The thrill returns

The Seattle Mariners’ surge this season has ignited a fire in me that I haven’t felt since my childhood days at the Kingdome, cheering for Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson.

Those were magical times. As a kid, I’d trek to the concrete dome in Seattle, eyes wide as Griffey — “The Kid” himself — smashed towering home runs into the upper deck. Johnson, the towering lefty known as “The Big Unit,” would mow down hitters with his blistering fastball and that signature slider. The Mariners of the 1990s weren’t just a team; they were a phenomenon that hooked a generation of Pacific Northwest fans, inc...