On the trivia… very good questions.  I think the guesses there are good. 

On the Hall of Fame.  Come on, Andre Dawson?  I mean.. was he even as good as Don Mattingly?   He played longer – and I don’t mean to suggest that Mattingly should be in the Hall, but he only had 4 seasons of 100 RBI or more, led the league in HRs only once, and scored 100 runs only twice.   He finished in the top five of MYP voting 3 times.   I just don’t think that’s enough.  I’m sure his candidacy was boosted by Jim Rice – Dawson supporters look at Jim Rice and say: “Hey if he’s in, Dawson is in because he’s one of 3 players to hit 400 HRs and steal 300 bases, something Jim Rice couldn’t dream of.” 

That’s how the Hall gets diluted when you start playing this game of “this guy is in, that guy should be in.”   Dawson has the one monster season but I saw him play – I never got the feeling I was watching a Hall of Famer.  I did get that feeling watching Roberto Alomar play.