Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvanfan
I see that Andre Dawson is asking Coopstown to change his hat from the Expos to the Cubs. In a way I get it because the Expos did become a pretty bad organization and money wise were really bad. Plus representing a team that no longer exists snd frankly never won anything might cause a lot of bitterness. He did have most of his better years in Montreal. But like most any player from that era probably wishes the team would have traded him away in 84.
I was an Expos fan as a kid....but older me looks back and sees a team that really fell apart and always underachieving in what might be the biggest stadium blunder in history.
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I've got a lot of feelings on this I guess as an Expos fans (and a bit of a HOF nerd, having attended the Raines induction)
I get in the end its just a cap on a plaque, and I get too that Dawson isn't a robot and has a right to his feelings, but certainly baseball wise (despite his MVP season in Chicago which was widely viewed as a very weak MVP choice- he hit a lot of homers, but his overall season wasn't great (wasn't even his best year in Chicago, and I think they were a last placed team that year??) his best baseball was far and away (in duration and peak) in Montreal- he was the 2nd best player in baseball likely (behind Schmidt) in both 81 and 83 and likely a 5-7 year stretch where he, Schmidt and Carter were the best players in the NL
his HOF resume was built on his MTL years, not his Chicago years. This isn't a Ray Bourque Aves situation but its also not a Macinnis St Louis situation (there too I think MacInnis was better as a Flame overall but that one feels like 60:40 or 55:45, Dawson MTL:CHI is more like a 70:30 for me)
I get that the money was poor and heck the big Owe ruined his knees so I don't begrudge his feelings, but the Dawson in Montreal was an elegant 5 tool centerfielder and the Dawson in Chicago was a breaking down/winding down RF