Author profile

Thom Loverro

Follow author updates

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

Maryland coach Mark Turgeon faces the team he played for in Kansas on Thursday in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. (Associated Press)

LOVERRO: Mark Turgeon set to meet his biggest challenge yet as Maryland’s mountain man

Turgeon's substance shows he will measure up to the moment Thursday in Louisville. He's doesn't hate that he has to play Kansas. He isn't just glad his team is there. He isn't just excited to be in the game. He wants to beat everyone.

March 22, 2016

Workers prepare for Tuesday's friendly game between the Tampa Rays and the Cuban national team at the Latinoamericano stadium in Havana. (Associated Press)

LOVERRO: Major League Baseball’s trip to Cuba a step back in time

Here's hoping that the group of writers accompanying Obama, including those sportswriters who will be covering the Tampa Bay Rays exhibition game Tuesday against the Cuban national team, have as good a time as I had in the five days I spent there in 1999.

March 20, 2016

Washington Capitals television analyst Craig Laughlin, a former player, sits for a portrait. (Handout photo courtesy Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic)

LOVERRO: Craig Laughlin laughs, smiles through 25 seasons of Capitals games

Laughlin joined the broadcast booth shortly after his retirement from the Capitals, and he'll be honored by the team and by CSN Mid-Atlantic for 25 seasons on air during the game on Friday.

March 17, 2016

Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper pumps his fist as he scores the winning run on a single by Anthony Rendon during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, in Washington. The Nationals defeated the Diamondbacks 3-2. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

LOVERRO: No surprise Giants player gripes about Bryce Harper’s flair

Sergio Romo took exception to Harper's insistence that baseball players need to relax the unwritten rules, but as the reigning National League MVP, Harper has earned the right to say what he wants.

March 15, 2016

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had his contract option picked up on Saturday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

LOVERRO: Nationals would be wise to extend Mike Rizzo’s tenure as GM

Rizzo has overhauled the Nationals' roster since taking over for Jim Bowden in 2009 and has turned them into a perennial playoff contender. It should be a no-brainer for ownership to pick up his contract option.

March 13, 2016

Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler holds his new jersey as he is introduced during a news conference Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Houston. The Texans have filled their biggest need, starting free agency with a splash by snagging Osweiler from Denver. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

LOVERRO: Brock Osweiler’s deal with Texans a true measure of quarterback play

Osweiler reportedly signed a four-year contract with the Texans that includes $37 million guaranteed, which shows just how much teams value even mediocre quarterbacks in a pass-happy league.

March 10, 2016

Washington Redskins first round NFL football draft pick, Robert Griffin III, speaks at a press conference, Saturday, April 28, 2012, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

LOVERRO: After shaming, anonymous scouts deserve credit on Robert Griffin III

Two anonymous scouts said in 2012 that Griffin is "selfish" and "doesn't treat anybody good." Those comments were panned, but after four years with Griffin, the Redskins learned they were true.

March 8, 2016

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III walks on stage after he was selected as the second pick overall by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the NFL football draft at Radio City Music Hall, Thursday, April 26, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) ** FILE **

LOVERRO: Salary cap penalty could have saved Redskins from Robert Griffin III

Had the crippling $36 million penalty been levied days earlier, instead of the day the trade with the Rams went through, there's a strong likelihood the Redskins wouldn't have made the move for Griffin.

March 7, 2016

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2010, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning celebrates after teammate Joseph Addai scored a touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the New Orleans Saints in Miami. A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press on Sunday, March 6, 2016, that Manning has informed the Denver Broncos he's going to retire. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

LOVERRO: Like idol Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning to be remembered among greats

Manning's decision to retire will leave him holding a number of league records and put him in company that includes Unitas, one of his idols and another longtime Colts great.

March 6, 2016

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warms up before an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

LOVERRO: Kirk Cousins’ game of tag pays off for him, but will it for Redskins?

The Redskins' haven't had the greatest fortune with their use of the franchise tag, but after Cousins signed the one-year, $19.95 million contract offer on Thursday, we'll all see how he performs.

March 3, 2016

Washington Nationals' Danny Espinosa swings at a pitch during an intrasquad baseball game at a spring training workout, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, in Viera, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

LOVERRO: Danny Espinosa feeling at home following move back to shortstop

Espinosa was drafted as a shortstop but played a variety of positions in recent years. With Ian Desmond now with the Rangers, Espinosa has a chance to fill in as the everyday starter at the position.

March 1, 2016

Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) runs sprints with teammates during a spring training baseball workout, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, in Viera, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

LOVERRO: Difficult to take joy, perspective out of Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez

The fun-loving Gonzalez considers the Nationals' pitching staff a unique group with different mentalities, and there may be no further evidence than his budding trust and friendship with Jonathan Papelbon.

February 28, 2016

Washington Nationals' Ian Desmond (20) looks at his bat before hitting a home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park, in Washington, on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

LOVERRO: Ian Desmond’s absence creates noticeable void in Nationals’ clubhouse

The shortstop, a face of the franchise in recent seasons, is still a free agent after turning down the Nationals' contract offers, leaving former teammates baffled.

February 25, 2016

Washington Nationals players gather on the field for a spring training baseball workout, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, in Viera, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

LOVERRO: Nationals’ last spring training in Viera brings back plenty of memories

The Nationals will move into a new spring training complex in West Palm Beach next season, leaving behind Viera, a community in the middle of nowhere that provided its own entertainment.

February 23, 2016

Maryland center Diamond Stone (33) goes to the basket against Michigan forward Mark Donnal (34) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 86-82. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

LOVERRO: Still many questions remain despite No. 6 Maryland’s victory

Maryland figured to be one of the better teams in the country, but losses to Wisconsin and Minnesota, the struggles of Melo Trimble and the adjustment of Diamond Stone show that may not be the case.

February 21, 2016

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warms up before an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

LOVERRO: Uncertainty again trails Kirk Cousins at crossroads in career

Cousins is seeking a contract extension from the Redskins, who may offer him a deal he's interested in accepting or could be forced to use the one-year franchise tag to keep him.

February 18, 2016

Carolina Panthers&#8217; Cam Newton (1) looks dejectedly at the scoreboard during the NFL Super Bowl 50 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

LOVERRO: What’s the real reason for rehashing Peyton Manning’s allegations?

A recent report by a polarizing New York Daily News columnist could have been spurred on by a desire to take the spotlight off Cam Newton's shortcomings and put it on Manning.

February 16, 2016

NBA legend Bill Russell, left, talks with Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins before the Kings played the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

LOVERRO: Bill Russell’s falling reverence in NBA history amounts to a travesty

A recent ranking of the top 50 players in NBA history was released by Sports Illustrated, and Russell, who won 11 championships and earned five MVP awards and 12 all-star selections, was slotted eighth.

February 14, 2016

James "Cool Papa" Bell poses with a huge bat after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Feb. 14, 1974. Bell was unanimously voted into the hall by a seven man committee. (AP Photo/HMB)

LOVERRO: Washington played pivotal role in embracing, shaping Negro Leagues

The Homestead Grays were one of a number of teams that laid claim to Washington, and the popularity of that team, and the leagues' stars in particular, led to great success in the city.

February 11, 2016

Carolina Panthers&#8217; Cam Newton (1) walks off the field as the Denver Broncos coach get dunked in the background during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 50 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. The Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10. (AP Photo/Matt York)

LOVERRO: The Cam Newton everyone saw after the Super Bowl? He’s real

Newton's apologists will only say that he will learn from the backlash after he sulked through his brief Super Bowl press conference on Sunday night, but so far, it seems he hasn't.

February 9, 2016