Manager

Anthony P. Browne, 70, a onetime rock-and-roll manager turned interior designer whose star clientele included media magnate Oprah Winfrey, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Washington socialites Pamela Harriman and Evangeline Bruce, died Oct. 13 at the Capital Caring hospice in Washington.. He had a tumor near the optic nerve, said a friend, David Helfrich. Helfrich said Winfrey visited Mr. Browne on the day he died. Mr. Browne's career received a huge boost after the talk-show host praised his work in a national magazine.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland Athletics fired manager Bob Geren yesterday in the midst of a nine-game losing streak that has sent them tumbling to the bottom of the American League West standings. "It felt like at this point a change was necessary," general manager Billy Beane said. "It got to the point where the emphasis was on the status of the manager on a daily basis and no longer on the field. When that starts to happen, you need to shift the focus to what's really important, which is performance.

Does he know what he's getting into? Clint Hurdle guided the Colorado Rockies to their only World Series appearance, in 2007, a year Phillies fans recall all too sadly. Now he's taken the reins with Pittsburgh, a team that has endured 18 consecutive losing seasons. "I'm not afraid to work, and I'm not afraid of a challenge," he said, bravely. That's good, because here's the challenge - the incredibly bad Pirates were last in the National League in hitting, pitching, and defense last season.

National Penn Bancshares Inc., Boyertown, has appointed Gregory E. Miraglia vice president and private-banking area manager. He previously worked for Wells Fargo as a senior private banker. H. David Tamimie has been named vice president and relationship manager in the private-banking group. He had been a private banker at Penn Liberty Bank.   TD Bank has promoted Michael D. Zulawski to vice president, commercial loan officer II, in community lending in its Wilmington office; he had been assistant vice president, commercial loan officer I. Christopher M. Pecoraio has been promoted to senior vice president, market credit manager, for health-care lending, based in Philadelphia; he had been vice president, senior loan officer.

BALTIMORE - Earl Weaver always was up for an argument, especially with an umpire. At the slightest provocation, the Earl of Baltimore would spin his hat back, point his finger squarely at an ump's chest and then fire away. The Hall of Fame manager would even tangle with his own players, if necessary. Although reviled by some, Weaver was beloved in Baltimore and remained an Oriole to the end. The notoriously feisty skipper died at age 82 on a Caribbean cruise associated with the Orioles, his marketing agent said.

Abington Township police are looking for two masked bandits men who robbed the McDonald's restaurant on Old York Road at gunpoint this morning, forcing the manager to empty the safe. No one was injured in the stickup. Police said pair, wearing hoodies with scarves covering the faces, entered just after 6 a.m. and announced a robbery. While one bandit stayed with employees in the front of story, the second took the manager to the office and ordered him to empty the safe. Police said the amount stolen has not been determined.

Shares in PHH Corp. jumped 13 percent after a Dallas hedge fund manager disclosed a 7.9 percent stake in the Mount Laurel company, which recently suffered a credit downgrade and changed chief executives. PHH operates a mortgage business and a vehicle fleet management operation. Hayman Capital Management L.P. said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it had purchased 4.45 million shares since Sept. 30. With the purchase, J. Kyle Bass, portfolio manager at Hayman Capital increased his bet that the housing market was on the mend.

Phillies broadcaster Gary Matthews tries to do one thing the same every time he comes to St. Louis. "I talk to Red Schoendienst," Matthews said. Matthews interviewed Schoendienst on Thursday for the Phillies' pregame radio show. The former St. Louis Cardinals player and manager truly is a living treasure whose 87-year-old mind is filled with first-person accounts of some of baseball's greatest legends. "He was telling me about Whitey [Richie Ashburn] and what a competitor Robin Roberts was," Matthews said.

No J.D. in Philly? Maybe Phillies fans can forget about J.D. Drew this trip. The Boston Red Sox rightfielder left Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second inning after hurting himself during batting practice. The Red Sox said Drew hurt his left eye after fouling off a pitch that ended up hitting him in the face in the batting cage.   There was no immediate word on whether he will be available on Tuesday, when Boston starts a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.