Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Maryland in the Big Ten is not the same team as Maryland in the ACC
Did Baltimore football fans root for the Colts when they left Baltimore? Did Washington baseball fans root for the Rangers when the Senators moved to Texas? Then why would you root for the Big Ten Terrapins? Published March 16, 2014
LOVERRO: The Medlen and Strasburg situations prove only that there’s no right answer
If you saw the name Stephen Strasburg and the words “ligament damage” in a newspaper headline, critics of the national nightmare known as the “Strasburg shutdown” would be charging Nationals Park with pitchforks. They would be calling for general manager Mike Rizzo’s head. Published March 13, 2014
LOVERRO: Fans deserve answers about culpability for salary cap penalty
Like a prison tattoo, the Redskins will have $36 million attached to the franchise for years to remind everyone of the great injustice of the NFL punishment – because, in prison, everybody is innocent. Published March 11, 2014
LOVERRO: Forget standings, MVP battle between James and Durant is what to watch
The race between LeBron James and Kevin Durant for the NBA Most Valuable Player award seems to be the only one in the NBA this season worth watching, even though there is more than a month left in the season to determine such honors. Published March 9, 2014
LOVERRO: Caps’ trading activity done by a man confident he’ll be sticking around
George McPhee made a trade Wednesday that told Washington Capitals fans, "Hey, I'm not going anywhere." Published March 6, 2014
LOVERRO: Brian Orakpo is the Redskins’ franchise player? Poor guy
Not sure how much of an honor it is to be the franchise player of this franchise. After all, the last player to get such an honor in Washington was Fred Davis, and we know how that went. Davis went on to become the Fairfax County Police Department's franchise player as well. Published March 4, 2014
LOVERRO: For Matt Williams, it’s 99 percent inspiration, 1 percent conversation
There are all different kinds of quotes, and uses for them. The previous Washington Nationals manager, Davey Johnson, was quotable. His successor, Matt Williams, likes quotes. These are not the same thing. Published March 2, 2014
LOVERRO: Time for Nats to give Frank Robinson his due
Everyone is applauding Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter for making an Orioles minor leaguer who didn't know who Frank Robinson was write a report about the Hall of Famer. I think it's a great idea — so I am assigning the same lesson to the Lerner family. Published February 27, 2014
LOVERRO: FBI files add to mystery of Sonny Liston, but Ali’s legacy untarnished
What if Ali couldn't have beaten Liston? Most of the sports world believed the challenger had little chance. But maybe, given his speed and unique boxing skills, Ali could have beaten Liston, fixed fight or not. The questions surrounding the outcome, though, are greater because of these FBI documents. Published February 25, 2014
FBI suspected iconic 1964 Ali-Liston fight was rigged by mob
Fifty years ago today, Muhammad Ali "shocked the world" and beat one of the most fearsome fighters ever to put on a pair of boxing gloves, heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. But what if that storied fight was not what it seemed? Published February 24, 2014
LOVERRO: Ernie Grunfeld a master of cleaning up messes of his own making
Ernie Grunfeld did it again. The Wizards general manager used his shovel and broom to clean up his own mess. Published February 23, 2014
LOVERRO: Flirting with MLB will only bring Montreal heartbreak
I come not to bury Montreal. It's a city I fell in love with when I would go up there every September for about five years to write about the death of the Expos. But don't do this. Published February 20, 2014
LOVERRO: Independent sports investigations are latest cottage industry
It's a strange industry, a byproduct of the need for public trust and credibility in this fast-moving age of scandal, where information and evidence is disseminated so quickly, the cover up has been replaced by the clean up – the independent investigation. Published February 18, 2014
LOVERRO: The Nationals have gone from circus to a baseball team in a decade
It took a lot of faith to be a Nationals fans in those early days of spring training at Space Coast Stadium in the 321 area code – which, if you haven't figured it out yet, is final countdown for a rocket launch. Published February 16, 2014
LOVERRO: Pride of the Yankees? It very well could be Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter, who announced this would be his last season, represented the pride of the storied baseball franchise as well as any player ever did who wore the pinstripes. Published February 13, 2014
LOVERRO: Bud Selig’s parting gift should be convincing Jameis Winston to stick with baseball
This is what baseball commissioner Bud Selig needs to – go to Tallahassee, sit down with Jameis Winston, and explain to him the wisdom of choosing Major League Baseball as a career over the National Football League. Published February 11, 2014
LOVERRO: Alex Ovechkin vs. Team USA creates a rooting quandary for local fans
If you were a Washington hockey fan growing up as a kid in the 1980s, you, like many hockey kids around the country, may have had a poster of Jim Craig with the American flag draped around him hanging on your wall. Now kids here likely have an Ovechkin poster. They wear an Ovechkin jersey. Published February 9, 2014
LOVERRO: In many ways, Sochi is the perfect Olympics host city
The Winter Olympics open Thursday in Sochi, Russia, amidst tales of construction nightmares, toxic sludge, and stray dogs hiding in fear for their lives in the wake of the city's campaign to seek and exterminate the animals. Published February 6, 2014
LOVERRO: He’s no relic, but Jim Fassel sits at home while Jay Gruden gets his shot
You remember Fassel, don't you? He had one foot in the door to coach the Redskins not once, but twice. He won two UFL championships, beating not only Gruden but Jim Haslett the year before. Yet here is Jay Gruden, the guy who lost to Jim Fassel, with a five-year, $20 million NFL head coaching contract. Published February 4, 2014
LOVERRO: A Super Bowl ring stands out for quarterbacks when career evaluations are made
Being the quarterback of a Super Bowl champion is a crown like no other in sports. It can define their entire career, and elevate their status in the history of football for generations to come. Published February 2, 2014