It’s March 17, 1996, and we’re just about two weeks away from Opening Day on April 1. The O’s rolled the Mets, 9-6, thanks to homers from Bobby Bonilla and Chris Hoiles. B.J. Surhoff played third base, and it’s looking more and more like that position is his to lose. 

A catcher/outfielder for most of his career to this point, he’s had some bumps along the road this spring, making several errors. New O’s manager Davey Johnson is not concerned, putting bluntly, “If he has a bad game or two, I don’t give a [darn]... I want him to be comfortable. I don’t want him thinking every day is an audition over there.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 10C, March 9, 1996)

B.J. Surhoff was born in August of 1964 in the Bronx. His father, Dick, had played basketball for the New York Knicks in 1952-53. B.J. grew up in Westchester County, 15 miles outside the city in Rye, N.Y. Growing up in a family of athletes, B.J. took to sports naturally, and excelled at baseball, football, and basketball.

“Not because he’s my son, but he’s just an oddity,” said Dick. “You don’t have an individual like this come along in 10 or 20 years. If he played soccer, I think he would have been good. Hockey, the coach wanted him to put on skates, how many kids made All-State in three sports?” (The Reporter Dispatch, Westchester, N.Y., p. K6, March 29, 1987)

The Yankees drafted Surhoff out of high school in the 5th round in 1982, but he spurned his hometown team and went to the University of North Carolina, where he hit .392 for his career and became one of college baseball’s best players. He ended up at UNC because head coach Mike Roberts (father of future Oriole Brian Roberts), had received a tip from legendary UNC basketball coach Dean Smith, who had heard about Surhoff while recruiting star guard (and future NBA television icon) Kenny Smith. It turns out Surhoff was a neighbor of Smith’s high school coach. (The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C., p. C1, June 2, 1985)

Surhoff was so good in college that the Milwaukee Brewers took him with the #1 overall pick in one of baseball’s greatest drafts, 1985. He was picked ahead of superstars like Will Clark, Barry Larkin, Barry Bonds, and current O’s teammate Rafael Palmeiro. 

“What makes Surhoff most appealing to the Brewers, and every other major-league team, is his versatility,” said Ron Morris in The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.). “He has been a catcher throughout an illustrious college career, but has been projected as a major-league shortstop as well as an outfielder.” (The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C., p. C1, June 2, 1985)

The Brewers decided to keep him at catcher and he was… well, his career has been kind of solid if unspectacular to this point. He reached the majors in 1987 and stuck, hitting .299 in 115 games as the Brewers’ catcher. He was a regular from that point forward, primarily as a catcher through 1992 but also mixing in some time at third base and in the outfield. It is important to keep in mind that catcher is a physically demanding position and that can impact offense, especially as the season drags on, but Surhoff wasn’t exactly dominating at the plate, especially compared to the superstars picked after him.

In his first eight seasons, he hit just 44 total home runs, and his .268 average with limited power made pitchers attack him more because they didn’t fear that he would punish mistake pitches. He had a middling .316 on base percentage, and the total package was a below-average offensive player.

But he had his best season in 1995, with his batting average shooting up to .320 and a career-high 13 homers. He was a free agent after that year and signed a two-year deal with the Birds. “It was the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Surhoff said after leaving the only professional organization he’d known for the last decade. “Ultimately, the decision came down to a balance between my family situation and my professional situation.” (Wisconsin State Journal, p. 1C, December 21, 1995)

You see, Surhoff’s wife, Polly Winde Surhoff, is a bit of a local legend in Maryland. A week before her husband signed with the Orioles, Polly was inducted into the Maryland Swimming Hall of Fame. She broke the record for 8-and-under 25-meter breaststroke that still stands (as of 1996), and she competed in the World Championships, Pan Am Games, and narrowly missed the 1984 Olympics. She had met B.J. while they were both at UNC. And now she and her family are coming back home. (Baltimore Sun, p. 3E, December 15, 1995)

Despite the smiling baseball card above, B.J. usually has a gruff exterior and looks like an old-timey baseball player from the World War I era. He once quipped, “One reporter said my expression was ‘dour.’ I had to look that one up.”

He’s got a fresh start in Baltimore and has a track record of being a pro’s pro. He should provide a steady, veteran presence toward the bottom of the O’s stacked lineup. He’s never been to the postseason, and is hoping that changes this year. For now, he’s just focused on relearning third base and collecting plenty of bumps and bruises this spring in doing so.

On the front page of today’s Baltimore Sun there’s a picture of thousands of flowers laid out on the drive up to a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland. Four days prior, a gunman killed 16 children and their teacher. It sparked the Snowdrop Campaign, which ultimately led to the passage of the strictest private handgun restrictions in the world. Over 30 years later, it remains the largest mass shooting in the history of the UK.

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!