Hats off to the Hall

The Hall of Fame has decided that Andre Dawson should be immortalized wearing an Expos cap instead of a Red Sox hat. Dawson threw a hissy fit because he wanted to wear a Cubs hat.

Red Sox angle aside, I can't believe that the first player to truly complain about the Hall's cap policy would be a player who is highly regarded for his character. Everyone thought it would be a money-grubbing player, acting like a jilted lover against a former team. OK, everyone thought it would have been Wade Boggs or Roger Clemens looking to get even with the Red Sox.

But, no, it's Andre Dawson - a player who should be grateful that voters overlooked his measly on-base percentage to allow him to enter. He seems more concerned about the extra money he could get by being enshrined as a Cub. He is even considering wearing a Cubs hat at his induction instead of the classically cheesy red, white and blue old-school Montreal logo:

"To be honest with you, I thought about that," he said. "It was a tough night for me sleeping [Tuesday]. I slept better the night before the announcement than I did after I got the decision last night, as odd as that might sound.

"I don't want to do anything that might be an embarrassment to someone or show someone up, that's not my character. But there will be some way I will try to acknowledge the Cubs fans to show just how important they were to me. I did think about at some point in time during the speech putting a Cubs cap on, but I don't know if that's appropriate."

You'd think he'd be prouder to be the second - and possibly last, depending on what happens with Tim Raines and Vladimir Guerrero - member of the Expos contingency in the Hall of Fame. Regretfully, he is not.

Also, Dawson said he hasn't heard from Chicago's most famous baseball fan (President Obama, not Steve Bartman) "probably because he's a White Sox fan." No, probably because the prez is a Sarge (Gary Matthews) fan.

Stupid former Indians pitchers

The recent good performances by Cliff Lee and Paul Bryd, both former Indians, have been wiped away tonight.

After starting 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA for the Phillies, Cliff Lee has been shelled in his last two starts. His ERA rose to 1.80 after giving up six earned runs in five innings on Saturday, and it's now 2.81 after yielding six earned runs in three innings tonight. Jamie Moyer is now in, making his first relief appearance for a starter other than Pedro Martinez. In the 5th, it's Astros 6, Phillies 0.

If he keeps pitching like this, come playoff time, Lee might be keeping J-Moy company in the bullpen.

I still can't get over Pedro Martinez's performance yesterday. Christine joked the other night that he's going to wear a Phillies hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.

He's not, according to a Q&A with Yahoo!'s Answer Man:

DB: Assuming you get there, would you wear a Red Sox cap on your Hall of Fame plaque?
PM: I have no idea, but I would love to. Either that one or a Montreal hat. It's not up to me, it's up to the league, but I think Boston without a doubt. I'll take it.

Then, Pedro talks flowers. It's weird.

DB: Which kinds of flowers are your favorite?
PM: Orchids. All of them.
They're so delicate and tender. So beautiful.
DB: Do you talk to them?
PM: Yes!
DB: What do you say?
PM: I pray for them and tell them they have to get better and that I'm sorry about not taking care of them on time.
DB: Do you feel guilty?
PM: I just ... sometimes, I just don't have the time.
DB: What got you into gardening in the first place?
PM: My mom. She would spend a lot of time in the garden and I used to spend a lot of time with my mom.

In the American League, meanwhile, Byrd no longer has an unblemished ERA. He gave up seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, inflating his ERA from 0.00 to 7.56. The Red Sox scored one in the 4th, so the comeback is under way. In the 4th, White Sox 8, Red Sox 1.

Swear jar

I refuse to call the Expos the Nationals. Christine will probably refuse to call the Tampa Bay Devil Rays the Tampa Bay Rays.

We might be in trouble this year when our teams play these division lightweights because the D-Rays are going after bloggers who don't respect the new name.

It turns out the team's front office has a sort of swear jar for employees who forget the organization is no longer devilish.

At least it's for charity, and David Pinto of Baseball Musings is a good sport about it.

Not-so-good sports: Patriots and Giants fans. I root for both teams and can't decide which fan base is reacting worse to the game. Patriots fans: You got beat, deal with it. Giants fans: Your team won an amazing game, cherish the win and don't worry about whom you beat. {Ha! This coming from the person who will. not. shut. up. when the Red Sox beat the Yankees. Or about anything involving the Yankees.}