Andre Dawson: Chicago Cubs or Bust!

Andre Dawson (outfielder) has to be one of baseball's most determined players. Nicknamed the Hawk, he is a man who knows what he wants, and does what it takes to get it. Case in point: During the 1987 Spring Training Season, Dawson wanted to play with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but the team's owner wasn't for it. So Dawson showed up at Spring Training, put on his best playing abilities, and hoped for the best. When that failed, he brought in a blank contract, and took what was offered to him, which by most people's standards is a relatively large amount of money, including a bonus, should he accomplish team and personal goals. Well, Dawson just did that, and he received his bonus. He later went on to play with the Cubs for many seasons and have one of the highest batting averages as a Cub's player in team history.

In the beginning, Dawson played with the Montreal Expos from 1976 - 1986. While he liked the team, it was the artificial turf that bothered him. This was the reason why he tried, and successfully attempted, to get into the Cub's ball club. He played with the Cubs from 1987 - 1992. Afterwards, he went on to play for the Boston Red Sox (1993 - 1994) and the Florida Marlins (1995 - 1996). During his ten full seasons with the Expos, Dawson averaged 22.5 home runs in a season. He was 1987's National League MVP, because a member of the 300/300 club (home runs and stolen bases), won eight Gold Glove Awards, and has made eight All Star Game appearances. While he is retired as an active position player, Dawson still works for the Marlins organization. He has been nominated to be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but could not yet receive 75% of the vote needed to become a member, however, in the two years since he has been considered in the voting, his percentages have increased, and one day, chances look very good for Dawson to get accepted as a member. If past statistics are any indication as to when he could be come inducted, most likely it will be during the 2008 induction season. Some of Dawson's professional accomplishments include:

Games played - 2627 (31st overall)
At-bats - 9927 (24th overall)
Runs - 1373 (82nd overall)
Hits - 2774 (44th overall)
Doubles - 503 (41st overall)
Home runs - 438 (32nd overall)
Runs batted in - 1591 (28th overall)
Games played in the outfield - 2323 (tied for 16th place on the outfield list)