Andre Dawson Flies Into Hall of Fame

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:

- In 1977, Dawson was named Rookie of the Year after slugging 19 home runs and batting .282.

- Won the first of 6 consecutive Gold Gloves in 1980.

- By the end of his career, the slick-fielding Dawson would accumulate 8 in total. He would accumulate over 90 outfield assists in his career, including an astounding 17 in 1978. Eight All-Star appearances.

- Was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1987 after hitting a league-leading 49 home runs and driving in 137 runs, winning a gold glove, a silver slugger, and making an All-Star appearance. For a least place team.

It is unfortunate that Dawson only saw postseason action twice in his Hall of Fame career, though for much of it, the playoffs included only the two division champions from each league.

Dawson's Expos lost to the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in 1981.

Eight years later, the Cubs were dumped by the Giants in the NLCS. As such, Dawson's .186 postseason batting average (without a home run) may have been one of the few blemishes on his resume.

Still, the Hawk is fit to take up his rightful place as a symbol of the contributions of a now-distant franchise that made a fair impact on the game with great players.

Other Expos enshrined in the Hall are manager Dick Williams, outfielder and managing great Frank Robinson, Tony Perez, and Gary Carter.

Of those names, only Dawson and Carter (the only member of the Hall enshrined in an Expos cap) spent much of their careers with the Expos. However, current stars such as Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Vladimir Guererro all called Montreal home at one point, so the impact lives on.

Second baseman Robbie Alomar, who won 10 gold gloves and made 12 straight All-Star appearances between 1990-2001 was left out by less than 1%.

Alomar is certainly one of the best second basemen the game has ever seen. He had 2724 hits, a very respectable number, great speed, and decent power.

That's good.

But it is when you factor in the stellar to spectacular defense that he becomes great.

For three years especially, between 1999-2001, Alomar teamed up with Omar Vizquel of the Indians to form one of the greatest double-play combination fans have every laid eyes upon.

It was a treat to watch the two at work: all of the cliches apply to the pair that worked seamlessly as one.

The glove, the flip, the turn, and the throw were not mechanics, but movements in a tango of sorts. Like clockwork. Like the cogs of a machine fitting perfectly.

You name the simile—it can be applied.

Alomar will certainly make it, probably next year, and it couldn't come too soon.

His darkest moment—spitting on an umpire—is without a doubt a stain, but an extremely minor one in comparison to some of his future Hall of Fame brethren.

After all, John McGraw (the notoriously dirty and often contemptible) is a Hall of Famer.

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