Back in April 1996, when the Kingdome was still with us, I wrote a letter to The Times about my father, Michael Shurgot, who lives in Seattle and is a lifelong baseball fan and a Mariners’ devotee. I suggested, cheekily, that he be honored on opening day in the new ballpark given his unwavering support of a franchise that has caused its share of teeth gnashing.
Well, here we are, almost 30 years later. At 82, my father is still (of course) a baseball fan, as are his wife, children and grandsons. Enthusiasm is, as we know, contagious. He had full knee replacement surgery two weeks ago, yet not even that will stop him from going to Game 3 of the ALCS. On Wednesday, an intergenerational ensemble of family members will travel in a rented minivan to T-Mobile Park, accompany my dad in a rented wheelchair to a section with accessible seating and cheer their hearts out.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but it is hard to put into words what a trip to the World Series would mean for my dad, the franchise and the Mariners’ fandom after all this time. Thrilling? Affirming? Vindicated? Somewhere, Dave Niehaus is chuckling and teeing up a phrase.
Mara Shurgot, Calgary, Canada
