Manager recalls friend a day after his suicide Nationals manager Davey Johnson always will be a member of the Baltimore Orioles at heart. He played eight years for that organization during its glory days under manager Earl Weaver in the 1960s and early 1970s. And he managed it to back-to-back playoff berths in 1996 and 1997.
So the loss of Mike Flanagan, a longtime Orioles player, coach, executive and broadcaster, to a self-inflicted gunshot on Wednesday left Johnson heartbroken.
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“He was a good friend, and I think the world of him,” Johnson said. “I just wished I’d known he was having a struggle. I’d sure like to have talked to him. It’s just a terrible loss. Everybody that knew Flanny loved him.”
Johnson’s career in Baltimore ended in 1972, and Flanagan joined the organization the year after as a minor leaguer. But Flanagan served as the team’s color analyst during the two years Johnson managed Baltimore, so the two knew each other well. And, of course, there was the bond between all Orioles who played under the brilliant, bombastic Weaver.
Flanagan’s death was ruled a suicide by the Maryland medical examiner Thursday, according to the Associated Press. No final note was left, but a police investigation revealed financial issues may have been a contributing factor. Flanagan, 59, was found on his Baltimore County property Wednesday afternoon. He won the 1979 American League Cy Young Award and helped the Orioles to an American League pennant that year and a World Series title in 1983.
“I think he’ll be remembered as a great pitcher and a great teacher,” Johnson said, “His influence to everybody around him was always positive. He was always upbeat. He was a good example for all the youngsters coming up and [veteran] teammates alike.”
Johnson has endured his own ups and downs in recent years. A ruptured appendix a few years ago almost killed him, and he had a heart procedure earlier this year. He also lost a daughter, Andrea, at age 32, in 2005 and a stepson, Jake, 34, in May.
“I’ve lost a lot of people very close to me,” Johnson said. “I wish I’d had a chance to talk to [Flanagan] and cheer him up like he’s done for me in the past.”
