Surprise Surprise, The Hall Of Fame Gets It Wrong

Despite his very public preference to go in as a Cub, Andre Dawson's HOF plaque will see him wearing an Expos cap. This is all Wade Boggs's fault. (Really.)

I suppose baseball decided it was less embarrassing for him to wear the logo of a nonexistent team than that of the Cubs. Dawson expressed his displeasure today on Chicago radio:

He said he wanted a chance to tell them "what really catapulted me to Hall of Fame status and pretty much what my preference was but I think their decision had been made. It was a little gut-wrenching for me to hear that but it's their decision."

"I'm disappointed," Dawson told the ESPN Radio affiliate. "I can proudly say that because Chicago was my preference."

Dawson told WMVP he thought he "would have a little bit more input or I would carry or merit some sort of weight" as to whether he would go into the hall as a Cub or Expo.

He spent more time in Montreal, so he naturally had better numbers there. But his average, slugging, and on-base percentages were all higher in Chicago. Basically, he became an All-Star as an Expo; he became a Hall-of-Famer in Chicago.

So, if it's a toss-up, why not let the player decide?

Wade Boggs, that's why. Players used to be able to select their cap. But after Boggs's retirement, rumors flew that the Devil Rays would pay him to don their logo, and in 2001 the HOF changed their rules. So Boggs is a Red Sox and Dawson an Expo, for all eternity.

Andre Dawson to enter Hall of Fame as Expo, prefers Cubs [AP]