[Hopey]

Yeah, that's my conclusion as well (that playing on turf will cost Dawson a trip to the HOF). Growing up in Montreal, I remember the stories about how Dawson's knees were constantly bothering him and hampering his production. He'd miss about 20 games a season in order to rest his knees, and wasn't 100% the rest of the time. When he left for Chicago, the thinking was that playing on grass would help extend his career. It seems to have worked -- not only did he play for another 10 years after leaving Montreal, but he won the MVP while in Chicago.

Another former Expo who will be on the ballot next year is Tim Raines. He'll get a few votes, but nowhere near enough to get in. He's another guy who was considered a potential future HOF'er during the heart of his career, but didn't quite put up the numbers when all was said and done. He finished with 2609 hits, and .294 BA, and a .385 OBP. He's 5th all-time in SB with 808. He was one of the best all-around players in MLB for about 6 years straight in the mid-80's, but got injured after going to the White Sox and was never the same after that. Had he had two more solid years, he would be getting a lot more consideration.