The reason I made my post is because in a class I took for my education major, “Adolescent Health,” one thing we learned was to not glamorize a student’s suicide. You don’t want to be showing other students that you’ll get more attention if you kill yourself.

Granted, all this remembrance for Flanagan will likely catch the eye of more rational adults than teenagers, but I have to feel that the same thing is true. Being a Twins fan and having Harmon Killebrew dying from cancer, I don’t feel it’s right to have Flanagan’s suicide treated in a similar manner as Killebrew’s death.

Taking the whole “perception is reality” stance, most O’s fans perceived of Flanagan as a positive public figure and probably will choose to hold onto that memory rather than the reality of how he died.

Lots of people have their personal demons. Does that mean we should forget all of their contributions during their life just because of how it ended?

Maybe if someone snaps and takes out a neighborhood on their way off the planet then yes, you can revise and lower your opinion of them.

But while I certainly don’t condone suicide, that alone isn’t enough to make me think any less of him.

It’s about remembering a great Orioles, a guy who was a good broadcaster and worked with the organization forever. And in that sense, it’s about the fans – this is a way for fans to deal with it how they see fit and there’s nothing wrong with that.

How does this send a weird message? I cant imagine anyone looks at it and thinks, wow they’re condoning suicide, so, yep, might be the right path for me…