More on the coaching staff

The National League's Cy Young winner will be announced this afternoon, so collect the rest of the money in your office pools and get ready. The AL and NL Managers of the Year will be announced tomorrow, followed by the AL Cy Young winner on Thursday, the NL Most Valuable Player on Monday and the AL MVP next Tuesday. Plan accordingly. Following up on yesterday's discussion about John Russell and Willie Randolph, I received a phone call late last night - and by "late," I mean that I was deep into the CBS comedy lineup and the Eagles had already hung 45 points on the Redskins - that offered a little more information on the coaching situation. Russell is, indeed, on the verge of being named to the staff, but I'm told by a member of the organization that "there hasn't been anything contractually done yet." There's still a chance that it falls through, but that's not expected to happen. Not unless the Phillies need another coach. Seriously though... As for Randolph, he belongs at the top of the list if you're speculating on the other coaching hire. "That would be the first place to start," I was told. We'll stick with "frontrunner" until told otherwise. Also, whether Russell serves as bench coach or third base coach would depend on the other hire. He's not locked into dugout duties, though the odds favor him winding up there, with Randolph at third if the Orioles bring in the former Mets skipper. Russell and Randolph are capable of doing both. Their resumes don't lie. Each time that president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has been contacted about the coaching staff, he's directed all inquiries to manager Buck Showalter. This is Buck's baby. But MacPhail's involvement increases now as the Orioles attempt to finalize the deals, and he's also busy with the GM meetings in Orlando. Meanwhile, there are still concerns that bullpen coach Rick Adair could bolt if the Pirates or Mets contact him about becoming their pitching coach. He isn't 100 percent secured in his new post. The Orioles are hoping to make an announcement by the end of the week and we can shift our focus entirely to the free-agent market and trade talks.