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 Andre Dawson Photo Gallery
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I Meet Andre Dawson at Cub Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona!

One of the neat things about going to Cub spring training games at their home, Sloan Park, in Mesa is that the Cubs always bring back a bunch of old-timers for each game and allow the fans to mingle with them, while the former players try to hawk their autographs, signed photos, and other assorted bits of personalized baseball memorabilia.  

I know it’s a rip-off and continues the trend of the greedy commercialism of the game (for example, you can get a ball previously autographed by Fergie Jenkins by just making a $30 charity “donation.” For only  $10 more, he’ll actually sign it in your presence!), but for someone like me who loves the “old-days” of baseball, it’s still a lot of fun. And, of course, I’d be remiss in my duties as an editor of Old-Time Baseball Photos Facebook page if I didn’t come back with a few stories!

(Those of you who have been reading this page for a while might remember that a few years ago on a previous trip to Cub spring training, I had a nice chat with Jim “Mudcat” Grant. I’ve posted a link to my article about it in the comments below).

So at Monday’s night game between the Cubs and Red Sox, in the autograph area there were a nice assortment of guys from the “days gone by,” including three Hall-of Famers: Andre Dawson, Lee Smith, Fergie Jenkins. Also in the assembled group were former players Bill Buckner, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Willie Wilson, Bert Campaneris, Bobby Denier, and a rather obscure Cub from the Durocher era, Byron Browne (I told my grandkids I might have been one of the very few guys in the park who actually remembered Byron Browne).

Last year, I wrote about Andre Dawson’s rather unusual post-baseball career. Andre is now an undertaker and owns a funeral parlor in Florida (a link to my article is also below). So when I saw Andre, sitting back and looking sort of out-of-it at the autograph table, I asked him “Hey, Andre, how’s the funeral business?” Looking up at me with a rather shocked look on his face that someone was actually aware of his unusual post-baseball profession, he responded with a line I’m sure he’s used a thousand time: “Oh good…people are dying to get in!”

So I then gladly forked over my $30 “donation,” and I got my autographed ball. As part of my donation, Andre consented to having his photo taken with my grandkids and myself (as long as he didn’t have to get up out of his chair), which is the featured photo below. I also said “Hi” to both Burt Campaneris and to Bill “Spaceman” Lee, and congratulated Lee Smith, sitting with his wife, on his recent election to the Hall of Fame. Lee was very gracious and responded with a sincere, “Oh, thank you very much.”  

I then ambled over to Byron Browne, a player I recall from the Durocher-era Cubs who had arrived on the major league scene full of a lot of promise. But for some reason, the promise was never fulfilled. I’m old enough to recall that he didn’t get along with Leo Durocher (apparently Durocher didn’t think he was good enough to be a regular centerfielder and so didn’t give him much of a chance); and I wanted to ask him if he had any “juicy” Durocher stories he could share with me.

Proving that old grievances die hard – it’s been over 50 years – Browne’s eyes lit up and glared when I mentioned the name “Durocher,” and I actually thought for a second he was going to go into a rage. Then he yelled: “Mob!” Durocher was in the mob!” “Twice he was caught!” I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Durocher’s 1947 suspension by commissioner Happy Chandler for “cavorting with shady characters,” but I could see this was not something to bring up in a casual setting like this. So I immediately changed the subject and started talking about something a little safer, like the Cub chances for the coming season, and he soon calmed down.

Anyway, we had a nice night at the ball park. It was actually a good game between the Cubs and the Red Sox. I got a chance to meet a few “old-timers,” and even got an autographed Andre Dawson ball…for my $30 “donation” of course!

Gary Livacari 

Countdown until Opening Day, March 28, 2019:  1  day…and counting!

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