10. Chris Thomas
A fascinating contrast to the legendary Vince Bagli at WBAL-TV, Thomas left such an impression with his unique humor and off-the-wall delivery that Baltimoreans mourned his 2004 death as if he were still one of their own despite his departure from the market 16 years earlier.
His conversations with a papier-mâché likeness of Bob Irsay were hilarious, but his most memorable moment may have come in 1988 when he thought he’d won the state lottery and walked off the studio set exclaiming that he was quitting before realizing he had missed two numbers and sheepishly returned to his spot. Thomas was also willing to use props and show unconventional sports highlights to keep the newscast fresh and entertaining in an era before SportsCenter changed the industry.
Never afraid to step outside of the box of what sportscasting was supposed to be in those days, Thomas was ahead of his time and likely would have landed a job as a personality at a national network like ESPN had he come along a bit later.
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