One player got elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame this year: Expos and Cubs slugger Andre Dawson. By all accounts, Dawson is one of the classiest, nicest people to have played the game. I can support this with a sort-of-funny story; my best friend's wife, before they were married, was riding up the elevator in her building in Chicago, and a well dressed African American man got in with some luggage. Being a very sweet person herself, she politely struck up conversation with the gentleman, inquiring if he was moving in, to which he replied that he was, that he worked in Chicago in the summer, but lived in Florida in the winter. She asked him, what kind of a job do you have that allows you to do that? "I play baseball," he replied. "Oh? For who?" "The Chicago Cubs. I'm Andre Dawson."

My friend's wife was a little embarrassed that she didn't recognize him, but she said it almost seemed like he was refreshed by the situation, that for once someone was being nice to him with obviously NO CLUE who he was!

Anyway, Mr. Dawson had a nice career. He played his years at Wrigley with bad knees, but still put up some impressive numbers, including those in his MVP season with an awful club. He had similar numbers in Montreal, where he played in Jarry (sp?) Park and in the Olympic Stadium, both of which by all accounts were terrible baseball venues. Not exactly hitters' paradises, but Dawson still excelled. He was one of those fabled 5 tool guys who put it all together on the field. (Plenty of those toolsy-types don't make very good baseball players.)

When I was watching him, I never thought about it like I was watching a future Hall of Famer. I don't know if he belongs, but with the players who have been getting in lately, he certainly holds up well against them. With ARod's and Barry Bonds' descent into the steroid scandals, I don't know if we'll ever see guys who definitely belong in the Hall again.

Anyway, congrats to Andre Dawson. Even though I'm a Cubs fan, I hope he goes in with an Expos' hat on, because that's where he played the majority of his prime years and where he excelled and excited fans (or at least what fans the Expos had) for the longest time.