> To my surprise, there were sparks when I connected the negative terminal
> to the ground.  I checked and there is nothing connecting the positive
> terminal
> so I do not have any idea what could be causing the completed circuit. 
> Any ideas? 
Sounds like simple static discharge.
You may want to hook a test light or dmm (set to read amps) between the +ve
cable and battery (assuming negative terminal connected) and see if the lamp
glows, if it does you know you probably have a wiring problem somewhere that
needs attention before permanently leaving the battery hooked up.
Alex.
check us out; http://www.oldengine.org
  
 | AmiQWK 2.7 - S/N 0261 |
... Dawn crept across the lawn......searching for her car keys.
--- OLMS 2.60p.a1+ [EPMBP73M]
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