'HAWK' FLIES INTO SPRING\Dawson still working hard for the Marlins at age 41.

Byline: Doug Ferguson Associated Press 

Andre Dawson arrived without fanfare. He quietly put on his teal and black jersey, tightly wrapped his scarred knees and then jogged into the Florida sunshine for his 20th spring training.

Behind him are seven All-Star starts, eight Gold Gloves, the 1977 NL rookie of the year award, the NL MVP a decade later, 436 career home runs, 501 doubles and 11 knee operations.

Ahead of him is another six-week grind. At 41, he is as physically impressive as he was when he began his major-league career with the Montreal Expos.

As the Florida Marlins' first full workout was ending, Dawson powered his way across the outfield. One end of a harness was attached to his sculpted upper body, the other end to Devon White, who stared in wonder.

Dawson learned 20 years ago what it would take to play baseball with the type of energy, commitment and passion he wanted. Twenty years later, he hasn't forgotten.

"I don't take for granted the ability I've been blessed with," he said. "I have to work just as hard as a guy trying to make this ball club as a rookie. That's the only thing I've ever known, growing up and playing this game over the years. You've got to put in the time and effort to produce results."

Maybe that's why Dawson can keeping coming back with something to offer, why Marlins manager Rene Lachemann suggests he could play until age 50 if not for the bum knees.

True, Dawson hasn't played in at least 140 games or hit at least 20 home runs since 1992, his last year with the Chicago Cubs. The knee operations have limited his range in the outfield, where he once possessed one of the most feared arms in baseball.

Then again, he's not out here as a figurehead, either. When Gary Sheffield went on the disabled list with a broken thumb last June, Dawson took his place and hit .342 with two doubles, a triple and four homers during a nine-day road trip.

"I didn't see anyone throw a fastball by him," Lachemann said. "His bat speed is good, his legs are good. I have no problem with the Hawk. If he stays healthy, that job is there for him."

That job is mainly wielding a big bat off the bench and spelling Sheffield or Jeff Conine in the outfield. Dawson understands he no longer will be an everyday player. If he didn't love the game so much, or if the Marlins had told him they didn't want him back, he could easily have left.

Neither being the case, he gives the Marlins what he can.

"I've been in the twilight of my career for years now," he said. "It's tough to be consistent when you're not out there every day, so durability becomes more important. Even if I don't play another game, that's all fine, too. Because I put my time in."

His last game could have been two years ago, but Dawson didn't want to end his career on strike. It could have been last year, when he went on the disabled list for the month of July with a strained hip muscle.

Instead, he left the decision to the Marlins. And here he is again, playing for $500,000, which is what the Cubs paid him in 1987 after he signed a blank contract and then went out and won an MVP award.

Why would the Marlins bother?

"He still brings fear to the plate, he can play the outfield if you have an injury and his leadership," said general manager Dave Dombrowski, who is two years younger than Dawson. "If he only had the leadership, we wouldn't have re-signed him."

Dawson and Terry Pendleton bring a winning attitude to the Marlins, who are expected to compete for a wild-card berth in their fourth season.

"He's a quiet leader," Pendleton said. "He busts his butt out there. Kids see him doing that when he's 41, 42 years old and realize they should be doing double-time. It's amazing. I've only seen two guys - Hawk and Willie McGee - who have the same body they walked into this game with. They have a work ethic that enables them to play this game for a long time."

Dawson grinds it out because he enjoys it, not because he's afraid to let go, not out of a yearning to play in a World Series, something he's never done. It helps to be in Miami, where he grew up and still lives with his wife and two children, where a South Miami street was renamed "Andre Dawson Drive" in 1987 to honor his MVP year.

Retirement is coming soon. Dawson knows it. He mentions that 20 years is a nice, round number on which to retire. But this comes from a man who, at age 30, wanted only to put 15 years in and then call it a career.

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PHOTO

Andre Dawson is tagged out by Mets catch Brent Mayne in an exhibition game. Associated Press