Andre Dawson

Andre Dawson Chicago Interview

Andre:    I always enjoy Wrigley Field for the most part, daytime baseball, they were a team that wasn’t that far removed from post-season play, they were still the national league and it was a natural playing surface.  For me it was pretty much a no-brainer, but I just always enjoy big city Chicago and everything that represented that organization. Eric Harry was the announcer, they had a huge fan base throughout the country and I just looked at it as this is probably a place where I know I really enjoy playing.

Players were being forced to re-sign with their own ball clubs and I just felt like 10 years with one organization and being literally forced to sign a contract that will cost a cut in pay was a slap in the face.  So for me I just visualized it as it’s time to move on, and the only way we’re going to be able to get through the collusion process was to make an offer that would be beneficial for the team, and it couldn’t be monetary.  So with that in mind we just said the blank contract is probably going to be the most effective.  I was hoping not to be too embarrassed by it; but monetary issues, it wasn’t going to pose a problem, it was just moving on, looking myself in the mirror and being satisfied with the decision that I made.

The Association, the Players Association, did win the lawsuit against the owners and we were compensated at a later date; but that was a situation where we knew all along that the process wasn’t going to fly.  By right you had…through the agreement you had the right to move on if you had that leverage, and because of the stance that the owners took and the way things sort of played itself out we knew that somewhere eventually down the road that the process would play itself out.

Did sit down at the 24th hour after they made the decision.  My wishes weren’t granted, I wanted to go in as a Cub but they were more concerned about the history of the game, and to me the history was that there was not another team in Montreal at present, and my choice was to go to where a Cub hadn’t because that’s where I think my biggest impact in my career was made.  And not only that, I felt a sense of loyalty to the Cubs fans.

Of course, I signed the check “Donation to the blind.”

Interviewer:  Thank you very much Andre.  I appreciate you taking the time…

Andre:   Alright, my pleasure.  Thank you.

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