tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62108987863829309252024-03-14T00:22:18.409-07:00Andre Dawson - Baseball Great, Hall of Famer 2010Hawk4theHall was originally created to show support for Andre Dawson election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Andre was elected to the Hall as of January 6th, 2010. The focus of this blog now is to celebrate “The Hawk's” Hall of Fame career and serve as a forum for the fans that grew up watching him.Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-6793204876400842072018-02-03T13:14:00.000-08:002018-02-03T13:17:38.026-08:00<div>
<i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Over the course of February, which is Black History Month, MLB Network and MLB.com are looking back at some of the most prominent African-American players in MLB history. <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/andre-dawsons-all-around-ability-led-to-hof/c-265852126">Here's their article on The Hawk.</a></i></div>
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Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-1571729977650286442012-07-10T10:02:00.000-07:002012-07-10T10:02:04.274-07:00Andre's still got it! The Hawk appears in State Farm ad during the 7/10/12 Homerun Derby.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ghITg_eq8Zo" width="420"></iframe>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-76454228319688031632010-07-26T08:30:00.000-07:002010-07-27T09:01:31.780-07:00The Hawk Soars into Cooperstown with Cubs' Fans Beneath his Wings.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/TE5g_jm-HdI/AAAAAAAAAWI/3U8nWsx4hq0/s1600/dawson-hall-of-fame-induction.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 193px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/TE5g_jm-HdI/AAAAAAAAAWI/3U8nWsx4hq0/s400/dawson-hall-of-fame-induction.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498438840072674770" /></a><br />Yesterday Andre Dawson took center stage of the baseball world and the world got to see what it was about the man and the player that his supporters and fans have known all along...he is the epitome of what a Hall of Famer should be.<br /><br />Since it was announced in January that Andre would be joining baseball’s best in the Hall of Fame, I wasn’t sure what to expect when he would make his induction speech. The Hawk was always known as a player who let his speaking be done on the field through his play not through the media. Knowing what I do about Andre Dawson I knew that he would make his speech personal and gracious. <br /><br />I knew he would thank his family, especially his Grandmother and Mother who played such a large role in shaping his approach to life. I knew he would thank his closest teammates, Tim Raines, Warren Cromartie and Shawon Dunston. I knew he would thank his fans and the organizations he played for.<br /><br />I think what surprised me was how the speech was less about baseball and more about the journey he experienced. Sure he addressed the performance enhancing era of baseball and paid forward the courtesy of rooting for a fellow teammate to be elected to the Hall as Ryne Sandberg did for him a couple of years ago. <br /><br />But to me, his speech was about his journey that began with family and continues to be about family. Whether he was speaking about his Uncles who introduced him to the game to the fans of Chicago who picked him up from the lowest point in his career to the inside glimpse he gave us of what his wife and children mean to him, it was family through and through.<br /><br />The Hawk didn't disappoint. It was a great speech from a humble and grateful Hall of Famer. His speech made me even more proud to have rooted for him all of these years and to have started this blog.<br /><br />You were the one thanking people yesterday Hawk, but I think your fans would agree with me, we should be thanking you. Thank you for giving us your best for 21 seasons and loving the game the way you did. As you said, if you love the game, it will love you back; the same can be said of your fans!<br /><br /><br /><strong>Missed Andre's induction speech? Watch it here!</strong><br /><br /> <embed type='application/x-shockwave-flash' salign='l' flashvars='&titleAvailable=true&playerAvailable=true&searchAvailable=false&shareFlag=N&singleURL=http://wgntv.vidcms.trb.com/alfresco/service/edge/content/7c04d10f-6366-4cdc-a6b7-aa4a5b9ec9d3&propName=wgntv.com&hostURL=http://www.wgntv.com&swfPath=http://wgntv.vid.trb.com/player/&omAccount=tribglobal&omnitureServer=wgntv.com' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' menu='true' name='PaperVideoTest' bgcolor='#ffffff' devicefont='false' wmode='transparent' scale='showall' loop='true' play='true' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' quality='high' src='http://wgntv.vid.trb.com/player/PaperVideoTest.swf' align='middle' height='550' width='400'></embed>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-7847323945499224672010-07-25T00:06:00.000-07:002010-07-27T08:47:44.146-07:0010 Best Moments from The Hawk’s Career<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/TEvjBfFbtcI/AAAAAAAAAV4/vK6X5T82K3s/s1600/hawk-moments.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/TEvjBfFbtcI/AAAAAAAAAV4/vK6X5T82K3s/s320/hawk-moments.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497737384799483330" /></a><br /><strong>To honor Andre’s official induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame today, let’s revisit some of the best moments from his storied career.</strong><br /><br /><strong>10. October 25, 2003 –</strong> Wins first World Series championship. Yes, Andre was retired, but he played an important part in the Florida Marlins second appearance in the fall classic. After his retirement from baseball, Andre joined the organization’s front office and instantly became a mentor to many of the team’s young and upcoming talent. While all Hawk fans, especially Cubs fans, would have loved his WS ring to come as a player, I am happy that he got to experience that champion feel in some capacity.<br /><br /><strong>9. July 13, 1987 –</strong> In the midst of his MVP season, Andre won the Home Run Derby at the Oakland Coliseum. Who did he beat? George Bell, Ozzie Virgil and Mark McGwire.<br /><br /><strong>8. September 11 and 13, 1976 –</strong> At the age of 21, The Hawk begins his career making his MLB debut. How did he do? 0-2, 1 strikeout. Fortunately that wasn’t a sign of things to come. Two days later he got his first hit, off of who else, Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. The pitcher who Andre would have great success against in the future.<br /><br /><strong>7. April 29, 1987 –</strong> The Hawk did one of the more difficult things to do in the big leagues and that is hit for the cycle. It came against the Giants at Wrigley Field with Andre going 5-5 in an 8-4 win for the Cubs. Home run in the first, double in the third, single in the fourth, triple in the sixth and topped it off with a second single in the 8th.<br /><br /><strong>6. October 2, 1988 –</strong> Andre broke Bobby Bonds’ record of 11 consecutive seasons of at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Just a pre-cursor of what was to come for Andre in terms of recognition for his rare blend of power and speed.<br /><br /><strong>5. September 24th, 1985 –</strong> Before he became a Cub, Andre punished his future team having the best game of his career. In 6 at bats, he had 4 hits, 3 of which were home runs, with 8 RBIs and three runs scored. What can be better than that? How about becoming only the 2nd player in Major League history to hit 2 home runs in the same inning, a pair of 3-run shots in the 5th inning. Expos won by the way 17-15.<br /><br /><strong>4. July 9, 1991 –</strong> The Hawk made his last All-Star appearance (8 total) and went out with a bang. Andre hit a home run in a losing effort for the NL, 2-4,off of Roger Clemens in the Toronoto Skydome.<br /><br /><strong>3. April 15, 1993 -</strong> Andre hit his 400th career home run with the Red Sox on April 15 at Fenway Park in the second inning. The Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 4-3 that day. Sadly, the steroid era has diminished how special it is to reach such a plateau now, but I remember when it happened for The Hawk, how amazed I was.<br /><br /><strong>2. September 22, 1990 –</strong> Andre joined two exclusive clubs by stealing his 300th base: the 300 home runs/300 stolen bases club and 300 home runs/300 stolen bases and 2,000 hits club (becoming just the second player to achieve this, Willie Mays first). It happened at Shea Stadium in a 5-11 Cubs' loss to the Mets. Other 300/300 members: Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Mays, Steve Finley, and Reggie Sanders. Other 300/300/2000 members: Barry Bonds, Mays and Finely.<br /><br /><strong>1. July 25, 2010 –</strong> I know its cliché, but I saved the best for last…2010 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction. Today is your day Mr. Dawson. Today is the day you don’t have to be the humble superstar athlete that we all came to love. Today you become one of baseball’s immortals and unforgettable heroes. Enjoy your day, you’ve waited a long time for this, you’ve reached the pinnacle of an athelete’s career, a career that will always be special to this Hawk fan!<br /><br />Please share your favorite Hawk moment below.<br /><br />Sources: www.baseball-reference.com and www.wikipedia.orgCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-22018487071402155692010-02-07T19:29:00.001-08:002010-02-07T22:44:01.911-08:00Seeing the Andre Dawson Glass Half Full<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S2-Qw6xL-8I/AAAAAAAAAVU/eR6q0ffBE60/s1600-h/Andre-Dawson-Glass.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 119px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S2-Qw6xL-8I/AAAAAAAAAVU/eR6q0ffBE60/s200/Andre-Dawson-Glass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435722445343161282" /></a>It's been a few weeks now since the Hall of Fame announced Andre would be wearing an Expos cap on his plaque. <br /><br />From my assessment whether you agree with this decision or not depends on where you hail from. Of course I'm referring to The Hawk's fans in Canada that support the decision and majority of his fans across the US whose fondest memories of Andre were as a Cub not supporting it.<br /><br />For those who don't support the decision I offer an insight that might help see the glass half full rather than half empty.<br /><br /><b>It is quite possible that Andre could be the last Montreal Expo to be inducted and that in itself would be pretty cool. </b> <br /><br />The Expos always had the reputation of developing great young talent only to trade it away or lose them to free agency. Here's a list of former Expos who has or had Hall potential.<br /><br /><b>Tim Raines -</b> To me he is a Hall of Famer. However, several Hall voters and baseball writers don't see it that way. Raines has been on the ballot three times, netting 24% in votes in 2008, 22.6 in 2009 and 30.4 in 2010. Andre's voting % in his first three years is as follows, 45.3 in 2002, 50 in 2003 and 2004, fairly significant difference in their first three years.* <br /><br /><b>Vladimer Guerrero -</b> If Vlad can come back from injury and get hot in the sweltering heat of Texas playing for the Rangers he has a real shot of being a Hall of Famer. But will he go in as an Expo or an Angel? My guess would be an Angel. Eight years in Montreal, six as an Angel. His numbers are relatively close in those two spans; however he won the MVP award in 2004 with the Angels.<br /><br /><b>Larry Walker -</b> Walker played his first six years as an Expo, but the move to Colorado did wonders for his career, not to mention winning MVP in 1997 with the Rockies. Whether he accumulated high enough career numbers for voters is up for debate, which will begin next year his first year on the ballot.<br /><br /><b>Pedro Martinez -</b> Pitched four years in Montreal and won a Cy Young in 1997. But, only 55 of his 219 career wins came there, plus won one more Cy Young with the Red Sox (1999 and 2000). Is 219 where his win total stops, we'll have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, he won't wear an Expo hat on his plaque.*<br /><br /><b>Randy Johnson -</b> Hall of Famer yes, being inducted as an Expo, no. The Big Unit had a very brief stint in Canada, 11 games to be exact between 1988 and 1989.<br /><br /><b>Andres Galarraga –</b> He spent eight years wearing an Expos cap, but failed to reach the necessary 5% in 2010 to stay on the ballot next year.<br /><br /><b>I'm choosing to see the glass half full and that Andre might be remembered as the last Expo to be honored by the Hall of Fame. How do you see the glass?</b><br /><br />*www.baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-32074780417377776082010-01-27T09:09:00.000-08:002010-01-27T10:04:11.665-08:00It's Official, Andre is Entering the Hall as an Expo.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S2B-sSeTZuI/AAAAAAAAAUA/8SJz7JQPR4s/s1600-h/Dawson-Expo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S2B-sSeTZuI/AAAAAAAAAUA/8SJz7JQPR4s/s200/Dawson-Expo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431480449947100898" /></a>Okay, I could be a disappointed Cub fan today, but it's hard for me to sit here and feel that way. Andre's in the Hall and that's enough for me; wearing a Cubs jersey was just going to be icing on the cake.<br /><br />Andre became one of the best players in the game during his time in Montreal and that shouldn't be overlooked. True he reached career highs and led the National League in home runs (49) and RBIs (137) in 1987 as a Cub. But as an Expo he reached a career high in hits and also led the NL with 189 in 1983 and had his only 100 run seasons (107 - 1982 and 104 - 1983).<br /><br />I don't think it should be questioned whether his years as an Expo were more deserving to be honored than his time spent as a Cub. I think what should be questioned is why the Hall of Fame has the ultimate decision. Why isn't it the player's choice? Andre wanted to wear a Cubs' cap on induction day. <br /><br />Andre was the one who endured through some awful seasons in which the Expos and Cubs were not competitive - not the Hall. Andre was the one who helped carry the team in the seasons they were play-off contenders. Andre was the one who would get up out of bed the day after a night game with achy knees and head back to the ball park to do it all over again. How he wants to be remembered should be his decision, so I repeat - not the Hall!<br /><br />So as I sit here writing this post, I just want to remind Dawson fans, Cub fans, Expo fans, baseball fans...<strong>it doesn't matter what cap will be on Andre's plaque, what matters is that he's there among baseball's greatest.</strong>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-56066972419351000522010-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:002010-01-17T19:37:37.931-08:00Which Cap Does Andre Look Best In?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S1O14G-zxqI/AAAAAAAAATg/NZoG48GIxVk/s1600-h/Andre-HOF-Cap.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 195px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S1O14G-zxqI/AAAAAAAAATg/NZoG48GIxVk/s400/Andre-HOF-Cap.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427881951462934178" /></a><strong>Since Andre's election to the Hall of Fame on January 6th, the question a foot has been will he be inducted wearing a Cubs or Expos cap.</strong><br /><br />What team should an elected player represent in the Hall of Fame has not been a prevailing debate for most of its history. Cal Ripken Jr., not a question, Tony Gwynn, not a question, Ryne Sandberg, not a question, etc. Gone are the days of a player playing majority of his career with one team thanks to free agency.<br /><br />The reason it has been up for debate in Andre's case is that he spent more seasons (11) in Montreal while putting up majority of his statistics there. However as a Cub for six seasons, Andre rose to national prominence and became one of baseball's most well known ambassadors. <br /><br /><strong>Here's a look at his numbers between the two clubs*:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Montreal Expos 1976-1986:</strong> 225 HRs, 838 RBIs, .280 Avg., 1575 Hits, 828 Runs, 253 SBs<br /><br /><strong>Chicago Cubs 1987-1992:</strong> 174 HRs, 587 RBIs, .285 Avg., 929 Hits, 431 Runs, 57 SBs<br /><br />As a Cubs fan I naturally want to see him don the Cubs cap on July 25th. <br /><br /><strong>As an Andre Dawson fan I'm just glad he is a Hall of Famer regardless of the cap he will wear.</strong> <br /><br />But as a blogger, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't share my opinion on this, so here it is.<br /><br /><strong>Top Ten reasons Andre should be inducted as a Cub:</strong><br /><br /><strong>10. MVP trumps ROY.</strong> Andre's 1987 MVP award with the last-place Cubs is more impressive than this 1977 ROY award with the Expos. He was the first player to win the MVP on a last-place team, which in itself is true testament to the type of player he was. When most may have turned in a lack luster effort, Andre kicked it into higher gear.<br /><br /><strong>9. 5-time All-Star with Cubs (1987-1991) versus 3 times as an Expo (1981-1983).</strong><br /><br /><strong>8. Career highs in Home Runs (49) and RBIs (137) as a Cub.</strong><br /><br /><strong>7. Joined the 300 HRs / 300 SBs club as a Cub.</strong><br /><br /><strong>6. The "C" logo on the Cubs cap makes sense.</strong> The logo on the Expo cap never looked like an "M." Amazing that franchise never changed the "JL" into a cleaner logo.<br /><br /><strong>5. 3-100 RBI seasons as a Cub (1987, 1991 & 1992), only 1 as an Expo.</strong><br /><br /><strong>4. Hit more Home Runs at Wrigley Field (Cubs) than Olympic Stadium (Expos) (110 to 102)*.</strong> Even before he joined the Cubs in '87, he loved hitting in Wrigley.<br /><br /><strong>3. Ryne Sandberg. </strong> While Hall of Famer Gary Carter was a teammate of Andre's in Montreal (1976-1984), Andre/Ryno was the Jordan/Pippen of Chicago baseball. The tandem should wear the same cap in the Hall. I'll let you decide which is Jordan in this equation.<br /><br /><strong>2. The Cubs have stated that they'll retire his #8 if he enters the Hall as a Cub</strong>. First, let me say that I believe they should do this regardless of the cap he wears. Second, that statement is insane considering the cap he wears is ultimately the Hall's decision. Andre gets to share his input, but it's not his call. I think it would show a lot of class on the Cubs part to do it even if the Expos are chosen. If he is immortalized as an Expo in the Hall, then immortalize him as a Cub at Wrigley. But let's not take chances here; let's make the decision for the Cubs easy.<br /><br /><strong>1. Cubs are forever.</strong> Expos are now the Nationals. 20, 30 years from now, kids won't even remember the Expos. Do you think kids today know who the Washington Senators were? I want the next generation of fans that visit the Hall of Fame to recognize the cap on his plaque and recognize him as one of the greatest Cubs ever!<br /><br />* www.baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-14578429825765757772010-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:002010-01-06T16:04:21.375-08:00Andre is Elected to HOF with 77.9%, Congrats Hawk!!!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0TfMIoT3LI/AAAAAAAAATQ/vqKgbqIW0lA/s1600-h/Andre-Dawson-HOF-2010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0TfMIoT3LI/AAAAAAAAATQ/vqKgbqIW0lA/s400/Andre-Dawson-HOF-2010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423705250828901554" /></a><strong>Congratulations Andre on your long awaited and deserved call to the Hall!</strong> <br /><br />For 21 seasons you gave baseball and its’ fans your heart and best effort when you stepped onto the field. Now that effort will be immortalized among baseball’s greatest for all-time.<br /><br />I congratulate and thank the BBWAA voters for making the right decision; albeit one that should have been made sooner, but a decision that Andre, his fans and baseball deserve. <br /><br />What makes it the right decision?<br /><br />The right decision for Andre because he was truly one of the best during his time in baseball. He achieved greatness in his career by winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 1977 and NL MVP in 1987, winning 8 Gold Gloves, winning four Silver Slugger Awards, and being one of only three players to amass at least 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases.<br /><br />The right decision for his fans because now everyone can recognize Andre the way we have for the last 8 years since he has appeared on the ballot, as a Hall of Famer!<br /><br />The right decision for baseball because one day I’ll be able to show my child Andre’s display at Cooperstown and be able to tell him, “Andre played the game right, reciprocated the respect fans and peers showed him and played through the pain of his knees to become one of the game’s greatest.”<br /><br />Now, isn’t that good for baseball, to have Andre in the Hall of Fame to serve as one of baseball’s great examples of how hard work and persistence pays off?<br /><br />Congratulations once again Andre, you’ve earned the honor of being called a Hall of Famer!<br /><br /><strong>If you would like to congratulate Andre on this achievement and his career, leave a comment below and I’ll send it to him.</strong>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-80860924971467838142010-01-06T11:00:00.000-08:002010-01-07T07:47:59.226-08:00Winners of the Hall of Fame Predictor Contest<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0VCPP1qYjI/AAAAAAAAATY/iG2mMLY1pKs/s1600-h/Dawson-HOF-Results.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 233px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0VCPP1qYjI/AAAAAAAAATY/iG2mMLY1pKs/s320/Dawson-HOF-Results.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423814155954709042" /></a>Andre was the sole induction for this year's Hall of Fame class with 77.9%. Three people picked him as the only player to get elected: Gooseneck (78.3), Ronnie Phillips (78.6) and Danny (81.2). <br /><br />Gooseneck is the winner with the closest % of the three, Ronnie is second. <strong>Gooseneck</strong>, email me with your choice of one of three prizes, the Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, or Cal Ripken cards. <strong>Ronnie</strong>, email me your first and second choices.<br /><br />30-Year Old Cardboard was almost dead-on with Andre's %, guessing 77.8, however he also chose Roberto Alomar to be elected. Since he was so close with the %, I'm going to send him a honorable mention prize!<br /><br /><strong>Thanks everyone for participating!!!!</strong>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-63976625970241696872010-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:002010-01-05T17:00:00.362-08:00Entries in the Hall of Fame Predictor Contest<strong>Here's the final entries in the Hall of Fame Predictor Contest. Good luck everyone.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Wickedortega</strong> <br />Roberto Alomar - 75.7%<br />Barry Larkin - 78.1<br /><br /><strong>Jonathan</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 80.3%<br />Bert Blyleven - 75.4%<br /><br /><strong>hlrzr32</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 80.7%<br />Roberto Alomar - 79.9%<br />Bert Blyleven - 77.2%<br /><br /><strong>'30-Year Old Cardboard</strong><br />Roberto Alomar - 81.3<br />Andre Dawson - 77.8<br /><br /><strong>Tai</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 79.8%<br />Roberto Alomar - 76.2%<br /><br /><strong>Danny</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 81.2%<br /><br /><strong>Peralta's Point</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 80.2%<br />Bert Blyleven - 76.8%<br /><br /><strong>Ronnie Phillips</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 78.6%<br /><br /><strong>gooseneck</strong><br />Andre Dawson - 78.3%Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-40924297132205944042010-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:002010-01-05T05:00:08.860-08:00Andre Belongs, Just Compare His 162 Game Average!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0KJ5kaBz1I/AAAAAAAAATI/FYN7Os4TIho/s1600-h/dawson-162-game-average.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0KJ5kaBz1I/AAAAAAAAATI/FYN7Os4TIho/s400/dawson-162-game-average.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423048523425894226" /></a>It’s no big secret that Andre played most of his career in pain due to his knees. Because of that he was usually limited to less than 150 games a season. In fact, in his 21 seasons, he only played 150 games or more 6 times.<br /><br />If you look at his 162 game average statistics compared to several Hall of Famers, he is right on par with them. For the purpose of this post, I chose 6 similar batters: Billy Williams, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Eddie Murray, Tony Perez and Willie McCovey.*<br /><br /><strong>Dawson: 27 HRs, 98 RBIs, .279 Avg., 19 SBs, 171 Hits, 85 Runs, 6 seasons of 150+ G</strong><br />Williams: 28 HRs, 96 RBIs, .298 Avg., 6 SBs, 177 Hits, 92 Runs, 13 seasons of 150+ G<br />Jackson: 32 HRs, 98 RBIs, .262 Avg., 13 SBs, 148 Hits, 89 Runs, 6 seasons of 150+ G<br />Winfield: 25 HRs, 100 RBIs, .283 Avg., 12 SBs, 169 Hits, 91 Runs, 10 seasons of 150+ G<br />Murray: 27 HRs, 103 RBIs, .287 Avg., 6 SBs, 174 Hits, 87 Runs, 16 seasons of 150 + G<br />Perez: 22 HRs, 96 RBIs, .279 Avg., 3 SBs, 159 Hits, 74 Runs, 9 seasons of 150+ G<br />McCovey: 33 HRs, 97 RBIs, .270 Avg., 2 SBs, 138 Hits, 77 Runs, 4 seasons of 150+ G<br /><br />I think it should be noted that Jackson, Winfield and Murray spent more than double the amount of games in the DH position than Andre: Jackson – 630, Winfield – 419, Murray – 573 and Dawson – 171.<br /><br />Andre loved playing in Chicago and for the Wrigley faithful. You can’t fault him for that, but if he had moved to the AL earlier in his career than 1993, can you imagine the numbers he might have put up offensively? I don’t think we would be having this conversation on whether or not he should be in; he would be in first or second ballot!<br /><br /><strong>Regardless, he belongs in the Hall with the rest of those guys mentioned above!</strong><br /><br />*www.baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-9738694075466320432010-01-04T00:31:00.000-08:002010-01-04T14:11:21.430-08:001991 - A Special Season for The Hawk and Myself<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0Gm8R4QGkI/AAAAAAAAAS4/b3mxjbv1YXw/s1600-h/Dawson-1991.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0Gm8R4QGkI/AAAAAAAAAS4/b3mxjbv1YXw/s400/Dawson-1991.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422798980852488770" /></a><br />The 1991 season was supposed to be the year the Cubs broke the curse and won the World Series <em>(That's every year to a Cubs fan). </em>With the newly acquired George Bell batting behind Andre, the Cubs were a likely favorite with three former MVPs in the line-up (Dawson, Bell and Ryne Sandberg). However, the Cubs finished with a disappointing 77-83 record, finishing 4th in the NL East. While the Cubs didn't enjoy much success in 1991, Andre did.*<br /><br />Andre made his eighth and final appearance in the All-Star game, his fifth straight appearance since joining the Cubs in 1987. He finished the first half of 1991 tied for most home runs in the NL with 15 and was sixth in RBI with 52.**<br /><br />What made 1991 special for me was that I got to attend the final game of that amazing first half. The game was July 7 at St. Louis; we drove from Oklahoma to see it. My family planned our summer vacation entirely around that game, so it was a big deal. <br /><br />The Cubs won the first two games of the series. In the game on July 6th, Andre went 3 for 5 with a home run and a double to drive in 3 RBIs; Cubs won 12-2. I was hoping he would save some of that offense for the game we would attend the next day. <br /><br />We brought our home made signs to the game, rooting for the Cubs to sweep the Cards. Of course, we got heckled by the home team fans, but I didn't let that damper my opportunity to see my first Cubs game live and my favorite player in action too.<br /><br />Andre had one hit that night in four at-bats, but that one hit was a two-run home run. It was a deep left/center field shot off of Ken Hill in the 3rd inning.<br /><br />The Cubs lost that game 8-7. The game was my first and last time to see Andre play and he didn't disappoint. Sure the Cubs lost, but even at the age of 12 I realized how special it was to have your favorite player come through for you with a home run.<br /><br />A couple of days later he hit a solo shot over the center field wall in the All-Star game at the Skydome. The blast came in the fourth inning off of Roger Clemens; NL lost 4-2.***<br /><br />He capped the season off with his fourth Silver Slugger award. It was most deservingly considering he hit two of his six career grand slams that season and his two pinch-hits in 1991 were both home runs.****<br /><br /><strong>Andre finished 1991 with:*</strong><br />Games - 149<br />Home Runs - 31 (4th in the NL)<br />RBIs - 104 (6th and accomplished back to back 100 RBI seasons)<br />Stolen Bases - 4<br />Hits - 153<br />Runs - 69<br />Avg. - .272<br />Total Bases - 275 (9th)<br />AB Per HR - 18.2 (7th)<br /><br /><strong>What's your Andre Dawson memory? Please share with a comment!</strong><br /><br />* www.baseball-reference.com<br />** 1991 Upper Deck<br />*** www.wikipedia.org<br />**** 1992 Upper DeckCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-1686444663782256522010-01-03T01:25:00.000-08:002010-01-03T01:26:05.224-08:00TWO DAYS LEFT....Hall of Fame Predictor Contest!!!!To help celebrate what I hope will be Andre's election to the Hall and the New Year; I feel a contest is in order.<br /><br /><strong>Here are the rules:</strong><br /><br />1. Leave a comment with who you believe will be elected Tuesday to the Hall of Fame.<br /><br />2. Also indicate what you believe will be the voting percentage for each player(s) that is elected to the decimal point, for example, 75.2.<br /><br />3. You have until the end of Monday night to enter.<br /><br />4. The person who selects the correct player(s) with the closest voting percentages wins. The winner will get first choice of the prizes below. The person who comes in second will also get a prize and will choose between the remaining two prizes.<br /><br /><strong>The prizes:</strong><br /><br />Prizes are cards from three current Hall of Fame greats.<br /><br /><strong>Mickey Mantle -</strong> 20 cards from the 1997 Mickey Mantle 7 Collection.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szz5qSlFdcI/AAAAAAAAASI/BJkfa24ctOI/s1600-h/MANTLES.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 260px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szz5qSlFdcI/AAAAAAAAASI/BJkfa24ctOI/s320/MANTLES.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421482556384441794" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Nolan Ryan -</strong> 5 cards from the 1991 Upper Deck Nolan Ryan Baseball Heroes collection and his 1991 Upper Deck series card.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szz5zmbUDrI/AAAAAAAAASQ/qCv9sn5d0bc/s1600-h/RYANS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szz5zmbUDrI/AAAAAAAAASQ/qCv9sn5d0bc/s320/RYANS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421482716330987186" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Cal Ripken Jr. -</strong> 5 cards from the 1996 Upper Deck Cal Ripken Jr. Collection and his 1996 Topps card celebrating the 2,131 game. <br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szz57jf9f1I/AAAAAAAAASY/UGzOHR291VU/s1600-h/RIPKENS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 269px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szz57jf9f1I/AAAAAAAAASY/UGzOHR291VU/s320/RIPKENS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421482852984127314" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Good luck everyone and Happy New Year!</strong>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-27174861927339839102010-01-03T01:16:00.000-08:002010-01-04T10:34:53.715-08:00Andre Dawson: The College Years<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0Bhw5NkbTI/AAAAAAAAASw/mwCs__rduw4/s1600-h/Dawson-FloridaA%26M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 220px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/S0Bhw5NkbTI/AAAAAAAAASw/mwCs__rduw4/s320/Dawson-FloridaA%26M.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422441443973426482" /></a><strong>Did you know before Andre was an Expo and a Cub he was a Rattler?</strong> As in Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Rattlers. <br /><br />Andre attended Florida A&M from 1973-1975 and was drafted in the 11th round by the Expos in 1975.* He majored in Physical Education. <br /><br />Three other future Major Leaguers played for A&M:<br />Hal McRae - 1964-1965, 6th Round by the Reds<br />Vince Coleman - 1979-1982, 10th Round by the Cardinals<br />Marquis Grissom - 1986-1988, 3rd Round by the Expos<br /><br />Andre turned in a pretty great professional career for being drafted in a later round than all three of his fellow alumni. I would love to share with you this college statistics, but it’s difficult to find statistics for that school that far back.<br /><br />However, here’s his minor league stats.**<br /><strong>1975 – </strong><br />Rookie, 72 G, 13 HRs, 50 RBIs, 11 SBs, .330 Avg., 99 Hits, 52 Runs, .381 OBP<br /><br /><strong>1976 –</strong> <br />AA, 40 G, 8 HRs, 27 RBIs, 9 SBs, .357 Avg., 51 Hits, 27 Runs, .409 OBP<br /><br />AAA, 74 G, 20 HRs, 46 RBIs, 10 SBs, .350 Avg., 84 Hits, 51 Runs, .410 OBP<br /><br />Dawson, McRae, Coleman, and Grissom have been inducted into the Florida A&M Atheletic Hall of Fame.** Now, if we can only get Andre into another Hall of Fame, the Baseball Hall of Fame!<br /><br />*www.baseball-reference.com<br />**www.thebaseballcube.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-48212424174496755712010-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:002010-01-02T05:00:05.558-08:00Six Degree of Andre Dawson<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Sz0gsUtaV_I/AAAAAAAAASg/Mfi5svnLE0Y/s1600-h/6-Degrees-of-Dawson-5.5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 306px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Sz0gsUtaV_I/AAAAAAAAASg/Mfi5svnLE0Y/s400/6-Degrees-of-Dawson-5.5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421525472269457394" /></a>Everyone has heard of that game where you can link Kevin Bacon to any actor based on movies he’s been in. Well, I thought it would be fun in anticipation of Andre being voted into the Hall of Fame to show the unique connections he has with some of the players already in the Hall.<br /><br />Let’s get started.<br /><br /><strong>Willie McCovey –</strong> Andre and Willie are the only two players to have hit 2 home runs in the same inning twice. (Andre did it in 7/30/78 vs. Braves and 9/24/85 vs. Cubs)<br /><br /><strong>Willie Mays –</strong> Andre and Willie make up 2/3rds of the 400 HRs / 300 SBs club along with Barry Bonds.<br /><br /><strong>Paul Molitor –</strong> Won 4 Silver Sluggers (1987, 1988, 1993 & 1996), Andre won 4 (1980, 1981, 1983 & 1987).<br /><br /><strong>Johnny Bench –</strong> Won the M.L. Hutch award in 1981, Andre won in it 1994.<br /><br /><strong>Bill Mazeroski –</strong> Won 8 Gold Gloves at 2B, Andre won 8 for OF.<br /><br /><strong>Billy Williams –</strong> Along with being another Cub great, was inducted in 1987 the same year that Andre was named NL MVP for the Cubs.<br /><br /><strong>Eddie Murray –</strong> Won the 1977 AL ROY, Andre won the 1977 NL ROY.<br /><br /><strong>Rod Carew –</strong> Won both the ROY and MVP awards ten years apart (1967, 1977) as did Andre (1977, 1987).<br /><br /><strong>Gary Carter –</strong> Not only were they Expo teammates but both have their numbers retired by the Expos (Carter 8, Dawson 10).<br /><br /><strong>Cal Ripken Jr. –</strong> Made the # 8 famous, Cal’s Orioles’ jersey #, and Andre’s Cubs’ jersey #.<br /><br /><strong>Frank Robinson –</strong> Hit 49 home runs, a career high, and led the Al in 1966. Andre also hit 49 home runs as a career high and led the NL in 1987.<br /><br /><strong>Bruce Sutter –</strong> Made his MLB debut the same year as Andre in 1976 (Sutter 5/9/76, Andre 9/11/76).<br /><br /><strong>Ozzie Smith –</strong> Both greats retired from the game after the 1996 season.<br /><br /><strong>Tony Perez -</strong> Both finished their distinguished careers with a life-time batting average of .2794.<br /><br /><strong>Steve Carlton –</strong> Not only did Andre get the best of him in their meetings (.291 avg. 4 HRs, 14 RBIs), but both were born in Miami, FL (Carlton – Dec. 1944, Andre – July 1954). When Andre gets elected, they will be the only two players in the HOF that were born in Florida.<br /><br /><strong>Ryne Sandberg –</strong> Not only were they teammates, but Ryno praised Andre in his Hall of Fame induction speech. “No player in baseball history worked harder, suffered more, or did it better than Andre Dawson. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. I watched him win an MVP for a last place team in 1987, and it was the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen in baseball. He did it the right way, the natural way, and he did it in the field and on the bases and in every way, and I hope he will stand up here someday.”<br /><br />Source: www.baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-90354536113587278032010-01-01T05:00:00.001-08:002010-01-01T05:00:00.273-08:00My Fave Five Andre Dawson Cards!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szzw6_w6DnI/AAAAAAAAASA/pPhH1hidDUU/s1600-h/cards-andre-dawson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 292px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szzw6_w6DnI/AAAAAAAAASA/pPhH1hidDUU/s400/cards-andre-dawson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421472947786878578" /></a>One thing about Andre was that he always knew how to take a good photo. His cards always had something special to them. You just got a sense of how hard he played the game by looking at them. <br /><br />Below are the five cards out of my collection that are my favorite. They remind me of all of the reasons I've enjoyed watching The Hawk and collecting his cards over the years.<br /><br /><br /><strong>1. 1991 Donruss The Elite Series #04363/10,000</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwJVklc3I/AAAAAAAAARY/xRHpmGJBu1U/s1600-h/1991-Donruss-Elite-Dawson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 285px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwJVklc3I/AAAAAAAAARY/xRHpmGJBu1U/s320/1991-Donruss-Elite-Dawson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421472094647317362" /></a><br />I remember when these cards were introduced. It was the first real numbered insert that I can recall. I bought so many 1991 Donruss wax packs trying to pull one of these bad boys. Never had any luck, I finally had to purchase this one on eBay a few years ago. I love the design and that from Andre's expression; you know he must have got a hold of one. It's like a piece of artwork!<br /><br /><br /><strong>2. 1977 Topps Rookie Card</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwTmDAZCI/AAAAAAAAARg/vdx3IoPGtn0/s1600-h/1977-Topps-Dawson-Rookie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 265px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwTmDAZCI/AAAAAAAAARg/vdx3IoPGtn0/s320/1977-Topps-Dawson-Rookie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421472270868571170" /></a><br />Your favorite player's rookie card always holds a special place in your heart and I'm no different.<br /><br /><br /><strong>3. 2003 Donruss Signature Series Legends of the Summer #56/100</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwducQboI/AAAAAAAAARo/AmRkATcWA68/s1600-h/2003-Donruss-Signature-Seri.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwducQboI/AAAAAAAAARo/AmRkATcWA68/s320/2003-Donruss-Signature-Seri.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421472444920655490" /></a><br />This card is just beautiful to me. I love the nostalgic design and what more could you ask for from that signature, I love that he scribed it "MVP '87." <br /><br /><br /><strong>4. 1996 Leaf Signature Series</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwmYnnoSI/AAAAAAAAARw/KpBfsoqqb_8/s1600-h/1996-Leaf-Signature-Series-.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzzwmYnnoSI/AAAAAAAAARw/KpBfsoqqb_8/s320/1996-Leaf-Signature-Series-.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421472593681555746" /></a><br />I thought this was the greatest thing when Leaf Signature Series came out. Before this series, almost the only way to get an autographed card was at card shows. The idea of getting an autograph from opening a pack of cards was amazing to me. Of course these packs were expensive to a high school kid; I believe they were something ridiculous like $16 a pack! <br /><br /><br /><strong>5. 1990 Leaf</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szzww1iz-6I/AAAAAAAAAR4/WqxwfH6PSS8/s1600-h/1990-Leaf-Dawson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 273px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Szzww1iz-6I/AAAAAAAAAR4/WqxwfH6PSS8/s320/1990-Leaf-Dawson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421472773244713890" /></a><br />This has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I just love pictures of Andre batting. The design is so clean and simple that it looks perfect to get an autograph on.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Those are my fave five, what's yours?</strong>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-57790151090610317542009-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:002009-12-31T09:00:52.993-08:00Baseball’s Triple Double Club…Another Exclusive Club Andre Belongs To<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzuWAoZ12BI/AAAAAAAAARI/0sHdGL6vO7Y/s1600-h/Topps-Record-Breaker-Dawson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzuWAoZ12BI/AAAAAAAAARI/0sHdGL6vO7Y/s400/Topps-Record-Breaker-Dawson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421091514060494866" /></a>What is a Triple Double in baseball? A Triple Double is when a player hits at least 10 home runs and steals at least 10 stolen bases in a season for 10 consecutive seasons.<br /><br />In 1988, Andre broke Bobby Bond’s record of achieving at least 10 HRs and 10 SBs for 11 consecutive years. This moment was celebrated in the 1989 Topps Record Breaker subset.<br /><br />At the time it was such a rare achievement that only he and Bond’s had accomplished. Since then, the club has grown to seven others.<br /><br />Baseball’s Triple Double Club includes:*<br /><br />Barry Bonds – 16 years (1986 - 2001)<br />Derek Jeter – 14 years (1996 – present)<br />Reggie Sanders – 14 years (1992 – 2005)<br /><strong>Andre Dawson – 12 years (1977 – 1988)</strong><br />Bobby Abreau – 12 years (1998 – present)<br />Bobby Bonds – 11 years (1969 – 1979)<br />Devon White – 10 years (1987 – 1996)<br />Larry Walker – 10 years (1990 – 1999)<br />Mike Cameron – 10 years (1997 – 2008)<br /><br />While this club isn’t as prestigious as the 400 HRs / 300 SBs or 400 HRs / 2,700 Hits Clubs mention in previous posts, I think this club exemplifies how rare it is to have a player with this type of balance of power and speed. Not only that, but also to be that consistent in both skills for an extended period of time.<br /><br />I don’t believe I missed anyone that qualified for the Triple Double club, but if I did let me know.<br /><br />*www.baseball-reference.com<br /><br />Thanks to my friend Brian at <a href="http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/" target="_plain" >30-Year Old Cardboard</a> for sending me the Topps Record Breaker card seen above among other great Dawson cards!Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-78584640182729556102009-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:002009-12-30T13:32:12.878-08:00A Week Away Until Andre's Fate for the Hall is UnveiledAs you know next Wednesday, January 6th, we'll all find out if Andre is a Hall of Famer in 2010. From an early report I read, Andre has appeared on 87% of the 46 ballots turned in as of Monday, December 28th.*<br /><br />Things are looking good for The Hawk and I'm confident we'll be pleased with the outcome a week from now. To celebrate the upcoming occasion I'll be posting every day starting tomorrow up until the voting results are announced. A few of these posts will be outside of my normal Andre Dawson posts, so I hope you enjoy and check back everyday for something different.<br /><br /><strong>....Oh yeah....I'm going to announce a <em>CONTEST WITH PRIZES </em>on Friday morning!!!!!!</strong><br /><br />Good Luck Hawk!<br /><br />*www.baseballthinkfactory.orgCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-55554721254629851992009-12-24T09:51:00.000-08:002009-12-24T11:23:39.662-08:00Andre's Ranks at the Time of His Retirement<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzOvPQS0-hI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/xaJ8BJHUHUc/s1600-h/andre-dawson-swing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 198px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SzOvPQS0-hI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/xaJ8BJHUHUc/s400/andre-dawson-swing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418867453263673874" /></a>Since I started this blog, I’ve posted where Andre ranks all-time in several statistics as evidence of why he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I’ve had a couple of readers suggest that I post what Andre’s ranks were at the time of his retirement.<br /><br /><strong>I love feedback from readers, especially suggestions for blog ideas. I listened, I did the research, here are The Hawk’s ranks as of his retirement after the 1996 season.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Home Runs: 438</strong><br /><strong>Currently - 36th<br />1996 - 22nd<br />Difference - +14</strong><br /><br />Interestingly enough, of the 14 players who have passed Andre since his retirement, 8 either used steroids or was suspected to have used, including: Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, and Jose Canseco. The remaining 6 players are: Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome, Frank Thomas, Fred McGriff, Carlos Delgado and Jeff Bagwell.<br /><br />Twenty-second place in 1996 was very impressive. Do you realize that after 100 years of Major League Baseball, only 21 players at the time hit more home runs than Andre?<br /><br /><strong>RBIs: 1591</strong><br /><strong>Currently – 34th<br />1996 – 24th<br />Difference - +10</strong><br /><br />The players that passed Andre after his retirement include: Bonds, Palmeiro, Griffey, Ramirez, Rodriguez, Thomas, Cal Ripken Jr., Sheffield, Sosa and Harold Baines. <br /><br />Ripken (1695 RBIs) played almost every game of every season during his career so the RBI opportunities were greater of course. He played 374 more games than Andre (3,001 to 2,627) netting 104 more RBIs, which is an RBI only every 3.6 games. Therefore, if Ripken hadn’t been an iron-man, he wouldn’t have passed Andre on this list.<br /><br />Baines (1628 RBIs) collected 37 more RBIs by playing one more season than Andre. If Andre’s knees could have held up for one more season, Baines wouldn’t have passed him.<br /><br />If you look at the all-time RBI list pre-1997, you realize that most of the players higher than Andre were part of the dominating line-ups of their times, which the Expos and Cubs teams that he played on were never known for. Were talking about Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Ott, Williams, Mays, etc.<br /><br /><strong>Hits: 2,774</strong><br /><strong>Currently – 45th<br />1996 – 38th<br />Difference - +7</strong><br /><br />I find it interesting that twice as many players have passed Andre in home runs than in hits. Shows you how many big hitters in the past decade have been one-dimensional. The seven include: Ripken, Gwynn, Biggio, Henderson, Palmeiro, Bonds and Baines.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Runs: 1,373</strong><br /><strong>Currently – 93rd<br />1996 – 72nd<br />Difference - +21</strong><br /><br />Pretty obvious that when home run totals increase so will the runs scored. Several players that have passed Andre had some pretty big bats behind them including: Johnny Damon (Manny, A-Rod), Derek Jeter (A-Rod), Kenny Lofton (Thome, Manny) and Biggio (Bagwell, Berkman). <br /><br />During his days as a Cub, Andre did his job of knocking in the guys in front of him, but he never had that big bat to knock him in as he did at the beginning of his career (Gary Carter, Al Oliver). Keeping that in mind, I think Andre at 72nd in 1996 or 93rd in 2009 is impressive.<br /><br /><strong>Stolen Bases: 314</strong><br /><strong>Currently – 146th<br />1996 – 125th<br />Difference - +21</strong><br /><br />I think this difference shows you either A) players have become more athletic or B) throwing out base runners is less important from the catcher position than his spot in the batting line-up now, hitting over rules defense.<br /><br />None of the names that has surpassed Andre’s total will surprise you: Roberto Alomar, Eric Young, Delino DeShields, Juan Pierre, Biggio, Chuck Knoblauch, Omar Vizquel, Barry Larkin, Damon, Carl Crawford, Ichiro, Jimmy Rollins, Tom Goodwin, Luis Polonia, etc. (okay those last two might have surprised you).<br /><br />You know what is striking from that list? None were consider power hitters. Sure Larkin and Rollins could pop-off 20 home runs or so, but few players since Andre have shown the balance of power and speed that he had.<br /><br /><strong>Total Bases: 4,784</strong><br /><strong>Currently – 25th<br />1996 – 21st<br />Difference - +4</strong><br /><br />I saved the best for last! How is it possible that only four players have passed Andre in this category in the past 13 years? That’s how good he was. If he didn’t homer, he would come through with a double (48th all-time). I think you could conclude from this statistic compared to his run total that Andre was indeed left on base a lot during his Chicago years.<br /><br />The four who have tallied more total bases since are: Bonds, Palmeiro, Griffey and Ripken Jr.<br /><br /><strong>Either way you look at it, Andre was a Hall of Famer at the time of his retirement in 1996 and he is today in 2009.</strong>Charleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-55325076455339327272009-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:002009-12-18T16:25:44.917-08:00Andre Dawson by the Numbers<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SywXf9liR4I/AAAAAAAAAQo/-bWQgGs82TE/s1600-h/Dawson-the-by-numbers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SywXf9liR4I/AAAAAAAAAQo/-bWQgGs82TE/s400/Dawson-the-by-numbers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416730289695246210" /></a><strong>Baseball is relatively an easy game to understand. </strong> Two opposing teams get three outs per inning to try to make something happen in order to manufacture runs. After nine innings the team with the most runs wins.<br /><br />Baseball statistics and how those statistics were evaluated in order to determine if a player should be in the Hall of Fame used to be that simple.<br /><br />It's crazy all of these new sabermetric statistic-formulas that people have came up with that are now being used to evaluate eligible players for the Hall with. I’ve been reading articles where writers, some of whom are HOF voters, that have been using these type of statistics on why they won’t vote for Andre, “Andre’s win shares are too low,” or “his OPS+ isn’t as high as I would like.”<br /><br />Win shares? OPS+? Whatever happened to just saying, “This player has X home runs, X runs batted in, X hits, X Gold Gloves, etc.”? “Man, those are great numbers, of course player X is a Hall of Famer!” <br /><br />Numbers, not formulas.<br /><br />I understand that win shares and OPS+ and other complicated formula statistics like that have their place in modern baseball, but let’s look at statistics and numbers that everyone can understand when determining how to vote for Hall of Fame candidates. <br /><br /><strong>Here are some numbers on Andre that I believe BBWAA voters should consider:</strong><br /><br />1 – NL MVP (1987) and NL ROY (1977)<br />2 – NL MVP Runner-Up (1981 and 1983)<br />3 – Only three players have at least 400 HRs and 300 SBs, Andre being one of them.<br />4 – Silver Slugger Awards (1980, 1981, 1983 and 1987)<br />8 – Gold Gloves and All-Star Selections<br />118 – Sacrifice Flies (10th all-time)<br />143 – Intentional Base on Balls (50th all-time)<br />314 – Stolen Bases<br />438 – Home Runs (36th all-time)<br />503 – Doubles (48th all-time)<br />1,039 – Extra Base Hits (24th all-time)<br />1,591 – Runs Batted In (34th all-time)<br />2,774 – Hits (45th all-time)<br />4787 – Total Bases (25th all-time)<br /><br />I could keep throwing more numbers at you, but let’s keep this simple. <br /><br /><strong>Leave the formulas to the BCS system in determining the National College Football Championship and vote for one of the best all-around players ever to play the game into the Hall in 2010!</strong><br /><br />Source - www.baseball-refernce.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-42140079915317896952009-12-11T08:42:00.000-08:002009-12-11T08:59:48.532-08:002700-400 is Andre's Ticket to the Hall of Fame<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4tVq6ZpI/AAAAAAAAAQY/KNPkr35N8CQ/s1600-h/2700-400.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 292px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4tVq6ZpI/AAAAAAAAAQY/KNPkr35N8CQ/s320/2700-400.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414022422359336594" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4myOS60I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/5MwpZqT2hV0/s1600-h/jose.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 120px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4myOS60I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/5MwpZqT2hV0/s200/jose.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414022309764852546" /></a>With the Baseball Hall of Fame balloting upon us, the player whose name will once again get a lot of buzz is Andre Dawson. Last year Dawson received 67% of the vote, falling a tad-short of the required 75%. Over the past few years we’ve heard many good reasons why Dawson, aka “The Hawk”, deserves to be enshrined in Cooperstown. <br /><br />Personally, I believe his career numbers and his philanthropy off the field are reasons enough for his induction, but if the BBWAA aren’t yet convinced then maybe putting one statistic in perspective may be the last hurdle they need to clear.<br /><br />We’ve all heard of these “milestone clubs” that automatically put players in the Hall of Fame. Two of the most famous are the 3000-hit club and the 300-win club. However, there are some clubs that don’t get much attention but if we study them closely—they too can mean automatic enshrinement. And what I like about these clubs is that they manifest themselves directly from the voting patterns of the voters. In other words, every player who has accomplished the feat has been elected to the Hall of Fame.<br /><br />One of these exclusive clubs is the 2700-400 Club (2700 hits, 400 home runs). Every single eligible player in major league history that has accomplished these two milestones is in the Hall of Fame, except, you guessed it, Andre Dawson.<br /><br />The chart below demonstrates my above point:<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4MXohE9I/AAAAAAAAAQA/tTXU2c5D4SY/s1600-h/400-2700-Club.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4MXohE9I/AAAAAAAAAQA/tTXU2c5D4SY/s400/400-2700-Club.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414021855950476242" /></a><strong>Notes:</strong> Ken Griffey, Jr. is the only active player who has achieved the milestone and it is safe to say he’s a future Hall of Famer. Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro are not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame. In their cases it’s safe to say that if the dark cloud of the steroids scandal wasn’t hanging over their heads, they too would be sure-fire Hall of Famers.<br /><br />So as we can see from the iconic names on this exclusive list, 2700-400 is not any easy milestone to achieve.<br /><br />To further prove my point—let’s look into the future to see which active players are approaching 2700 hits and 400 home runs. The chart below shows all the active players with at least 1700 hits and 250 home runs. I highlighted in yellow the players I believe have a realistic chance or even an outside chance at 2700-400. But of course, everyone can make their own determinations.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4bnd1t9I/AAAAAAAAAQI/6gx32wPPGFg/s1600-h/BlogGraph1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SyJ4bnd1t9I/AAAAAAAAAQI/6gx32wPPGFg/s400/BlogGraph1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414022117898696658" /></a><strong>Notes:</strong> As we can see, I only highlighted the 8 players that I believe have a realistic or outside chance of achieving the milestone. And what do they all have in common? They are all potential future Hall of Famers.<br /><br />So the point is, 2700-400 are sure-proof numbers for Hall of Fame induction. 12 of the 15 retired players that have achieved the milestone are in the Hall of Fame. But remember, Palmeiro and Bonds are not yet eligible. So Dawson is the only eligible player not yet in. As for active players-- it’s safe to say, the ones who will reach the milestone are all going to be Hall of Fame worthy.<br /><br /><strong>So my message to the BBWAA:</strong> <br /><br />Study the 2700-400 Club. Once you see the names on the list, you’ll realize how special it is. Once you look at the active players, you’ll realize only the future Hall of Famers will enter the club because it’s a club only reachable by Hall of Famers. <br /><br />Andre Dawson is a member of this club.<br /><br />Stats and charts courtesy of baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-72173785650930420182009-12-06T17:07:00.000-08:002009-12-07T10:46:49.811-08:00The Andre Dawson for the Hall of Fame Official Ballot Assessment<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SxylqrS8kHI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/SkiC6IcHMho/s1600-h/HOF-Candidates.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SxylqrS8kHI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/SkiC6IcHMho/s400/HOF-Candidates.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412383004787773554" /></a>I’ve read probably 100 articles/blog posts in the past two weeks dissecting this year’s Hall of Fame ballot candidates. Funny thing is I can’t get enough of reading everyone’s different point of views. Below is my perspective on the key candidates.<br /><br /><strong>But, first a few thoughts I want to get across on Andre’s candidacy.</strong><br /><br />1. Andre’s low career on-base% (OBP) shouldn’t keep him out of the Hall. OBP can be a misleading stat, if it is low than people assume you weren’t on base enough to give your team a chance of winning. But, I think people tend to forget that things like sacrifice flies don’t count in the OBP formula, but they can affect an outcome of game as much or even more than taking a walk. For example, a man on third base, one out, Andre is up at the plate. He could go deep in the count and walk, keep the inning alive and raise his OBP. The next batter could ground into a double-play ending the inning without the run crossing. Or Andre could sacrifice fly, knock in a run and lower his OBP. Which outcome is better for his team? Andre is 10th all-time in sacrifice flies with 118.<br /><br />2. How many players have had at least 400 HRs, 300 SBs and 2,500 hits? Three and Andre is one of them. It is an accomplishment that Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, and Ted Williams never achieved.<br /><br /><strong>I just can’t see how you can keep Andre out!</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong>Onto the rest of the ballot:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Bert Blyleven –</strong> 287 wins, impressive, 250 losses, not so much. You got to feel bad for a guy who pitched for only 3 play-off teams in a 22-year career. His career win total, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts could pose a threat in tempting voters, but I think that close won/lost % hurts him in and is unlikely to jump Andre in the vote totals. Wouldn’t you like to see these two long-time balloters get in together though?<br /><br /><strong>Harold Baines –</strong> I love Harold Baines, so don’t get me wrong here. His career RBI total was slightly higher than Andre by playing one more season (1628 to 1591). He could hit, but couldn’t steal a base or field a position well and that won’t allow voters to put him in over Andre who could do both of those things really well.<br /><br /><strong>Lee Smith –</strong> What can you say about the guy who sat the saves bar for Trevor Hoffman and Marino Rivera to reach (478 saves)? Unfortunately the importance of the closer was coming in while Smith was going out. If he started his career five years later who knows? Biggest knock, more losses than wins (71-92). It would be great to see two former Cubs get in together in 2010, but only room for one I’m afraid this year and that’s The Hawk.<br /><br /><strong>Mark McGwire –</strong> Yeah, I’m not going to waste space on this one, aw crap, I just did!<br /><br /><strong>Jack Morris –</strong> Before I took a close look at his stats, I assumed because of Blyleven’s win total and reputation he was more qualified for the Hall than Morris. I was wrong, Blyleven’s does have 33 more wins (287 to 254), but Morris pitched 4 fewer seasons. However, Morris’ career ERA of 3.90 is higher than I like for a Hall of Fame pitcher and I think voters would feel the same; he won’t receive more votes than Andre.<br /><br /><strong>Tim Raines –</strong> If there was never a Rickey Henderson, Raines would be in the Hall of Fame by now, .294 avg., 808 SBs and 1571 runs. Raines was the 2nd best lead-off man in the 80s and didn’t self-promote how great he was (Rickey’s “I’m the Greatest!” speech). I truly hope that one day Raines and Dawson, who are best friends, are reunited in the Hall, but it won’t be this year.<br /><br /><strong>Alan Trammel –</strong> His 1987 season is the only season that really jumps out at me, (.343 avg., 28 HRs, 108 RBIs, 205 Hits, 109 Runs) well above his career averages. I just don’t know if I could put someone in the Hall for one outstanding season, a couple of really good seasons and the rest just good to average.<br /><br /><strong>Dave Parker –</strong> 339 HRs, 1493 RBIs, 2712 Hits, 1272 Runs, and 154 SBs, all lower than Andre’s totals. Sorry Cobra, but The Hawk is higher on the food chain and all-time totals, no threat here.<br /><br /><strong>Don Mattingly –</strong> If not for a shortened career by injuries, we wouldn’t even be discussing this, he would be in. Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame is based on career totals and not potential of what could have been. Donny Baseball won’t receive a call this year or any other year I’m afraid.<br /><br /><strong>Dale Murphy –</strong> See Parker’s comment, ditto.<br /><br /><br /><strong>The first-timers:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Roberto Alomar –</strong> If Alomar was an outfielder no. If he was a 1B, no. But he was a 2B, so yes he will get in. Does he get in before Andre, no. I think because of the type of hitter Alomar was, voters expected him to have gotten to that 3,000 hit plateau like a Rod Carew or Tony Gwynn. I think voters in 2010 are going to award two long time balloters which leaves Alomar waiting until 2011.<br /><br /><strong>Fred McGriff –</strong> The Crime Dog has similar numbers as Andre except for hits and stolen bases. If you put him in the hall on the first ballot, than questions are going to arise on why they didn’t Andre. Mr. Consistency will have to wait. <br /><br /><strong>Edgar Martinez –</strong> The best thing Edgar has going for him is his career average of .312, but I’m sorry he was primarily a DH and if you look at his numbers when he played 3B the only category that stands out was batting average. If fielding a position hampered him from hitting homeruns and knocking in runs, than in my opinion, he shouldn’t be considered one of the elite.<br /><br /><strong>Barry Larkin –</strong> During the 80s and 90s, Larkin played second fiddle to Cal Ripken offensively and Ozzie Smith defensively. Is he a first-year ballot Hall of Famer? I don’t think so, but possibly in the next couple of years.<br /><br /><strong>Andres Galarraga –</strong> The Big Cat was Montreal’s replacement in the line-up after Andre left for free agency. He was good at that time, but not HOF caliber until he moved to Colorado. You could make the argument playing in Colorado is like playing on steroids but he followed up with a great season in Atlanta before battling cancer. One of the arguments against Andre Dawson has been his strikeout to walks ratio, but Andres struck out almost 500 more times while walking almost the identical amount (2003/583 to Andre’s 1509/589).<br /><br /><strong>Ellis Burks –</strong> Burks had one memorable season (1996) and wasn’t considered one of the game’s best during his career, so why would he be considered one of the all-time best players?<br /><br /><strong>Robin Ventura –</strong> When I think of Ventura, I think of a guy who got his butt handed to him by a pitcher (Nolan Ryan) almost twice his age when he charged the mound one time. Shouldn’t I remember more? Hall of Shame, yes, Hall of Fame, no.<br /><br />The other first timers won’t probably reach the 5% necessary to stay on the ballot for next year and this post is already long enough so I won’t continue. If you have read this whole thing, thanks! <br /><br /><strong>My assessment, it will be Andre and a pitcher, most likely Blyleven with Morris or Smith being the longshots that will be the 2010 HOF inductions. </strong><br /><br />Agree, disagree, let me know…..<br /><br />Resource: www.baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-40871440699063538052009-11-30T15:42:00.000-08:002009-11-30T16:35:33.786-08:00Hear this BBWA Voters, Look at the Man Behind the Numbers!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SxRj7yn1HjI/AAAAAAAAAOY/C1n_b6tKQlg/s1600/Andre-Marlins.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 212px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SxRj7yn1HjI/AAAAAAAAAOY/C1n_b6tKQlg/s320/Andre-Marlins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410058931231071794" /></a>Last week was a special week, besides being Thanksgiving, the Hall of Fame ballots were released to Baseball Writers of America (BBWA) voters. Voting results will be announced on January 6th. <br /><br />Of course this is Andre's eighth, and hopefully final, time on the ballot.<br /><br />I believe Andre's career statistics are reason enough for him to be inducted into the hall, its hard to tell if enough of the voters this year feel that way too, but if not, then they should look at the man behind the numbers if they need that final push to vote for him.<br /><br />Anyone who has followed The Hawk's career knows how much effort he put into each and every game he played and his passion for being a role model to kids. <br /><br />Last Tuesday, Andre gained the support of 500 more people I imagine when he represented the Florida Marlins along with pitcher Anibal Sanchez in handing out almost 500 turkeys to families in need in the Miami area at the Orange Bowl.*<br /><br />That's the great thing about Andre; his caring nature didn't stop when he stepped off of the playing field for the last time. He has continued to speak to children in youth baseball programs, raise money for charitable causes and be a valuable member of the Miami community. <br /><br />If negative traits such as gambling and steroid use can keep a player out, then why can't positive ones be a deciding factor of letting a player in? <br /><br /><strong>BBWA voters - if you're going to punish the bad, then reward the good!</strong><br /><br />I wonder if anyone asked Andre to autograph their turkey.<br /><br />*www.florida.marlins.mlb.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-57358511684416934792009-11-20T21:48:00.000-08:002009-11-20T23:12:16.952-08:00Andre's Biggest Games - 11 Games of 5 RBIs or More<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SweSZRZ58lI/AAAAAAAAANo/Ay75-eoZX3o/s1600/5RBIs-Dawson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 243px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/SweSZRZ58lI/AAAAAAAAANo/Ay75-eoZX3o/s400/5RBIs-Dawson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406450840548012626" /></a><strong>Hall of Fame players have big games; they can carry an offense and intimidate a pitching staff on any given day, which was often the case in Andre's career. He had 11 games during his career of at least 5 RBIs or more.* </strong><br /><br />1977, July 4th - vs. Chicago Cubs, Won 19-3<br />Game Stats: In 6 ABs - 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 3 Hits, and 2 Runs <br /><br />1985, April 27th - vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Won 8-3<br />Game Stats: In 5 ABs - 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 4 Hits and 2 Runs<br /><br />1985, Sept. 24th - vs. Cubs, Won 17-15<br />Game Stats: In 6 ABs - 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, 4 Hits and 3 Runs<br /><em>(Became 2nd player in history to hit 2 home runs in same inning, pair of 3-run shots in the 5th inning.)</em><br /><br />1987, June 1st - vs. Houston Astros, Lost 5-6<br />Game Stats: In 5 ABs - 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 2 Hits and 2 Runs<br /><br />1987, June 2nd - vs. Houston Astros, Won 13-2<br />Game Stats: In 5 ABs - 2 HRs, 7 RBIs, 2 Hits and 2 Runs<br /><br />1987, Aug. 1st - vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Won 5-3<br />Game Stats: In 4 ABs - 3 HRs, 5 RBIs, 3 Hits and 3 Runs<br /><br />1988, May 3rd - vs. San Diego Padres, Won 13-5<br />Game Stats: In 4 ABs - 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 3 Hits and 2 Runs<br /><br />1990, Aug. 4th - vs. Montreal Expos, Won 10-2<br />Game Stats: In 4 ABs - 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 Hits and 1 Run<br /><br />1991, April 21 - vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, Lost 12-13<br />Game Stats: In 6 ABs - 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 3 Hits and 1 Run<br /><br />1992, May 2nd - vs. Cincinnati Reds, Won 10-3<br />Game Stats: In 5 ABs - 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 Hits and 2 Runs<br /><br />1995, Aug. 16 - vs. Atlanta Braves, Won 8-5<br />Game Stats: In 4 ABs - 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 3 Hits and 2 Runs<br /><br />Ask any pitcher that faced The Hawk in those 11 games and I bet they would tell you that he should be in the Hall of Fame without a doubt!<br /><br />* www.baseball-reference.comCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210898786382930925.post-49368971319088022262009-11-12T20:47:00.000-08:002009-11-12T22:39:54.252-08:00A Closer Look at Andre's 1983 Season<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Svz3ADEffeI/AAAAAAAAANI/pqBjC4VSZFE/s1600-h/1983-Dawson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 151px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oLLvMaDDdVk/Svz3ADEffeI/AAAAAAAAANI/pqBjC4VSZFE/s400/1983-Dawson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403465233133960674" /></a>In 1983 unemployment in the US rose to 12 million, highest total since 1941 (sound familiar?), the final episode of M*A*S*H aired setting a record of 125 million watchers, and The Hawk was setting records of his own for the Montreal Expos.*<br /><br />I've mentioned it before in a previous post that in my opinion, Andre's 1983 season was probably his best all-around offensive season. So good that I think we should revisit that season with a closer look.<br /><br />Here's the numbers The Hawk put up that year in 159 games:<br />32 - HRs, 113 - RBIs, 189 Hits, 104 Runs, .299 Avg., 25 SBs, 36 2Bs, 10 3Bs, 341 TBs<br /><br /><strong>What stands out about these numbers and that 1983 season?</strong><br /><br />1. Was the first Expos to have at least 30 HRs, 30 2Bs, 100 RBIs, and 100 Runs in a season. Only two other players in Expos/Nationals franchise history have achieved this, Vladimir Guerrero and Ryan Zimmerman.<br /><br />2. Led the league that year in hits, total bases, sacrifice flies (18), extra base hits (78) and hit by pitch (9). Finished 10th in batting average, 2nd in slugging %, 3rd in runs, 5th in doubles, 3rd in triples, 3rd in homeruns, 7th in times on bases and 6th in at-bats per homerun (19.781).**<br /><br />3. Set single-season club records at that time for home runs (32, now seventh), RBI (113, now fourth), extra base hits (78, now seventh), and sacrifice flies (18, still first)***<br /><br />4. Had to expand his trophy case in the off-season after winning his fourth consecutive Gold Glove and third Silver Slugger awards. Almost added an MVP trophy as well, coming in 2nd in voting.<br /><br />1983 was just one of several seasons that made Andre a Hall of Fame caliber player. But, no other season I think was a better indication of the 5-tool player he was and how dominate he was in the early 80s.<br /><br />* www.thepeoplehistory.com<br />** www.baseball-reference.com<br />*** www.wikipedia.orgCharleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985079826894511952noreply@blogger.com1