Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
Dusty Baker’s ouster came from the top
Firing Dusty Baker was an ownership decision, Thom Loverro says. At what point will general manager Mike Rizzo stop taking the public lumps for them? Published October 20, 2017
To be a fan in D.C. is to embrace heartache
It was a subdued crowd, but who would expect much more from the seventh game of an 82-game schedule that no one should expect to lead to anything -- other than, perhaps, something like a 9-8 Game 5 loss to the Cubs. A 115-105 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics. A 19-10 season-ending loss to the New York Giants. Or, of course, a 2-0 Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Published October 19, 2017
LOVERRO: The gangster, the gamble and the horse that paid off
One hundred years ago Wednesday, Oct. 18, gangster Arnold Rothstein made perhaps his biggest score ever at Laurel Race Course in Maryland in what was one of the most celebrated horse races to date. Published October 17, 2017
Sunday’s game adds to Shanahan’s case for Cousins
Here's Kyle Shanahan's case for Kirk Cousins to come play for him next season: "Kirk, I nearly just beat your heavily favored team on the road with a kid fresh out of college who had barely stepped on an NFL football field. Imagine what the two of us can do together." Published October 15, 2017
LOVERRO: Meltdown all-too-familiar for Washington fans
It was a $230 million Scott Boras meltdown production, as his two clients, Scherzer and Wieters, combined for a series of plays that I might say was a comedy of errors, but there was nothing funny about it Published October 13, 2017
Solve crisis by taking players out of the patriotism business
Whatever the reasons were for the NFL and the Defense Department to get into the patriotism business together, those reasons have been drowned by the debate over players kneeling in protest during the playing of the national anthem before the start of NFL games. Published October 12, 2017
Stephen Strasburg’s legacy on line now
This could be the ugliest Washington Nationals postseason exit yet, and that's saying something. Published October 10, 2017
Laurene Powell Jobs and the sound of change
Monumental Sports -- owners of the Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, Capital One Arena and numerous other assets of note -- had a new investor. Not just another investor -- but a rock star, someone with deep pockets. Published October 10, 2017
LOVERRO: Nationals make case for old-school baseball
But if you listened closely enough, you heard cheers for the Nationals Saturday from those around the country in the baseball industry who make their living in hotel rooms at Super 8s and Rodeway Inns, in places like Bozeman, Montana, and Clayton, Alabama. Published October 8, 2017
LOVERRO: Harper jolts flatlining Nationals back to life
On his fourth at-bat Saturday against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, Bryce Harper showed everyone how important it could be. Published October 7, 2017
LOVERRO: Nationals waste a Strasburg gem
It was fun at Nationals Park, and then it wasn't. This was Nationals crowd that came to play -- the stands were surprisingly devoid of large amounts of Cubs fans -- and with each Stephen Strasburg strikeout, the energy grew. Published October 6, 2017
LOVERRO: Two aces should be enough to win this hand
Since 2014, Stephen Strasburg has had to live with one game of postseason futility. Published October 5, 2017
Cooper Cousins, your dad almost willed you a win
Cooper, your daddy Kirk Cousins tried real hard to give you a win to remember for your birthday. He played great, trust me. Your uncles, though, they let you down. Published October 3, 2017
Dusty Baker’s extension should be simple, Nationals
Is there any scenario in which Dusty Baker is in the final days as the Nationals manager? Of course there is -- if you consider the track record of the Nationals owners when it comes to how much they value their managers. Published October 1, 2017
LOVERRO: NFL has alienated fans on all sides
The eyes have left the prize, and the debate is off the rails. It's being called the "anthem" protest by much of the media, and the message that Colin Kaepernick said he was trying to deliver -- protesting injustice, racism, police brutality -- has been buried. Published September 28, 2017
Kirk Cousins playing like a quarterback with options
If Kirk Cousins was going to have the best game of his NFL career, he picked a symbolically important game. Published September 26, 2017
Jay Gruden, Redskins hit all their shots Sunday night
Remember the consternation after a loss in the home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles? None of that was around following Sunday night's dismantling of the Oakland Raiders. Published September 25, 2017
Donald Trump divisive? He’s united NFL players, owners
Fire players for taking a knee? Well, none of the owners was planning to do that. But if they were, they won't be now. President Trump took what was a nice little manageable controversy for the league and turned into into a full-blown public relations inferno. Published September 24, 2017
Robert Griffin III, ever the narcissist
We didn't need Santana Moss to tell us that Robert Griffin III gloated about his role in the firing of Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan four years ago. RG3 left a long trail of narcissistic evidence behind that made the case before Moss. Published September 21, 2017
Chris Thompson’s Cousins connection goes back to Shanahan
Chris Thompson's connection with Kirk Cousins began in the early days of their careers, taking on the thankless task of running scout teams for former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. Published September 19, 2017
