IT DID SMACK OF ageism the past few months when the prescription for fixing the Orioles called for "new energy" in the front office. In other words, no more Syd Thrift.

At 73, with 50 years in baseball and having forgotten more about the game than other general managers might ever know, Thrift did not lack for energy or knowledge. However, there was something flawed with Thrift and the Orioles. That became particularly apparent this past season when the pain threshold throughout the organization reached an intolerable level. It mattered little about the Rookie of the Year leaders he brought in or that the team may indeed be only a few key free agents away from being respectable. It's as if the entire organization had ground to a despondent halt.

This had little to do with energy or the lack of it. This had to do with the need for increased communication -- the need for leadership with a management style that would empower everyone within the organization to do the jobs they were hired to do.

A former Orioles general manager once told me that the most important thing he did in running a franchise wasn't making trades or free-agent signings. It was managing the assistants, the scouts and the minor-league operations people so that everyone's energy and talents could make a contribution.

It takes a village to raise a baseball team. That is Pat Gillick's message. Gillick used this management style to build the Toronto Blue Jays into World Series champion. He is now the main reason why the Seattle Mariners are a model of front office stewardship. Gillick would never come back to Baltimore, nor would owner Peter Angelos have him, but maybe Angelos is onto something just as promising here, finally.

Whether or not former Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan and former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Beattie ever bring the World Series back to Baltimore, Orioles fans should take heart in the promise that Flanagan and Beattie will break a trend of front office dysfunction.

It is not merely wishful thinking that says Flanagan and Beattie can take a history of failed or faulty or hand-tied front-office leadership and go where no men have gone before under Angelos. After all, the Orioles have gone through general managers and vice presidents the way George Steinbrenner goes through free-agent pitchers. Roland Hemond. Gillick. Frank Wren. Syd Thrift. Next?

Frankly, despite a history that points to problems with anyone called upon to restore the Orioles to greatness -- or something like it -- this December decision by Angelos is more than welcome. It was a necessity.

Things could not have gone on as they had been, particularly last summer at Camden Yards, not if Angelos didn't want to face criticism that a team in Washington couldn't possibly do more to undermine the Orioles' value and ability to compete than what the Orioles were doing -- or not doing -- themselves.

There's no question that Angelos' moribund American League franchise was in need of some new energy, new blood and a new front-office configuration.

When your top minor-league affiliate fires the parent club, like the Rochester Red Wings did; when a decent, young squad drops an embarrassing losing streak on its loyal fan base to put a sour note on a vaguely promising season; when Orioles employees are seen holding their breath for something -- anything -- to shake things up at the top level, it's time for a change.

As for Angelos' decision to name Flanagan and Beattie team leaders 1A and 1B yesterday, it was music to our ears. So was the response of these two former pitchers, who talked about their work together as a marriage.

There is nothing wrong with two guys handling what has been traditionally in baseball a one-man job, especially knowing a few things about Flanagan and Beattie. They are bright baseball people whose egos come second to their commitment to quality, hard work and to the process of building a strong organization from the bottom to the top.

Flanagan has the vision and the backing of Angelos to be a general manager. Beattie has the experience (in Seattle as the director of player development and in Montreal as general manager) to give backbone to Flanagan's plan.

Besides, Beattie has already worked for a tough boss. Once, when he was pitching for the Yankees and he had a poor outing, Steinbrenner called Beattie in after the game and sent him down to the minor leagues. He can handle this.

As for Flanagan, who has been Angelos' consultant and confidant for years, he said his relationship and ability to get things done with Angelos is aided by a willingness on both sides to agree to disagree.

Let's just hope Angelos likes Flanagan in the next few years as much as Angelos liked and respected Flanagan in the past few years. But something says Flanagan, despite eagerly wanting this opportunity, wouldn't be afraid to throw a little high heat at Angelos on issues he and Beattie feel will strongly benefit the organization.

Perhaps the first thing this new management tandem of Flanagan/Beattie should work on is a double-play strategy, one in which Beattie and Flanagan can effectively good cop/bad cop Angelos. This would be no easy task, not since it's clear that no matter who Angelos hired to run the club, Angelos would remain the dominant figure. As Angelos has said: He who signs the checks gets to make the final decisions.

But maybe with Beattie and Flanagan and this deliberate restructuring of the Orioles' front office, a new day has dawned. That is a beautiful thing. It makes us eager to see how quickly Flanagan and Beattie can unclog the logjam on free agents unwilling to sign here. It makes it exciting to think that by spring training, the Orioles will be brandishing a new attitude, a new mindset and management style.

There's more than good reason to hope that this time things are going to be better, different. In fact, there are two good reasons.