Opposite end of this one?(I know,the Q of the pic sux..but still)

No.Nothing special.
When i take those out of the block i simply use a hacksaw blade and stop just before breaking the bearing in two.
They could most likely be punched out as well-into the cavity and then wiggled back and out-but i donīt want to stress the bore itself by that much to risk anything for the crush of the new bearing.Hence why i try to weaken the old one as much as i can.

Yes,that can very well be the culprit for the massive havoc to the timing chain system.
How does the distributor gear in itself look?

Upon installing the rear bearing for the dist gear make sure the oil holes lines up