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When former Cubs’ second baseman Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, he took time during his speech to single out former teammate Andre Dawson, who was in attendance that day.
``Andre is the best player I ever played with and deserves a spot on this stage,’’ Sandberg said then.
Dawson said last Friday he thinks Sandberg’s endorsement helped him gain election this year, his ninth on the ballot.
Dawson, the 1987 National League MVP, will be joined on the Induction stage on Sunday by manager Whitey Herzog, who led the Cardinals to a World Series title in 1982, and longtime umpire Doug Harvey.
ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller and longtime Daily News sports writer Bill Madden will also be honored during the ceremony, which begins at 1:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center.
Hall official Craig Muder said approximately 15,000 fans are expected to be in Cooperstown on Sunday as well as 48 returning Hall of Famers.
``I understand there are certain guys who have automatic numbers and you have to wait your turn,’’ Dawson said. ``After visiting the Hall in May I better understand how hard it is to get in. It’s a sacred place. My only frustration is my mother and grandmother and mother-in-law didn’t live to see it. My challenge on Sunday will be how I’m going to react and trying to keep my emotions in check.’’ Dawson broke in with the Montreal Expos in 1977 as a five tool player, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award following that season.
Despite knee injuries which dogged him his entire career, he had 12 knee surgeries in all, Dawson is one of just three players in baseball history to amass more than 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career. Willie Mays and Barry Bonds are the others.
Dawson, nicknamed ``the Hawk,’’ played the first half of his 20-year career with the Expos, but when he became a free agent after the 1986 season he did not have any offers from teams.
``That was the collusion era and teams were trying to force you to stay with the same ball club,’’ Dawson said on Friday during a conference call with reporters. ``My agent and I ended up calling the Braves and Cubs and telling them to just make an offer.’’
The Cubs offered $500,000, a $700,000 pay cut from his last season in Montreal.
``I wasn’t happy with it, but I told (Cubs manger) Dallas Green that I’m a man of my word and I accepted the offer,’’ Dawson said.
It turned out to be a huge bargain for Chicago, as Dawson was the National League MVP in 1987, hitting 49 home runs and driving in 137 for the last place Cubs. Dawson was also the MVP runner-up in both 1981 and ’83.
Dawson was an eight-time All Star and won eight Gold Glove Awards. ``I was most proud of those Gold Gloves,’’ Dawson said. ``My offense was always going to be there, but I worked very hard to be a good defensive outfielder.’’
Dawson, 56, retired after the 1996 season, and has been eligible for election to the Hall since 2001.
WHITEY HERZOG
Brothers Matt and Mike Cring, lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fans, are looking forward to Sunday’s Induction of Whitey Herzog into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Matt Cring, who lives in Hartwick, said his grandfather was a Cardinals’ fan and he fell in love with the team’s style of play in the 1980s.
Herzog was both manager and general manger of the Cardinals beginning in 1980, and he said during a conference call with reporters on Friday he began overhauling the team right away.
``I think we traded 14 players in 1980,’’ Herzog said. ``And of course in 1981 we were able to deal for Ozzie.’’
Ozzie, of course, is Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, whom Herzog was able to acquire from the San Diego Padres for Garry Templeton in one of the best trades in franchise history.
Herzog also acquired speedsters Willie McGee and Vince Coleman, and slugger Jack Clark, the only power threat in the Cardinals line-up. Clark is scheduled to attend Sunday’s ceremony, according to Hall official Craig Muder.
The Cardinals style of play was nicknamed ``Whiteyball’’ and St. Louis was one of the most successful franchises of the 1980s, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games in 1982, and losing the Fall Classic to the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins in 1985 and ’87,respectively.
St. Louis relied on speed, great defense and great pitching during Herzog’s tenure, and he was named Sports Illustrated’s manager of the decade for the 1980s.
``One of the things I’m most proud of during my stay in St. Louis was we set new attendance records for seven straight seasons,’’ Herzog said on Friday.
Herzog also won three straight American League West titles with the Kansas City Royals from 1976-78, losing each year in the playoffs to the New York Yankees.
``Kansas City had never won anything before, so that was a special time to bring success to those fans,’’ Herzog said.
Herzog won 1,281 regular season games and finished with a .532 winning percentage.
DOUG HARVEY
Umpiring 4,673 regular-season games during his career, Harvey, 80, also called five World Series, six All-Star Games and nine National League Championship Series.
He’s the ninth umpire to be inducted and the first living one since Al Barlick in 1989.
Known for his authoritative style on the field which earned him the nickname ``God’’ from players and managers, Harvey was one of the last major league umpires who didn’t attend umpiring school.
``It’s not about yelling,’’ he said during his orientation tour of the Hall last May, it’s how you handle them, and I could handle anyone.’’
Harvey added he lived by the 20- second rule, giving managers that much time to say what they needed.
He learned from other Hall of Fame umpires, including Barlick and Jocko Conlan, serving with both on bigleague crews.
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ANDRE DAWSON WILL BE the second Montreal Expos player to be inducted, joining former teammate Gary Carter. SAURITCH | NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME LIBRARY
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'Hawk,' 'Whitey,' 'God' to enter Hall
- Local Sports
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MCS girls take advantage of Patriots’ off-night
PEGGY PAFFENROTH PULLS IN a defensive rebound during the Wildcats’ Tri-Valley League win over the Patriots on Friday.
It may have been unseasonably warm outside, but for Cherry Valley- Springfield’s girls, it was a cold night in Milford on Friday. The Patriots went on long stretches without making baskets and the Wildcats took advantage for a 55-31 victory.
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Cooperstown boys show up to play
Cooperstown’s boys scored 33 points in the second quarter and cruised to a 79-58 non-league victory over visiting Sherburne- Earlville in a matchup of Center State Conference division winners Saturday.
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Lady Redskins get non-league win
Nicole Cring had 12 points, eight blocks and seven rebounds as the Cooperstown- High girls basketball team took an early lead and beat visiting New York Mills 55-44 on Tuesday in a non-league game.
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Hall to offer tools to teach dangers of drugs
Students will be taught about the danger of performance-enhancing drugs through a national education and outreach program announced Wednesday by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. The use of such drugs could affect upcoming balloting for several Hall of Fame candidates.
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Baseball Hall of Fame releases calendar of events
With the crack of bats and sounds of the ballpark beginning to return to Arizona and Florida this week organizers are getting geared up for another season at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Unatego wrestlers beat C’town, UV; Sidney’s Stafford among top seeds for class tourneys
Austin Ryan and Nate Wilsey won two head-tohead matches apiece last Thursday, helping host Unatego to dual-meet wrestling victories over Cooperstown and Unadilla Valley.
Continued ... - Thursday, February 2, 2012
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CCS swimmer finds diving challenging
After a day of highs and lows, Cooperstown’s Aaron Idelson finished in the middle.
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The sophomore diver scored a 285.15 and finished eighth out of 16 divers at the Frontier League Diving Championships in Carthage on Saturday. -
Brothers compete in the pool
Sometimes things are not always as they seem. Just look at Cooperstown’s varsity swimming brothers Sean and Erik Mebust.
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Volleyball team wins tournament at home
The host Cooperstown volleyball team won a six-team round robin tournament last Saturday. The Redskins tied Stockbridge with identical 7-3 records, but owned the tiebreaker by a single point in head-to-head match-ups, winning 25-22 and losing 23-25.
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Lady Redskins come out strong in second half
Nicole Cring’s double, double helped Cooperstown make a decisive second-half run and beat visiting Mohawk 45-28 in a Center State Conference game on Monday. Cring had 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots as the
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Redskins scored the first seven points of the second half, stretching a 17-14 lead to 24-14. “There wasn’t much to say.” -
CCS wrestling team competes in championships
Cooperstown teammates Michael Boyle and Jacob Miller had runner-up finishes in the Center State Conference Championships on Saturday at Adirondack.
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Niekro, Ozzie to return for Hall of Fame Classic
The Knucksies and Wizards will go at it again this June in Cooperstown. The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Monday that Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Ozzie Smith will return as team captains for the fourth annual Hall of Fame Classic at Doubleday Field.
Continued ... - Monday, January 30, 2012
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Redskins hit century mark
If at first you do succeed, try to do even better next time. Dave Bertram led the Cooperstown boys basketball team to its highest points total in his 10 years as head coach Tuesday, when the Redskins thumped visiting Morrisville- Eaton, 106-51, in a Center State Conference Division III game.
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Davine, king of Cooperstown assists
If you need help, try calling Jay Davine. Senior point guard Davine broke Cooperstown’s all-time assists record last Thursday and scored 13 points to lead the Redskins to a 71-43 boys basketball thumping of visiting Westmoreland in a Center State Conference Division III game.
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Fox has big night for Hartwick women
Cooperstown graduate Samantha Fox scored a varsity-high 14 points Friday to lead the Hartwick College women’s basketball team to a 59-49 victory over visiting St. John Fisher in the Empire 8 Conference.
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Patriots hold off Gilbertsville-Mount Upton with score of 59-53
A varsity-high 27 points from Kyle Jaquay led host Cherry Valley- Springfield to a 59-53 Tri-Valley League boys basketball victory Monday over Gilbertsville-Mount Upton.
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CCS wrestles with the ‘Big Dogs’
Cooperstown’s wrestling revival got a reality check on Saturday in the form of visiting Dolgeville. Both teams came in undefeated in the Center State Conference, but only the Blue Devils left that way after a 64-10 win over the Redskins. “Dolgeville is definitely a tough team. Top to bottom, they really don’t have any weak spots on their roster,” Cooperstown coach Micaiah Abts said.
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Coach says he thinks his girls will return to top of their class
Close, but not there yet. That’s the story of Cooperstown’s volleyball team this season, and it played out again on Monday in a 3-1 loss to visiting Waterville in a Center State Conference match.
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Clark Sports Center hosts tournament
The Clark Sports Center recently held its eighth annual Pat Fetterman Memorial Tournament. There were six girls’ teams and six boys’ teams from as far away as West Philadelphia, according to a media release from the sports center.
Continued ... - Thursday, January 19, 2012
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Boy one step closer to seeing football dreams come true
Since Cowboy Stadium in Dallas opened in 2010, football fans have marveled at the massive, modernstadium. Over the holidays, Cooperstown Central School freshman Michael Perrino got to play two games in it himself.
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