Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Sale of Nationals still tangled up in fate of the Orioles
The MASN television deal means the futures of both teams are linked. Any Nationals sale may have to wait until the Orioles have new owners and Major League Baseball orders the whole MASN deal scrapped as part of any sale agreement for the Baltimore franchise. Published December 12, 2023
LOVERRO: Josh Harris will lose more by raising prices than he stands to gain
The Washington Commanders are going to raise season ticket prices for next season. This, of course, will come as bad news for all the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and other visiting teams who filled FedEx Field this year and in years past. Published December 11, 2023
LOVERRO: How the Padres, 50 years ago, almost became Washington’s baseball team
Fifty years ago, the first week of December could have been one of the all-time weeks in sports in Washington, right up there among the best. Published December 7, 2023
LOVERRO: Sanders, Saban and college football’s lust for ratings
Deion Sanders and Nick Saban deliver the true currency of college football -- eyeballs. Published December 5, 2023
LOVERRO: Appreciation abounds at FedEx Field for everyone but Rivera’s Commanders
Sunday was the Washington Commanders' Fan Appreciation Game at FedEx Field, and the team invited a heck of a lot of people to share in the appreciation. Here's who didn't show up for Fan Appreciation Game -- the football team. Published December 3, 2023
LOVERRO: Rizzo hopefully shopping at MLB winter meetings with a bigger wallet
The Major League Baseball winter meetings start Sunday in Music City, U.S.A., and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo better be shopping for more than Garth Brooks T-shirts. There are players to buy, and hopefully, Rizzo will be shopping with a bigger pocketbook than last year. Published November 30, 2023
LOVERRO: Johnson earned his place in Cooperstown out of worthy managerial field
The managers room in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has 22 members now. It is most likely about to get a lot more crowded. Published November 29, 2023
LOVERRO: Del Rio’s firing goes beyond Commanders’ poor defensive play
After an inconsistent four seasons, including a disappointing 2023 season to date, with a 4-8 record that has seen Jack Del Rio's high-profile defense result in a bottom-feeding defense in nearly every measurable category, Del Rio, 60, was fired by Commanders coach Ron Rivera -- at least we are being led to believe it was his decision. Published November 28, 2023
LOVERRO: Washington’s rare Thanksgiving Day wins worth remembering, worth savoring
Alex Smith's remarkable comeback from a shattered broken leg included, most memorably, a Thanksgiving Day win in 2020 over the Dallas Cowboys. Published November 22, 2023
LOVERRO: Everyone’s got a Jimbo Fisher bad contract story
I hope John Fisher Day doesn't supplant July 1 -- Bobby Bonilla Day -- as a celebration of the worst contract in the history of sports. I like Bobby -- he was my favorite ballplayer to cover -- and Bobby Bonilla Day is sort of like his eternal flame. Published November 21, 2023
LOVERRO: Short week likely a lifeline for short-timer Rivera
The Commanders rewarded those Giants fans who made the trek to Landover Sunday by coughing up three interceptions and three lost fumbles, and making practice squad quarterback Jersey Tommy Devito look like Eli Manning playing the Patriots. Published November 19, 2023
LOVERRO: For Washington fans, MVP-level performances few, far between
For sports fans, that moment of seeing a hometown hero honored as a league MVP can be the icing on the cake of a great year, or, in some cases, a frustrating reminder of missed opportunities. Either way, it's not the kind of moment that Washington-area fans -- especially baseball fans -- have a lot of familiarity with. Published November 16, 2023
LOVERRO: Of course Howell’s performance raises questions about Rivera’s roster
The quarterback was the missing piece, all that was between the Commanders and winning. At least, that's what we were told. Published November 13, 2023
Tom Brady brand takes a hit as cryptocurrency case unfolds in Florida
The seven-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer was an "ambassador" for Bankman-Fried's company and did television commercials promoting FTX as the "most trusted" outfit in the wild world of crypto. Published November 9, 2023
LOVERRO: Ovechkin without Backstrom is uncharted territory
Alex Ovechkin was crestfallen when he learned that his good friend and longtime Washington Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom would be stepping away from the team. Published November 7, 2023
LOVERRO: Howell’s surprising emergence providing Rivera some cover. He needs it.
Howell certainly gave those desperate for "the" quarterback to feel definite about it with his performance Sunday in Washington's 20-17 win over the New England Patriots. Published November 6, 2023
LOVERRO: Unfulfilled promise of Chase Young epitomizes franchise’s futility
The Commanders, with a couple of moves that indicate new owner Josh Harris has big changes in mind, let Chase Young go for a third-round 2024 draft choice after dealing fellow defensive end Montez Sweat -- who was also in the last year of his contract -- to the Chicago Bears for a second-rounder. Published November 1, 2023
LOVERRO: Howard was a baseball inspiration when hope was hard to come by
Howard stood taller than his 6-foot-7-inch frame as a baseball icon in a town with a desolate baseball history and not much to celebrate for many years -- losing and losing, not just baseball games, but entire teams. Published October 31, 2023
LOVERRO: Loss to Eagles shows what Commanders are missing on sidelines
Eric Bieniemy created a game plan that allowed Howell to get rid of the ball quickly in a shorter, less ambitious, passing game, and the 23-year-old quarterback made the most of it, completing 39 passes for 397 yards, four touchdowns and one costly interception that led to an Eagles touchdown. Published October 29, 2023
LOVERRO: City’s crime wave puts a damper on Wizards’ opening night party
These days, downtown Washington and the location surrounding Capital One Arena are no longer an urban revival model to be celebrated. Published October 26, 2023
