Ed Sprague

On March 4, 1994 my Mother woke me up to tell me that instead of going to school, she was taking my brother, Dan and I to the Spring Training home opener for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Baltimore Orioles, at Grant Field in Dunedin, Florida. After batting practice, I was standing in the stands behind home plate by myself, waiting for somebody to walk by so that I could get an autograph. A man approached me from the field and asked if I'd like to be the bat boy for the day. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! My Mom gave the 'OK' and I was taken onto the field and into the Blue Jays clubhouse to be fitted for a uniform. After the game, the clubhouse attendant which offered me the job for the day, was allowing me to get autographs in the clubhouse! I needed only one more signature... I asked the man if Ed Sprague was still around. He advised me that Ed had already left for the day. He then brought me to the back of the clubhouse where a couple guys were hanging out, conversing. One of them was signing a box of a dozen baseballs. I didn't recognize either one of them. The attendant began asking how I was enjoying my day as he was flipping through my book with my cards and pictures, some signed, some not. He flipped to Ed's unsigned 8x10 picture and asked what I thought of him. Keep in mind, I was 12 years old at the time, just shy of my 13th birthday. I answered as honestly as I could. "I like Sprague, but I think the Blue Jays will wind up trading him, soon." The man signing the baseballs began to laugh. I immediately realized I had been set up! I was incredibly embarrassed as I realized at that moment, I was sitting next to Ed Sprague himself! Ed pulled the 8x10 picture out of the plastic protective sleeve, and signed the picture, "To Brian 'My Biggest Fan'! Ed Sprague.