Front Office

The future ownership of the Orioles franchise may have been determined in a bankruptcy court in New York yesterday, but it remains uncertain how that will affect the club's organizational philosophy or the future configuration of the front office.Baltimore attorney Peter Angelos, who heads the new ownership group, said yesterday that current Orioles president Larry Lucchino would be asked to remain in a leadership role. That would appear to indicate that there will be no dramatic change in the direction of the club, but the news of the sale still left front office officials to wonder how they will be affected.

Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell met with Don Shula recently about a possible job -- as head coach or in the front office -- if the team is permitted to move to Baltimore, according to a source close to Modell.The source, a high-ranking team official, said Modell and Shula, the league's all-time winningest coach with 347 victories, had a "preliminary" meeting Tuesday at Modell's home in West Palm Beach, Fla.Modell was en route from his home to league meetings in Chicago and was unavailable to comment.

A meeting planned for later this week between Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards' owners, Abe Pollin and Ted Leonsis, was intended as a discussion about Jordan's possible return to the team's front office, but it may instead end their partnership. Mounting player resentment toward Jordan and ownership's concerns about Jordan's work ethic as an executive - along with Jordan's misgivings about the franchise's future - has changed the relationship between Jordan and the franchise, according to two team executives.

FROSTBURG -- "I used to say it was pretty difficult to get fired around here," an ex-employee of the Washington Redskins said with a rueful grin recently.It's gotten a lot easier for Redskins employees to get fired since communications executive Daniel Snyder bought the team recently for $800 million.Snyder has swept through the Redskins' offices like a hurricane, firing about 25 employees from the general manager to the stadium director to the public relations director.You need a roster to keep up with who's who in the Redskins' front office.

Orioles managing general partner Peter Angelos is expected to outline his plan to restructure the club's front office this week, but he hinted yesterday that he will add at least one new baseball operations position and redefine several others.Angelos, who announced Friday that he had installed transition director Joe Foss and businessman Fred Arscott as permanent members of the front office, said yesterday that he probably will create the position of farm director to focus more attention on player development.

It is pushing 9 p.m. and the lights are still burning at The Law Offices of Peter Angelos. The Orioles principal owner has to work overtime to keep up with his burgeoning business empire, which stretches from his successful law practice to his baseball team to a proposed Inner Harbor hotel complex and beyond.The baseball team, predictably, gets the most public attention, providing enough headlines and headaches to make Angelos wonder why he ponied up $173 million to bail out the struggling franchise in 1993, but he has steered it into regular contention and -- it appears -- into a new era of stability and tranquility.

Buffalo Bills president Tom Donahoe is out, coach Mike Mularkey's job is safe, and guess who might be coming back? Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, this time as general manager. Bills owner Ralph Wilson yesterday wasted little time delivering on a vow to restructure his front office. The decisions came days after the Bills finished 5-11 and missed the playoffs for a sixth straight season. Offensive coordinator Tom Clements was also fired, his agent, Gary O'Hagan, told the Associated Press.

The Orioles are looking to further bolster their amateur scouting department by adding a second national crosschecker, and they are focusing on a candidate that has strong ties to the organization and executive vice president Dan Duquette. The Orioles have asked for and been granted permission to interview Matt Haas, the Eastern U.S. crosschecker for the Miami Marlins. Teams typically permit their staff to interview with other clubs only if it signifies a promotion, which this would.

  WWE wasted no time in allowing John Cena and Brock Lesnar to get physical -- and the result was magic. For the past year, Cena and The Rock were kept apart, competing on the microphone rather than in the ring. WWE appears set to go a completely different direction with Cena's newest foe. After General Manager John Laurinaitis introduced Lesnar with a glowing welcome, the former UFC champion took to the mic. But before long, Cena would emerge. And in uncharacteristic fashion, Cena let his actions speak louder than his words, slapping Lesnar.

New positionsHarbor Court appoints front office managerHarbor Court Hotel announced the selection of Kyle Coffman as front office manager. He will supervise all front office activity, including the desk, concierge and valet services, bell staff and telephone operators. He joined the hotel staff in 1992 as a valet and is enrolled in hotel-restaurant management studies at the University of Delaware. Villa Julie College has chosen Eileen O'Donnell as director of human resources.A graduate of Towson State University with a master's degree in human resources development, she resides in Hampstead.