Andre Dawson hopes the letter he wrote to Hall of Fame will lead to a Cubs cap on his plaque
Andre Dawson recently wrote a letter to Jane Forbes Clark and the National Baseball Hall of Fame committee seeking an audience.
After 13 years, the 2010 Hall of Fame inductee would like to discuss his plaque. He wants to change his cap from the Montreal Expos to the Chicago Cubs. This has apparently been bothering him since the day he found out, and he has made it his mission to at least try to correct it.
“I just felt my preference all along was as a Cub, despite playing years in Montreal,” Dawson told the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan on Monday. “I had my reasons, and I think that should’ve been something we sat down and discussed.
“It’s hard for stuff to bother me, to a degree. But this has toyed with me over the years for the simple reason that I was approached with the [announcement] that was going to be released to the press that I was going to wear an Expos emblem. I didn’t agree with it at the time. But for me, getting into the Hall was the most important thing.
“Over time, I’ve thought about it more and came to the [conclusion] I should have had some say-so. … I personally feel my mission, for the rest of my life going forward if that’s what it takes, is to right a wrong.”
With nothing to lose, Dawson reached out to Forbes, the chairman of the Hall of Fame board of directors, and the committee. He said he doesn't expect to hear back anytime soon, if at all, but still felt it was worth a try.
“I don’t expect them to jump on something like this,” Dawson said. “If they elect to respond, they’ll take their time. And it wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t respond.”
Before joining the Cubs in 1987, Dawson played 11 seasons for the Expos. He was a three-time All-Star (1981 to '83) and two-time National League Most Valuable Player runner-up (1981 and '83). Still, when he signed with Chicago, Dawson's career soared to new heights.
He was an All-Star in all but one of his six seasons on the North Side, his final year with the team in 1992. In Dawson's debut season with the Cubs, he won NL MVP on a last-place Chicago club. The 21-year veteran also hit almost as many home runs in Chicago (174) as he did in nearly twice as many years with Montreal (225).
So even though Dawson spent more time with the Expos, he believes he had more success and became more of a household name playing for the Cubs. That's why when he initially found out about the decision with his cap, he was taken aback.
“When I think about them immortalizing a cap, it would be the Chicago Cubs for a lot of personal reasons,” Dawson said then. “When the announcement was made last night, it was a little gut-wrenching.”
Said Dawson to Sullivan: “It was an eye-opening experience for me. The adoration of the fan base, the welcoming from the city itself and the joy of being able to experience that feeling in the second half of my career. … I was one of the more popular players in Montreal, but I wouldn’t consider myself an organizational icon or the most popular.
“That didn’t affect me because I was there to do a job, and I tried to do it to the best of my ability. When push came to shove and I became a free agent, I think it was handled poorly and in a sense I was really forced out. The change of scenery in Chicago rejuvenated me because of how warmly I was received.”
Dawson understands the logic behind what the committee did, and he anticipates that some fans might not like that he's asking to have his cap changed. But you know what? Dawson is unfazed.
“I realize there will probably be some backlash, but at this point, I’m 70 years old,” he said. “Do you think I really care?”
