Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: NFL is waiting for a smoking gun that’s sitting in plain sight
In all the talk about what it would take to perform the public service of ridding Skipper Dan the Sailing Man from the lives of battered Washington Commanders fans, the speculation has always been about needing a smoking gun. Published October 27, 2022
LOVERRO: Win over the Packers won’t free a fan base imprisoned by ineptitude
It's hard to find peace in the team's cursed home, even on a day that the Commanders (3-4) pull out a 23-21 win over the Green Bay Packers for the lowliest two-game win streak (12-7 win over Chicago two weeks ago) you might ever see. Published October 23, 2022
LOVERRO: Dragging down the NFL’s bottom line? That’s one Snyder sin the owners will not forgive
If the NFL is a "mafia," as Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder reportedly referred to it, then Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay's declaration that kicking Skipper Dan out deserves "serious consideration" was a Corleone family kiss on the lips. Published October 19, 2022
LOVERRO: Food for thought, goals for the soul and Ovechkin’s blue-plate special
Alex Ovechkin is the constant that calms the acid reflux in the stomachs of Washington sports fans. As long as he remains on the ice in Washington, there is a level of respect and competitiveness that makes the world all right -- even if the real world itself is a nightmare. Published October 17, 2022
LOVERRO: Damning new report puts focus on Skipper Dan’s naughty list
"The NFL," Snyder reportedly told an associate, "is a mafia." No, Skipper Dan. The NFL is not a "mafia." If it were a mafia, the Washington Commanders owner would be in a hole in the Nevada desert by now. Or a New Jersey landfill. Published October 13, 2022
LOVERRO: Eventually Rivera will have to look in the mirror for answers to team’s failures
What was funny about the latest predicament that Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera found himself embroiled in -- and, let's face it, this franchise is a Don Rickles stand-up routine 24/7 -- was that it didn't happen as a result of one of his wordy, drawn-out answers to a press conference question. It happened because he gave a one-word answer: "Quarterback." Published October 11, 2022
LOVERRO: Snyder’s offseason promises look emptier with every loss. Is anyone surprised?
Instead of the regular column, a postgame email from Thom Loverro to John Mooney, managing director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, after the Washington Commanders' loss to the Tennessee Titans. Published October 9, 2022
LOVERRO: Nice clubhouse chemistry, but Nationals sorely lacking talent
It turned out their chemistry was fine. By 107 team loss standards, it was a good clubhouse. What they were missing was, as the former Nationals manager Davey Johnson used to say, players "expressing their talents." There wasn't much expression. The reality is almost nothing went right this past season. Published October 6, 2022
LOVERRO: Snyder’s cozying up to Jones sends defiant message to NFL
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder flew to Dallas Sunday morning on one of his private jets with a mission in mind. It was to get a photo on the field at AT&T Stadium with powerful Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Published October 3, 2022
LOVERRO: Late father is a ‘hard voice to replace’ in boxer’s corner
The late Buddy Harrison was going to be in his son Dusty Hernandez-Harrison's corner Saturday night before it got unexpectedly postponed. "He will be a hard voice to replace," Dusty said. You would need a choir to replace the voice of Buddy Harrison. Published September 29, 2022
LOVERRO: Commanders’ shiny new rebrand sustains a few dings in ugly loss to Eagles
They keep telling us the new Washington Commanders brand stands for a franchise on the upswing. But on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles takeover at Ghost Town Field just felt lik more of the same. Published September 25, 2022
LOVERRO: From D.C. sandlots to MVP, Maury Wills changed baseball for the better
Maury Wills, who died this week at 89, came out of the District as maybe the greatest athlete from this city who impacted the game of baseball when he set the basepaths on fire as a record-setting Most Valuable Player for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Published September 22, 2022
LOVERRO: Commanders’ open criticism is new ground for Rivera
Unlike in coach Ron Rivera's first two seasons, safety Darrick Forrest's comment came during the postgame locker room media availability Sunday -- a practice that wasn't allowed by the NFL in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Published September 19, 2022
LOVERRO: New QB, new optimism and maybe even a new era of football
Wentz threw two dramatic fourth-quarter touchdown passes to lead his team to a 28-22 victory in the Commanders' inaugural performance and sent the raucous crowd home happy and perhaps hopeful. Published September 11, 2022
LOVERRO: Winning on the field is one way to turn down the noise around Commanders
The Washington Commanders have so many "Ghosts of Christmas Past" investigating the franchise that they could haunt a house the size of Skipper Dan Snyder's mansion. Published September 7, 2022
LOVERRO: Taking cash for beatdowns ain’t much of a living, HBCUs
Historically black colleges and universities are popping up on big-time college football program schedules for all the wrong reasons. Published September 5, 2022
LOVERRO: No excellence in Hall of Fame award if it’s not given to or named for Petitbon
This "Awards of Excellence" honor though speaks exactly to Richie Petitbon's credentials. It's as if the award was created for him -- ergo, my question is why it wasn't named after Petitbon. Published September 1, 2022
LOVERRO: An honor long overdue from a franchise that, these days, doesn’t have a clue
The Washington Commanders announced they are going to retire Hall of Fame and franchise legend Sonny Jurgensen's famous No. 9 jersey. Published August 25, 2022
LOVERRO: Prince George’s Valor owner absorbing hits, but still taking her best shots
After two years of game cancellations and postponements, struggling through COVID-19, LaDonna Smith is about to enter a new season as owner of the minor league basketball franchise. She has survived a pandemic, coaches and roster turnover and different venues -- and outlasted a list of those she believes tried to put her out of business. Published August 24, 2022
LOVERRO: Passion and purpose meet in the sneaker resale market
Sneaker Con -- the celebration of resale sneakers -- is a world that grew out of the generation of youths enamored with Michael Jordan and his Air Jordans in 1985. That was almost 40 years ago, and that generation and others will gather this weekend in Washington to share their passion and their money. Published August 18, 2022
