"The Summer with Blues" Historic Baseball TopicC6 efitzie@aol.com Casey 8/6/2021

There are moments in one’s life that completely change their view of the world. For Ed Fitzgerald, it was the summer of 1950 when, as a Catholic boy growing up in a blue-collar Kansas City neighborhood, he got a job working for the hometown Blues baseball team. A stint as ball boy led to an unlikely promotion to clubhouse manager for the visiting teams – a dream come true job for a 14-year-old baseball fan. It was an unforgettable summer of fielding grounders before games, doubleheaders, and ballpark banter.

Now in his 80s, Fitzgerald reflects on that fateful season of his youth in a discussion of his book The Summer with the Blues. The story is about his clubhouse experiences, whether it was fetching hotdogs and drinks for opposing players, playing catch with future Hall of Famers, or being introduced to Arthur Bryant’s barbeque by the Blues’ trainer.

Fitzgerald is a retired attorney who practiced law in Kansas City for over 60 years. He was a partner if the firm of Downey, Sullivan and FitzGerald for most of those years,  He was an Assistant  Prosecuting Attorney for Jackson County, Missouri from 1966 until 1970. He is the former President of the Alumni Board of Directors for Rockhurst University.  He has been  a die-hard Kansas City sports  fan all of his life.