made it on the ninth ballot. Collecting 77.9 percent of the votes, his ticket is stamped for the July induction. 75 percent is the requirement to be elected.

How can the baseball writers justify eight years of baseball purgatory for one of only three men to hit 400 HR and steal 300 bases? The man could do it all.

The Expos live on. The Hawk is in.

The powerful centerfielder who played half of his career in Montreal found his way into Cooperstown after nearly a 10-year wait today.

Dawson received enough voted to vault past the 75% plateau needed to make the cut.

It was a proper selection.

Dawson was not only one of the best players of his generation, but he provided a mix of spectacular skills, including power, speed and defensive instinct.

Here's a rundown of Dawson's accolades:

What must a player do to enter the Hall of Fame? Let’s look at a player’s resume without the name attached.

He must have won awards; they tell us he was among the best in his era.

Rookie of the Year in 1977. National League Most Valuable Player in 1987—on a last place team. Eight-time All Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner, four-time Silver Slugger.

With the official balloting results set to be announced January 6, I decided to make my predictions at how this year's MLB Hall of Fame voting will shake out. This is not necessarily how I would vote, but instead a prediction of what I think will happen. Let's look at the ballot.

The First Timers:
Roberto Alomar, Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin, Andres Galarraga, Fred McGriff, Mike Jackson, Ellis Burks, Pat Hentgen, Robin Ventura, Kevin Appier, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, and Todd Zeile.

I love January, it's a start to a new year or in this case a new decade and it's the start of a new class for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

The most sacred place in all of baseball is Cooperstown, every one wants to be there but only the best of the best are allowed in.

This years ballot will consist of fifteen new names along with the eleven that got over 5% of the vote last year.

I, like every baseball fan, wish I had the ability to vote, but I don't, so I can't vote for my ten guys, but I can make a slideshow of them.

I will rank from the least deserving (10) to the most (1).<

They call him ‘The Hawk”; a name fitting for one of the most tenacious, ball hunting outfielders in MLB history.

He was better known as Andre Dawson.

For nine years—what has probably been an eternity for Dawson—the eight time Gold Glove Award winner has patiently waited for that one phone call that ever HOF nominee yearns to hear, and for nine long years, that call has perpetually remained silent.