Hawkins Excited to Be a Yankee

Andy Hawkins, wearing a full beard and a Padres’ T-shirt, went through a 2-hour workout at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium Friday, his first full day as a member of the New York Yankees.

He liked the ring of that. The New York Yankees.

“Anybody you talk to considers the Yankees one of the most prestigious organizations in all of sports,” Hawkins said. “I’m obviously very excited to be going to play there.”

Hawkins, whose days as a Padre were numbered as early as July, wanted to talk little about the past and a lot about the future. It looks bright considering that George Steinbrenner gave him a 3-year, $3.6-million contract (including a $400,000 signing bonus) and that Manager Dallas Green said Hawkins would anchor his pitching staff next season.

“The money they offered me was 80% more than the Padres’ offer,” said Hawkins, who turns 29 next month. “I would have had to be crazy not to have made the decision I made.”

The Padres not only offered less money than the Yankees (and for that matter, the Minnesota Twins’ 3 years and $3 million) but also refused to give Hawkins more than a 2-year deal.

Hawkins said he spoke with the Padres only twice in the past month, and both of the discussions went something like this:

Hawkins: “Hi, it’s Andy.”

Padres: “We’ll give you a 2-year deal.”

Hawkins: “I want more than a 2-year deal.”

Padres: “Goodby.”

“That was about it,” Hawkins said.

After he went 14-11 last year and improved his 7-year total with the Padres to 60-58, that was about it for Hawkins. Even though the club made an effort to keep him, Hawkins knew the chances were he wouldn’t return.

On Sept. 14, Hawkins’ agent, Jerry Kapstein, and Chub Feeney, who was then the Padres’ president, engaged in a shouting match before a Wednesday night home loss to San Francisco.

Said Hawkins Friday: “By that time, without a doubt, we felt there was a very strong possibility we wouldn’t be coming back.”

Feeney resigned before the end of the season, but Hawkins says he also was unable to make any headway with Dick Freeman, the team’s interim president.

“I wouldn’t say that the Padres didn’t want me, but I would say that they wanted me only on their terms,” Hawkins said. “Of course, any time you’ve been with an organization for 11 years, and you leave, you have feelings of regret. But whatever disappointment I have has been overcome by the idea that I now have the opportunity of a lifetime to pitch for the Yankees.”

Green has said Hawkins will head a staff that included John Candaleria, Richard Dotson and Rick Rhoden last season. Also waiting for Hawkins in Yankee pinstripes are former Padres Lance McCullers and Jimmy Jones (who came in the trade for Jack Clark last month) and free-agent left-hander Dave LaPoint, who played with the Padres in 1987.

“That should make things easier,” Hawkins said.

Because Hawkins suffered a shoulder injury in 1987 (he was 3-10 that year), any team that signed him as a free agent this season wasn’t going to be forced to pay compensation. That made him attractive and forced up the ante.

“That shoulder injury is looking better and better,” Hawkins said.

New York is also looking better and better. And San Diego? Well, Hawkins really isn’t looking anymore. More than anything, he said, he’ll miss Padre trainer Dick Dent’s daily workouts, such as the one he participated in Friday.

And, will the Padre shirt have to go, too?

“No, I never wear a shirt from the team I play for,” Hawkins said. “When I was with the Padres, I always wore some other team’s shirt.”

So it’s time to throw out all the Yankee shirts.