We at Baltimore Sports Report are excited to have this interview with MASN reporter Amber Theoharis. Amber has been rocking the Orioles Broadcast as the “sideline reporter” for a few years now. She also hosts Ravens post-game show Ravens Xtra. Thank you to Amber and MASN for making this happen. We hope that you enjoy this.

You get to travel with the team and see a side of the O’s that fans don’t get to. Can you tell us a little about some of the players personalities?
This will be the 7th different Orioles team I’ve covered, and as far as personality goes, I’d say this year’s group is a case of what you see is what you get. Most of them carry themselves in interviews the exact same way they are when the cameras aren’t rolling. I’d say Nick Markakis is the exception. He’s comes across quiet and almost aloof in interviews. Some fans may interpret that as a lack of personality or even intelligence, but that’s a misconception. He can be very funny and is very sharp as far as baseball is concerned. He sort of lives in his own mind, and although he’s quiet, he’s harbors alot of great insight. Unfortunately it only comes out when prodded by reporters he feels very comfortable with and when younger players are smart enough to really engage him. Miguel Tejada on the other hand has no problem coming out of his shell. He’s by far the most playful guy on the team and can be very boisterous and rowdy leading up to the game. I think he just loves playing and gets very excited. It can be very entertaining. Probably two of the most eccentric players are Brian Matusz and Luke Scott. They march to the beat of a different drummer and it’s what makes them really fun to be around. They definitely see the world through different eyes than most of us and both are great people to just sit in the dugout and chat with. They are pondering souls…very analytical, and seem to be enthralled by the opportunity they have to play in the big leagues. They are gracious and two of the nicest guys on the team. As for Adam Jones, I’d say he’s the most passionate on the team and at the same time the most down to earth guy on the team. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is an open book. He is a sponge when it comes to a willingness to learn and his ability to stay humble has benefited him in his development.

Rumor is that you are a huge Terps fan, give us your favorite Terps moment? Terps player?
That’s an understatement. Everyone in my family graduated from the University of Maryland. Me, Mom, Dad, Sister, 3 Uncles, and 3 cousins. I think I had Terp scrunchies and earrings as a little girl. Favorite Terps moment was the 2002 National Championship. I was living and working in NY and we’d get a big group of MD people together and take over a Manhattan bar to watch all the games. It was a tremendous sense of pride to see that team win it all. My favorite all-time Terps probably were Juan Dixon—-I loved his passion, and Joe Smith.

Do you cheer for any other teams outside of the Baltimore area?
My parents are both originally from the Washington DC area so I grew up cheering for the Redskins. I still have awesome memories of the great 1980’s teams down there, but after covering the Ravens for six seasons I haven’t had the opportunity to watch any games because I’m always working in Baltimore on Sunday. I guess my loyalty has faded as now I’d much rather see the Ravens win than the Redskins. Also, my husband is a huge hockey fan and we have Capitals season tickets. I love watching Ovechkin play and they’re just dominating right now, so we have a lot of fun going to those games.

You experienced many pie incidents last year, which one was the best?
There were so many I can’t remember which one it was…I think Matusz or Tillman. Adam Jones as we all know was the instigator in all those pie-ings. He’s always very respectful of me and when he came in to slam the pie in the rookie’s face, he grabbed my arm first and threw me out of the way so I wouldn’t get hit. But in the process I went flying and he messed up his own trajectory and missed the guy’s face. So he had to regroup, wind up again and absolutely crushed the poor kid. I felt bad because Adam said next time he can’t afford to protect me…that it messed up his hit. We had a good laugh about it. I also felt bad because the guy got hit so hard. Gosh I wish I could remember who it was…I have to check the video.

Assuming there is always room for improvement, what would make Baltimore a better sports city?
That’s a good question. I don’t think Baltimore can be a better sports city as far as the fans are concerned. Across the country Baltimore is known to have a gritty blue collar fan base that lives and dies with the Ravens and Orioles. I don’t think there’s a bigger compliment than that. That being said, we only have two professional sports, and this time of year when we have no team to root for, that is glaring. I’m not so sure though getting a NHL team or NBA team would be a good idea. I don’t think either would survive because both seasons overlap with football and baseball. I think attendance would only be good from late January to March when nothing else is going on here. That’s not enough to generate enough revenue to sustain and professional team.

Tell us about the most awkward interview you have had since coming back to work in Baltimore?
I think everyone in the world knows that answer. My first year on MASN an Under Armour employee dropped a profanity during an interview on live TV. I wasn’t expecting it and had to try and hide my shock and just move on. Was very difficult to tap dance my way out of that one. For the record, the man was fired by Under Armour a few days later. I hope he learned a tough lesson and has grown up a bit since that incident.

How often do you checkout your Facebook fan page?
I have one? I’m not on Facebook so I wasn’t aware of that. That’s kind of whoever set that up. The fans have always been good to me here. I’ll have to check it out. I’m working on establishing my own website, so hopefully in the future that will be the porthole where I can interact with fans more and get their thoughts. I have to say Baltimore fans know their stuff and I learn a lot hearing their opinions.