Hall of Fame welcomes Hawk

NEW YORK -- Andre Dawson got up at 6 a.m. and went to the gym. Before going back home, he took a detour from his usual routine on the day Hall of Fame voting was announced.

"I went by a cemetery to visit my mom and also my grandmother," he said. "It's the first time I had done that. I just felt a little bit more optimistic about this year, and I just wanted to share a few things at that grave site. It meant a lot to me to get out there."

Dawson's faith was rewarded a few hours later Wednesday when he was elected to the Hall in his ninth try. He was the only player honored, as Bert Blyleven fell five votes short and Roberto Alomar finished eight shy.

Dawson received 420 of 539 votes in results announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election. The eight-time All-Star outfielder was 44 votes short last year.

"If you're a Hall of Famer, eventually you're going to get in no matter how long it takes," Dawson said during a telephone conference call. "As I sit here, the only thing I can think of is that it was well worth the wait."

He credited mom Mattie Brown and grandmother Eunice Taylor for teaching him to work hard with dedication and determination. He cried as he arrived at the cemetery, and thanked his mother for raising eight children without a father in the house. He hoped he made them proud.

"I told her, 'I love you. I miss you. I wish you were alive so I could tell you that,'" he remembered saying.

While they never saw him play in person, fearing he'd get hurt, they tracked his career from a distance.

"There were some instances where I may have made myself look like a fool out there on the field with some confrontations with the umpires," Dawson said. "I would get a call immediately. And you know, the question was: 'Who do you think you are and what do you think you're doing?' And that, you know, kind of humbled me to a degree."

Dawson hit 438 homers with 1,591 RBIs in a career that spanned from 1976 to 1996. Nicknamed "The Hawk," he was voted NL Rookie of the Year in 1977 with Montreal and NL Most Valuable Player in 1987 with the Chicago Cubs, the first member of a last-place team to earn that prize.

"It gave me new life, playing on a natural surface after playing in Montreal on artificial surface for 10 years," he said.

Joined by Barry Bonds and Willie Mays as the only players with 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases, Dawson also spent time with Boston and Florida. He never made it to the World Series.

A victim of owners' conspiracy against free agents after he left the Expos, Dawson signed a blank contract with the Cubs during spring training. Then-general manager Dallas Green filled in the dollar amount of $500,000, making Dawson the second-lowest paid regular on the team.

Known for his strong arm in right field, he had a .279 career average and 314 steals, playing through 12 knee operations. He's already had two knee replacements and may need another.

He will be inducted July 25 at Cooperstown along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, elected last month by the Veterans Committee.