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Thom Loverro

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

LOVERRO: Wizards’ lack of accountability leads to Game 6 apathy

Those empty seats were created in 2010, when Leonsis bought the team and did nothing to show fans that the man in charge, whose personnel decisions and coddling atmosphere set the stage for the Gilbert Arenas debacle, would be leaving. Instead, Leonsis embraced general manager Ernie Grunfeld.

May 18, 2014

LOVERRO: Rafael Soriano make you nervous? Don’t hate — appreciate

It's not that Nationals fans don't feel connected to their team's closer. Their connection is anxiety. But for now, take your hands away from your eyes and show a little love for the 34-year-old Dominican who untucks his jersey after every save. He's telling you to relax.

May 15, 2014

LOVERRO: Remembering Joe Louis at 100, a heavyweight champ like no other

When Joe Louis was the heavyweight champion, they held title fights in ballparks, with 70,000 people on hand, and the heavyweight championship was the most important title in the world.

May 13, 2014

LOVERRO: Accountability begins anew with Redskins’ draft class

Defensive end Trent Murphy? That's on this crew's tab. So is offensive tackle Moses Morgan and the six other players they selected in the 2014 draft.

May 11, 2014

LOVERRO: Redskins history shows you don’t need first-round draft picks to excel

The Redskins had a selection in the first round of the NFL draft just three times — three times — from 1969 to 1990. And they managed to do just fine without one. With the opportunity to pick in the top round in the draft only three times, the Redskins had a remarkable record of 205-118.

May 8, 2014

LOVERRO: Drew Gooden, the Verizon Center houseguest who never left

Gooden is on the roster because Nene got in trouble this season — the typical Nene injury trouble— and Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld is a nice guy. Being nice paid off for Washington Monday night in Indianapolis .

May 6, 2014

LOVERRO: Wizards are the real deal, but enjoy them while you can

They exceeded expectations basketball-wise and heart-wise by handling the experienced Chicago Bulls in five games, and it's reasonable to see this team beating Indiana and likely facing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. Beyond this season, though ...

May 4, 2014

LOVERRO: Bob Dandridge likes what he sees in current brand of D.C. hoops

"The city is getting behind this team," said the 66-year-old former Bullets star. "There is an enthusiasm and excitement there now. And the players can feel the excitement that something big is going to happen."

May 1, 2014

Mike Shanahan is gone; time for RG3, Redskins to get busy livin’

We've heard subtlely and not so subtlely that Mike Shanahan held talent hostage. Now that he's gone, it seems everyone at Redskins Park is feeling like Andy Dufresne walking on a Mexican beach.

April 30, 2014

LOVERRO: Nene-less Wizards come up big when it was absolutely necessary

Up 2-1 in the series, after losing Game 3 at home, Game 4 was of course a big game. You don't want to go back to Chicago with the series even at 2-2 – especially, when, for anyone watching this series, it's obvious the Bulls can't match the Wizards talent.

April 27, 2014

LOVERRO: Nene gives Wizards a foundation they never had in Arenas era

There may be no truer cliché in sports than defense winning championships. Playoff teams that can't play defense fall by the wayside quickly. This Wizards squad is led by a player with a brain, heart and conscience.

April 24, 2014

LOVERRO: Why celebrate ‘Bad Boys’ when ‘Eden’ awaits?

The Detroit Pistons teams that filled the void following the Magic and Bird era, and did so with elbows, fists, and bad basketball. There is nothing to celebrate about those championship teams. They should be buried, not praised. Look around, children of that time, for something better — something that was beautiful.

April 22, 2014

LOVERRO: Bryce Harper-Mike Trout comparisons may be a career-long thing

Mike Trout and his Los Angeles Angels teammates come to Washington for a three-game series at Nationals Park, the first time that Trout and Harper will be on the field as Major League Baseball competitors.

April 20, 2014

LOVERRO: On the Wizards’ trip to Brazil, a miracle happened

The Washington Wizards Most Valuable Player is 83 years old, stands 98 feet tall, weighs, 700 tons, is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone and sits on top of a 2,300-foot mountain.

April 17, 2014

LOVERRO: Capitals’ major challenge is finding someone who can win with Alex Ovechkin

George McPhee has failed to capitalize on the success of one of the best goal scorers of his time, a three-time NHL Most Valuable Player. That's what all this comes down to. He hasn't figured out how to win with Alex Ovechkin.

April 15, 2014

LOVERRO: Bo Belinsky, Sonny Liston share a cemetery - one found peace, the other didn’t

I figured I owed Sonny a moment in the sun. He settled in Vegas in his final years, but never found peace. Then again, this town is the last place to find that kind of peace. Bo Belinsky, though, did.

April 13, 2014

LOVERRO: Injured hand didn’t keep Scott Christopher from a life of baseball and art

The strange, curious, painful and wonderful life of Scott Christopher has taken the path from a Falls Church park to the pages of Sports Illustrated to the dugout with Cal Ripken to a private moment with Michael Jackson that produced what is considered the greatest photograph ever of the pop icon.

April 10, 2014