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Thom Loverro

Thom Loverro

tloverro@washingtontimes.com

Thom Loverro has been a professional journalist since 1977, working for a number of newspapers, including eight years as a news editor and reporter for The Baltimore Sun, where he covered government, politics, and crime. He moved into sports writing when he joined The Washington Times in 1992. He moved to The Washington Examiner as a sports columnist in 2009 and returned to The Washington Times in 2013, where he is currently the lead sports columnist.

Columns by Thom Loverro

Nationals owner Mark Lerner (left) has presided over the decisions to not bring back Dusty Baker as well as last month's move to honor the recently-arrested Jayson Werth. (Associated PRess)

Lerners’ arrogance is Nationals’ way of doing business

If you want to do an autopsy on the Washington Nationals' disappointing 2018 season, you don't need to be a coroner. The cause of death is easy enough to spot -- just take another look at the line of Lerners sitting in the front row last Nov. 1 at the Nationals' press conference to introduce new manager Dave Martinez.

October 2, 2018
Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, left, speaks with center fielder Adam Jones after a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Baltimore. Baltimore won 4-0. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Major League Baseball needs an Orioles franchise that works

Inevitably, the disease rooted in the B&O Warehouse was too strong to resist. And now you have the infected 115-loss Baltimore Orioles of 2018, and the widespread speculation that Showalter, whose contract is up, won't be retained.

September 30, 2018
As the NFL places more emphasis on safety, players like Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews may have to change how they tackle the quarterback. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

For NFL players, a safer game ought to be an easier sell

The NFL won't reverse course. No, this dramatic change in the way the game is played on the field is where the game and -- more importantly -- the business are going. This is the new world order of the NFL. Get used to it.

September 25, 2018
Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was steady in Washington's victory on Sunday, while friend and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was hampered by an injury. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Alex Smith validates a victory for Bruce Allen on and off the field

It couldn't have been easy for the Prince of Darkness to watch as the organization brought in one know-it-all suit after another to take over his duties. But for one glorious Sunday, none of that mattered -- not the empty seats, nor the new ideas about begging fans to buy tickets and being, horror, transparent about the business. For once, on Sunday, Allen was winning on the field.

September 23, 2018
Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ** FILE **

Jay Gruden and search for elusive sense of urgency

It is the Holy Grail of sports that every coach or player is searching for, and perhaps nowhere is that search greater than in the locker rooms and clubhouses of Washington sports teams. The elusive "sense of urgency."

September 20, 2018
Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper sits in the dugout during the third inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Bryce Harper heads into last homestand of 2018

This final seven-game Washington Nationals homestand, starting Thursday night against the New York Mets, is something special -- it will likely be the last time fans get to see Bryce Harper, a player who has become a legend in this town, in a Nationals uniform.

September 18, 2018
Spectators watch the first half of an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. The half-century home sellout streak is over for the Washington Redskins. The announced attendance of 57,013 for Washington’s 21-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday was about 25,000 short of the 82,000 capacity listed in the team's 2018 media guide. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) ** FILE **

LOVERRO: Sellout streak falls along with Redskins

In the first half of the Washington Redskins home opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, the video board at FedEx Field urged hometown fans on with this: "We can't hear you." With all the empty seats in the building, they might have added, "We can't see you, either."

September 16, 2018
Washington Nationals' Juan Soto hits a two-run home run off Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jake Arrieta during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Juan Soto, Victor Robles are Rizzo’s proof

Their lockers are right next to each other in the Washington Nationals clubhouse -- Juan Soto and Victor Robles -- the twin towers of Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo's victory in the Dominican Republic.

September 4, 2018
This Aug. 1 2018 photo shows a board at Harrah's casino in Atlantic City, N.J., listing the odds on pro football games in the first week of the NFL season. Resorts casino will begin taking sports bets in person on Wednesday, Aug. 15, becoming the fifth Atlantic City casino to do so. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) ** FILE **

LOVERRO: Betting big on legalized sports gambling

If you live in Maryland, the District or Virginia, placing a perfectly legal bet on Saturday's Maryland-Texas game was just a short drive away. Betting on the Washington Redskins season? Just a matter of getting in your car and motoring over to Charles Town, West Virginia.

September 2, 2018