Dawson Still Holds a Grudge : He Warns Padres About Next Series

CHICAGO — The last Padre player to check out of the hotel here Thursday morning was Eric Show. He quietly asked a desk clerk to thank another employee for him, then spun through a revolving door and toward the team bus.

At about the same time, a few miles across town in Wrigley Field, Andre Dawson was telling reporters it would be “unwise” for Eric Show to pitch against the Chicago Cubs when the teams meet in San Diego later this month.

And at about the same time, some 1,000 miles to the east in New York, National League President A. Bartlett Giamatti was warning that recurrences of the recent rash of beanball brawls would be dealt with harshly.

Two days had passed since one of Show’s pitches hit the Cubs’ Dawson in the face and provoked a fight between players at Wrigley Field.

They were not good days.

“The worst I can remember in my life,” Show said. “Not baseball life. My life.”

Show spent the days in seclusion.

“I don’t know what the medical definition of the word shock is,” Show said. “But Tuesday night brought new definition to the term low. Controversy has seemed to follow me around in my career, and I don’t know why. Some of it I’ve caused. But this time . . .

“All I know is, I didn’t throw at Andre Dawson, and I’m telling the truth, and if you don’t believe me, well, God is my witness.”

These were Show’s first words since he issued a five-sentence apology after the Tuesday afternoon incident. Show left the game immediately and left Wrigley shortly thereafter.

Dawson already had exited for Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he received 24 stitches for lacerations on his lip and left cheek.

Although Dawson returned to Wrigley Field Wednesday, he did not talk to reporters until before Thursday’s game against the Dodgers. And he did not seem to be in a forgiving mood.

“He (Show) made a statement that he would regret it the rest of his life,” Dawson told the Associated Press. “I’m not bitter, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t forget it.”

Show’s statement said that he has never thrown at anybody and that he apologized to the Cubs, the fans and especially to Dawson.

Describing his feelings as he went after Show Tuesday, Dawson said: “I wanted to get him, I’ll be honest with you. If I had gotten him, I don’t know what I might have done. I just wanted to get my hands on him. It didn’t turn out as bad as it could have been, but I’ll see him again.”

The Cubs will be in San Diego July 20-22, and Show is tentatively scheduled to pitch the third and final game of the series, although Manager Larry Bowa has frequently juggled the rotation this season.

“If they’re wise, they won’t start him,” Dawson said.

Meanwhile, the AP reported, Giamatti warned NL presidents, general managers and managers that severe penalties will be imposed against players involved in such violent or dangerous incidents.

“Any act that in my opinion is intended to cause severe physical harm to an opposing player . . . will henceforth result in the most severe penalties, possibly including suspension,” he said.

Among those acts, Giamatti listed “throwing intentionally at a batter’s head, fighting on the field, or sliding with a ‘rolling block.’ ”

As of late Thursday, no fines or suspensions had been levied on the participants in Tuesday’s fracas.

Seven Cubs were ejected during the succession of episodes, which began in the third inning when Show’s fastball hit Dawson, who had hit three homers in his previous five at-bats against the Padres. Show was initially chased across the field by Cub pitcher Rick Sutcliffe. When things had quieted, Dawson climbed to his feet and twice chased Show before umpire Charlie Williams escorted the Padre pitcher to the safety of the clubhouse.

Although Show did not return to the game, he was not among those ejected. In fact, no Padres were ejected.

Between Tuesday’s incident and Thursday morning, Show remained in seclusion. He disconnected his phone and refused media requests for interviews. On Wednesday, Bowa kept Show away from Wrigley Field, saying, “I don’t want to provoke anything with these people out here.”

In one Chicago newspaper, a columnist strongly criticized Show, saying he deliberately hit Dawson in the head and quoted the Cubs’ Jody Davis as saying: “We’re not through yet.”

Show, who will pitch Sunday in Pittsburgh, emerged Thursday to talk briefly.

“Hit Andre? For one thing, I wasn’t even trying to brush him back,” he said. “I threw a fastball, and it was a little bit up, and then it got away from me, just flat out got away.

“I know Andre had hit some homers against us, but why would I do something like that on purpose? The Padres aren’t going to play the Cubs in the playoffs. It wouldn’t serve any purpose to get him out of there.”

He said he has written letters to Dawson and Sutcliffe.

“I even wanted to go to the hospital to see Andre, but it would have caused too much of a ruckus,” he said.

He said he already has experienced quite enough commotion because of the incident.

“If what I heard was said about me was true, not only was it an overreaction, but it was extremely unfair,” he said. “It must be some sort of rotten person to do those things to another human being. The one column I read was completely brutal. If I didn’t have to sit in front of a Chicago jury, I’d sue. That’s libel. I guess some people are going to think bad things about me no matter what. But I know what I did.”

Show was asked what was going through his mind during the last two days.

“It would take too long to answer,” he said. “A lot of things. I’m just not sure what all of this means.”

A man stepped off the team bus and waved at Show. Show walked across a Chicago side street, and as soon as he stepped on, the bus was gone.