To Dodgers, Adrian Beltre is the Hall of Famer who got away

ARLINGTON, Texas - Inside a ballpark 1,400 miles east of Dodger Stadium, Adrian Beltre let a memory wash over him. He has played 21 seasons in the major leagues, but few move him like 2004. As he hearkened back to that summer in Los Angeles, when he threatened to homer with every swing and fans greeted him by chanting "M-V-P," his voice softened.

"I will never forget that," Beltre said as he sat by his locker at the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park in Arlington. "I will never forget that because when you come to the plate and hear those chants, that is so nice. They were great fans. They were great to me."

Beltre, the 39-year-old third baseman, thought he might spend the rest of his career in Los Angeles' embrace. He was wrong. Spurned by the Dodgers as a free agent after the 2004 season, Beltre moved to the American League. His fans in Los Angeles watched from afar as Beltre built a resume that will deliver him to the Hall of Fame: more than 3,000 hits, four All-Star teams, five Gold Glove awards and a parade of teammates vouching for his joyous spirit and selfless resolve.

Beltre displayed those qualities, in sporadic stints, as a Dodger. The organization plucked him out of the Dominican Republic when he was 15. He made the city his home. When he flared like a supernova in 2004, he laid