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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 Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) in action during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) **FILE**

Maybe coach Ron Rivera is right about Taylor Heinicke

It would have been easy to make the change, and no one would have blamed the coach. But Rivera stuck with Heinicke, and his faith paid off. Now Heinicke likely has the rest of the season to convince people that he could be the quarterback of the future for this team -- not that he is, but that he could be.

November 15, 2021
FILE - Sam Huff, the Washington Redskins middle linebacker who retired at end of 1967 season, pauses during a break in Redskins NFL football training camp in Carlisle, Pa., in July 1969, after ending his retirement. Huff, the hard-hitting Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the New York Giants reach six NFL title games from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s and later became a popular player and announcer in Washington, died Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. He was 87. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)

LOVERRO: Two rival cities mourn the great Sam Huff

When Sam Huff played, he was justice -- the judge and jury. And when he called Washington football games, he was the prosecutor and defense attorney for what he saw on the field. And fans loved him for it.

November 14, 2021
Washington Nationals' Juan Soto heads to his position in right field after grounding into a double play to end the top of the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Lerners, Nationals can’t afford to waste another year with Soto

There is a feeling that, with pitching prospects like Cole Henry and Cade Cavalli, and the development of young players acquired at the trade deadline like pitcher Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz, that GM Mike Rizzo's "reboot" will start paying dividends in 2023. Not good enough.

November 4, 2021
In this Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, file photo, seats at Fedex Field display the Washington Football Team logo during pregame warmups of an NFL football game between Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

LOVERRO: Renaming franchise at this point solves nothing

If it was just the bad football, that would be enough of a burden for Washington Football Team fans. There is certainly enough of that to go around. Just look at Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Broncos - bad offense, bad coaching, bad outcomes.

November 1, 2021
Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Robert D. Manfred, Jr. talks with the media before Game 1 in baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

LOVERRO: Goodell, Manfred in a race to the gutter

We saw the worst of American sports this week. We saw the leaders of the country's two most popular leagues -- football and baseball -- square off in a competition over who could be more arrogant, who could tell the biggest fib with a straight face. A fraud-off, if you will.

October 28, 2021
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera walks on the field before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Rivera’s culture change dream hits Washington reality

When the news broke that the DEA had raided the Washington Football Team's headquarters in Ashburn in connection to a federal probe involving team trainer Ryan Vermillion, the organization issued a statement that said the trainer was placed on administrative leave "due to an ongoing criminal investigation that is unrelated to the team."

October 10, 2021
In this Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, file photo, An 'NFL on prime video' banner hangs on the field prior to an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz. The NFL will nearly double its media revenue to more than $10 billion a season with new rights agreements announced Thursday, March 18, 2021 including a deal with Amazon Prime Video that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” beginning in 2022.(AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart, File) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Amazon telecast just another sign Bezos’ tentacles are all over NFL

The commitment to Amazon is a big step for the league, devoting one of its prime-time broadcasts solely to a streaming site. It is also another step in the relationship between the NFL and one of the most powerful men in the world -- Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. But he already has more influence in NFL business than any of the 32 franchise owners.

October 6, 2021
In this Sept. 30, 1971 file photo, Washington Senator fans lean over the dugout to shake hands with Washington's Dave Nelson (15) before fans storm the field in the ninth inning of the Washington Senators farewell appearance at RFK Stadium. (AP Photo/File) **FILE**

LOVERRO: A half-century ago, the lights went out on baseball in Washington

Fifty years ago, on Sept. 30, 1971, Dick Bosman took the mound to preside over a wake. Washington baseball fans had gathered at RFK Stadium to say their goodbyes to the second incarnation of the dying Senators, who would be resurrected the following year in a Texas cowtown called Arlington -- a suburb of the bigger cowtown of Dallas.

September 29, 2021