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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

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2018 file photo, Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game, in Washington. The Washington Wizards said point Wall will be sidelined for more than another year because he ruptured his left Achilles tendon after slipping and falling at home. The team said Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, that Wall’s tendon surgery has not been scheduled. He should be able to return to full basketball activity about a year after the operation. (AP Photo/Al Drago) ** FILE **

John Wall is out but will fans notice

The news that John Wall ruptured his Achilles following surgery he had weeks before is devastating. But this fan base may be so damaged that it's numb to such bad news.

February 6, 2019
New England Patriots' Duron Harmon (21) and head coach Bill Belichick celebrate after the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Atlanta. The Patriots won 13-2. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Bill Belichick legacy cemented with No. 6

The heavyweight matchup between the playoff-veteran New England Patriots and the newcomer Los Angeles Rams didn't pack many punches, at least not offensively. But, like a wily old boxer, Patriots coach Bill Belichick controlled the fight until the championship rounds -- the fourth quarter.

February 3, 2019
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 1991, file photo, New York Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, center, goes over the defensive game plan with other coaches as they prepare for Super Bowl 25 against the Buffalo Bills, in Tampa, Fla. The Giants defeated the Bills 20-19 in Super Bowl 25 on Jan. 25, 1991. The top "D" almost always prevails against the top "O," going 5-1 so far when those teams meet to determine a champion _ even though each offense was led by a quarterback who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (or, in the most recent case, is expected to be). (AP Photo/File) **FILE**

Bill Belichick began his Super Bowl brilliance as a Giants assistant coach

Officially, the New England Patriots coach, who has also lost three Super Bowls, has five Super Bowl championships as a head coach, with three losses, and the record will show he will be going for his sixth NFL title in Sunday's Super Bowl LIII contest against the Los Angeles Rams. But if we chose to truly believe the evidence, the Giants' win over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV should be Belichick's win.

January 31, 2019
FILE - In this 1952 file photo, Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Jackie Robinson poses. Baseball holds tributes across the country on Jackie Robinson Day, Tuesday, April 15, 2014, the 67th anniversary marking the end of the game's racial barrier. (AP Photo/File) **FILE**

Jackie Robinson once faced a Kyler Murray-like decision between baseball and football

In the middle of this week-long celebration of football leading up to the most popular sporting event in America -- the Super Bowl -- a year-long celebration of the 100th birthday of arguably the most important athlete in American history will begin. Jackie Robinson didn't play football. But he could have -- and may have wound up one of the all-time greats.

January 29, 2019
FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2018, file photo, Ryan Martin, right, looks over his wager at Rivers Casino, as the new, temporary sports betting area opened in Pittsburgh. Pending Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approval, regular operations are scheduled to begin Saturday, Dec. 15. Marton made several wagers, including placing a $100 bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl. Anyone willing to wager that the high-scoring Patriots or Rams will get shut out in the Super Bowl can count on a big payday if that unlikely scenario occurs. Prop bets aren’t a big moneymaker for sports books during the season, but they pick up popularity as the nation is intensely focused on a single game. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) ** FILE **

NFL’s gambling boom will come with a price

If Art Schlichter is in good enough shape to sit in front of a microphone when he is released from federal prison, he will likely be the star of radio row at the Super Bowl a few years from now.

January 27, 2019
Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden stands on the sideline in the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Landover, Md. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 24-0. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Dan Snyder still meddling

They like to say there are only 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL. The reality is that there are only 31, and then there is the Redskins job. It stands alone in the league, with more baggage than a Diana Ross tour.

January 22, 2019
Former Washington Nationals pitcher Micah Bowie has been using oxygen since 2016 to help him breathe due to complications from back surgery. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Micah Bowie, Ex-Nationals pitcher, needs help from players union to stay alive

The costs to keep him alive have been prohibitive, and taken its toll on his family. Bowie qualified for government disability payments, but that didn't come close to helping pay his medical bills. So Bowie went to his union -- the Major League Baseball Players Association -- for help. There was none.

January 17, 2019
Former slugger Harold Baines' impact on two franchises was a reason for being selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Era Committee last month. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Baseball Hall of Famers should be selected for impact, not just stats

Voting has already taken place among the eligible baseball writers, and the results will be revealed on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Many ballots have already been made public by voters, and I'll make mine public here. But as I have often said, the vote often turns into a venom-filled referendum on truth and justice instead of simply a decision about a baseball player's career.

January 15, 2019
Washington Redskins President Bruce Allen, right, speaks during an NFL football press conference where it was announced that Doug Williams, left, was named Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) ** FILE **

Bruce Allen’s stranglehold on Redskins tightens with Brian Lafemina’s departure

Yes, of course Allen is coming back. He didn't drive Lafemina and his team from the building only to surrender power. Not only is Allen, who has become the object of the wrath of an angry Redskins fan base, staying on as team president in charge of football operations, but he is taking over the business side as well -- the job that Lafemina had. Allen drank Lafemina's milk shake.

January 13, 2019
Baltimore Ravens fans watch the second half of an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton) **FILE**

Lamar Jackson feelings do not trump trying to win

Ravens players complaining about their hometown fans ... Sound familiar? At a time when the game is being criticized by hard-liners for being too soft on the field, its players appear to be softening to playing for anyone other than Kool-Aid drinkers in the stands.

January 8, 2019
Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden listens to a reporter's question during a news conference at Redskins Park, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, in Ashburn, Va. The Washington Redskins ended their season Sunday with a 24-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

Jay Gruden surprisingly honest about Redskins’ need for change

For a moment the day after their standard embarrassing season-ending 24-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles -- almost 24 hours since his team finished 7-9 for the second straight season -- Gruden showed a glimpse of Honest Jay, and I think it was revealing.

January 1, 2019
Former Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs walks along the sidelines before the NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Daniel Snyder brings Joe Gibbs back for unholy mess of Redskins loss

Not that we needed any more proof that Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has no capacity for embarrassment, but Sunday at Ghost Town Field there was yet more evidence of his lack of perspective. He brought Redskins coaching legend Joe Gibbs to the game.

December 30, 2018
Brian Lafemina preached a notion of truth and transparency after he was hired by the Washington Redskins to be president of business operations. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Redskins’ ‘do the right thing’ era was doomed from the start

The Christmas purge of Redskins chief operating officer Brian Lafemina and his band of suits -- chief marketing officer Steve Ziff, senior vice president of sales and marketing Jake Bye and chief commercial officer Todd Kline -- took far less time than I predicted a month ago.

December 27, 2018