It's Dawson. Just Dawson

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy DC wrote: And Dawson will join Gary Carter as a Hall of Famer with a big curly M on his hat.

A nation of baseball purists pumps its fists.

3 million Montrealites shrug, and go back to their Galoises and crepes.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Fman99 wrote: I remember as a kid trying to figure out what the letters JL had to do with Montreal or Expos. Stupid logo.

That's funny. I always saw it as "elb"

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy DC wrote: I think it's great. I think Washington should occasionally take the field with old Montreal uniforms with the M inverted to become a W.

I like that idea. I remember thinking something similar back when we were waiting for the Nationals to unveil their uniforms for the 2005 season. I think that logo is too funny-looking to use every day, but it would make for a nice alternate.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Fman99 wrote: I remember as a kid trying to figure out what the letters JL had to do with Montreal or Expos. Stupid logo. That's funny. I always saw it as "elb"

Same here -- exactly. I had even decided to myself that the "elb" logo stood for Expos League de Baseball. That's French for Americans. I didn't figure out that the logo was an "M" until adulthood. That Expos logo was never explained to me when I was young -- not by the Mets announcers, The Sporting News, Baseball Digest or anything. If anybody ever did, I would've caught it because I devoured baseball as a kid.

[nymr83]

Fman99 wrote: I remember as a kid trying to figure out what the letters JL had to do with Montreal or Expos. Stupid logo.

i always thought it said "ELB" (try turning each color in the logo into its own letter). idiot canadians.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I think it's excellent.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I always hated that curly M thing, but now it looks kitchy-retro-iconic and I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

If Montreal ever returns to the International League, they should revive that logo.

(By the way, if they had consulted my six-year-old self back in 1969, I would have told them to name the Montreal franchise the "Royals" and to call the Kansas City team the "Monarchs.")

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I like it, too. But it's VERY mid-70s Children's Television Workshop.

(Count me among the "elb" crowd. I still have to remind myself that it's an "M.")

[Guest Edgy DC]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I always hated that curly M thing, but now it looks kitchy-retro-iconic and I wouldn't mind seeing it again. If Montreal ever returns to the International League, they should revive that logo. (By the way, if they had consulted my six-year-old self back in 1969, I would have told them to name the Montreal franchise the "Royals" and to call the Kansas City team the "Monarchs.")

They wanted to --- in part to suck up to O'Malley, who was on the expansion committee and was instrumental in bringing the earlier Royals into being --- but the KC Royals beat them to the nickname.

[Frayed Knot]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: Fman99 wrote: I remember as a kid trying to figure out what the letters JL had to do with Montreal or Expos. Stupid logo. That's funny. I always saw it as "elb" Same here -- exactly. I had even decided to myself that the "elb" logo stood for Expos League de Baseball. That's French for Americans. I didn't figure out that the logo was an "M" until adulthood. That Expos logo was never explained to me when I was young -- not by the Mets announcers, The Sporting News, Baseball Digest or anything. If anybody ever did, I would've caught it because I devoured baseball as a kid.

I'm in the ELB crowd too - but at one point I had heard that that wasn't really a coincidence, that the logo was designed to do double-duty as both an M and as an abbreviation for 'Expos League de Baseball' (or something similar) so as to work in the French culture of the city.
I guess calling them the 'Les Expos de la Ile du Mont Real' took up too much room.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's definitely intentional, though intentionally standing for what isn't clear. One theory is that ejb stands for Elizabeth J. Bronfman, alleged daughter of 'Pos owner/chairman Charles Bronfman.

[Valadius]

According to the 1997 Expos Media Guide, the "e" stands for Expos and the "b" stands for baseball. It's unclear what the other part stands for.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Along with Dawson, Whitey Herzog, and ump Doug Harvey, John Fogerty's "Centerfield" will go into the HOF this summer.

The real surprise? This is apparently the first time any musician or song has been celebrated as a part of the festivities/officially inducted. Whither "Take Me Out To The Ballgame?" (Or "MtM?")

[Centerfield]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: "Centerfield" will go into the HOF this summer

Thank you. Thank you. No it's really no big deal, but thank you. By the way, my wife is planning a HOF party. That's right, same caterer as Gary Carter. Thank you.

[seawolf17]

Centerfield wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: "Centerfield" will go into the HOF this summer Thank you. Thank you. No it's really no big deal, but thank you. By the way, my wife is planning a HOF party. That's right, same caterer as Gary Carter. Thank you.

Well, that's what happens when you let all the Latvian journalists into the BBWAA.

[Benjamin Grimm]

This reminds me of a doubly wrong trivia question that I used to hear a lot. (Both its question and answer are wrong.)

Q: Who are the only non-players in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

A. Abbott and Costello.

[Gwreck]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: The real surprise? This is apparently the first time any musician or song has been celebrated as a part of the festivities/officially inducted. Whither "Take Me Out To The Ballgame?" (Or "MtM?")

The real surprise is that they are honoring this song in the first place. I fully maintain that "Centerfield" is the worst rock and roll song of all time. I had the opportunity to see Fogerty at an otherwise very special series of concerts several years back and the experience was nearly ruined by him playing that godawful song on a ridiculous baseball-bat shaped guitar.

[Guest themetfairy]

Gwreck wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: The real surprise? This is apparently the first time any musician or song has been celebrated as a part of the festivities/officially inducted. Whither "Take Me Out To The Ballgame?" (Or "MtM?") The real surprise is that they are honoring this song in the first place. I fully maintain that "Centerfield" is the worst rock and roll song of all time. I had the opportunity to see Fogerty at an otherwise very special series of concerts several years back and the experience was nearly ruined by him playing that godawful song on a ridiculous baseball-bat shaped guitar.

It's one of those songs that benefited from the music video era - those old clips are still fun to watch.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Gwreck wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: The real surprise? This is apparently the first time any musician or song has been celebrated as a part of the festivities/officially inducted. Whither "Take Me Out To The Ballgame?" (Or "MtM?") The real surprise is that they are honoring this song in the first place. I fully maintain that "Centerfield" is the worst rock and roll song of all time. I had the opportunity to see Fogerty at an otherwise very special series of concerts several years back and the experience was nearly ruined by him playing that godawful song on a ridiculous baseball-bat shaped guitar.

Always seemed like harmless, medium-crappy pap to me, or at least, not anywhere near WorstSongEverVille. I held no ill will against it, until the baseball stadiums of the country forced it into my ears over and over (same with "Rock and Roll Part II," which I remember loving as a kid). So, yeah, I'm closer to your opinion than to theirs.

But am I surprised it's going in? Dude, it's going in on the same day as Andre Dawson; I don't expect sober, clear-headed judgement out of this crowd.

[Frayed Knot]

It's one of those songs that benefited from the music video era

The problem is that music didn't benefit from the music video era.

[Willets Point]

I entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 myself. I entered it again in 2006.