Bisciotti

After the Ravens won the Super Bowl in Steve Bisciotti's first season as minority owner, it would be understandable if he were a little spoiled. "That's why I thought it would be appropriate for us to win the Super Bowl this year," said Bisciotti, who is in his first season as the Ravens' principal owner, cracking a smile. "It would keep with tradition." Joking aside, Bisciotti has an optimistic - yet not outlandish - outlook for a team that returns all but one starter from last season's AFC North division winner.

Although the final sale of the Ravens to Steve Bisciotti was overwhelmingly approved at the NFL owners meetings, how the league truly welcomes him will be determined in the coming weeks. Bisciotti's first season as the Ravens' sole owner could begin with a challenge - playing three of their first four games on the road - unless the NFL honors his request for a prime-time home game. Because of scheduling conflicts with the Orioles (they play day baseball games across the parking lot on Sept.

From their industrial-park office buildings, with views of the highways and exit ramps around Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Stephen J. Bisciotti and his partners presided last year over a $2.5 billion empire.And no one seemed to notice.Wall Street didn't care, because Bisciotti's companies are privately owned, not publicly traded.The Forbes 500 didn't notice either, even though Bisciotti's enterprise could have ranked among the 50 largest private companies in the United States.

The Ravens officially named Dick Cass team president yesterday, a position the former Washington lawyer didn't have to think about too long before accepting. "It took me about two seconds to respond to Steve's question of would I be interested," Cass said of the offer from new majority owner Steve Bisciotti. "Easy decision." Actually, Cass has been on the job for weeks, serving as the Ravens' primary representative during the Terrell Owens hearing last month and accompanying Bisciotti and former Ravens owner Art Modell to league meetings in February and March.

The Ravens' search committee engaged in an all-day meeting yesterday to discuss potential coaching candidates. While team officials aren't about to mention possible successors to Brian Billick, they do have one prediction. "I think that any potential head coach that looks at Ozzie Newsome's history of drafting Pro Bowl players and sees the Pro Bowlers [already on the team] ...

Stephen J. Bisciotti's purchase of a minority share of the Ravens will easily be approved by the NFL owners, Bob Tisch, the co-owner of the New York Giants and a member of the powerful finance committee, predicted yesterday."

Before leaving for next week's NFL owners meetings, Steve Bisciotti said he is prepared to take the biggest handoff in Ravens history. Bisciotti, who owns 49 percent of the team, has informed majority owner Art Modell that he will buy the remaining 51 percent and assume control of the Ravens after the 2003 season. The Anne Arundel County businessman bought a minority interest for $275 million in 1999, which included the right to buy the rest of the team anytime between 2004 and 2006. In his annual lunch with Modell earlier this month, Bisciotti reiterated his intention to purchase the rest of the team's shares in January for $325 million and become sole owner.

The Ravens have reached a tentative agreement with a minority investor who will relieve the team of its extensive debt burden and will have the option to eventually purchase the entire team.The investor is Stephen J. Bisciotti of Millersville, according to sources familiar with the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Bisciotti is a principal in Aerotek, a Hanover-based employment service company.Bisciotti, 40, is a lifelong Marylander who attended Severna Park High School and Salisbury State University before starting his company in 1983.

Steve Bisciotti will take over as sole owner of the Ravens on April 8, when he will purchase the remaining 51 percent of the team from Art Modell for $325 million. At 43, he will become the second-youngest owner in the NFL. In his lengthiest interview since joining the Ravens, Bisciotti talked yesterday with Sun staff writer Jamison Hensley at the owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., about the structure of the organization, his expectations for the team and the off-the-field troubles with his players.

Steve Bisciotti trusts his instincts. He used them to find the relatively uncredentialed but talented young people who helped him build the country's largest private hiring firm. And the Ravens owner was comfortable relying on them to pick as his new head coach a man who has never run a professional offense or defense, much less a team. John Harbaugh was not the most- experienced or the hottest name on the coaching market. But Bisciotti built a fortune by spotting people like him, and the owner seemed at ease with his choice as the Ravens introduced their new coach yesterday.