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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

    ANDRE DAWSON

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July 22, 2010

'Hawk,' 'Whitey,' 'God' to enter Hall

ERIC AHLQVIST THE COOPERSTOWN CRIER

— 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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