Again in April 1996, when the Kingdome was nonetheless with us, I wrote a letter to The Instances about my father, Michael Shurgot, who lives in Seattle and is a lifelong baseball fan and a Mariners’ devotee. I advised, cheekily, that he be honored on opening day within the new ballpark given his unwavering help of a franchise that has brought about its share of tooth gnashing.
Properly, right here we’re, virtually 30 years later. At 82, my father continues to be (in fact) a baseball fan, as are his spouse, youngsters and grandsons. Enthusiasm is, as we all know, contagious. He had full knee substitute surgical procedure two weeks in the past, but not even that can cease him from going to Recreation 3 of the ALCS. On Wednesday, an intergenerational ensemble of relations will journey in a rented minivan to T-Cell Park, accompany my dad in a rented wheelchair to a piece with accessible seating and cheer their hearts out.
To not get forward of ourselves, however it’s onerous to place into phrases what a visit to the World Sequence would imply for my dad, the franchise and the Mariners’ fandom in any case this time. Thrilling? Affirming? Vindicated? Someplace, Dave Niehaus is chuckling and teeing up a phrase.
Mara Shurgot, Calgary, Canada
