If you ever talk to CBS Sports reporter Evan Washburn at Eddie’s, sometimes reading a Baltimore magazine issue near the register, you’ll notice he doesn’t use any extraneous words—like, um, or uh—that the rest of typically use to fill the air.

“Word efficiency,” Washburn calls it. “I’ve made a calculated effort in everyday life not to use wasted words.”

It’s practice—for his TV job, one that this Sunday will bring Washburn’s voice and blond-haired likeness into the homes, computers, and phones of the more than 100 million people watching the Super Bowl—the biggest American television event of every year.

As an Annapolis native and Severn High grad who’s lived in Baltimore the last 10 years, Washburn is a sideline reporter for CBS. And, in the second Super Bowl game broadcast appearance of his TV career, he’ll work the New England Patriots beat when they face the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.

His job, as it has been working NFL games the last five years, is to deliver news and observations from the field, in short but informative 15 to 35 second bursts, and without getting in the way of the action.

And so, it helps to limit the ums and the likes in practice in a phone conversation with a friend, or with a stranger at the grocery store. It’s preparation for game day, if Tom Brady is injured and the world is curious to know what’s going on with him before play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and analyst/football sage/former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo call the next play.

“You have to get everything in quickly,” Washburn says. “For the whole game, you’re on the air probably for a grand total of two minutes. And you better get done with whatever you’re saying in a succinct way before they snap that ball, because that’s the time for the play-by-play and sometimes the analyst to talk and set things up.”

A former lacrosse player at the University of Delaware, where he graduated in 2008, and a production assistant and intern with Comcast SportsNet, Washburn started with CBS eight years ago as a college lacrosse TV analyst and has quickly worked his way up the broadcast ladder. He earned a full-time job in 2014 and has since covered college football, March Madness, and NFL games, with a straightforward brand of reporting. He’s also worked locally with the Ravens.

He calls the job a privilege, and if he has any advice for those wanting to be in his position on sports’ grandest stage, it’s “You need to be ready at all times for when the luck happens,” because he was willing and able when the cable CBS Sports Network needed a fill-in analyst for a Princeton-Cornell lacrosse game in Ithaca, New York, (his first job with the company), and later when a college football reporting job opened just weeks before the season in the summer of 2012.

“[CBS] gave me opportunities when my paper resume by no means qualified me for it, which I always appreciated, because they saw something and ran with it,” he says. “Hopefully, up until this point, I haven’t really let them down.”

For the last four years, Washburn worked with CBS’ No. 2 NFL broadcast team and has gotten called up to the top squad each year the network has broadcast the Super Bowl, joining Tracy Wolfson on the sideline this year and in 2016 when the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers played in San Francisco.

This time around, as Washburn spoke before heading to Atlanta, he feels a little calmer—and not just because he’s more experienced. You’d think preparing for the greatest professional opportunity of your life in front of the largest television audience possible would be enough for one person to handle, but how about doing it while your newborn and wife rested in a neonatal intensive care unit?

“That was a wild time for me,” Washburn says of three years ago.

Two weeks before Super Bowl 50, Washburn’s wife, Kate, delivered their son, Hudson, a month early, on January 22, 2016, as blizzard hit home — and while Washburn was away in Denver preparing to broadcast the AFC championship game.

He was in a production meeting with Patriots coach Bill Belichick when his wife actually gave birth. Washburn’s phone kept buzzing, but he didn’t want to take it out and interrupt, you know, because he was trying to make a good impression with the coach who’s notoriously publicly curt with reporters.

He finally saw the texts from his dad, with pictures of his son, after the session with Belichick was done. Washburn called his wife, but they only spoke briefly before Brady walked in the conference room for his interview with CBS’ crew. After the game, Washburn flew home from Denver, but was only in Baltimore for four days before heading back across country to be in California for Super Bowl media week.

“My son, he was doing okay, but it was still a stressful, shocking time. It was all kind of a blur,” he says. “This time around, at least leading into the week, is much nicer. I have a lot more mental space to stop and smell the roses.”

Hudson is now 3, the family is settled at a home near Loyola University, and Washburn has several seasons of high-profile NFL coverage behind him. “It’s fun being in this community, and being out there at these big events and coming back to this place,” he says.

He describes the mechanics of his job—the things that are hidden to the TV viewer—as only a veteran could do. The analysts, like Romo, whose play-predicting ability is already becoming legendary, always have their microphones on. (“He couldn’t be a cooler dude,” Washburn says of Romo, with whom he worked for the first time during the Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game two weeks ago.) Sideline reporters, meanwhile, need to be more proactive to get air time.

“There’s nothing in the broadcast, other than maybe one report before the game starts, that says Evan is going to get on the broadcast,” Washburn says. “You have to earn your way on the air. Everything falls on your shoulders to create your content.”

Oftentimes, those are injury reports from teams (“questionable to return,” and the like), but whether other information has value is left to his discretion.

If he has something to say, or context to add to what’s happening in the game, he’ll tap a button on his microphone to communicate off air with a producer, and when it comes time to report, suddenly Washburn will be speaking or appearing live to millions of people—trying to make his point without any of those wasted words.

“All of us like to voice our opinion on things, but that’s really just not the position,” he says. “Early on [in your career], you’re worried making sure that you’re doing a good job so that you can advance. But once you get comfortable with your status, it’s about the game. The game is going to dictate how much you get on the air, what you do on the air, and how people receive it. It’s always about the game.”

And none are bigger than this one.

For some, an eternal, undying hate for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is sufficient fuel to make it through the Super Bowl. Still, man cannot live on hate alone; he needs beer and bar grub—and plenty of it. Luckily, with a raft of Super Bowl events all around the area, some of Baltimore’s finest eateries and drinkeries are more than willing to oblige. Whether you’re a face-painting zealot or a gridiron agnostic, these nine specials promise sweet victory. Even if the Patriots win.

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood
This Dundalk restaurant’s Super Bowl party is a Baltimore staple. For the 28th consecutive year, Jimmy’s will be host to an open bar and an oyster and bull roast. What’s more, there will be a silent auction and appearances from past and present Baltimore Ravens. Oh, and 30 (!) televisions. While this year’s special guests have not yet been announced, Steve Smith Sr., CJ Mosley, and Torrey Smith have attended in the past. Tickets are $70 and going fast.

R. House
To celebrate the Big Game—well, big games, depending on how much you wagered on the Puppy Bowl—this Remington establishment is rolling out the green carpet. The food hall will be decked with wall-to-wall astroturf for a family-friendly and pet-inclusive Puppy-Bowl-cum-Super-Bowl watch party. R. House is also offering food and drink specials: $5 cups of punch, buck-a-shuck oysters from The Urban Oyster, and $3 Michelob Ultra and Natty Boh. Oh boy, what a deal.

Bunzzz Sports Bar & Grill
Located in a space in The Gallery formerly occupied by a Brooks Brothers—or Brookzzz Brotherzzz—this recently opened Inner Harbor spot has quickly become a sports-watching haven. As such, it’s commemorating its inaugural Super Bowl with an open bar and specials on wings, pizza, and sliders. Door prizes, namely $25 gift cards, will be awarded at the end of each quarter. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Mother’s Federal Hill Grille
Although there will be no tailgate on the famous Purple Patio until next fall, when Lamar Jackson—please, let it be Lamar Jackson—and the rest of the Ravens take the field, that doesn’t mean that this Federal Hill favorite will lie fallow on Sunday. For just $25, you can watch the game, play free video games, and strive to find the bottom of the bottomless wings, draft beer, and rail cocktails.

GAME
Equal parts arcade, night club, and sports bar, this massive Federal Hill mainstay will fill its 10,000 square feet with not only 30 televisions, but six high-definition projectors as well. For those looking for an early kick-off, the drink specials begin at 2 p.m., leaving ample time to indulge in $4 domestic beers and tin cup spritzers, $5 Absolut bombs, and $6 cups of super punch. During halftime, wings will be just 50 cents a pop.

The Port Public House
Have you ever dreamed of watching the Super Bowl alongside some of Baltimore’s elite (yes, elite) football players? Now’s your shot. This 118-year-old Locust Point institution’s Super Bowl party, hosted by the Baltimore Nighthawks (Baltimore’s women’s tackle football team), will display the game on a goliath 168-inch projector. Portions of the proceeds from the Super Bowl Squares pool and the night’s food and drink specials will go toward covering the Nighthawks’ travel expenses this upcoming season.

Johnny’s
As great as a traditional Sunday football experience can be, sometimes you need a respite from two long-lost Sobotka cousins working their way through a rack of Natty Boh and grunting that it’s so stupid—pronounced stew-pid—that you can’t even touch the quarterback anymore. Enter Johnny’s. While some other specials are mere vehicles for copious amounts of fat and salt and beer, this Roland Park restaurant provides a more elevated option: $14 for crab dip in a bread bowl; $18 for a burger piled high with pulled pork, pepper jack cheese, bacon, coleslaw, crispy onions, and an Old Bay barbecue sauce.

The Mt. Washington Tavern
Closing out the football season in style, this Mount Washington, uh, tavern is cheffing up its own spin on classic ballpark fare. These party plates—$4 for a choice of a plate of buffalo bites, two hot dogs, soft pretzel bites with beer cheese dip, or cheese curds—will be served in the restaurant’s SkyBar (which is PR-speak for “up a few stairs” bar). And lest you forget that this, after all, it is a bar, there will also be $2 cans of Narrangasett, $4 drafts of Old Hilltop, and $6 cocktails made of Tito’s Vodka.

The Brass Tap
The Baltimore City location of this chain gets most of the attention, but the county one has fun, too. Namely, this Towson venue has established itself as a game-day go-to way out in that pastoral idyll we call Baltimore County. Food and drink specials abound—$2 Jell-O shots for $2, $15 buckets of beers entire bucket of beers for $15, $4 glasses of house wine, and, most exciting, $5 for pizza fries.

The story goes that one of the Dolaway boys was on a business trip in Baltimore for his father’s scrap metal company when he took interest in a beat-up corner building for sale in Federal Hill. He called his brother and asked him how he felt about moving from Philadelphia to open a bar together, and by October 2000, they established MaGerk’s Pub and Grill.
 

Eventually, the bar gained a reputation for being Philly-themed, both for its food and football, and expanded to three additional locations including one in Harford County and two in the Philadelphia suburbs.  

“We welcome new fans every year,” said Sarah Clark, manager of MaGerk’s in Federal Hill for 16 years. “There are people who have moved to Baltimore and hear that MaGerk’s is the place to watch the Eagles game, so they show up alone and leave feeling like they’ve gained 100 new friends.”
 

The bar will certainly be packed this Super Bowl Sunday as the Eagles battle it out in the championship game for the first time since 2004, and vie for the ultimate title for the first time in nearly 60 years.
 

“We’re [really excited] to spend the day with the fans that have been coming in through the good times and the bad,” Clark said. “We want it to be a great day shared by the people who love the game and the team.”
 

MaGerk’s will be featuring $15 buckets of Miller Lite and Eagles Bombs—green shooters mixed with Red Bull—to celebrate. The bar will also be serving pub grub including its famous Philly cheesesteaks—made with rolls delivered straight from Philadelphia—and its cheesesteak egg rolls. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.  

The staff is keeping the restaurant reservation-free because they want to leave the space open for regulars and provide a memorable experience for devoted fans.  

Regardless of the game’s results on Sunday, MaGerk’s will always be a proud supporter of the Philadelphia Eagles and promises to chant the team’s fighting song even in the middle of July.  

The owners credit their success to the local community and deem their pub crowd as being one big and welcoming family. MaGerk’s prides itself in giving Baltimore’s growing number of Philadelphia transplants a sense of home.  

Clark recalls a number of regulars who come in on Sundays, including a Philly migrant who hesitantly showed up alone at the bar last year in an Eagles jersey and even a couple who got married at the restaurant last fall.  

“Seeing the way the Eagles have played this year and the momentum that’s grown at this point has just been phenomenal,” Clark said. “Their fans deserve this.” 

For football fans spending their Super Bowl Sunday at home, Clark has shared the restaurant’s original cheesesteak recipe, which has been a long-time staple on the menu. Although she highly recommends using a sub roll from Philadelphia, any open-faced one will do the trick.  

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Recipe

The inside:

• Chopped 8 oz. rib eye
• Sliced onions (MaGerk’s uses Vidalia onions)
• Two slices of white American cheese
   

The outside:

• An open-faced sub roll
• Two slices of white American cheese

Start by sautéing the shaved rib eye and sliced onions until the meat is cooked and the flavors are combined nicely, then add two slices of white American cheese to the mixture until they are melted. While that is cooking, melt two more slices of American cheese on the open sub in a toaster oven, and once the meat is ready, place it inside of the roll and enjoy.

Ravens at Patriots, Saturday Jan. 10, 4:30 p.m., Gillette Stadium, CBS

Those who automatically assume that New England has the edge in the coaching matchup this weekend might want to reconsider.

Bill Belichick, the Patriots’ Annapolis-reared, perpetually scowling legend of a coach, has a 19-9 career postseason record. John Harbaugh, the man who’ll be standing across the field from him on Saturday, has a higher playoff winning percentage—and manages to smile once in a while.

If not for an almost-catch (followed by a missed short field goal), John Harbaugh would be batting 1.000 against Belichick when it counts (unfortunately, that dropped TD and missed chippie in 2012 did in fact count, so he’s 2-1 in the playoffs against The Hooded One).

Whether you’re heading up to Massachusetts for the game, going to a bar in Baltimore, or watching at home, food and drink will play a pivotal role in your game-day experience. This promises to be a classic Saturday on all fronts.

What to Eat: New England has a rich culinary tradition that centers on shellfish. Clam chowder or oyster stew (with bacon!) are winter classics. A New England clambakeA New England clambake is the best way to enjoy the largest variety of seafood, although it’s usually prepared in the summer outside. While there are stovetop clambake recipes, they seemed a bit ambitious for me, so I’ll be making Boston baked beans, a great accompaniment to almost any dish.

• 2 cups navy beans (soak them in cold water overnight)
• ½ pound of bacon
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons of molasses
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce
• ¼ cup of brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with bacon and onion. In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

What to Drink: Many credit Samuel Adams for America’s craft beer renaissance. The Boston Brewing Company started producing beer in 1984 and now is one of the country’s largest breweries. Its Winter Lager, White Christmas, and Chocolate Bock are reliable cold-weather favorites. Also Boston based, Harpoon Brewery makes one of the most drinkable IPAs on the market. At 5.9 percent APV, it’s a well-balanced beer with the right amount of hops.

If You Go: Foxborough, home to Gillette Stadium, is actually a not-much-to-it suburb about a half hour southwest of Boston. If you do head north, stay in Boston, one of America’s culturally richest cities.

Normally I’d advise against blindly flocking to the requisite tourist sites, but in Beantown, they’re worth it. If the weather’s nice(ish), a stroll along the Freedom Trail or in Boston Common is a must. Stop for a drink at the
Bull and Finch Pub, better known to the TV-viewing world as Cheers.

Eastern Standard is a handsome restaurant with a large bar on Commonwealth Avenue near Fenway Park, an area that is crowded with large chain bars. It has a substantial cocktail menu and solid food.

If you’re in town for a few days, the
Russell House Tavern just across the river in Cambridge’s Harvard Square serves classics like lobster sliders and crispy fried Cape Cod oysters. FuGaKyu, located just outside the city in Brookline, has more than just a clever name. It claims to be the largest Japanese restaurant in New England, and definitely serves some of the best sushi in town.