Stadium-Armory Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sad. He was one of my favorites: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/08/baltimore-orioles-mike-flanagan-found-dead/1 Orioles great Mike Flanagan found deadMike Flanagan, whose career with the Baltimore Orioles included a Cy Young Award and World Series championship as a pitcher, and stints as a coach, executive and broadcaster, was found dead at his Maryland home on Wednesday. Flanagan's death was first reported by WBAL-TV in Baltimore and later confirmed by the Baltimore Sun, citing law enforcement or club sources. Baltimore County police had said they were investigating a body found on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET on the property owned by Flanagan, 59. Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos issued the following statement regarding Flanagan's death: "It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of my friend Mike Flanagan earlier this evening. In over a quarter century with the organization, Flanny became an integral part of the Orioles family, for his accomplishments both on and off the field. His loss will be felt deeply and profoundly by all of us with the ballclub and by Orioles fans everywhere who admired him. On behalf of the club, I extend my condolences to his wife, Alex; and daughters Kerry, Kathryn and Kendall." "It's just shock right now," said former Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey. "I know everybody that played with him loved him to death. He was the backbone of that pitching staff. He never quit — this guy never quit. He was there for the duration. We had so many great games and so many great times. I just can't believe it." Read More... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 RIP Flanny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberOsaka Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Wow....tragic. One of my childhood heros. I have a lineup card from the dugout wall signed by Flanny and most of the team from a game he pitched back in '91. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bay Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Listening to 105.9 this morning, they were saying it sounds like a suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberOsaka Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Listening to 105.9 this morning, they were saying it sounds like a suicide. Police are investigating the cause of death, meanwhile, WBAL-TV’s sports director Gerry Sandusky is reporting, based on sources, that Flanagan took his own life “despondent over what he considered a false perception from a community he loved of his role in the team’s prolonged failure.” http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2011/08/25/flanagans-pitching-brilliance-remembered-as-death-is-investigated/ Kurkjian has a great remembrance article out this morning that characterizes Flanny as recently despondent....so tragic and unnecessary. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6894031/mlb-cy-young-winner-mike-flanagan-1951-2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bay Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Yeah, I agree. Very sad that he went out thinking the fans held him responsible. I don't follow the O's like I used to but that thought never even crossed my mind, and even if it had it's still not worth his life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MassSkinsFan Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I was never an O's fan, but I always thought highly of Mike Flanagan. Sad news. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmySmith Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 A truly great pitcher. 1979, the year he won the Cy Young, the O's roster featured 3 guys who won a Cy Young for them, and two others who won 100 games as an Oriole. Amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 That's extremely tragic. Is it true that many fans put some of the blame on him for the O's performance? What led them to that conclusion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsdude Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I’m not an Orioles fan, or even a baseball fan, but Mike Flanagan seemed like a really good guy. It’s a shame that he was mixed up with such a crappy organization. Only 59, wow. Thoughts go out to his wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 You never see this coming. I was shocked. RIP Flanny. ---------- Post added August-25th-2011 at 09:09 AM ---------- That's extremely tragic. Is it true that many fans put some of the blame on him for the O's performance? What led them to that conclusion? Most fans don't. Many of us blame Angelos. He was a great pitcher for the O's. Only Angelos is to blame for the way the team turned out. I’m not an Orioles fan, or even a baseball fan, but Mike Flanagan seemed like a really good guy. It’s a shame that he was mixed up with such a crappy organization. Only 59, wow. Thoughts go out to his wife. This so called "crappy organization" as you call it, was once one of the jewels of MLB going to 6 world series, winning 3, consistantly challenging for pennants and had one of the best farm systems from 1960 to about 1995. Angelos ruined the team after he bought them. Like the Redskins and Snyder, he's taken a once proud and successful team and run it in to the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulSkin Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Watching MASN last night was gut wrenching. Here's a link of Palmer being interviewed after the game. He and Rick Dempsey were trying to hold it together. It was just brutal television. Very sad. http://www.masnsports.com/index_medialounge.php?show_id=707025&p I grew up watching the Orioles. He was a great pitcher, and they were a great team. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Really sad. I must have watched every broadcast during the '96 and '97 seasons and he was fantastic, and yes his dry humor was hilarious He will be missed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsdude Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 This so called "crappy organization" as you call it, was once one of the jewels of MLB going to 6 world series, winning 3, consistantly challenging for pennants and had one of the best farm systems from 1960 to about 1995. Angelos ruined the team after he bought them. Like the Redskins and Snyder, he's taken a once proud and successful team and run it in to the ground. I'm not sure what the past has to do with anything. The time period when the Orioles were a jewel of MLB was not the source of his angst. It's that recent Orioles teams that provided him stress. The Orioles of late are a crappy team just like the Redskins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I'm not sure what the past has to do with anything. The time period when the Orioles were a jewel of MLB was not the source of his angst. It's that recent Orioles teams that provided him stress. The Orioles of late are a crappy team just like the Redskins. I'd say they're worst than the Skins have been. 15 or 16 straight losing seasons. Stuck in a division that seems impossible to win. I always liked Flanagan. In every respect. As a player, coach, broadcaster, etc. Seemed like a great guy. At first, the idea that he would end his life over a game seems ridiculous. But when you consider that it has been his life and that he has given his heart and soul to the team, it makes a lot more sense. It's more than a game to him. It's everything. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 How horrible...I can't believe that the state of the Orioles led to this. That makes this all the more tragic. I guess it's one thing if your family or other extremely important things are leading you to a dark place. But the state of the Orioles? Flanny might have contributed about 0.001% to the current state of the franchise. And even then...it's only a sport and, at most, work. I'm shocked and saddened today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 It never once crossed my mind that he was responsible for any of it. Angelos, yes, Flanagan, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Clark Fan Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 very tragic and while i was thinking or joking to myself that he killed himself from the pain of having to sit through and watch that miserable team for the past 10 years...man i feel dumb.. Os fans deserve better then what they have no doubt about that but for anyone to blame Flanny is insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I still don't think he killed himself over the Orioles. There has to be other factors in his life that we may not know about that contributed to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 There is no ****ing way he killed himself because the Orioles suck. He wasn't responsible for that. That's entirely on Peter Angelos. Flanny we love you. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss_Hogg Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 He had three daughters too...Awful news. Baltimore officials are saying that he took his own life because he felt O's fans blamed him for the Orioles’ prolonged failure. http://www.wbaltv.com/r/28967968/detail.html From 2002-08 Flanagan shared or held the top baseball executive position in the organization. During that time Flanagan, according to those closest to him, struggled with not being able to do the job the way he wanted to do it, Sandusky said.A relative confirmed that Flanagan has wrestled for some time now with the perception of fans and colleagues alike of his role in the team's failures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HailYeah Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 There will be a moment of silence tonight at the game in Baltimore. I encourage all orioles fans (both skins and ravens) to show up with some type of tribute. Maybe a #46 sign or something. RIP Flanny. Devastating loss for this franchise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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