Tag

The Ravens will place the franchise-player tag on cornerback Chris McAlister today, the final day NFL teams can use the designation. The move likely will keep McAlister with the club for another year, but it's expected he'll skip the offseason workout program and voluntary camps. As is the case with many franchise players, McAlister probably will not take part in non-mandatory team functions until a long-term contract is reached. The Ravens, however, do not expect him to hold out of training camp, slated to start in late July.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome didn't sound optimistic yesterday that All-Pro linebacker Adalius Thomas would return to the team next season. Thomas, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent later this week, could have been kept out of the free-agent market with a franchise tag, but that would have cost the Ravens a one-year, $7.2 million contract (which is the average of the five highest-paid linebackers in the NFL). But by Thursday's deadline, the Ravens declined to make the move.

Baltimore officials are investigating claims that a former city worker cheated scores of drivers by pocketing cash in bogus deals that were supposed to give discounts on parking fines. The parking fine collector -- whose name was not released -- issued paperwork to drivers who owed large parking fines so that they could renew their license plates with the state Motor Vehicle Administration, which is normally impossible without paying all fines, according to city officials. But the residents later complained they had been ripped off -- often by hundreds or thousands of dollars each -- when the city notified them that their fines still existed and had grown by $16 per month in penalties.

YOU'LL HAVE to pony up more cash at the Motor Vehicle Administration for title and tag renewals beginning Oct. 1, officials say.The new $20 title fee -- an increase from $15 -- with an increase in the cost of a license plate, to $15 from $12, reflects "the cost of materials," an MVA spokeswoman said last week. The charge for tags bearing any logo also will rise, to $25 from $15 per plate.And it'll also cost more for duplicate and corrected titles. That charge is going to $20, from $10.Fees last changed in 1993, when MVA bureaucrats decided to lower the cost of logo plate fees to $15 from $25. Now that cost is going right back to where it was.Intrepid One investigated this price increase last week and found that "production" costs include plates, registration renewal notices, stickers, registration certificates, application, postage and microfilming.

Maryland motorists who use the M-TAG electronic toll collection system can now pass more quickly through New Jersey, New York and four other states. The Maryland electronic toll system has been connected to the E-ZPass system used by 7 million customers in six other states, officials said yesterday. M-TAG customers receive a transponder mounted either inside a windshield or on a license plate frame. Tolls are automatically deducted from a pre-paid account -- which can be replenished by credit card -- when drivers pass through specially marked lanes.

The Ravens are prepared to go on the offensive to hold on to their top two defensive players. After the agent for linebackers Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware said that he doesn't expect contract extensions to get done this year, the Ravens talked about their plans to keep both of them around for the next two seasons. If negotiations with the linebackers fall through, the club has discussed the possibility of having Lewis play out the final two years of his current contract and slapping a franchise tag on Boulware after his deal expires after this season.

The Ravens kept Terrell Suggs off the free-agent market yesterday, but it came at a steep cost. By placing the franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker, the Ravens will give Suggs a one-year contract worth $8.065 million (the average of the five highest-paid linebackers in the NFL), which eats up most of the team's available salary-cap room. While the Ravens plan to make some moves in free agency, none is expected to be as significant as holding on to Suggs. "Regardless of whether we sign a free agent from another team -- if that occurs -- Suggs is still going to be our biggest acquisition this year," general manager Ozzie Newsome said from the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Two days before the NFL's deadline for teams to use their franchise tag, the Ravens are headed in that direction with cornerback Chris McAlister. McAlister would become a free agent if the Ravens fail to tag him before Friday or sign him to a contract by Feb. 28. By designating McAlister as a franchise player, the Ravens will tender him a one-year contract worth the average of the top five players at his position, or $5.9 million. Although another team could still attempt to sign McAlister, the Ravens have the right to match the deal.

Toyson Burruss will tell you it's the details on a car that count. The polished trim, the right paint, the decorative touches ... even the license plates. Until recently, he didn't bother much about that last little item. Then, last August, Maryland issued its vibrant new orange and yellow vehicle tag. Never mind that it bears the image of a barn and silo and proclaims "Our Farms - Our Future." Nothing against farming - Burruss' grandparents were farmers - but that wasn't what drew him to the plates, says the 52-year-old Parkville resident born in Washington, raised in Baltimore and owner of a downtown auto detailing company.

Laura Khoury's birthday is Dec. 23. She likes to do something extra-special for her big day so it doesn't just become part of the overall holiday festivities. This year, for her 10th birthday, Laura opted for a party at ShadowLand, the laser adventure center in Columbia. She had gone to ShadowLand for a friend's birthday party, she said, and had really enjoyed it, even though her team didn't win the laser tag game. "It was really fun," she said. "I was in last place, but I really liked it."