Mike Flanagan, 1993 Topps #381

I often feel cheesy when I post the same card on two blogs on the same day, but when I examined this Mike Flanagan card for my 1993 Topps series earlier today, I was struck anew by the dynamic photo. It's the last Topps card of Flanny's career, and he went out on top, as we get to peer over the catcher's shoulder at the 40-year-old lefty's follow-through while the ball spins toward the plate. I want to say that he's pitching in Yankee Stadium, but I reserve the right to be wrong. I also find myself wondering when I'll be able to hear Mike Flanagan's name without thinking about the tragic and avoidable way that he left us. It might not ever happen, really.

Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson, 1992 Score #427

The combined no-hitter started by Bob Milacki and finished by the O's bullpen on July 13, 1991 was a rare highlight for the Orioles in Oakland. For as long as I can remember, it seems like the Oakland Coliseum (or O.co Coliseum, as some idiot decided it should be called) has been a special house of horrors for the Birds. But suddenly, there is sweet relief. Jim Johnson wriggled out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the ninth inning today to seal a 7-3 win and to guarantee the Orioles their first series win in Oakland since 2007. But by taking the first three games of this four-game set, the O's are also assured of winning their first four-game road series against the A's since July 31-August 3, 1997. Just as a refresher, the club's winning pitchers in that series were Armando Benitez, Mike Mussina, and Shawn Boskie. (I write, read, and think about the Orioles 365 days a year, and it probably would have taken me 100 guesses or more to tab Shawn Boskie. He won a half-dozen games here.) Not that I'm getting greedy, but a win in tomorrow's finale would give Baltimore their first four-game sweep in Oakland since May 22-25, 1987. Ken Dixon had three saves in that series, don't ya know.

A lot of smart people assumed that the O's would come back down to earth in 2013 after going 29-9 in one-run games in their wild-card run last year. It's still early, but we've got 24 games to look at, almost 15 percent of the season. The Orioles are 15-9, including an 8-4 road record and a 9-6 mark in the brutal American League East. They're in second place in the division, 1.5 games behind the Red Sox and 6.5 up on the offseason darlings in Toronto. I'm glad the good times aren't over in Birdland just yet.

Mike Flanagan, 1987 Fleer #470

I wish that I didn't have a reason to write today's post. For the second time in as many years, a former Orioles player has taken his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Last year, it was Mike Flanagan committing suicide in August. Now, we've heard that Ryan Freel killed himself at his home in Florida yesterday. The former outfielder, who batted .133 with a .350 on-base percentage in a brief 9-game stint in Baltimore in 2009, was 36 years old. He leaves behind a wife and three young daughters, and does so right in the midst of the holiday season. Just awful news all around. I don't know what else to say.

Vintage Fridays: Mike Flanagan, 1978 Topps #341

It's been a year. I hope you've found peace, Flanny. You are missed.

Vintage Fridays: Mike Flanagan, 1980 Topps #205

I'm writing today's entry with a heavy heart, as this would have been Mike Flanagan's 60th birthday had he not taken his own life this past August 24. In the subsequent months, there have been no enlightening discoveries to help his family, friends, and fans make sense of Mike's suicide. We know that he was disappointed by his uneven tenure as the de facto general manager of the Orioles and distraught over reported financial problems, but these things will never satisfactorily explain such a drastic act of despair. My deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones as they are faced with their first Christmas without him.

This card focuses on Flanny in the prime of his life and his career, having just won the American League Cy Young Award for a superlative 1979 season. He topped the junior circuit with a 23-9 record and 5 shutouts, notched a career-low 3.08 ERA, and had personal bests with a 2.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 6.4 strikeouts per 9 innings. He helped lead the O's to their first World Series since 1971, topping the Angels in Game Two of the ALCS before going the distance in a 5-4 win over the Pirates in the Series opener. Here he shares the spotlight with the great, knuckleballing Niekro brothers, who tied for the National League lead with 21 wins apiece. Sadly, Joe Niekro has also left us too soon; a brain anuerysm caused his death in 2006 at age 61. It's all just another reminder that life is short, and we should be good to one another in the time that we are given.

Mike Flanagan, 1982 Topps #520

I intended to take this week off from the blog, but these are bizarre and unfortunate circumstances. At 4:26 this afternoon, police were called to Mike Flanagan's property in Sparks, MD, with reports of a male body being spotted on the trail to his barn. Hours later, it was confirmed that the body was identified as Flanagan, age 59. Details are still few and far between, but Baltimore has lost a star pitcher, a coach, a front office executive, and a broadcaster all in one. More importantly, his family lost a husband and father. There's nothing I can tell you about Flanny's playing career that you won't hear elsewhere: 1979 Cy Young Award winner, 3 postseason victories, 12-4 with a 3.30 ERA for the 1983 champs, combined with 3 other pitchers to no-hit Oakland in 1991, was the last O's pitcher on the mound in Memorial Stadium, fifth in team history with 141 wins.

I'll tell you a bit about what Mike Flanagan means to me. The second entry I ever wrote on this blog was about him, and a card that had been in my possession for as long as I could remember. Each of the past two years, he was in the MASN broadcast booth for the network's blogger event at Camden Yards. He took time out of his pregame routine to meet with our ragtag group and answer our questions. He was casual and warm, and shared some entertaining stories from his long Oriole career. This past June, we were running behind schedule and he still took time away from his pregame meal to spend a few minutes with us. It was truly appreciated.

Hats off to Mike Flanagan. I've never heard anyone say a bad word about him, and I hope this story doesn't get sadder.

Mike Flanagan, 1981 Kellogg's #60

Where was I? Oh right, Blogger Day. So yesterday at noon I made my way to the Home Plate Plaza at Camden Yards, where I met with Todd Webster of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and several fine folks who don't make a living writing about the Orioles. I spent much of the day hanging with Stacey, Bill, and Marianne from Camden Chat, but I also got to rub shoulders with Pete (aka the Wayward O), Heath of Dempsey's Army, and others. There were at least a dozen of us - pretty solid representation for a team that's fallen on such hard times.

After a brief stop off at the MASN club level suite and some handing out of O's swag (media guides and copies of Orioles Magazine), Todd took us to the broadcast booth to meet play-by-play man Gary Thorne and his partner for the weekend, ex-Oriole pitcher, coach, and executive Mike Flanagan. We asked them a few questions, and the session was punctuated nicely when Stacey showed Gary her "Please drink...responsibly" t-shirt. Fortunately, the golden-throated Thorne let out a big laugh, as he was tickled to know that some fans noticed the way he draws that phrase out when reading beer ads. He even joked that it would get longer as the season wore on. Here's a crooked picture of Gary and Mike, taken with my iPhone.We returned to the suite and tucked into the pregame spread (personally, I went with the crab cakes, some tortilla chips and pico de gallo, and a Corona). After a few minutes, the door swung open and in walked Andy MacPhail, the general manager who has fostered more legitimate optimism than Baltimore has seen in a decade. I had the honor of not just shaking his hand, but also asking him a question during a brief Q and A. I wanted to know if he'd considered signing any of the young O's to "team-friendly" extensions like the one Evan Longoria received from the Rays. He called it a good question (not that I'm one to toot my own horn...ahem), and bluntly stated that Tampa Bay has no money and has to act sooner in locking their players up. They gambled with Longoria by making that deal right after he debuted with them, and the numbers were so low (six years guaranteed at $17.5 million) because they'd bought out his pre-arbitration years. He said that his inclination was to extend players with about three years experience, as he did with Nick Markakis. That way you have some idea that a player has staying power, but you're also buying out some free agent years. Much of the Blogger Day itinerary was similar to last year's event, but the MacPhail appearance was one very pleasant surprise.It was only fitting that we also had an opportunity to talk shop with MASN's own Orioles bloggers, Steve Melewski and Roch Kubatko. Each stopped by the suite for a few innings, and I had a good one-on-one chat with Melewski, who did the Aberdeen IronBirds radio play-by-play the year that I interned for the club. He just suffered a heart attack a week ago, but fortunately it was a small one as far as they go and he says he's doing well. I don't have a picture of Roch or Steve, so here's the view from the suite. Just like last year, Rick Dempsey was there to watch the game and keep score in preparation for his role on MASN's postgame show. He seemed unaware that we would all be there that day, but handled our gawking, kind words, and photo requests with grace and friendliness. I posted the picture of the two of us yesterday, but here's a solo shot of Rick.Tippy Martinez also popped in briefly, and I took the opportunity to say hello and even mentioned that I'd met him way back in 1994 when he was the guest of honor at my Little League parade. I'm not sure what he thought of that, but at least I didn't mention the fact that his driver ran over the foot of one of my teammates.

Late in the game, Todd took a few of us down to the TV production truck. It's amazing to see up close just how many people (17 in the truck alone) it takes to bring the game to your living room, and to see the focus and concentration that they have. There are ten different camera angles to choose from at any given moment.
In the end, the Birds wasted a very strong start by Kevin Millwood thanks to those ice-cold bats (Blue Jays 5, Orioles 2), but it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon spent in good company. Thanks to Todd Webster and to Kristen Hudak, and a lot of credit goes to the Orioles too. They didn't have to cooperate as much as they did, but they seem to recognize that some of their most dedicated fans are spending time and effort fostering discussion of the team on the Internet. A little goes a long way.

Mike Flanagan, 1983 Donruss #105

From the "they don't make 'em like they used to" department: it was thirty years ago today (August 20, 1979) that Mike Flanagan tossed his league-leading fifth shutout, a 3-0 victory in which he held the Rangers to three hits and one walk and struck out seven. It came just five days after Flanny had tossed a 12-inning complete-game victory over the White Sox. In those dozen innings he surrendered five hits and a walk and whiffed 12 batters. The winning run scored with two outs in the bottom of the 12th when Eddie Murray STOLE HOME. What I would have given to see that! Mike was well on his way to the only Cy Young Award of his career (23-9, 3.08 ERA, 16 complete games) and Baltimore's fourth of the decade. Jim Palmer had the other three; when you add Mike Cuellar's award in 1969 and Steve Stone's in 1980, the Birds took home six plaques in a dozen years. Sadly, Stone's Cy was the last for the O's to date, and they haven't had five or more complete game shutouts as a team since 1995.

Five shutouts? Hell, five wins would put you in a tie for second-best on this year's team. Where have you gone, Mike Flanagan?

Mike Flanagan, 1985 O-Pee-Chee #46

Tonight I've got another entry from the "Kevin is oblivious" files. As I've already mentioned, last Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending Paul Lukas' Uni Watch gathering at Racers in Parkville. I had a great time talking about the O's with several of the other folks in attendance, but between my tendency to be easily sidetracked and the relatively limited amount of time (two and a half hours were carved out for the event), I didn't get a chance to formally meet everyone. When I introduced myself to Paul, he mentioned that there was a gentleman sitting at the bar in a classic Maryland Terrapins tee who worked for the Orioles. I eventually made my way over to his area, and I vaguely remember briefly speaking to him and his significant other, but again I don't think we exchanged names and other vitals before my attention was grabbed by something else. It could have been a Nick Markakis single, or maybe I felt the need to compliment another party-goer on his Baltimore Skipjacks hockey jersey. I didn't give the whole thing another thought until Friday morning, when Paul finally posted a photo essay of the meetup on his Uni Watch Blog.

I started reading and clicking through to the photos, grateful to put names with faces. The guy in the Terps tee was Jack Krabbe, and his role with the Orioles is corporate sales. What really gob-smacked me was the identity of Jack's companion. The young woman was his fiancee Kerry, and she just happens to be Mike Flanagan's daughter. My first thought: I can't believe that I shared a drink with Flanny's daughter and didn't even realize it! My second thought: Oops, I hope I didn't bad-mouth him that night...or in any of my blog posts. Well, I can't vouch for my conversation material that evening, but at least as far as the blog content goes, I seem to have treated #46 pretty well. Whew. Anyhow, if Jack and/or Kerry are reading, it was nice to meet you, however briefly, and if our paths cross again, we'll have to talk shop.
From left: Kerry Flanagan, yours truly, Dan Sliwinski, Sean Combetti, and Joe Hilseberg

Mike Flanagan, 1981 Fleer Star Stickers #56

Since I started trading with other bloggers and readers, I've gotten more than cards to add to my Orioles collection. There are the oddball coins, mini-books, temporary tattoos, and of course, stickers. I have dozens of stickers, just begging to be peeled: full-size player pictures with card-type backs, like Mike Flanagan here; mini album-size player pictures (Panini sticker albums were all the rage when I was a kid); full-color Orioles logo stickers from Fleer; and holographic logo stickers from Upper Deck. I can only imagine what would have become of these stickers if they'd come into my possession fifteen years ago or earlier. Chances are good that they would have been ripped from their backings and plastered all over my card boxes, binders, folders, notebooks, maybe even on top of a baseball-themed poster. I haven't quite figured out what to do with them now. The player stickers will probably stay put, since they're similar to cards. But I think my 1993 Toyota Camry would look pretty fierce with a bunch of 1980's Swinging Bird logos running across the side panel.

Orioles No-Hitter, 1991 Stadium Club Members Only

I just finished reading "It's Gone!...No, Wait a Minute" by Ken Levine. It's the memoir of a Hollywood screenwriter who realized a childhood dream by becoming a baseball radio announcer. In 1991, he made his major league debut on Orioles telecasts, teaming with Jon Miller and Chuck Thompson. It sounds like nice work if you can get it, but the Birds were godawful that year: 67-95, 24 games back of Toronto in sixth place. One of the things that struck me about his witty, honest account of that long season was just how many memorable moments there were in such a lousy campaign. He marveled daily at the otherworldly MVP exploits of Cal Ripken, Jr. (.323, 34 HR, 114 RBI), witnessed two no-hitters (one a four-pitcher combo against Oakland, the other a Wilson Alvarez white-washing of the Birds), and of course broadcasted the emotional final ceremonies at Memorial Stadium. Whenever the O's fall apart in another endless summer, I try to remind myself of the positive aspects of the long baseball season. Even the worst teams win 65 games a year, and there will be dozens of nights when it seems like your team is on top of the world.

Mike Flanagan, 1991 Score Rookies/Traded #2T

I can't help but feel for Mike Flanagan. Few men have devoted more of their lives to the Orioles organization than the sharp-witted lefty from New Hampshire. From 1975 to 1987, he won 139 games, a Cy Young award, and a World Championship in Baltimore. A trade to Toronto brought only a temporary separation; when the Blue Jays released Mike in 1990, he returned to Charm City, reinventing himself as a valuable reliever (2.38 ERA in 64 games in 1991). He was the last Oriole to throw a pitch in Memorial Stadium. Two years after his 1992 retirement, he was selected to the Orioles Hall of Fame. He served as the team's pitching coach on two occasions, and was a color commentator for televised games for six years. From 2003 to mid-2007, he was the de facto general manager. Though his personnel moves did not turn around the Birds' fortunes, there was plenty of blame to go around. When Andy MacPhail was hired as general manager last June, Flanagan was kept on in the front office, his role somewhat murky. Now, with MacPhail firmly in charge and Flanny notably absent from the Baltimore contingent at the Winter Meetings, the writing appears to be on the wall.

It's just uncomfortable to watch someone who has served the club in as many capacities as you can imagine twist in the wind like this. For a year and a half, Mike has kept to himself, saying the right things, as he's been more or less pushed aside without being completely set free. Whatever is next for Number 46, I hope he finds a way to continue participating in Orioles baseball.

Mike Flanagan, 1986 Topps #365

Keeping with the "early memories" theme, this is the first Orioles card that I remember owning. I had a small assortment of 1980s Topps cards in my early childhood, though I didn't actively start collecting until I was ten. Those initial cards were probably given to me by my uncle, who was an avid collector at the time. Or maybe my father got them somewhere. I'll have to ask around.

Obviously the bold, colorful design of 1986 Topps would appeal to a child who was learning his colors and words. I even remember playing "Go Fish" with my mother. Instead of matching playing card numbers, you'd match team names. Simple enough. "Got any Cardinals?" "Go fish." It's reminiscent of a simpler time, when baseball cards were traded and handled lovingly, and *gasp* played with...instead of viewed as an investment or a piece of memorabilia to be locked away in a sterile casing. Still, I must admit that the notions of "flipping" cards, or of sticking them between the spokes of your bicycle for auditory pleasure are a little beyond even my comprehension.

I'm generally a sentimental person, but I'll admit that older isn't always better. Let's take a look at Flanny's picture up there. It's a decent action shot of the lefty in mid-windup, back to the camera. But what really leaps out at me is that thick, tri-color elastic waistband. That thing is just an eyesore, and is not exactly flattering to Mike's figure. So you can imagine how it looked on a teammate with a less athletic build, say Floyd Rayford for example. Say what you will about the follies of baseball in the 1990s, the labor strife and the taint of the Steroid Era...at least they came to their senses and started wearing belts and button-down shirts again, like grown men should.