The Baltimore Orioles organization may not yet have solved its team's many roster issues --replacements for 2005 fallouts Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and Sidney Ponson, would be a great place to start. But the flurry of activity within both the coaching staff and the front office bodes well for a team hungry to finally return a winning ball club to the Orioles fans everywhere. Only two weeks ago Peter Angelos officially began the offseason when he parted ways with co-GM Jim Beattie, who along with Mike Flanagan formed a dubiously defined front-office tandem this past season. Then, not two days later, the owner balatedly removed the interim tag from Sam Perlozzo's title, signing him on as the Orioles' manager for the coming years. Now, with a one-two-punch, comes the signing of both longtime Atlanta Braves pitching coach (wizard) Leo Mazzone, as well as highly successful GM Jim Duquette. Formerly of the Mets, Duquette was hired today as VP of Baseball Operations for Baltimore, who have now shored up their front office handsomely for any and all offseason roster changes. The Baltimore Orioles have been humbled in recent years by several failed player trades and signings. Sammy Sosa's performance this year was far, far below even the lowest of expectations for the ex-Cub slugger. Many bullpen deals went sour when players either underperformed or were underused by then-manager Lee Mazzilli. And many believe the Orioles squandered a healthy, promising opportunity to acquireFlorida Marlins right-hander AJ Burnett before the trade deadline this season. These moves are certainly steps in the right direction. The most impactful of these changes may be in the front office, where all significant changes must start. Mike Flanagan has been given full control with player personnel, brought out of the shadows he inhabited when the more experienced Jim Beattie shared GM duties with the former Oriole pitcher. Duquette left the job of GM for the Mets to sign with Baltimore, and his track record speaks for itself. Moving out of the office and into the dugout: the fact Perlozzo had been signed no doubt played a part in Mazzone coming on board as well, and in retrospect looks like the most brilliant of domino-effect decisions made by the newly shaped front office. Mazzone and Perlozzo are good friends who go way back, and this was probably the motivating factor that steered the Braves guru --who helped make great pitchers out of Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine and Co.-- away from other suitors like the Yankees, and toward Charm City only yesterday. The deal may not yet be official, but al involved apparently have not denied that the only thing remaining is to dot the i's and cross the t's. So the Baltimore Orioles organization, on the field at least, remains a jumbled mess. The pitching staff needs work, as well as a No. 1 or No. 2 starter. Their closer BJ Ryan may be headed elsewhere this offseason. Their bullpen was hot-and-cold, with promising youngsters like Chris Ray and Tim Byrdak making significant impact while proven veterans like Steve Kline and Jorge Julio disappointing coaches and fans alike. The clubhouse, which started the season so promisingly, soon became marred by significant injuries, then further hurt by fractured relationships among the players. Miguel tejada and Sammy Sosa were said to be not speaking by a certain point in the season, for example, and Rafael Palmeiro's being suspended for steroid use and Lee Mazzilli's firing seemed to create a nervous atmosphere among everyone, as players tried to weather a massive losing trend for the second half of the season. The Orioles had ceased to play as a cohesive unit, the pitching was inconsistent, and even their potent line-up nearly disappeared by the final months. What Peter Angelos has okayed are four huge changes to the team's make-up: and they may have come quickly, but they are in no way quick fixes. Each one of the moves sets the table for an offseason in which Baltimore hopes to resume the efforts of building a good, competitive ballclub, at least one that can put up 6 months' worth of a fight in probably the toughest division in the Major Leagues. Now if they can make Sosa, Palmeiro and Ponson disappear from sight we may just have a jumping-off point.