“I started reading this book two nights ago, and I cannot put it down! If you love baseball history, this book is a ‘must-read.’ It’s such a rich narrative with incredible details about the games’ highlights, all-time great players, and some of these old lost ballparks Michael attended. I’ve been held captive by every single page. I probably have read 40-50 baseball books in the last couple of years. This one is right there at the top of the list. So good!”

“That’s your contribution to baseball, Michael. That’s Awesome!”

““Book recommendation: “Opening Day: 50 for 50,” in which author Michael Ortman chronicles his streak of attending 50 straight Opening Day games in D.C., Baltimore and Chicago. The 1998 chapter features my Opening Day column that year from The Baltimore Sun.”

“Mike Ortman does a remarkable job of chronicling his own streak of fifty consecutive Opening Days in this terrific book. Opening Day is such a special day for baseball fans around the world. It signifies the start of spring as well as a new start and hope for every team. I appreciate Mike including me in Opening Day: 50 For 50. The research he has done to bring these memories to life is impressive.”

“Opening Day is my favorite day of the baseball season. I have covered 42 of them, and all of them were different in their own way. Mike Ortman has beautifully provided 50 years of memories, all of them personal and compelling, from Opening Day. This book just warmed my heart.”

“Unwind the yarn inside a baseball and watch how it connects generations: sons become fathers who become grandfathers, and the cycle continues. The Ortman thread is a journey through a half-century of the game’s grip on those of us who never let go of that connection. The players may change, and venues come and go, but the game’s appeal is everlasting.”

“As a player and coach over 26 years, Opening Day was always special. After a long winter and spring, we finally got to play! Mike captures that so well, especially for the fans. When I came back to Baltimore in an enemy uniform as a coach for the Red Sox, I got as loud and warm a welcome as Frank (Robinson) and Cal (Ripken)! My Boston players couldn’t believe it. That can only happen on Opening Day!”

“During my nearly 40 years in sports and media, baseball changed from a kid’s delight to his life’s work. I lost the ability to be a fan. Not Mike Ortman. He followed a similar career path, yet managed to keep that youthful exuberance, which comes through in every chapter of his journey. His 50 consecutive Opening Day experiences will make every fan smile with important historical context plus personal stories that stir memories and emotions no matter your decade.”

“This is a terrific book! It is very well written and has lots of payoffs for the reader and amazing insights and details. I’m jealous! I wish I had had the foresight to do something like this! Mike humanizes it so well, and yet his recollections and research of baseball themes and personalities are just terrific.”