Skip to content
TRENDING:
Iran
Advertisement
Author profile
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

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the media at the owners meeting in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball face minefield of problems

The commissioner of Major League Baseball, the former right-hand man to predecessor Bud Selig, is facing a trifecta of major challenges in the coming months -- the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, minor league contraction and labor unrest for the first time in nearly 20 years.

November 21, 2019
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, Washington Redskins head coach Bill Callahan, left, talks with quarterback Dwayne Haskins before an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y. The Redskins at the bye week of a lost season are a team without a definitive answer at quarterback, answers to questions on offense and defense and a visible organizational plan for the future. Callahan has repeatedly set the expectation at winning the next game and said he’s receiving no direction from the front office on how to develop young players for the next few years. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

Dwayne Haskins gets chance to prove Snyder was right

No matter how wrong it may have been for Dan Snyder to overrule his football people and force the selection of Dwayne Haskins with the 15th pick, once the damage was done, they needed to see if the quarterback they invested so much in could play.

November 12, 2019
Despite not having enough at bats to qualify for the batting title, Nationals infielder Howie Kendrick led the league in hitting with a .344 average. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Howie Kendrick was most valuable player for the Nationals

You could make the case that Kendrick, one of the Nationals postseason stars and the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player, was an MVP candidate for the regular season as well, if we are to accept the meaning of the word "valuable." No Washington National may have been more valuable to this team this season than Kendrick.

November 10, 2019
Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) takes the field for warms up before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

Redskins missed lesson in Nationals’ handling of Stephen Strasburg

There is no shortage of material to contrast the way the Nationals and the Redskins do business -- in case you missed the World Series trophy the Nationals held high during their celebration parade on Saturday -- but nothing illustrates the difference between the two organizations more starkly than the treatment of their two star players, Strasburg and Williams.

November 5, 2019
In this Oct. 30, 1974 file photo, referee Zack Clayton, right, steps in after challenger Muhammad Ali looks on after knocking down defending heavyweight champion George Foreman in the eighth round of their championship bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali regained the world heavyweight crown by knockout in the eighth round of the fight dubbed "Rumble in the Jungle." (AP Photo/File) **FILE**

Muhammad Ali - George Foreman ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ still as great as it gets 45 years later

So boys and girls, gather around, and let me tell you a story about one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century that took place in the heart of Africa -- a battle between the greatest sports icon of the century and a fearsome opponent who would later become the greatest television pitch man of all time. That's a lot of great, I know. But the "Rumble in the Jungle" 45 years ago Wednesday -- Oct. 30, 1974 -- was as great as it gets. There has not been another like it since.

October 29, 2019
Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Joe Ross was World Series reality fans did not expect

This was it, Nationals fans. No more baseball this season in Washington. You paid thousands of dollars to watch a World Series in this city for the first time in 86 years, and you got just that -- the World Series.

October 27, 2019
Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Joe Ross was World Series reality fans didn’t expect

This was it, Nationals fans. No more baseball this season in Washington. You paid thousands of dollars to watch a World Series in this city for the first time in 86 years, and you got just that -- the World Series.

October 27, 2019
Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. throws against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) **FILE**

Dwayne Haskins should study Book of RGIII for blueprint to future

Questions are swirling around the team's reluctance to put Haskins on the field. Typically, quarterbacks who are first-round picks are ready to at least try to compete on an NFL field, particularly those selected at No. 15. The Redskins appear afraid to put Haskins on the field.

October 27, 2019
Washington Nationals' Adam Eaton scores on a double by Anthony Rendon during the first inning of Game 2 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) **FILE**

Nationals’ old-school ‘putting-the-ball-in-play’ mantra part of identity

Strikeouts have gone up every year for at least a decade, as players are being taught to try to drive the ball out of the park, even at the cost of striking out. They have been taught the risk is worth the reward, part of the analytics movement. Not in Washington, where the value of putting the ball in play is still paramount. The players believe it is part of this team's comeback identity.

October 24, 2019
Washington Nationals' Kurt Suzuki hits a home run during the seventh inning of Game 2 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kurt Suzuki extinguishes Astros

Kurt Suzuki took the Astros' heart with his solo home run in the top of the seventh, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending a signal to his Nationals teammates that it was time to dance.

October 24, 2019
Washington Nationals' Juan Soto reacts after hitting a two-run scoring double during the fifth inning of Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Juan Soto star turn gives Nationals win

Juan Soto continued to write his name in the 21st-century record book by driving in three runs Monday night and leading the Washington Nationals to a 5-4 Game 1 World Series win over the Astros before a silenced crowd of 43,339.

October 23, 2019