THE SIDELINES : Frank Robinson Re-ups With Orioles

BALTIMORE — Frank Robinson, a candidate for American League Manager of the Year, has agreed to return as Baltimore Orioles manager in 1990.

Robinson had said he would take a couple of weeks to decide whether to return for another year as manager or move into the club’s front office. He met with Orioles President Larry Lucchino and General Manager Roland Hemond on Wednesday.

Robinson led the Orioles, who opened the season with baseball’s youngest roster, to an 87-75 season a year after the team finished 54-107. That was the third-best one-season turnaround in baseball history.

Robinson’s relationship with the players apparently had much to do with his return. “He wouldn’t leave those guys,” Barbara Robinson, his wife, told The (Baltimore) Evening Sun. “He loves those guys more than breathing.”