Ripken’s Work Ethic Spreading This Season

When it comes to durability, no one can challenge Cal Ripken Jr. Yet the Iron Man isn’t the only Baltimore Oriole who this season has earned the right to be called an “everyday player.”

Ripken, naturally, has been joined by Rafael Palmeiro and B.J. Surhoff in all 130 of the Orioles’ games this year. No other team in baseball has three players who haven’t missed a game in 1998.

Ripken has played in 2,608 consecutive games, including 478 since breaking Lou Gehrig’s record in 1995. His work ethic has rubbed off on some of the players in the Baltimore clubhouse, most notably Palmeiro and Surhoff.

In order to play in every game, a player has to prove that he doesn’t need the rest in order to be effective. All three have done that this season--Ripken is hitting .277, Palmeiro has 38 homers and 106 RBIs and Surhoff is batting .283 with 17 homers and 78 RBIs.

“Playing 162 games would be nice, but it’s not a priority,” Surhoff said. “I had no illusions of making it going into the year, and there are still a lot of games left to play. But the days I don’t start, it’s really harder for me because I have to be ready from the third inning on.”

Surhoff has never played in more than 148 games in a season. The left fielder has shrugged off several minor injuries this season.

Palmeiro, who has played in at least 153 games in each of the last eight seasons, can’t stand to watch from the bench. Neither can Ripken. Or Surhoff.

“It’s amazing to watch them in the training room before the game getting everything taped,” Miller said.

“I’ve seen them taping two fingers together during the game. Then you look down and they say, ‘I’m fine. I’m fine.’ What manager could ask for anything more than that?”