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 prompt, cheekily, that he be honored on opening day within the new ballpark given his unwavering assist of a franchise that has prompted its share of enamel 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 alternative surgical procedure two weeks in the past, but not even that may cease him from going to Sport 3 of the ALCS. On Wednesday, an intergenerational ensemble of relations will journey in a rented minivan to T-Cellular 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 arduous to place into phrases what a visit to the World Sequence would imply for my dad, the franchise and the Mariners’ fandom in spite of everything this time. Thrilling? Affirming? Vindicated? Someplace, Dave Niehaus is chuckling and teeing up a phrase.
Mara Shurgot, Calgary, Canada
