Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Nationals might be good enough to live up to expectations this time
We know Matt Williams can make the trains run on time. And we know he can come up with a daily quote to keep his players focused. We don't know if Williams can manage a team to a World Series championship. Published March 30, 2014
BASEBALL 2014: LOVERRO: Behold, MLB’s four kings
Bryce Harper knows who his peers are. He knows how he will be measured, perhaps for the rest of his major league career. Published March 27, 2014
LOVERRO: Behind Bobby Magruder, D.C. boxing scene lives on
Remarkably, kids are still showing up in boxing gyms in Maryland, Washington and Virginia looking to be the next Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. Or maybe even Bobby Magruder, a four-time Washington Golden Gloves champion who fought Sugar Ray Leonard three times as an amateur. Published March 27, 2014
LOVERRO: The NFL’s $45 million donation to USA Football seems like a desperation heave
The NFL threw a Hail Mary pass Monday when its charitable foundation donated a whopping $45 million to USA Football to expand the organization's Heads Up Football program that attempts to each a safer way to play the violent game. Published March 25, 2014
LOVERRO: With Klitschko brothers, boxing and politics intersect again
It may not carry the same weight it used to — at least in the United States, given the pathetic state of heavyweight boxing — but in Europe, and obviously in Ukraine, the power and influence of heavyweight champion goes beyond the ring. Published March 23, 2014
LOVERRO: If Mount Rushmore doesn’t float your boat, may I interest you in an ark?
The "Mount Rushmore" craze has gotten out of control. But I've been inspired by a new film — "Noah" — to create a new measurement of historical greatness. Published March 20, 2014
LOVERRO: Barry Bonds returns to baseball, but the asterisk remains
Bonds himself told reporters his stint as a spring training instructor was "baby steps" but he is available if the Giants need him for other duties — you know, maybe like a goodwill ambassador. Wouldn't that be rich. Published March 18, 2014
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
!["We have new ownership, and [Ted Leonsis'] mandate was to break it down and rebuild the team and do it through the draft," Wizards general manger Ernie Grunfeld said. (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)](https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2011/12/14/20111214-194330-pic-741861358_c0-126-3872-2382_s652x380.jpg?d8d47d3b8ed272e500a361db9818d3223d3c570d)
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
