PART FOUR:
We will near the end this series in the same place we started it – with Andre Dawson. When ‘The Hawk’ got that phone call from Cooperstown, he was elated. He was also planning on wearing Cubbie-blue in his plaque.
After 11 seasons, a Rookie of the Year Award, and six Gold Glove Awards, Dawson packed his bags for the friendly confines of Wrigley Field and his first prolonged exposure to a major media market. Though he only played in Chicago for six seasons, it is likely that his time there gave him the exposure needed to enter the Hall of Fame.
He loved the ‘Windy City’ and the Cubs’ fans and has expressed his intentions to have been inducted as a Cub, but the Hall of Fame itself had other ideas. This wasn’t the first time the Hall has decided to choose for someone and likely won’t be the last.
Photo: Getty Images and ESPN.com
The baseball Hall of Fame is a private institution – I know I’ve said that before – and they can do pretty much anything they want. And since 2001 they have given themselves the right to decide what hat and team affiliation their inductees are enshrined under.
Since almost the beginning however the Hall of Fame has been rooting for one team over another – and one city over another.
I guess we can say Dawson’s recent frustration can be immediately traced back to a former Red Sox batting champion.
The induction of Wade Boggs came with a minor profiteering scandal. It was rumored that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now simply the Rays) drew a clause into Boggs’ final contract that he go into the Hall of Fame as a Devil Ray in exchange for additional cash considerations.
His HOF induction was inevitable.
Photo: Sports Illustrated Vault Online.
Boggs recorded his 3,000th hit in 1999 while a member of the Devil Rays, but went into the Hall as a member of the Red Sox – because that’s who the HOF chose as his suitor.
Most of Wade Boggs’ career was played with the Red Sox including all seven of his 200 hits seasons and all five of his batting titles. However, he had a major falling-out with the Bo-Sox front office and in turn broke contact with the Red Sox. He spitefully spent the next five seasons with Boston’s arch rival the Yankees – he even won his only World Series title there… then moved on to the Devil Rays.
Since the Hall was already reworking some of their voting practices, they decided to throw the team affiliation clause into the books in 2001 with their new protocols.
Gary Carter was the first inductee (2003) affected by the change. Like Andre Dawson, Carter began his career with the Montreal Expos but then moved on to a bigger market and a better baseball city.
Despite only playing five seasons with the Mets, Carter loved New York and wanted nothing more than to wear the blue and orange into the Hall of Fame. The Hall said he looked better in his Expos hat.
It was almost an identical situation that recently befell Andre Dawson.
As a result, these two players are the only remnants of the Expos in the Hall’s plaque room. Oddly enough, the Mets have fewer inductees than the Expos do now.
Tom Seaver is the only Met in the Hall – Gary Carter could have been number two.
I guess the Hall didn’t think New York needed any more inductees.
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