Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Rodriguez shows Bonds, Clemens how rebranding a cheater is done
To reinvent himself as a sympathetic, all-around nice guy -- instead of one of the biggest cheaters in baseball history -- Alex Rodriguez needs some help from the media. And he's getting it. Published November 25, 2021
LOVERRO: Teammates share Heinicke’s swagger, and now fans are feeling it, too
The former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi once told me the quarterback you want is the guy who, when he gets on the team bus, everyone else believes they have a chance to win that day because of him. Rivera was telling you Heinicke's teammates feel that way about him. Published November 22, 2021
LOVERRO: Smart, hard-working Wizards team a reflection of Sheppard
Villanova Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright knew that Tommy Sheppard had a bright future in basketball when the two met while Wright was on Rollie Massimino's staff at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the early 1990s. Published November 18, 2021
Maybe coach Ron Rivera is right about Taylor Heinicke
It would have been easy to make the change, and no one would have blamed the coach. But Rivera stuck with Heinicke, and his faith paid off. Now Heinicke likely has the rest of the season to convince people that he could be the quarterback of the future for this team -- not that he is, but that he could be. Published November 15, 2021
LOVERRO: Two rival cities mourn the great Sam Huff
When Sam Huff played, he was justice -- the judge and jury. And when he called Washington football games, he was the prosecutor and defense attorney for what he saw on the field. And fans loved him for it. Published November 14, 2021
LOVERRO: Young could use his own season-changing, career-correcting ‘You like that!’ moment
If anyone ever needed a Kirk Cousins-style "You like that!" game, it is Chase Young on Sunday. Published November 11, 2021
LOVERRO: Rivera may not have all the answers, but he’s definitely got all the questions
Ron Rivera loves asking himself some Ron Rivera questions -- and then answering them. Published November 7, 2021
LOVERRO: Lerners, Nationals can’t afford to waste another year with Soto
There is a feeling that, with pitching prospects like Cole Henry and Cade Cavalli, and the development of young players acquired at the trade deadline like pitcher Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz, that GM Mike Rizzo's "reboot" will start paying dividends in 2023. Not good enough. Published November 4, 2021
LOVERRO: Renaming franchise at this point solves nothing
If it was just the bad football, that would be enough of a burden for Washington Football Team fans. There is certainly enough of that to go around. Just look at Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Broncos - bad offense, bad coaching, bad outcomes. Published November 1, 2021
LOVERRO: Goodell, Manfred in a race to the gutter
We saw the worst of American sports this week. We saw the leaders of the country's two most popular leagues -- football and baseball -- square off in a competition over who could be more arrogant, who could tell the biggest fib with a straight face. A fraud-off, if you will. Published October 28, 2021
LOVERRO: Heinicke hasn’t done enough to keep Rivera’s preferred quarterback on bench
We are getting close to Kyle Allen time. That should make Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera happy. Published October 25, 2021
LOVERRO: Lanier’s voice conspicuously absent from Washington Football Team sex-harassment scandal
Two instances of sexual harassment against two different women in two different workplaces. You might think there would be a connection between the two victims of sympathy and support. Published October 21, 2021
LOVERRO: Dear Bruce, your shadow is still a dark cloud over this franchise
Enough of the game. They lost. They're 2-4 and about to travel to Green Bay to face the Packers. Nothing new to you, right, Bruce? Your teams had a 62-97-1 record while you were here. Losing on the field? Old hat. Published October 17, 2021
LOVERRO: Ovechkin stands alone in city once awash with sports icons
The sight of Ovechkin on the ice in a Capitals uniform Wednesday night is perhaps the lone anchor of security for Washington sports fans. We were once awash in celebrated sports heroes. Now there is only Ovechkin. Published October 14, 2021
LOVERRO: It’s high time Goodell and the NFL came clean on Snyder, Allen
The Gruden revelations just raise more concerns that the league is covering up embarrassing information that could further damage Snyder. What is in the rest of those emails? Published October 12, 2021
Rivera’s culture change dream hits Washington reality
When the news broke that the DEA had raided the Washington Football Team's headquarters in Ashburn in connection to a federal probe involving team trainer Ryan Vermillion, the organization issued a statement that said the trainer was placed on administrative leave "due to an ongoing criminal investigation that is unrelated to the team." Published October 10, 2021
LOVERRO: Amazon telecast just another sign Bezos’ tentacles are all over NFL
The commitment to Amazon is a big step for the league, devoting one of its prime-time broadcasts solely to a streaming site. It is also another step in the relationship between the NFL and one of the most powerful men in the world -- Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. But he already has more influence in NFL business than any of the 32 franchise owners. Published October 6, 2021
LOVERRO: Rivera needs to accelerate progress, or last season’s division title was an illusion
Ron Rivera took a step in the right direction in that first year by winning the NFC East, exceeding expectations. But it was, and remains, important for him to at least meet expectations in this second season, if not exceed them, to deal with the stuff that comes along. Published October 4, 2021
LOVERRO: A half-century ago, the lights went out on baseball in Washington
Fifty years ago, on Sept. 30, 1971, Dick Bosman took the mound to preside over a wake. Washington baseball fans had gathered at RFK Stadium to say their goodbyes to the second incarnation of the dying Senators, who would be resurrected the following year in a Texas cowtown called Arlington -- a suburb of the bigger cowtown of Dallas. Published September 29, 2021
LOVERRO: An unexpected detour on the road to superstardom
Chase Young seems like a decent, smart young man who may have too many demands around him, demands he may have welcomed. Published September 27, 2021
