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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

Shohei Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Angeles, larrives to a news conference to be named the American League's starting pitcher for the MLB All-Star baseball game, Monday, July 12, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LOVERRO: Two-way Ohtani takes center stage at All-Star Game

Ohtani, 27, is the starting pitcher for the American League All-Stars, facing off Tuesday night against the National League starter Max Scherzer. For Scherzer -- 7-4 with a 2.66 ERA this season -- it's a fourth All-Star Game start. For Ohtani -- 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA and 33 home runs -- it's an acknowledgment of one of the most remarkable seasons since the days of Babe Ruth.

July 12, 2021
Brooklyn Dodgers' Roy Campanella, left, and New York Yankees' Yogi Berra, rival catchers, exchanged greetings before an exhibition game on March 25, 1955.(AP Photo) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Berra, Campanella defined an era of greatness

Playing in the same city -- one in the National League, the other in the American League -- Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella each won three league most valuable player awards. It was a five-year run of unprecedented excellence recognized for the position.

July 4, 2021
New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz yells instructions during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The Penguins won 2-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

LOVERRO: Capitals will never know if Trotz might have made the difference

On Sunday, the Capitals were again shown the playoff door early, this time with their Barry Trotz replica, Peter Laviolette. Laviolette is a veteran, Stanley Cup-winning coach who gladly took the top-tier money that Ted Leonsis and his brain trust could have -- and should have -- paid Trotz.

May 24, 2021
Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Friday, May 14, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) **FILE**

Wizards and optimism? They’ve absolutely earned it

The outcome on the court and in the standings may not be any different under general manager Tommy Sheppard this season. But possibilities exist. The Russell Westbrook trade speaks to those possibilities.

May 17, 2021
In this Jan. 16, 2021, photo, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) runs during an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Green Bay, Wis. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst says the team remains committed to Rodgers “for the foreseeable future” one year after trading up in the first round to draft the three-time MVP’s potential successor. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) **FILE**

Aaron Rodgers to Washington just crazy enough to work

The very idea that one of the greatest quarterbacks of his time -- the NFL's 2020 Most Valuable Player, his third such honor -- is being touted somehow as a good fit for the Washington Football Team is amazing. And get this: No one is laughing.

May 10, 2021
In this March 11, 2015, file photo, then-Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew speaks during a news conference in Allen Park, Mich. Washington has hired Martin Mayhew to be its new general manager. The hiring of Mayhew makes Washington the only team in the NFL with a Black team president and GM. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) **FILE**

LOVERRO: Only NFL draft grade that matters comes later

Here's a necessary reminder that what anyone thinks of a draft class hours after the selections are made means nothing. That goes for anyone, even the geniuses who made the picks. No, make that especially the geniuses that made the picks.

May 2, 2021
Hall of Fame inductee Chris Hanburger poses with his bust during the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Canton, Ohio on August 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) **FILE**

This NFL draft era is missing personal, behind-the-scenes stories

The draft has changed dramatically over the years, from a conference call exercise to an elaborate staged event, complete with hugs from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. What is often missing are the personal behind-the-scenes stories that led to the draft picks that became stars of their new teams.

April 26, 2021
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, file photo, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder listens to head coach Ron Rivera during a news conference at the team's NFL football training facility, in Ashburn, Va. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press the NFL has taken over the independent investigation into workplace conduct within the Washington Football Team. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Dan Snyder, Bruce Allen divorce gets messy

What happened to those days of partying on the yacht, flying around the world, and the intimate games of Putt-Putt in the office? What happened to the Bruce Allen-Dan Snyder love?

April 18, 2021
FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo, former professional boxer Evander Holyfield paces the sidelines as he watches his son, Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield, play in an NCAA college football game against Florida, in Jacksonville, Fla. Elijah Holyfield says it wasn't an easy decision to leave Georgia after his junior season. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Tyson, Holyfield and the dying gasp of a once-great sport

First Mike Tyson climbed back in the ring, now former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will, at the age of 58, stage an eight-round "exhibition" against 47-year-old Kevin McBride. And that, folks, tells you how far boxing has fallen.

April 12, 2021
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp listens to a question during a news conference at the State Capitol on Saturday, April 3, 2021, in Atlanta, about Major League Baseball's decision to pull the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta over the league's objection to a new Georgia voting law. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Rob Manfred puts baseball in middle of political fight

This notion that baseball's decision to pull the game out of Atlanta is some sort of "cancel culture" travesty is absurd. The game was awarded to Atlanta through politics and it was taken away because of politics -- the controversial new Georgia voting law.

April 5, 2021
Washington Nationals' Josh Harrison (5) bumps fists with first base coach Randy Knorr after hitting a single during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros, Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Randy Knorr is Nationals institutional memory

There have been a lot of names and faces that have passed through Washington Nationals' history since the franchise brought baseball back to Washington in 2005. Randy Knorr has seen most, if not all, of them.

March 29, 2021
In this Nov. 3, 2019 file photo, Washington owner Daniel Snyder is shown before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File) **FILE**

Dan Snyder era set to go on and on and on

For the NFL, pulling the plug on the Dan Snyder era in Washington could be chalked up to doing the right thing. On basic decency. How about we just call it good business? Take your pick. Instead, the owners seem content to keep Snyder and continue counting their money.

March 24, 2021
Philadelphia Eagle Cyril Pinder (22) is caught between two Washington Redskins, Jon Jaqua, bottom, and Russell Tillman, during first quarter action at RFK Stadium, Dec. 13, 1970, Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/John Duricka) **FILE**

Rusty Tillman learned from George Allen

Russell Arthur "Rusty" Tillman, who passed away last week at the age of 75, was an NFL special teams legend from coast to coast, from the state of Washington to the District.

March 21, 2021