O Dowd

ATLANTA -- Hank Peters redeemed his name with the Cleveland Indians. Now, the Indians might provide redemption for the biggest disappointment of his career.Remember '79.That's what Peters told John Hart, Dan O'Dowd and Co. before leaving Cleveland to return home to Baltimore after Game 4 of the World Series.They worked together for the Orioles once, and then they went to Cleveland, laying the groundwork for the Indians' first Series appearance since 1954.Peters, 70, is retired now, but he reminded Hart and O'Dowd of how the Orioles collapsed against Pittsburgh when he was their general manager in '79.And two members of that Orioles team, Dennis Martinez and Eddie Murray, preached the same gospel in the Indians' clubhouse.

The Orioles interviewed former New York Yankees general manager Gene Michael on Friday as a possible replacement for Roland Hemond as Orioles GM, and they will interview ex-Detroit Tigers GM Joe Klein today.Michael, 57, was the fourth GM candidate interviewed by the Orioles, following former San Diego Padres GM Randy Smith, who will take the Detroit GM job tomorrow; Kevin Malone, who resigned as Montreal Expos general manager the first week of October and appears to be a slight front-runner to replace Hemond; and Mike Port, the assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox.Michael accepted a demotion last week to become the Yankees' director of major-league scouting, because he wouldn't accept a pay cut of $200,000 that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner insisted he take.

Arizona Diamondbacks Manager: Bob Brenly 2001 record: 92-70 (first) What's new in 2002: This is a clear case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Diamondbacks are the reigning world champions, so it should come as no surprise that they made relatively few changes in the roster that got their first title. They did add former Texas Rangers pitching ace Rick Helling, who should help flesh out a strong rotation, and fourth outfielder Jose Guillen, who has been vying for more playing time with a strong spring performance.

This season has been one transaction after another for the Orioles, from the signing of Kevin Brown in April to the trade for Scott Erickson on Friday. But there's at least one major decision forthcoming -- next year's general manager.The contract of general manager Roland Hemond expires after this season, and his fate might rest on how the team fares the rest of the way. If the Orioles win the division and play deep into the postseason, they've made a great case for him. If not, owner Peter Angelos might look for a replacement.

Streak Week became a celebration of baseball, a party in which a nation of sports fans participated. As of Friday, however, Streak Week hangover had set in for the Orioles: Future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken may be a living legend, but he is still shortstop for a bad team facing an uncertain future.The more Ripken stays the same, the more the Orioles change. Consider all that must be decided by the time spring training starts in 1996.* The identity of the next general manager. Now that word is out that the Orioles asked about the availability of Cleveland Indians assistant GM Dan O'Dowd, it seems a foregone conclusion that Roland Hemond's tenure with the Orioles is at an end.Who will follow?

BOSTON -- Orioles chief operating officer Joe Foss finished two days of observation and meetings with manager Ray Miller yesterday regarding the club's ongoing general manager search. While Foss holds to his original deadline of making a hire by the end of the World Series, he would not rule out an earlier conclusion.Meanwhile, the first round of interviews won't conclude until at least Thursday when Foss meets with Cleveland Indians assistant general manager Dan O'Dowd. Indians majority owner Richard Jacobs last week seconded general manager John Hart's authorization for the Orioles to interview O'Dowd.

TORONTO -- Orioles chief operating officer Joe Foss will interview Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden today as the search goes on for a successor to general manager Pat Gillick.Bowden will be the second candidate interviewed; Foss spoke with Florida Marlins assistant general manager Frank Wren on Tuesday. Foss intends to speak with Cleveland Indians assistant GM Dan O'Dowd and Atlanta Braves assistant GM Dean Taylor before the process enters its second stage.Pub Date: 9/24/98

BaseballCalifornia Angels -- Signed P Pete Janicki, their No. 1 pick in June's free-agent draft, to a three-year contract. The deal reportedly is worth $585,000, including a $90,000 signing bonus.Cleveland Indians -- Named Dan O'Dowd director of baseball operations and assistant general manager; Mickey White special assistant to the general manager and director of player procurement; John Goryl special assistant to the director of baseball operations; Boyd Coffie farm director; Mark Shapiro manager of minor-league operations, and Jay Green manager of scouting operations.

Orioles owner Peter Angelos hasn't decided the future of general manager Roland Hemond or manager Phil Regan. But if he chooses to make changes, these are some replacements he may consider.At GM, candidates could be Randy Smith, who has just resigned as general manager of the San Diego Padres; Dan O'Dowd, assistant GM of the Cleveland Indians; and Kevin Malone, who reportedly is leaving his job as GM of the Montreal Expos.At manager, the choice could be between Tony La Russa of the Oakland Athletics and Davey Johnson of the Cincinnati Reds.

DENVER - The Colorado Rockies hope to sign Denny Neagle (Arundel) to a five-year contract, believed to be worth $45 million, sometime in the next two days. Colorado general manager Dan O'Dowd said the Rockies are closer to a deal than the teams reported to have made four-year offers - the Boston Red Sox ($40 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers ($44 million). O'Dowd and Neagle agent Barry Meister met all day and well into the night Thursday and Friday before Meister returned to Chicago for a special family occasion.