Dawson Not Enshrined Soon Enough

I was happy to hear that the Baseball Writer's Association of America finally came to there senses and voted to induct Andre Dawson into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. This was Andre's 9th year of eligibility and as far as I'm concerned they made the "Hawk" wait a little too long. He was one of the great all around players not only of his generation but of all time. Dawson has long been an under appreciated player in my opinion. Let me throw some numbers at you just to put his accomplishments into context.

Dawson finished his career with more hits than either Lou Gehrig or Ted Williams. He drove in more runs than Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. He outhomered Duke Snider and Al Kaline. The Hawk possesed a very rare combination of power and speed. He is only one of three players ever with over 400 HR's and 300 stolen bases along with Willie Mays and Barry Bonds.

The aforementioned names put Dawson in some pretty good company, wouldn't you agree? But Dawson wasn't just about offensive numbers. The man could lay down some defense. Only 7 outfielders in history have more Gold Gloves than the 8 compiled by Dawson. Just for icing on the cake he mixed in a Rookie of the Year Award, an M.V.P. , and 4 Silver Sluggers.
Did I mention he was the only player ever to win an M.V.P. for a last place team? It takes a pretty good year to pull that off. But what I remember most about Dawson was how he came to the park ready to give 100% every day even if his sore knees weren't. So congratulations to Andre Dawson. After all these years the Hawk soars again.