The Ravens will bring a bit of nostalgia back to M&T Bank Stadium during the 2011 Season and it will undoubtedly be a welcomed addition to the array of concessions that are served. Word is that Gino Marchetti and the Ravens have struck a deal to make the Ravens’ crib the first return locale of Gino’s to Baltimore. As of this writing there were no definitive plans from the club as to where Gino’s will be located but early signs point towards at least 2 areas, one in the upper deck and another in the lower bowl on the Unitas Plaza side of the stadium.

The cynic may chuckle at such talk of stadium concessions given the league’s labor uncertainties but rest assured, there will be football in 2011 and the bet here is that the league will play a full 16 game schedule. That said, what is at risk is training camp at McDaniel College and the CBA or lack thereof is being fingered as the culprit.

However there have been some unsubstantiated rumblings that despite the public support, the team really isn’t all that enamored with McDaniel College and there are some who feel that Stevenson University is lurking in the shadows, courting the Ravens in a big way. Don’t be surprised if the good folks of Westminster, MD feel the economy’s pinch even more and are on the outside looking in during those hot, hazy, humid days of late July and early August.

Back to the labor issues, one source has informed Ravens24x7.com that union/trade association chief DeMaurice Smith had planned to go to court all along and is really looking to carve out a legacy of fortune and fame much the same way that Donald Fehr did as MLB’s head union honcho. Fehr has accumulated substantial wealth while catering to the whims of pro-labor judges. Smith is looking to do the same and has told associates that he hopes to make Commissioner Roger Goodell into the same whipping boy for the NFLPA that sheepish Bud Selig is to the MLBPA.

Speaking of the NFL and the judicial system, April 6 is a big day for both the players and the owners. It is then that the courts of Minneapolis will hear arguments from both sides regarding the enforceability of the owner-initiated lockout.

After speaking to a well-known player agent with knowledge, 24x7 has learned that Judge Susan Nelson who will hear the case, is a real hard-nosed officer of the court who is decisive and not easily persuaded by silver tongued lawyers and as such, it is this agent’s opinion that the owners’ lockout has about as much a chance of being upheld as a challenged call by Mike Tomlin at Heinz Field.

"There's no doubt she's a real ball-buster," said the agent of Nelson speaking on the condition of anonymity. "She once dated a prominent NFL owner and that did not end happily. I’m surprised that the courts weren’t aware of the extreme prejudice that will likely ensue in that Minnesota courtroom. De Smith has to be laughing hysterically in private.”

Score one for the players!

Closer to home, some have opined (myself included) that Cam Cameron’s job was saved by the ongoing labor strife. The threat of an extended lockout was viewed as a huge deterrent to success for any new coordinator since he would not have the luxury of off season classroom study and a full complement of organized team activities.

However one source has indicated that if Judge Susan Nelson acts as swiftly as some believe and she places an injunction on the owner’s lockout, a full season is back in play and will revert back to the 2010 uncapped rules. Should that happen Cameron could again be at risk, and if so remember this name – Charlie Weis.

A name that Cam Cameron could not remember during the 2010 season was that of Donte Stallworth. Stallworth has been working out with Maryland speedster Torrey Smith and from what we hear Smith’s interview with the Ravens went extremely poorly – so much so that the Ravens are likely to pass on the Terp even if he falls to them in Round 2.

Could Stallworth’s less than pleasant one year stint with Cameron have tainted Smith’s impression of the team so much so that he was willing to tank an interview with a contending team? Might his opinion change if the Ravens bring back Smith’s good buddy for a second tour of duty in purple and black?

Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. You may recall that during the 2010 NFL Draft, the Ravens attempted to move up in the draft to select the then plummeting Dez Bryant. But the Patriots wanted a third round pick from the Ravens to move up just one slot. Those demands from Bill Belichick were greeted by a complimentary dial tone from Ozzie Newsome.

Or so we were led to believe…

The truth be told, the Ravens phone connection to the Patriots that night was somehow severed and while they tried in vain to connect with Belichick when on the clock, the call came in from Denver who wanted Tim Tebow badly. As you know the Ravens unloaded their No. 1 and turned it into a second, third and fourth round picks.

From what we’ve gathered, the Ravens believe that Bryant and his agent Eugene Parker are somehow connected to that disconnected line with the Patriots. Bryant wanted to play for the Cowboys and Parker has never enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Ravens.

The mind boggling things here, are the obvious extremes agents will go to in order to deliver for their clients.

With their second round pick from Denver during the 2010 NFL Draft the Ravens selected Texas LB Sergio Kindle. The Ravens still hold out hope that their resident Humpty Dumpty will get it together in 2011 and make his way on to the playing field.

But not so fast…