Spring Training: Blue Jays more than just baseball team for Toronto couple

You can find the super fans at Dunedin down at Stalker's Corner

Ann and Angelo Tersigni pose for a photo at Dunedin Stadium. Warren Kosoy

DUNEDIN, Fla. — They call it “stalkers’ corner”, and it’s where super fans wait for players to emerge when the Toronto Blue Jays play at their spring home.

Ann and Angelo Tersigni are the definition of super fans; they were there on a Wednesday with a variety of team paraphernalia, waiting for autographs with other hopefuls.

Although this is only their third trip to the Grapefruit League, they’ve been cheering for the Blue Jays since the early 1990s and have a plethora of stories backing up their dedication.

“I’ve been a Blue Jays fan for a very long time, but I think I really became a Jays fan ’91, ’92, ’93.” Ann said, as she stood just outside the stadium near the right field corner.. “I had the experience when we won the World Series, walking from the Skydome all the way up the centre line on Yonge Street.”

“My arms were outstretched and people were high-fiving me as they were driving north or south. It was just such an incredible experience, I adore the team.”

When someone is a fan of a sports team they’ll naturally care about the players on the roster. When someone is a die hard fan, however, that level of caring can become emotional, as it did for Ann.

“It was Edwin Encarnacion’s first series back in Toronto since joining Cleveland and I was lucky enough to have met him.” she said. “He turned to me and outstretched his hand. All he said was ‘hello’ but I burst into tears. ‘So sorry that you’re gone we love you in Toronto’ I told him.”

As it turns out, that wasn’t the only incredible Encarnacion moment that this couple was present for. Despite the fact that Ann had a cast on her leg, they were also in attendance for Edwin’s walk-off home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the American League wild-card game on Oct. 4, 2016.

“I get a call saying that I can get box seats,” Angelo said. “I call her (Ann) because she was trying to get accessible seating since she had a cast and she was five minutes or less away from giving her credit card number. When we get there (the now-Rogers Centre), I put her on a swivel chair and I’m wheeling her up to our seats.”

“She wasn’t going to miss the wild-card game, she would’ve died first.”

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Posted: Mar 14 2018 11:32 am
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