Over the course of 50 years, the Orioles have held their home opener, introducing a native of Maryland who has maintained a consecutive attendance streak.

At the start of the year 2000, 15 minutes before the first pitch, Myers was without a ticket. He heard a fellow spectator on the phone, whose daughter could not attend the game. Myers attempted to purchase the ticket from the individual, but they declined due to concerns about illegal resale. Just before the game began, they reached a agreement.
This year, Myers and Martz will join a gathering of nine individuals, consisting of family members, former colleagues, and fraternity brothers. As he continues his streak into its fifth decade, the highlight for Myers is the anticipation and excitement each game brings every year.

It is thanks to Martz that Myers’ streak has remained intact, as he jokingly commented that he will remind Myers of this when the beer vendor passes by on Thursday. However, chance and fortuity have also played a role.
Thursday, 3:05 p.m.

“I had a great time and the positive atmosphere, everyone’s optimism, and the buzz in the air gave me a good feeling,” Myers said during a phone conversation. “I wanted to prolong that experience for as long as possible.”

I am not able to reword this text – it provides details and personal anecdotes related to baseball and the individual’s involvement in the sport throughout their life.
Opening day

After 50 years, visiting the ballpark every year has become a lifelong passion for Myers. Despite working for the Maryland Department of Legislative Services for over 35 years, including 15 as the audits director, he has now retired and resides in a town near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Despite the distance, he still manages to make it to four or five games each year.
No fanbase recognizes streaks quite like the Orioles’ faithful, who revere homegrown Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. for setting the MLB record of 2,131 consecutive games played. Fellow Maryland native Bruce Myers is set to reach a significant milestone of his own Thursday when he marks 50 years of attending the Orioles’ home openers.

“Even though the 2020 season was shortened due to the pandemic, Myers, who is now 72 years old, has been attending every opening day game that fans were able to attend since 1974, when he had just graduated from college. Growing up in Thurmont, he accepted a job in accounting at Deloitte Haskins & Sells specifically so he could continue going to Orioles games. Each year, his office had a tradition of attending the team’s first home game, and he joined in during his first spring after being hired.”

“I received a call that morning where he asked, ‘Would you like to go? I have four tickets and can give you and one of your friends a ticket,'” shared Martz. “This meant I had two extra tickets that I had won in the lottery. So I immediately thought of Bruce, who really wanted to attend the game, and told him about the tickets. Thanks to this, he was able to make it to the first game at Camden Yards.”

Myers’ group, which he joins for opening day, began with only five members and eventually grew to nearly 40. However, their attendance became more difficult when the team relocated to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Over the years, Myers had numerous close calls that could have ended his streak, such as the first game at Camden Yards in 1992.

Martz, who had a 27-year streak of attending opening day games, shared that the person in question has always been a passionate fan of baseball. However, this streak was broken in 2002 when the opening day coincided with the day he had tickets to watch Maryland win the NCAA men’s basketball national championship. Martz first met this person as an Orioles fan and he, along with their other friends who held season tickets, shared the same level of enthusiasm for the team.

Myers and Martz were both season ticket holders, but only for part of the season. This made them eligible for a chance at tickets for opening day. By luck, Martz was chosen to receive two tickets, which he shared with a friend who had a share in the plan with him. Unfortunately, Myers was not selected and almost missed out entirely. However, Martz’s other friend who worked in the Orioles’ minor league affiliate Frederick Keys was able to help him out.

Radio frequencies: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM.

“I received the ticket on the condition that I would donate the cost of two tickets to the church collection the next Sunday,” explained Myers. “The seats were premium ones located behind home plate.”

My interpretation of Myers’ sentiment is that no matter what is happening in life, there is always something that feels right and brings a sense of optimism and excitement. This feeling is shared among fans, who hold onto hope even when the team may not be performing well. This optimism is encapsulated on opening day, where everyone feels like they are starting off on equal ground.

For the past 50 years, Bruce Myers has not missed a single Orioles home opener. The photo below shows all the tickets he has accumulated throughout the years on opening day.

For the past 50 years, Bruce Myers has been present at every home opener for the Orioles. Recently, Bruce departed with his colleague and close friend Jerry Martz.