Chip, welcome. A rear-ported speaker should be positioned so that the ports have some "breathing" room. The distance can't be given precisely, but it's been said that at least 2" should be adequate.
A vertical speaker shouldn't be placed horizontally if it can possibly be avoided. The horizontal dispersion would be significantly poorer if it was used in that orientation.
Whenever a speaker is placed in an enclosure, care should be taken that it isn't recessed into the enclosure. The front edge of the speaker should extend a fraction of an inch beyond the enclosure to minimize reflections and refractions.
