  The gamma ray burst (GRB) 980425 is distinctive in that it seems to be
associated with supernova (SN) 1998bw, has no X-ray afterglow, and has a single
peak light curve and a soft spectrum. The supernova is itself unusual in that
its expansion velocity exceeds c/6. We suggest that many of these features can
be accounted for with the hypothesis that we observe the GRB along a penumbral
line of sight that contains mainly photons that have scattered off ejected
baryons. The hypothesis suggests a baryon poor jet (BPJ) existing within a
baryon rich outflow. The sharp distinction can be attributed to whether or not
the magnetic field lines thread an event horizon. Such a configuration suggests
that there will be some non-thermal acceleration of pick-up ex-neutrons within
the BPJ. This scenario might produce observable spallation products and
neutrinos.
