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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2010 > February > 12 > Entry
Dawson: The quiet, modest Hall of Famer
UNDER THE WORDS humble, shy, modest and quiet in any American dictionary there should be a reference: “See Baseball Encyclopedia, Andre Dawson.”
Baseball’s newest Hall of Famer was in Cincinnati this week and I was fortunate to be able to introduce Dawson at a function at the Green Diamond Gallery.
The what? The Green Diamond Gallery, that’s what. It is an amazing place, a private collection of astounding baseball memorabilia owned by former Daytonian Bob Crotty. I’ve seen museums and private collections before, but Crotty’s is second only to the Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown.
For a baseball fan, the place is truly breathtaking. My mouth doesn’t drop open for too much involving baseball - I’ve seen a lot in my 37 years of covering major-league baseball - but the moment I stepped into Green Diamond Gallery I knew I was in a special place.
ANYWAY, DAWSON was the speaker this week. I’ve know Dawson for a long time and I knew he was humble, modest, shy and soft-spoken, but he captivated them at Green Diamond.
They asked a trivia question about Dawson that I didn’t know: Only two major-league players have hit home runs off both a father and a son. Dawson is one. Who did he hit them against? Answer at the bottom.
I’ve known Dawson fairly well because he is tight with Tony Perez. Both now work for the Marlins and when you see one you see the other. They are like baseball bookends, baseball Siamese twins.
After the announcement that Dawson made it this year, he said his first call was from Perez, who said, “We finally got it done.”
It was the 10th time Dawson was on the ballot (I voted for him every year he was eligible) and he said the previous eight times he was hopeful he would make it and then disappointed when the call didn’t come.
This year he said he was not expecting the best.
“For the first time in my life I visited the graves of my grandmother and mother on the day of the announcement,” he said. “I left there humbled and at peace. I was, for the first time, prepared for if the call didn’t come. I did say before I left the cemetery, ‘I might do something today that neither of you would ever, ever expect.’”
And then the call came.
I COVERED NEARLY all the games Dawson played against the Reds, from his Rookie of the Year season in Montreal in 1977 to his MVP year in Chicago in 1987. I saw him beat up on the Reds time after time after time, always doing it with grace and class.
“When I began playing this game, I never once thought about the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I only wanted to play the game.”
He wanted to play so badly that when he became a free agent in 1987, he wanted to get out of Montreal and off the hard, hard AstroTurf of Olympic Stadium, turf that forced him to have knee surgeries 12 times.
It was the time of ownership collusion and Dawson wasn’t inundated with offers. So he signed a blank contract with the Cubs, told them to fill in the numbers, “And I’ll stand up to it like a man.” They filled in $500,000 (Dawson made $1.2 million the year before with the Expos) and the Cubs acquired an MVP for $500,000.
“Not quite,” Dawson said with a grin. “I had some incentives and made most of them and ended up making $1 million, just $200,000 less than the year before.”
ALL DURING his days with the Expos, he was outrushed for publicity by catcher Gary Carter, the media’s darling because Carter always looked for attention, while Dawson preferred anonymity. Dawson laughed and said, “When Pete Rose came to Montreal, he nicknamed Carter ‘Lights, Camera, Action.’”
There was one time I saw Dawson lose his cool and it was in Wrigley Field. My wife, Nadine, and stepson, Chad, were attending their first game at Wrigley and had cherry seats, front row behind the Cubs dugout.
Dawson was called out on strikes, a horrible call. It was a ball. He protested vehemently and was ejected. When he reached the dugout, he took every bat out of the rack and flung them onto the field. When the bat rack was empty, he tossed the big orange Gatorade cooler.
That didn’t draw much attention because on the same night Chicago’s Doug Dascenzo dropped a bunt down the first base line. Reds’ pitcher Rob Dibble knew he couldn’t throw out Dascenzo, so he threw the ball at Dasecenzo’s legs, sparking an on-field GMA. What’s GMA? That’s a baseball fight - mostly general milling around.
BECAUSE HE played for 10 years in Montreal, the Hall of Fame chose to put an Expos hat on Dawson’s head for his plaque. “All the teams I played for will be on the plaque and I must admit I had a better time playing in Chicago. I was runnerup for MVP twice in Montreal and I knew I’d never win it playing there. Then I won it my first year in Chicago. I had a love affair with Cubs fans.”
Dawson was the first player to win the MVP while playing on a last place team.
And he had some interesting thoughts on some controversial subjects:
ON STEROIDS and their users: “Steroid were very damaging and they altered the history of the game. As for some who have come clean, they did it way too late and should have come clean at the very beginning.”
ON WHO HE would like to see in the Hall of Fame: “Dave Parker and Dale Murphy. Tim Raines was the Rickey Henderson of the National League. Bert Blyleven, Lee Smith and Jack Morris.”
The answer to the trivia question: Pedro Borbon and Pedro Borbon Jr.
AND IT’S TIME to think about those Ask Hal questions. The Ask Hal column will begin appearing in the Dayton Daily News February 21, so I need questions. Send them to halmccoy@hotmail.com.
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By Larry Starr
March 6, 2010 12:11 PM | Link to this
Hal, I was fortunate to have known all three of the gentlemen in your column - “Hawk”, “Doggie” and yourself - three Hall of Famers! All well deserved! Larry Starr Cincinnati Reds 1971-1992
By Ralphie
February 25, 2010 1:19 PM | Link to this
I would love to visit the Green Diamond Gallery but with a $500 membership requirment I won’t be doing so any time soon (nor sitting in 4th row behind home plate).
By DUH
February 16, 2010 9:18 PM | Link to this
He’s out having dinner?
By Bob
February 15, 2010 11:29 AM | Link to this
How is Bert Blyleven not in the Hall Of Fame
By Ronny Shumaker
February 15, 2010 9:04 AM | Link to this
The Green Diamond Gallery is the most awesome baseball museum I have ever seen with the exception of Cooperstown. I was fortunate enough to go there and hear Wade Boggs speak. Few people know it even exists and it’s in our own backyard. Thanks for your work.
By andyw
February 15, 2010 5:17 AM | Link to this
After reading you blog, Your blog is very useful for me .I bookmarked your blog! Wishes your valentine day to be joyful!
By Steve F
February 14, 2010 10:25 AM | Link to this
Great article Hal, I always think of Dawson as an Expo. Andre and Tim Raines always seem to beat up on the Reds. Raines running around the bases on a triple was a work of art.
By JK
February 13, 2010 2:06 PM | Link to this
What’s the other combination of father/son pitchers who gave up a home run to the same batter?
By Cubs Fan
February 13, 2010 11:36 AM | Link to this
I hope Dawson knows those loving feelings were mutual. I never got to see him play, but he’s a Cubs legend. So glad to see him finally get the call.
By jmiller
February 12, 2010 10:58 PM | Link to this
Andre Dawson has always been a class act; so glad he’s in the HOF.