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Thom Loverro

Thom Loverro

tloverro@washingtontimes.com

Thom Loverro has been a professional journalist since 1977, working for a number of newspapers, including eight years as a news editor and reporter for The Baltimore Sun, where he covered government, politics, and crime. He moved into sports writing when he joined The Washington Times in 1992. He moved to The Washington Examiner as a sports columnist in 2009 and returned to The Washington Times in 2013, where he is currently the lead sports columnist.

Columns by Thom Loverro

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera speaks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

LOVERRO: Wrong from the start

So where did Ron Rivera go wrong? You could make the case that it was the minute he accepted a phone call from Washington owner Dan Snyder.

December 26, 2023
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, left, holds a jersey with Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft, during a media availability at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

LOVERRO: Nationals’ Rizzo joins DiMaggio, Marciano, Lombardi in Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo grew up in Chicago hearing stories from his father, the legendary scout Phil Rizzo, about Italian sports icons like Joe DiMaggio and Rocky Marciano. Now the younger Rizzo will take his place alongside DiMaggio, Marciano and other greats from his ethnic heritage when he is inducted Friday night into the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame in his Chicago hometown.

December 14, 2023
The retired number of Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson is visible as a crowd watches the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Orioles and the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Baltimore. Robinson died on Tuesday at the age of 86. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

LOVERRO: Sale of Nationals still tangled up in fate of the Orioles

The MASN television deal means the futures of both teams are linked. Any Nationals sale may have to wait until the Orioles have new owners and Major League Baseball orders the whole MASN deal scrapped as part of any sale agreement for the Baltimore franchise.

December 12, 2023
Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. The Washington Commanders have fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer. Del Rio was 12 games into his fourth season with the team. The moves made Friday, Nov. 24, come after the Commanders lost 45-10 at Dallas on Thursday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Del Rio’s firing goes beyond Commanders’ poor defensive play

After an inconsistent four seasons, including a disappointing 2023 season to date, with a 4-8 record that has seen Jack Del Rio's high-profile defense result in a bottom-feeding defense in nearly every measurable category, Del Rio, 60, was fired by Commanders coach Ron Rivera -- at least we are being led to believe it was his decision.

November 28, 2023
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher watches during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Everyone’s got a Jimbo Fisher bad contract story

I hope John Fisher Day doesn't supplant July 1 -- Bobby Bonilla Day -- as a celebration of the worst contract in the history of sports. I like Bobby -- he was my favorite ballplayer to cover -- and Bobby Bonilla Day is sort of like his eternal flame.

November 21, 2023
Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera on the field before the start of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

LOVERRO: Short week likely a lifeline for short-timer Rivera

The Commanders rewarded those Giants fans who made the trek to Landover Sunday by coughing up three interceptions and three lost fumbles, and making practice squad quarterback Jersey Tommy Devito look like Eli Manning playing the Patriots.

November 19, 2023
Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper watches his two-run homer during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, in Washington. The Nationals won 5-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

LOVERRO: For Washington fans, MVP-level performances few, far between

For sports fans, that moment of seeing a hometown hero honored as a league MVP can be the icing on the cake of a great year, or, in some cases, a frustrating reminder of missed opportunities. Either way, it's not the kind of moment that Washington-area fans -- especially baseball fans -- have a lot of familiarity with.

November 16, 2023