KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two years before, he had been an All-Star.
Sitting at home, unemployed last month, Ed Sprague admits he thought about that.
He thinks about it now, too. And laughs.
“Nothing in this game will ever shock me again. Two years ago, I was an All-Star with the Pirates. A month ago, I was sitting at home. Now I’m with the team with the best record in baseball,” Sprague said.
That team, of course, is the Seattle Mariners. And Sprague, at 33, is back in the big leagues as a reserve. It may seem an insignificant role. It doesn’t to him.
“I’ve accomplished a lot of things in baseball. I’ve won the World Series, been an All-Star. I’ve hit 30 home runs in a season, driven in 100 (runs). I met a lot of goals,” Sprague said. “I was never as consistent as I’d hoped to be. I never reached the heights I’d hoped to reach.
“People have asked what I missed most, and they assume it was the clubhouse, being around the guys. I missed the playing. I’ve been on too many plane rides – the best part of this game is playing it. I guess that’s why I didn’t retire voluntarily. I enjoy the game too much, still.”
What Sprague offers the Mariners is something their bench has lacked all season, a little power. He can play first base, as he did Wednesday, filling in for John Olerud. He can play third, where he spent most of his career. He can even play a little outfield.
“I started nine games in the outfield last year,” Sprague said, smiling. “It was the first time I’d ever been out there. My job is to be as versatile as I can, to give Lou (Piniella) options.”
From the moment Sprague arrived last weekend, Piniella’s message to him – and the media – was the same.
“He gives us depth, he brings a little pop with him,” Piniella said. “If he hits, we’ll find more playing time for him.”
Sprague wasn’t brought up to replace slumping third baseman David Bell.
“I’ve been where David is, and getting out of it is a grind. They’ve stuck with him, and I know that helps,” he said. “I’m not here to take David’s place, I’m here to give the team more depth.
“Would I like to play every day? You don’t play this long and not want to, but on a great team, it’s a little easier to accept this role.”
General manager Pat Gillick, who first had Sprague when the two were in Toronto, shakes his head when asked if Sprague was signed as some sort of favor to an old friend.
“He wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think he could help,” Gillick said.
“Pat didn’t sign me as a favor,” Sprague said, and offers a story as evidence.
“… After the Mariners let Russ (Davis) go, I called him and asked for a chance. He said the team was going with (Carlos) Guillen at third, that there wasn’t a spot here. I understood. I don’t think he just threw a bone to me this year. Pat’s honest. He always has been.”
With the Pirates two years ago, Sprague hit .287 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI in 137 games. Last season, in 157 at-bats with the Padres, he hit .261 with 10 home runs. Sent to Boston at the trading deadline, he got 111 at-bats for the Red Sox – and hit .216 with two home runs.
“I’ve had bad 100 at-bat stretches before, but in Boston that’s all I had,” Sprague said.
This spring, in camp with San Diego again, he played well but had no spot and was released just before opening day.
“When I was released at the end of camp, I didn’t expect much. Teams had their rosters set. They’re going with the guys they’ve decided to go with. But I’d faxed teams late in April, told them I wanted to play – and I didn’t hear from anybody,” Sprague said.
“I thought I might take the year off, try to get an invite to somebody’s camp next spring. Then the Mariners called.”
April put baseball in perspective for Sprague.
“I think I’d like to enjoy it more now, appreciate the little things. I’ve always enjoyed winning, but there’s more to enjoy than that. It’s like you want to take more time to see it all,” he said.
“My son is 5, and I’d like him to see me play now that he’ll remember more of it.”
The son of a big league pitcher, Sprague’s life has revolved around the game. He was with the Olympic team in 1988, won a gold medal.
“That was just baseball,” he said. “My wife (Kristen) was in the Olympics as a synchronized swimmer. She trained 18 years for one moment – for 3Z\x minutes. I could never have done something like that. She amazed me, that dedication.”
Now, the Spragues have three children. He has seen the end of his career, and knows that no matter how well he may play this season, he is closer to the end than the beginning.
He wants to play well, in whatever role. He wants a little more time in the game, to appreciate it, perhaps to let his son appreciate a bit of it. Sprague no longer fears the inevitable.
“What’s the worst that can happen to me, they send me home? I’ve been home already. I’ve been retired. It wasn’t bad,” Sprague said. “I came back because I love the game and because the Mariners thought I could help. It wasn’t because I didn’t have anything else to do.”
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