CHICAGO – Last week, Andre Dawson found out, as the rest of us did, that he will not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer wearing a Cubs cap – he will be enshrined as an Expo.

Dawson was disappointed and expressed his feelings during an interview on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, saying he expected the HOF to confer with him more before making a decision.

Dawson spent the first 10 years of his career as a Montreal Expo; however, he wanted his Hall of Fame plaque to show him in a Cubs cap because Chicago, where he played for six years, is where he says he was catapulted into Hall of Fame status. It was during that time, in 1987, that he won the MVP award, on a last place team.

During the interview on the “Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000, Dawson, who described the decision as “gut wrenching,” said he tried to explain his preference to Hall of Fame representatives and thought his word would carry more weight than it did.

Cubs fans have been Facebooking and Tweeting their opinions since the news. Sue Land, who caught the signed cap thrown by Dawson at the Cubs Convention, posted that she was peeved, and that the Expos aren’t even a team anymore, to which a friend of hers responded that all Cubs fans should wear Expos caps to the induction ceremony – if they can find one.

Another fan posted she was disappointed in the cap selection, but glad Dawson was going to the Hall. Yet another fan Tweeted, “Andre Dawson going to the HOF as an Expo…my world has been crushed.”

But sentiments on the Andre Dawson Fan Page on Facebook were mixed, most fans just happy the Hawk was going to the Hall.

The Hall of Fame is about preserving the history of baseball, and the fact that the Montreal Expos no longer exist may have been one of the deciding factors. He will join Gary Carter, the only other Expo inducted into the Hall of Fame to date, this summer.

Mark Loiacano summed things up when he said, “The HoF is about preserving baseball’s legacy. Gary Carter is the only Expo in there, though it is a shame to not have Dawson in as a Cub… We all know where Andre’s heart is at. That is what matters most!”

In addition to writing her Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com, Miriam Romain has been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is a contributor to SportsClimax.com . She is also writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”

Andre Dawson finally survived the controversial Hall of Fame voting procedure and will join other baseball greats in Cooperstown.

Many felt the slugger, who played 11 seasons with the Montreal Expos and another 10 with the Chicago Cubs, should have been voted in years ago but despite being one of just three major leaguers to steal over 300 bases and hit over 400 homers, Dawson had to endure a nine-year wait to be elected. BTW, the other two players are two of MLB’s greatest players ever; Willie Mays and Barry Bonds.

Dawson’s career stats are impressive and include 2,774 hits, 438 HRs and 1,591 RBIs.

“As I stand here, I’m literally shaking,” said Dawson, the 1987 National League MVP. “I had a knee replacement on one leg that I thought was dead but it’s shaking.”

Dawson was the lone player on the ballot to receive the required 75% of the vote.

Due to his long tenure with both the Expos and Cubs, Cooperstown hasn’t decided whether the eight-time All-Star will be presented with an Expos or Cubs hat.

Other players on the ballot receiving votes:

Andre Dawson 420 77.9
Bert Blyleven 400 74.2
Roberto Alomar 397 73.7
Jack Morris 282 52.3
Barry Larkin 278 51.6
Lee Smith 255 47.3
Edgar Martinez 195 36.2
Tim Raines 164 30.4
Mark McGwire 128 23.7
Alan Trammell 121 22.4
Fred McGriff 116 21.5
Don Mattingly 87 16.1
Dave Parker 82 15.2
Dale Murphy 63 11.7
Harold Baines 33 6.1
Andres Galarraga 22 4.1