The waiting is the hardest part (updated with Sunday meeting)

Owner Peter Angelos met with Dan Duquette late into the night, and I turned off my laptop without any word on whether a deal had been struck. Not that anyone is burning up my phone with updates. Keeping me in the loop isn't a high priority. As of early this morning, it appears that nothing has been finalized, but we're still heading in that direction. I don't feel any need to dust off my list of other potential candidates. Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer comes into play only if Duquette unexpectedly remains out of baseball and out of the warehouse. Did Duquette's name appear on any short or long lists when the whole process began? I've heard that once Tony LaCava turned down the Orioles' offer, they reviewed the list of candidates compiled by the Los Angeles Angels. Duquette interviewed with them. He hasn't magically appeared out of thin air. For his first trick, maybe he could make the Orioles a much bigger presence in the international market. Their minimal impact remains a major issue. Someone needs to build a pipeline to Venezuela. As for other discrepancies, the Blue Jays outspend everyone in baseball in scouting and player development. From what I've heard, it's not even close. And at least one Orioles official believes they're going to be a monster in the coming years. We'll see how much influence Duquette wields - assuming he's the new president of baseball operations, of course. Xavier Avery struck out in his only at-bat last night in the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Game. Avery replaced Mike Trout in center field in the sixth inning. Here's a random note: Larry McCall, a former pitching coach in the Orioles' minor league system, is a candidate to hold the same job with the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Fresno. I'm going to be away from my laptop for the rest of the morning and a large chunk of the afternoon because I'm walking in Breathe Deep DC. Proceeds from the event benefit LUNGevity Foundation, the leading private provider of research funding for lung cancer. I'll have my cell phone with me and will stay in contact with MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski, but my focus will mainly be pointed at a much more important cause. I'm sure you'll understand. Update: Angelos and Duquette are meeting again this morning. A deal could be completed later today.