Westminster killed by lockout…

They didn’t kill Kenny…but the NFL has surely paralyzed the little town of Westminster, Maryland.

The Ravens announced they are pulling the plug on this summer’s Training Camp at McDaniel College in Westminster…

Say goodbye to one of the most accessible and rewarding fan experiences in the region… and to over 100,000 visitors and untold millions of local revenue dollars which have just vanished.

I’m a little bitter about the decision, but what else could the Ravens do? It will be weeks (if not months) before the new CBA agreement is finalized…and meanwhile, the non-refundable deposits on the McDaniel College facilities and the Best Western Motel lodging complex were due and payable.

This cancellation of traditional training camp not only hurts fans and Westminster merchants, it also hurts the players…since the Westminster experience (a Baltimore tradition for 16 years with the Ravens, and many more years before that with the Colts) has provided a remarkably stable and familiar environment in which to train, bond with each other as teammates, and interact with the fans…and with everything they need basically within walking distance.

According to Sarah Ellison at BaltimoreRavens.com, “football readiness” also factored into the decision to move training camp from McDaniel College to the Ravens’ practice facility in Owings Mills. Said Ravens President Dick Cass: “We were also concerned about football readiness. We don’t know when [the lockout] will end. We may need every hour we can get.” [The Baltimore Sun]

Here are Joe Plantania’s 15 memories from Ravens training camp in Westminster, including a few pranks played during the shooting of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” [CSNBaltimore.com]

At least the NFL has some good news for the Ravens regarding their “private” training camp at Owings Mills:
 
The NFL is reportedly considering an expansion of training camp rosters from 80 to 90 players prior to the 2011 season.

With the lockout breaking the 100-day barrier, teams didn’t get the chance to train and evaluate players during offseason mini-camps and organized team activities. Adding extra bodies in training camp will afford teams a greater opportunity to decide in whom they are interested.

Plus, the move would benefit the players in that 300 more would get a shot at making an NFL roster. With more bodies, that should also cut down on a rash of injuries some analysts are expecting due to the lack of team activities during the lockout.

Good for the Ravens…. but I will still miss Westminster. A local rite of summer has been lost this year.