http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...-at-age-59/2011/08/25/gIQA0JEcdJ_gallery.html Baltimore Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan, the former Cy Young award winner, who posted 167 victories over 18 seasons with Baltimore and Toronto, was found dead outside his home Aug. 24, 2011. Flanagan was 59. He ended his career pitching 42 games for the 1992 Orioles. He then served two stints as Orioles pitching coach and was once the Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Flanagan was hired in 2010 by Mid-Atlantic Sports Network to work as a color analyst on Orioles telecasts. Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/sports/28967968/detail.html#ixzz1W3JDDhrV enjoyed his TV color commentary and analysis. RIP!
Police did not immediately identify the cause of death, but sources confirmed 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," Sandusky said. The soft-spoken and well-liked left-hander grew over the years into a fixture in the Orioles organization. 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 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. Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos issued the following statement at about 10:45 p.m.: "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." Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/sports/28967968/detail.html#ixzz1W3Ic6GTP
Truly just awful news, especially if Flanagan did indeed end his life due to the reasons stated in the article above. The game of baseball, and that's exactly what it is a game, should never cause anyone to seriously harm themselves or others. Really sad stuff. RIP.
Wait he killed himself because Baltimore sucks? I am sorry I cant accept that, what a gutless turd......I feel for his family, not him....
The guy obviously had some mental problems if something like that led to him offing himself. But yes I do agree about feeling bad for the guy's family.
Truly sad news. I grew up watching Flanny, Palmer, McGregor the rest of the great pitchers the O's had back in the day. And, while it's true the organization as a whole is a shadow of it's former greatness, hearing that he took his life over "what he considered a false perception from a community he loved of his role in the team's prolonged failure", well I just don't know what to say. It's just very sad. RIP Flanny. And, may his family find a way to cope with their loss.
