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Mike Flanagan

Unless you've experienced at least 35 or so revolutions of the Earth 'round the sun, or you're a fan of the Baltimore Orioles (or both, as I am), you probably have never heard of Mike Flanagan. He was one of the Orioles' best pitchers back when the Orioles were one of baseball's best franchises. This was the late 70s/early 80s, when my interest in baseball was at its peak.

Last night I was listening to the Orioles game on MLB.com when word broke that his body was found outside his Maryland home. The news grew worse today when it was revealed that he apparently took his own life. It hasn't been easy being even an intermittent Orioles fan for the last 14 years, but it became even harder yesterday.

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