Andre Dawson's request to vary Expos cap on Corridor plaque 'shot within the intestine'

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Andre Dawson’s want to have the cap on his Corridor of Fame plaque modified from a Montreal Expos emblem to a Chicago Cubs one was a “shot within the intestine” for Perry Giannias.

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The 69-year-old Dawson made headlines Tuesday when he advised the Chicago Tribune that he despatched a letter to Baseball Corridor of Fame chair Jane Forbes Clark asking to vary the cap. Having an Expos emblem on his plaque is a call he had disagreed with courting again to his entry into the corridor again in 2010.

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“Andre had made that clear again within the day when he acquired elected. However I believed it form of handed. So after I learn that article yesterday, I’m not going to lie, it form of was like a shot within the intestine,” Giannias, the president of Expos Fest, a gala that celebrates the crew’s historical past, mentioned on the cellphone from Montreal.

“Simply jogged my memory that he had these emotions. So I suppose they haven’t modified and I perceive. I’ve recognized Andre for a very long time and generally, you understand, whenever you become old, you need your legacy to replicate the way in which you’re feeling. And I believe that’s what that is all about.”

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Dawson is considered one of three Corridor of Famers whose plaques have an Expos cap, alongside former teammates Tim Raines and the late Gary Carter.

Carter expressed a want to have a New York Mets cap on his plaque in 2003.

Gamers might make the choice by the 2001 induction, and the corridor took over the choice forward of the 2002 vote.

The change adopted reviews in 1999 that Tampa Bay supplied to compensate the newly retired Wade Boggs if his plaque bore a Satan Rays emblem. Boggs was inducted in 2005 and his plaque has a Boston Purple Sox emblem.

However Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff have been apparently in a position to make their very own alternative when inducted earlier this yr.

“Whereas the Corridor of Fame gives steerage to every new inductee as to which emblem, if any, could also be represented on the cap of his plaque, the Corridor of Fame retains the ultimate say,” a spokesman for the Corridor of Fame mentioned.

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“As a historical past museum, the plaque’s historic accuracy is paramount, and that features the brand is mirrored on the plaque. All groups are listed within the textual content of the plaque.”

Dawson spent the primary 11 of his 21-year profession in Montreal, the place he loved a lot of his success as a professional.

Between 1976 and 1986, Dawson was named Nationwide League rookie of the yr and earned three of his eight profession all-star appearances, six of his eight Gold Glove awards and three of his 4 Silver Slugger awards.

Dawson left for Chicago in free company, the place he spent six seasons. His stint with the Cubs was highlighted by his 1987 marketing campaign, through which he led the NL in residence runs and RBIs en path to successful NL MVP.

He then spent two years with the Boston Purple Sox and two extra with the then-Florida Marlins to conclude his profession.

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Giannias says Dawson’s exit from Montreal might have a task in his want to modify caps. Dawson has mentioned he felt he was “pressured out” of Montreal and had hassle discovering a crew in free company in 1986, doubtless as a consequence of what was later dominated to be collusion amongst baseball house owners to limit participant motion.

“I simply know what everyone else is aware of, is the way in which he left the Expos,” he mentioned. “While you speak in regards to the stars of the Montreal Expos, particularly within the ’80s, … and within the 35 years (of their existence) generally, it’s Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and Gary Carter, proper?

“So, when Carter moved on, after they removed him, the prodigal son ought to have been Andre and the way in which they handled him in the course of the collusion factor (Dawson , … that was actually soiled. I don’t know if someone forgets that. Clearly, that performs a task in it.

“However I don’t consider it’s acquired a lot to do about that anymore, however simply his love for Chicago, as a result of Chicago embraced him, like straight away and he’s had an awesome relationship with the town ever since. So I believe it’s much less of a grudge and extra of an appreciation for his adopted metropolis, he’s an envoy there.”

— With recordsdata from The Related Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Nov. 29, 2023.

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