Yesterday, I went to the Orioles game in Fort Lauderdale. They played the Mets, but the main reason I went was to meet up with a former interviewee of MLB Rumors, Rocky Cherry, and interview long time Oriole and Executive Vice President Mike Flanagan. I got to talk with Rocky for a good ten minutes, and then I got to check out the Orioles offices. Flanagan won 1979 Cy Young award with the Orioles and now plays a big role in the Orioles decision making. I want to thank Mike for taking the time out of his busy day to do the interview with me, I really appreciate it. I also want to thank Scott Shapiro for setting the interview up for me, I really appreciate it.
ELI: When did you first realize you might be drafted?
MIKE: Well, I was drafted twice. I was first drafted by Pat Gillick of the Astros out of high school, but I had a bad elbow at the time so I went to the University of Massachusetts. When the next draft came around for me I was pretty confident I was going to be drafted and I went in the seventh round.
ELI: You won the AL Cy Young in 1979, looking back on it, what was working for you that year?
MIKE: A pitcher name Scott McGregor helped me early on. I was mostly a two pitch pitcher early on in my career and you cannot survive as a starter with two pitches. I tried all sorts of grips to develop a change, but McGregor had a great change-up and helped me find one. It made all the difference. I had pitched four hundred innings against everyone without a change, so the next time I pitched, no one had seen it, and that made all the difference.
ELI: You played alongside Jim Palmer, what was that like early on in your career?
MIKE: I came up with Jim Palmer, and looking back on it, I was fortunate to play with him. It is not always the case that pitchers give out tips, but Palmer helped me a lot with psychology of it, and finding strengths and weaknesses.
ELI: What was Earl Weaver like as a manager?
MIKE: I don't know if he have enough time to talk about it. [Laughs] Every game was a war. Every night he managed, it was a war. Even in Spring Training or Fantasy Camp - he was a high intensity manager.
ELI: While you were playing, did you ever think you would hold a Front Office position after you retired? What positions did you hold before you got to where you are now?
MIKE: I thought about it. I was a broadcaster twice, and their pitching coach. Being a broadcaster was a nice avenue to getting here. You stay in touch with the game by talking to scouts, players and coaches.
ELI: This past year, you traded Steve Trachsel to the Cubs for Rocky Cherry and Scott Moore. Was the negotiation process to bring him back easy, was there any hard feelings?
MIKE: Well, we talked to Trachsel when it happened, so it was not difficult to get a deal done. Either way, most veterans understand.
ELI: Several trades were made this offseason, did the players take longer to gel in Spring Training than normal?
MIKE: No. I think players understand that there is an opportunity here. Rosters are usually set coming into Spring Training, but I don't know of one major leaguer that doesn't want an opportunity.
ELI: You drafted Matt Wieters last year, how did he handle his first big league camp?
MIKE: Extremely well. He is a strong catcher and a switch hitter. We do not have much catching depth in our minor league system, so to add a switch hitter gives us the depth we need.
ELI: Is there one pitcher in camp that really turned heads this year?
MIKE: Chris Tillman. He came over in the Bedard trade. He is a big guy, and showed a lot of poise.
ELI: Daniel Cabrera has a hard fastball. Is there anything you told him to work on this spring?
MIKE: We had him work on a change-up. Daniel is a big guy, he just needs to slow things down.
ELI: There is a saying, "When you have a passion for your work, you never work a day in your life," do you feel that way?
MIKE: Absolutely. If you are concerned about your job and hours, this isn't the job for you. You are on call twenty-four hours a day, twelve months out of the year.
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The Braves and infielder Scott Spezio have agreed to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com. Spezio, who was released by the Cardinals for alcohol related problems, will report to Triple-A within the next week or so. It was important to the Braves that he was in shape to play, but also that he had made steps to put his troubled past behind him: "We had a good feeling after the meeting that he had taken responsibility for what had happened over this last year," Wren said. "He has been in a [substance-abuse] program, and I think there has been a change in personality and attitude. He was sincerely sorry with everything that has happened, and I think he's committed to making amends and making a change." I think this is a good signing for the Braves who add a veteran hitter who can play several positions. Nothing has been guaranteed to him, so let's if he can really make it back.
