Andre Dawson's Hall of Fame cap change request 'highly unlikely' to be approved

Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson won't have long to wait as Cooperstown decides whether or not to allow him to change the hat on his plaque from one showing the Montreal Expos to one honoring the six seasons he played with the Chicago Cubs.

According to USA Today, the Hall of Fame could reach a decision as soon as March, but Bob Nightengale notes it's 'highly unlikely' to be approved, due to concerns over the precedent it would set and the 'wave' of other such requests that could follow.

The entire situation itself is unfortunate. Dawson was not consulted on which cap his likeness would don in Cooperstown more than a decade ago and, given he played more years in Montreal than anywhere else, his plaque has featured him in an Expos cap ever since.

Andre Dawson still speaks glowingly of his 6 years with the Cubs

Dawson was a force in both cities - but he's openly spoken about how much his time with the Cubs meant to him and how it revitalized him on the field. He bounced back from the years of wear and tear on the turf in Montreal to capture NL MVP honors in 1987, the same year he infamously handed the team a blank check and told them to write a number on it, rather than hash out a contract.

In his six seasons with the Cubs, the now-69-year-old Dawson put up a 125 OPS+, batting .285/.327/.507 and essentially averaging 30 homers and 100 RBI per year. That's not even taking into account the pair of Gold Gloves he earned for his work in right field, either. The combination quickly made him a fan favorite and, in the years that followed, a Cubs legend.

Nightengale also notes that Dawson is currently recovering from a hip replacement surgery. So we'll see if he's part of this weekend's Cubs Convention ceremonies or if he'll have to sit this one out. Either way, wishing Hawk all the best as he recovers - and we can't wait to see him back at Wrigley this summer.