The National Baseball Hall of Fame plans to evaluate Andre Dawson’s request to change the cap on his Cooperstown plate from the Montreal Expos to the Chicago Cubs. Dawson has long believed that Wrigley Field and the glowing attention surrounding the Cubs helped energize and extend his legendary career.
That initial choice of the Expos logo was made without Dawson’s approval after the Baseball Writers Association of America voted in favor of his induction as part of the Hall of Fame’s 2010 class. Dawson recently sent a letter to Jane Forbes Clark, leader of the Hall of Fame board, requesting a review of her plaque design. according to the Chicago Tribune. Dawson called it an opportunity to “right a wrong.”
The Hall of Fame intends to speak with Dawson once the organization receives his proposal, a Cooperstown official said Tuesday, and has a chance to see his details in detail.
“My preference from the beginning was to be a Cub,” Dawson told Tribune columnist Paul Sullivan. “I had my reasons and I think that should have been something we sat down and discussed.
“It’s hard for things to bother me, to a certain extent. But this has played with me over the years for the simple reason that they approached me with the (announcement) that was going to be given to the press that I was going to wear an Expos emblem. I didn’t agree with that at the time. But for me entering the Hall was the most important thing.
“Over time, I thought about it more and came to the conclusion that I should have had some opinion.”
Dawson, who was drafted by the Expos out of Florida A&M University in 1975, spent the first 11 seasons of his 21-year major league career with Montreal. The artificial turf at Olympic Stadium took a toll on his body (12 reported knee surgeries reinforced his reputation as a tough player) and the Expos have been inoperative since the franchise moved after the 2004 season and was renamed the Nationals. from Washington.
Dawson offered the Cubs a “blank contract” during spring training in 1987, telling the team to top up his salary. This period of labor relations was marked by collusion among the owners of Major League Baseball. For $500,000 guaranteed plus performance bonuses, Dawson produced 49 home runs and 137 RBIs for a last-place team during that proven season, becoming the 1987 National League Most Valuable Player.
That momentum led to the next stage of Dawson’s career as an enormously popular figure in Wrigleyville. He performed at a high level for the Cubs into his 30s, spending two seasons with the Boston Red Sox and continuing to play for the Florida Marlins after turning 42.
Disagreements are part of what makes the Hall of Fame a more interesting institution. Debates over who should be in and who should be left out (a topic complicated by the steroid era) are part of the offseason conversation surrounding the baseball industry. Greg Maddux felt more comfortable without any logo on his Cooperstown plate cap because the Cubs and Atlanta Braves were so important to his legacy as one of the greatest pitchers in history.
Dawson is no longer conflicted and won’t be worried about any Expos fans left out there. His comments to the Chicago Tribune appeared to surprise the Hall of Fame, which is preparing for announcements next week regarding its contemporary era committee (Lou Piniella, Jim Leyland, Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson are among the candidates for induction) and the Ford C. Frick Award which annually honors an outstanding baseball broadcaster.
“I realize there’s probably going to be some backlash, but I’m 70 years old right now,” Dawson told Sullivan. “Do you think I really care?”
(Photo: Liv Lyons/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
