Lucchino

So far it's an encounter that could evolve into a bitter confrontation if reason doesn't prevail. The Baltimore Orioles and some leaders of the black community are at odds over an agreement that was signed by the team's previous administration that is now been virtually ignored. It's the kind of a dispute that needs to be settled posthaste.A news story and a full-page advertisement in the Baltimore Afro-American accuses Peter Angelos, owner of the Orioles, of failing to fulfill what the African-American Task Force on Professional Sports believes is a binding obligation that was worked out with the former president of the team, Larry Lucchino.

Former Orioles president Larry Lucchino, who guided the club's planning of Camden Yards, is reviving that role in South Florida.Lucchino began work last week as a part-time consultant to Florida Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga. Lucchino will assist in the development of a baseball stadium for the Marlins and a proposed arena for another Huizenga-owned sports franchise, the NHL's Florida Panthers."I have a pretty keen interest in sports facilities," Lucchino said yesterday. "There are some things from our experiences in Baltimore that I think can be quite useful."

There wasn't enough room in the Orioles front office to hold both Peter G. Angelos and Larry Lucchino, but that unlikely duo might be teaming up if an NFL franchise returns to Baltimore.Angelos, owner of the Orioles, has been shopping for an NFL franchise he would move to Baltimore. He said this week he has invited Lucchino to join his effort, if he succeeds in buying a team.Angelos said he has talked with Lucchino about participating as both an investor and in the management of an NFL team.

Baltimore's chances of luring the Bengals from Cincinnati appeared to diminish yesterday, when team vice president Mike Brown softened his stadium demands in a meeting with new Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls.Brown told the mayor he would be willing to stay in Cincinnati for several years without an ironclad commitment for a new stadium if the city would "invest in our future" with short-term financial help, he told the Cincinnati Enquirer after the meeting.Brown wouldn't publicly specify what he wanted, but he termed his new request a "bridging agreement" to cover the period of "some years" the city would need to fully develop a new stadium plan.

Now that Larry Lucchino placed himself on front-office waivers and is free to look at other opportunities, the chance to sign on with any new football team that might come to Baltimore offers intrigue and appeal. Reports he has already embarked on such a mission were dispelled today, but, then again, don't rule out the possibility of his joining the scrimmage.To this point in the machinations of Baltimore's acquiring a National Football League expansion franchise, Lucchino, once the president of the Orioles, doesn't have an official position.

Larry Lucchino, the Orioles' president and CEO for the past five seasons, ended months of speculation about his future with the club yesterday, turning down an offer from new managing general partner Peter Angelos to remain with the club as vice chairman in charge of baseball operations.Lucchino, who has been an Orioles executive since 1979, chose to pursue other opportunities, but he has agreed to serve on the club's board of directors until he decides where his career will take him."I have decided that it is time for me to make a change," Lucchino said during an afternoon news conference at Camden Yards.

Larry Lucchino could have headed for the Mediterranean last week, or Cancun or some Hawaiian resort. He cashed out on Monday and did very well in the deal that transferred ownership of the Orioles to the group headed by Peter G. Angelos. But he has shown up at 9 o'clock sharp every day, ready to go to work for his third owner in six years.How long he will remain with the club has been the subject of wide speculation -- speculation that has put him in the Florida Marlins front office and even into the unlikely role of baseball commissioner.

Glenn Davis is likely to go down in Orioles history as an expensive gamble that didn't pay off. But an insurance policy may soften that blow.Orioles officials say they expect to collect about $600,000 from a disability policy that insured them against injuries to theTC ailment-prone slugger, who was released by the club last month.The payoff offsets a fraction of Davis' 1993 salary of $3.75 million."This was an unusual situation. We usually don't insure our players against disability," said Larry Lucchino, club vice chairman for operations.

Changes will be made in the lineup, as many off the field as on, when Peter Angelos takes command of the good ship Baltimore Oriole, which of late has been bashing itself against the rocks and taking on water.Angelos is to assume control of the team on Monday, at which time Gov. William Donald Schaefer will have a role in a ceremony that formally introduces the new ownership.Manager Johnny Oates should relax. His job isn't in jeopardy. He's deserving of a one-year contract extension and will probably be so rewarded.

The Orioles front office, due for a major change later this month with the arrival of new owner Peter G. Angelos, might be in for one more shuffle.Orioles president Larry Lucchino has held talks with Florida Marlins officials about joining the National League expansion lTC club as a senior executive, according to sources familiar with the discussions.Lucchino and Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga attended the quarterly meetings of owners in Boston last week, where they discussed a possible job, the sources said.