The immortal moments of sport usually happen on the field of play, but sometimes mere mortals on the sidelines or in the stands are elevated to the heights of legend. It happens when a feat of athleticism meets stylish aplomb that explodes our expectations of what is possible.
That happened on Tuesday in Detroit when a guy originally from Longview, Jameson Turner, snagged a post-season home run ball and entered the annals of Mariners fandom history.
Cal Raleigh, the Big Dumper, was at bat. He had set all sorts of records with 60 home runs during the regular season, putting him in the rare company of names like Babe Ruth and far beyond the accomplishments of any other catcher in history.
Raleigh blasted his first home run of the post-season during a key game. The ball bounced into the bullpen. Turner reached down and nabbed it as it bounced back up against the wall beneath him.
It was a great grab. As he arose, those watching saw that he was the lone fan in Mariners sea blue amidst a sea of Detroit orange.
So far, so good. Pretty cool. But when he stood up, arms upraised in ecstatic victory, we saw him wearing a shirt that read “DUMP 61 HERE.”
It was brilliant. This Mariners stalwart half a continent away from Seattle not only grabbed the 61st home run ball, but like Babe Ruth himself, he managed to call the shot!
As if that weren’t legendary enough, when the camera panned back to him a few minutes later, we saw that he was now wearing an almost identical shirt, except that it read “DUMP HERE 62.”
He was ready to catch another.
If wearing the first shirt was optimistic — and, it turns out, 100% accurate — how sky-high are his dreams for the second shirt?
And while he didn’t catch a second home run ball, he did get to meet Raleigh after the game. Turner offered him the home run ball, but The Big Dumper told him to keep it, and gave him a signed bat as well.
“It’s unreal,” Turner said. “I couldn’t believe it was happening. I thought I was in a dream.”
(The Mariners did ask for his DUMP 61 HERE shirt, which he gave to them for their archives and team museum.)
For Mariners fans experiencing their first American League West championship in a quarter-century, the dreams and fears of a collapse are always in stiff competition with each other.
For a brief moment, as our team shines on the field, we all could celebrate with Turner. It turns out he has been a fan since the Mariners slogged through loss after loss under the artificial lights of the Kingdome. Now living in Las Vegas, he continues to support his hometown team (he graduated from Auburn High School).
As I write this, the Mariners’ continued post-season hopes hinge on tonight’s game 5 against Detroit. Perhaps our team’s run toward World Series dreams will continue, or perhaps we’ll have to be contented with the end of their best season in a generation.
Whatever comes, we all can take some inspiration from DUMP 61 HERE guy, who seemed to summon glory and victory from sheer force of will.
That’s a pretty good definition of a champion, and just might be the hero the Mariners need — and perhaps even the hero that this team deserves.
Dad Joke of the Week
Teammates in the dugout used to put their baseball hats on sideways and call it a “rally cap” when they wanted to get their team going. In that spirit...
What do you call The Big Dumper wearing his baseball cap sideways to spur his team on to victory?
A Raleigh cap.
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Brian Mittge is a community enthusiast who has written for The Chronicle since 2000 as a reporter, editor and columnist. He can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
