Coaching Staff

Brian Billick's mind was on what the Ravens were trying to accomplish in their afternoon practice yesterday at McDaniel College. His heart, and his prayers, were with his mentor, Bill Walsh, who had died earlier in the day after succumbing to leukemia. That Walsh's death came on the first day of training camp for Billick's team wasn't lost on the Ravens coach. "We occasionally get these reminders about priorities," Billick said. "All the things that we think are important and spend so much emotional energy worrying about, and then you realize what's really important.

Dave Trembley turned 56 yesterday, but Andy MacPhail gave him his birthday present more than two months ago. Orioles fans got one, too. The present to the suffering Orioles faithful: less suffering this week. Pause today to remind yourself how glad you are that your team isn't lurching through the game of managerial musical chairs that one team (the New York Yankees) just played, and another team (the Los Angeles Dodgers) is playing. And that your team didn't take the low road the way those two supposedly reputable franchises did. The Orioles locked Trembley in for the 2008 season Aug. 22, largely to avoid offseason charades such as the ones playing out now. How right do they look now, steering clear of the slop the Yankees and Dodgers are dragging everybody through, all the burned bridges and hurt feelings left behind?

Blacksburg, Va. -- Six years ago, Michael Vick came to Jerry Diffell's store in downtown Blacksburg for a news conference. With his No. 7 jerseys hanging on retail racks around him, Vick announced the start of his clothing line, the proceeds of which would go to Virginia Tech. It was a proud day for Diffell, who has owned and operated the Tech Bookstore since 1986 and who watched Vick's star rise during Tech's run to the national championship game in 1999. Pride was not on the menu last Tuesday, as Diffell sat at PK's, a sports bar here, for a business luncheon.

Substitutes everywhere It must be true that anyone can manage the New York Yankees. Catcher Jorge Posada did the honors yesterday as part of Joe Torre's season-ending tradition. Posada went to the mound in the seventh to remove reliever Ross Ohlendorf and received a loud ovation from Yankees fans. Reliever Ron Villone served as pitching coach after Mariano Rivera declined the offer. The starting lineup contained mostly regulars, but Posada substituted freely as his lead expanded. Missed opportunities Though a season ended, the Orioles maintained a trend.

BOSTON -- At some point between Tim Wakefield's mesmerizing the Orioles for 11 outs without a hit and Jesse Orosco's striking out Troy O'Leary to cement the visitors' 8-5 win over the presumptive American League wild-card team, a question flickered: What might this steamrolling September really mean to a team out of it by April?Yesterday, it meant a brief postponement of the Boston Red Sox's celebrating their second straight postseason appearance.It meant that starting pitcher Jason Johnson (8-7)

Tamir Goodman, one of the most publicized recruits in the history of Maryland basketball, told the Terps yesterday that he would decline the scholarship offer he orally accepted from the university last January.Goodman, an Orthodox Jew, said he changed his mind after a Sept. 2 meeting with Maryland coach Gary Williams, citing friction with the Maryland coaching staff over his refusal to play on the Jewish Sabbath."It was very discouraging," Goodman, 17, said of the meeting. "It would have been better off if they would have said [in January]

Jeff Alisauckas has stepped down as the coach of the varsity boys lacrosse team at South Carroll, it was announced yesterday.Athletic director Gene Brown said that Alisauckas, The Sun's Carroll County Boys Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 1998, has joined the coaching staff at Western Maryland College.Candidates who wish to apply for the vacancy can call Brown at 410-751-3575.Pub Date: 9/10/99

Long Reach's 21-14 overtime win at Oakland Mills was a thing of beauty yesterday. It was only after the game that things got ugly.Long Reach quarterback Stewart Long scored on a 1-yard run on the third play of overtime to give the Lightning (5-3, 5-2) a 21-14 lead. Long led his team with 115 yards rushing on 18 carries.When Oakland Mills (0-8, 0-6) got the ball, quarterback T.J. Rembert's pitch eluded running back Keion Reames on the first play, and Long Reach's Phil Niles fell on the ball to give the Lightning the victory in the school's first overtime game.

Tony Vinson has been through eight training camps covering three NFL teams and two tours of the World League. He has dealt with one major injury and a ton of anxiety.At the age of 28, Vinson has the look of a survivor. And with each tackle he makes on special teams, with each block he throws as a beefed-up fullback, with each preseason catch he makes out of the backfield, he makes a case for belonging in Baltimore for at least another year.The remaking of Vinson has taken shape. Six years ago, as a fifth-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers, Vinson was a local hero fresh off a 2,000-yard rushing season as a tailback with Towson State.

BaseballBrewers: Recalled IF Ron Belliard from Triple-A Louisville. Optioned P Steve Falteisek to Louisville.Cubs: Former Orioles OF Brent Bowers signed with Double-A West Tenn.Giants: Assigned 3B Bill Mueller to Triple-A Fresno on rehabilitation assignment.Indians: Activated P Paul Shuey from 15-day DL. Optioned P Paul Wagner to Triple-A Buffalo. Assigned P Ricky Rincon to Double-A Akron on rehabilitation assignment. P Jaret Wright withdrew appeal of five-game league suspension.Mets: Purchased contract OF Benny Agbayani from Triple-A Norfolk.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said he didn't set out this season to justify the four-year, $40 million extension he signed in February. One year in, though, he acknowledges that it's a nice feeling to reward the organization for making the investment. For the second time in his career, Roberts is the recipient of the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award, voted on by members of the news media who cover the team on a regular basis. He was presented with the award before Saturday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Moments after Andy MacPhail announced that embattled Orioles manager Dave Trembley would return for 2010, several of the players echoed the thoughts of their president of baseball operations. Trembley did the best he could in this disaster of a season. And next year's team has to be better, for his sake and theirs. "I like it. He has been put in a tough situation with injuries," right fielder Nick Markakis said of the decision to pick up Trembley's option. "This is the most young guys we have had come up at one time in a while.

There are two sides to cornerback Frank Walker, and that is reflected by the nickname given to him by Ravens defensive backs coach Mark Carrier. The bad "Tank" carries out his tasks ruthlessly, mindlessly and with little regard for how his performance can affect his teammates and the result. The good "Tank" is more tactical, playing within the schemes drawn up by the coaching staff and being mindful of the intended - or even unintended - consequences of his actions. Walker, his teammates and his coaches insist that the bad "Tank" is a figure getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror as Walker develops.

Towson University's new football coach speaks in slogans and evokes big-picture concepts. Ask Rob Ambrose why he thinks he can win at a school that lost 17 games the past two seasons and he replies: "My wife [Melissa] pointed out to me once that happiness in life is managed expectations. We're building something." Ask what the Tigers can expect when they report for training camp Aug. 9, and he says, after a pause: "A wise man said hard work and discipline is the exercise that makes punishment unnecessary."

The draft experts are weighing in, and the grades for the Ravens are all over the place. It's amusing to see these reports, because no one can determine how the draft will turn out for at least a year and maybe even two or three. The real question is whether the Ravens are a better team now than at the end of last season. The answer is yes. You can't predict whether that will translate into more victories than a year ago because the NFL is so unpredictable, but with four months left before the 2009 season, the Ravens should be a contender again.

The Ravens have added two coaches to John Harbaugh's staff, promoting Roy Anderson to defensive assistant and hiring Matt Weiss as head coaching assistant, the team announced Thursday. Anderson, 29, spent three years as a player personnel assistant and last year split time between personnel and the coaching staff. He worked primarily as a coaching assistant with the defensive line but also compiled self-scouting reports and did computer game-planning. This season, Anderson will continue to work under defensive line coach Clarence Brooks while handling defensive quality-control duties that include self-scouting, analyzing game film and breaking down opponent tendencies.

Bernie Walter is a baseball man. Always has been. Always a success, too. Despite juggling three jobs at Arundel High, his teams have won a record 10 state championships. This year, his 36th, could be one of his most accomplished, because his only focus will be on the diamond. A scary thought for the rest of the Anne Arundel County baseball coaches. Walter, 66, retired from his position as the school's athletic director and health teacher in July. No more distractions. No more worry about the bus for the girls softball team being late.

You can find just about anything on YouTube. Teenagers re-creating famous movie scenes. A hysterical Britney Spears fan. Even a water-skiing squirrel. And if you're a college football coach, maybe your future starting running back. YouTube has become a useful tool for high school players looking to get noticed and coaches searching for players who otherwise might fly under the radar. "YouTube helps us out a lot," said Sean Hull, a senior center-nose guard for River Hill. "We know coaches get tapes mailed to them and hundreds of e-mails a day saying, 'Hey, Coach, I sent you my highlight tape.

Change, as a certain newly minted president has suggested, can be a good thing. But sometimes, change is simply disruptive and damaging. Obviously, the head coaching change the Ravens made a year ago to John Harbaugh turned out to be hugely for the good. But in finding a replacement for defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, the Ravens would be best served to stay in-house. The notion that Harbaugh needs to "hire his own guy" ignores certain facts, one being that the current Ravens defensive system was good enough to rank No. 2 in the NFL this past season and also that there are a couple of "Harbaugh guys" already on the defensive coaching staff.

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Give your name and phone number so we can verify the e-mail. : HEY, JAMISON: : The Ravens have a stable of young talented linebackers in Antwan Barnes, Prescott Burgess and rookies Tavares Gooden and Jameel McClain. How has this group progressed over the season? Jordan Tucker, Baltimore HEY, JORDAN: : This is a group that has quietly impressed the coaching staff and could collectively make more of an impact next season.