Unexpected clean

[Adam Dershowitz Ph.D., P.E.]

I typically use -u when I do an upgrade.  However there is one port that I like to keep old versions around, because it is very much in development (specifically openmodelica-devel).  So I usually do:
sudo port -u upgrade outdated and not openmodelica-devel

then other times I do:
sudo port upgrade openmodelica-devel

That usual works fine.  But, a few days ago the py27-omniORBpy port upgraded when I did "sudo port -u upgrade outdated and not openmodelica-devel”.  Due to dependencies that then caused macports to find a link error during the scan and to perform an upgrade on openmodelica-devel.  The problem is that the -u was passed to this upgrade, so despite the command having “not openmodelica-devel” macports still did the upgrade and clean.  So, these old ports were removed.

I do understand why the behavior happened, and I am not sure of the best solution going forward.  Perhaps, when doing upgrades due to “scanning binaries for linking errors” macports should honor the full command line?  I did tell it not to upgrade openmodelica-devel, and it did it anyway.  
Is there anything that I could have done differently (other then not using -u?)
Maybe just user awareness, hence this email?  

--Adam