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Fun Cards: “Baseball Immortals” Andre Dawson
“The Hawk” was a superstar in Montreal, but nobody knew it. Coming to Chicago in 1987 and receiving daily, national exposure on WGN, though, opened everyone’s eyes. Andre Dawson smashed 49 home runs in the Friendly Confines on his way to the 1987 NL MVP award, though the Cubs spent the season in the cellar. In 21 years, Dawson went deep 438 times while hitting .279. The writers foolishly passed over him for eight years before finally giving him the honor he earned on his ninth ballot.
Baseball cards from Orlando
I have been sitting on this post for absolutely no reason other than laziness. I bought a handful of fifty-cent packs when I was in Orlando at the beginning of the month, and scanned a handful of them, even uploaded the scans, but just haven’t been motivated to post them. I have nothing else planned for today, so let’s see what I got…
First up is Eric Davis from the 1987 Fleer Star Stickers set. These cards are very similar to the 1986 set, but with a green border instead of maroon. Either way, the border clashes with the red jersey.
The 1988 Fleer Star Stickers went with a gray border sprinkled with colorful stars. This Don Mattingly is the best card I pulled from that pack.
Back to 1987, and a pair of Reds in a pack: the best centerfielder and the best relief pitcher of the second half of the decade. John Franco is criminally underrated.
I bought a couple of packs of 1990 Donruss. Don’t look at me like that. I did not have any Grand Slammers cards, and I wanted a couple. I pulled the Todd Benzinger from one pack, and Will Clark from another. If I had found another pack with Bo Jackson on top, I would have bought that one too.
I did not know the 1992 Fleer “The Performer” cards came in packs of their own. I assumed they were inserts. In a five-card pack, I pulled Nolan Ryan and Frank Thomas. And probably some ‘roiders, I can’t remember now.
Art cards will always be my weakness. I’m not sure why I picked up a pack of 1992 Score, but I was happy to pull these bad boys.
Also from the same 1992 Score pack.
There it is. I knew there had to be something cool showing on the top of a 1992 Score pack for me to buy it, even at only fifty cents. Jim Thome is the man.
Kirby Puckett from 1996 Pinnacle Denny’s. Not sure why I bought this one-card pack. Oh well, at least it’s a Hall of Famer.
I have always wanted some Double Headers, but have never seen them in person. Vince Coleman is from 1990, while Wade Boggs and Andre Dawson are from 1989.
Think this candy is still good from 1991?
Finally, a couple of 1990 Baseball Buttons. I already have several of these, so I probably shouldn’t have bought them, but it was only fifty cents.
Fun Cards: 2012 “Taco Bell Softball” Andre Dawson
Consider the awesome nicknames in baseball history: The Hammer. The Cobra. The Babe. The Hawk. You can’t deny the awesomeness of those monikers. Today’s nicknames just don’t measure up.
The Hawk, also known as Andre Dawson, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010 after nine years on the ballot. I have to admit that I’m surprised it took him so long to get in, with a .279 batting average, 438 homers and 1591 RBI. His 1987 season was one for the ages, at least in the context of when he played: 49 home runs and 137 RBI for the cellar dwellin’ Cubbies.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Retired Numbers: #10
This group includes a few of the most hotly debated Hall of Famers in Dawson, Rizzuto, and Santo.
Dick Howser, Kansas City Royals
The first person honored with a retired number by the Royals, Howser led the team to a championship in 1985. As the manager of the league champion, Howser was named the manager of the 1986 AL All-Star squad. That would be his final game as he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and could no longer perform his duties. He attempted a comeback in 1987, but was too weak. He passed in June 1987.
Andre Dawson, Montreal Expos
Phil Rizzuto, New York Yankees
Ron Santo, Chicago Cubs
Rusty Staub, Montreal Expos
Sparky Anderson, Cincinnati Reds
Ichiro’s pre-MLB days; a pantsless Psycho; a heated Hawk
While browsing YouTube this morning, I came across some neat videos of Ichiro Suzuki batting against MLB pitchers while still in Japan.
I also found Steve “Psycho” Lyons dropping his pants…
…and Andre Dawson going batty after a bad call…
I love how Dawson says the ump was being unprofessional during the post-game interview. Hello, kettle! Meet the pot!
YouTube is so awesome!
The significance of the first-ballot Hall of Famer
The results were just announced a couple of days ago, and Andre Dawson was the only player chosen by the BBWAA to enter the Hall of Fame in 2010. It was Dawson’s ninth year on the ballot. Some are grousing about his lack of qualifications, while others are ecstatic that he is finally in. To me, Dawson is a Hall of Famer. He was one of the heroes of my childhood due to his exposure on WGN, and it’s hard to erase childhood memories even when statistics are hurled at you.
Another complaint I have seen on several blogs is the concept of “first ballot Hall of Famers.” The line of thought is, “How can someone be a Hall of Famer next year, but not this year? If you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer plain-and-simple!” While there is merit to this, I can understand the line of thinking of those who refuse to vote for certain players on their first ballot. The idea is that a first ballot induction is somewhat of a higher honor, and it is. Sure, there were oversights (Ryne Sandberg, Carlton Fisk), and there were some who got in on their first ballot that really didn’t deserve it (Paul Molitor? Seriously?), but in an imperfect system it’s a reasonable line of thought.
That’s why I don’t really have a problem with Alomar waiting a year, and Larkin a couple of years. I’m surprised that Alomar was not elected (especially after the Paul Molitor debacle), but not offended. He’ll get in next year, along with Blyleven, and while that may take a potential vote away from Larkin, I’m confident Barry will be inducted in 2012 or 2013.
Here are my predictions of Hall inductees for the next several years (* = first ballot, ** = final year of eligibility):
2011: Alomar, Blyleven
2012: Larkin
2013: Craig Biggio*, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez
2014: Greg Maddux*, Tom Glavine*, Frank Thomas*
2015: Randy Johnson*, Tim Raines
2016: Ken Griffey, Jr.* (assuming he retires after this season), Mike Mussina
2017: John Smoltz (assuming he retires after this season), Lee Smith**
Bagwell may squeeze through in 2012 on his first try, but to me he just doesn’t qualify as a first ballot Hall of Famer if you are going to limit it to the greatest of the great (Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn). And I’m still not sold on Edgar, but I do believe he will pick up enough steam over the next few years.
2014 will be interesting – all three are more than deserving of first ballot status, but when is the last time three guys went in on their first try in the same year? It’s only happened once (excluding 1936, the first year of voting). You have to go back to 1999 – Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount – just barely. Ryan and Brett both received more than 98% of the vote; Yount got just 77.5%.
Thomas’ latter years may hurt him, but he should still go in on the first ballot with at least 80%. Glavine should also receive at least 80%, although if the writers look back at history and see that Warren Spahn only received 83.2%, a few might hold back their votes. Maddux, on the other hand, should receive 100%. He won’t, but he should. Any writer who fails to vote for Maddux should have his voting rights stripped, taken out into the street and be publicly flogged.
2015 is the year I have Raines finally getting in. The writers have to wake up eventually, right?
The Big Unit will cruise in, as will Junior (I’m assuming he retires after this season). The Moose will have to wait a couple years, and Lee Smith will get in during his final year of eligibility.
You might notice that I didn’t use any statistics in this post, other than the voting percentages that Hall of Famers received. I’m not anti-stat; I think stats are great. But I just get overwhelmed with all the new stuff that has picked up steam in this internet age. WHIP, WAR, Win Shares, OPS+…I don’t understand half of them. I’m more of a counting stat guy. And yeah, I know Molitor had 3k hits. But he still shouldn’t have been in on the first ballot.
The Hawk flies high
So the Hall of Fame vote was released today, and “The Hawk” was the only player who got the required 75% for election. Blyleven fell five votes short; Alomar was eight votes shy of induction. I still don’t get the aversion to voting for Bert. I guess the Alomar snub had something to do with the spitting incident. Larkin’s 50% is a good start; I predict 2012 to be his year. Raines only got 30%…I don’t get that. And don’t even get me started on Dale Murphy. Seriously, don’t.
For those who did not receive the required 5% to stay on the ballot for next year…I’m not surprised. None of them should receive serious consideration for Cooperstown. It’s a great achievement to play in the Major Leagues, and they should be very proud of that.
Here’s the breakdown of the vote:
Andre Dawson 420 (77.9%)
Bert Blyleven 400 (74.2%)
Roberto Alomar 397 (73.7%)
Jack Morris 282 (52.3%)
Barry Larkin 278 (51.6%)
Lee Smith 255 (47.3%)
Edgar Martinez 195 (36.2%)
Tim Raines 164 (30.4%)
Mark McGwire 128 (23.7%)
Alan Trammell 121 (22.4%)
Fred McGriff 116 (21.5%)
Don Mattingly 87 (16.1%)
Dave Parker 82 (15.2%)
Dale Murphy 63 (11.7%)
Harold Baines 33 (6.1%)
Andres Galarraga 22 (4.1%)
Robin Ventura 7 (1.3%)
Ellis Burks 2 (0.4%)
Eric Karros 2 (0.4%)
Kevin Appier 1 (0.2%)
Pat Hentgen 1 (0.2%)
David Segui 1 (0.2%)
Mike Jackson 0
Ray Lankford 0
Shane Reynolds 0
Todd Zeile 0
Scanning cards of my favorite players
I’ve just updated the Players I Collect page with checklists and a few scans. I have several more to scan, and will probably try to get around to some of them this week. But I thought I would highlight a few of my absolute favorites here on the main page. Read the rest of this entry
400
Only five players who are eligible for the Hall of Fame have hit 400 or more career home runs without being elected. Only two of those are still on the ballot. Of course, this number will go up in years to come, if others accused of using PEDs become eligible (Palmeiro, Sosa, Bonds, etc.) fail to garner enough support for election. Here’s a run-down of the current five:
1. Mark McGwire – With 583 home runs, good for eighth on the all-time list, the steroid allegations have hit McGwire the hardest so far. The only one on this list who was considered a shoo-in prior to the scandal, he is struggling to receive even a quarter of the votes needed. Only time will tell if the voters’ stance will soften and let McGwire in. If he makes it, expect Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens to follow him in. Should he fall off the ballot, then he will be counting on the Veterans Committee, most of whom are against the idea of the enshrinement of supposed cheaters (at least to this degree).
2. Jose Canseco – The other “bash brother” from Oakland played longer than he should have, trying to reach the formerly magical number of 500. He ended up with 462. He is also known as the first 40 homer/40 stolen base man, and was a major part of Oakland’s 1988-1990 successes. Jose is still trying to get to 500, apparently playing in independent leagues and trying to catch the eyes of major league teams to give him another look. Hey, I hear Tampa Bay is looking at Barry Bonds…how about giving Jose a shot? (No, not that kind of shot.) Canseco was on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2007, but only received 6 votes.
3. Dave Kingman – “King Kong” was a monster at the plate…when he made contact. He led the league in homers twice, finishing second 4 other times. He was voted in to start the All-Star game twice, and was selected a third time by the All-Star manager. Despite his power, Kingman struck out a lot and finished with a .236 career batting average. In his sole appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot (1992), Kingman received only 3 votes (0.7%).
4. Andre Dawson – “The Hawk” toiled for eleven years in Montreal before hitting the national spotlight in 1987 with the Chicago Cubs, when he hit 49 round-trippers. That was good for a National League MVP award, despite the Cubs’ last place finish and a very solid season by Cardinals’ slugger Jack Clark. Dawson’s 438 career dingers have garnered him serious consideration on the Hall of Fame ballot, receiving at least 50% each year except his first. In 2008, he was third on the list with 65.8%, behind Goose Gossage and Jim Rice.
5. Darrell Evans – The last man on the list was the most surprising to me. I never thought of Evans as a power hitter, though he lead the American League in 1985 with 40 homers. Evans was only twice selected for the All-Star game (1973 and 1983), and never finished in the top 10 for MVP voting. He finished his career in 1989 with 414 longballs, but his .248 career batting average undoubtedly ruined his call to Cooperstown. Like Kingman and Canseco, Evans was only on the ballot once, pulling in eight votes in 1995.
Perhaps in a few years we will need a post dedicated to players with 500 career home runs who are not in the Hall. However, they will be locked out for a much different reason than some of these guys.
