Andre Dawson makes Hall of Fame: Red Sox fans celebrate?

January 6, 4:40 PMBoston Baseball ExaminerSteve Weissman

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Newest Hall of Famer and two-year
Red Sox Andre Dawson wrote the
book on playing the game right.

It’s not quite the a stretch as rooting for the Atlanta Braves or Washington Redskins because they once played in Boston, but Red Sox fans can delight in the fact that Andre Dawson today was elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame. The only candidate this year to be listed on the required 75% of ballots cast, “Hawk” played two years for the Sox (1993 and ’94), batting only .260 while posting an abysmal on-base percentage of .297 and an OPS of .738 during his time here.

In his heyday, however, Dawson was a force, hitting .279 and amassing 438 homers and 1,591 RBIs over 21 years. Rookie of the Year for the Montreal Expos in 1977 and National League MVP for the Chicago Cubs in 1987, he was an 8-time All Star and won eight Gold Gloves. And for two years, he was one of ours, playing in a lineup that went a combined 130-143 and featured such notables as Tony Pena, Mo Vaughn, Scott Fletcher, Billy Hatcher, and the immortal “Q” himself, Carlos Quintana.

Good times? Not really. But it was a pleasure to see a pro like Dawson don the Crimson Hose, even if he no longer was himself.

Congratulations, Hawk. You survived the Expos, collusion, and a pair of wrecked knees, and if you’ll allow us to, we’ll gladly honor you as one of our own.