Terry Pluto is an American sportswriter and newspaper columnist whose books cover baseball, basketball, and football, with a particular emphasis on Cleveland teams. He writes for The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com after working at the Akron Beacon Journal from 1985 to 2007. His career also includes regular commentary for Northeast Ohio public radio and a separate newspaper column about faith and everyday life.
Pluto’s books include oral histories, biographies, collaborative memoirs, and accounts of how professional teams operate. Loose Balls reconstructs the American Basketball Association, while his Cleveland books examine the Indians, Cavaliers, and Browns across several generations. Collaborations with Earl Weaver, Lenny Wilkens, Tony Kubek, and other sports figures provide firsthand perspectives on managing, playing, coaching, and broadcasting. His faith collections address family relationships, personal difficulties, and practical questions of belief.
Baseball Books
The Greatest Summer: The Remarkable Story of Jim Bouton's Comeback to Major League Baseball: Pluto’s first book tells the story of Jim Bouton’s return to major league baseball with the Atlanta Braves in 1978. Years after his previous major league appearance, the former Yankees pitcher attempted to revive his playing career. The account centers on an unusual late-career comeback by a player already widely known for his baseball writing. Published in 1979.
The Earl of Baltimore: The Story of Earl Weaver, Baltimore Orioles Manager: This biography examines Earl Weaver as manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Published during his first period leading the club, it presents the career of a manager associated with the Orioles’ sustained success. Its focus is Weaver himself and the Baltimore organization, providing a biographical companion to the later instructional book Weaver on Strategy, written with Pluto. Published in 1982.
Weaver on Strategy: The Classic Work on the Art of Managing a Baseball Team: Earl Weaver explains his approach to managing a baseball team in this collaboration with Pluto. The book addresses decisions about lineups, pitchers, player roles, and the balance between winning an individual game and managing an entire season. Weaver uses his experience with Baltimore to show how a manager evaluates the available players and makes practical competitive choices. Published in 1984.
A Baseball Winter: The Off-Season Life of the Summer Game: Pluto is one of five reporters contributing to this account of baseball between the end of the 1984 season and the opening of the next. The writers follow five organizations, including Cleveland, through the winter’s decisions. Their reporting examines the work of team executives, managers, players, and agents during a period when roster construction continues beyond the ballpark. Published in 1986.
The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump: Pluto examines Cleveland baseball during the losing decades of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The 1960 trade of Rocky Colavito supplies a starting point for stories about the decisions, players, and setbacks that shaped the franchise. Profiles of figures including Herb Score, Andre Thornton, and Joe Charboneau accompany an account of the frustrations experienced by its supporters. Published in 1994.
Burying the Curse: How the Indians Became the Best Team in Baseball: This follow-up to The Curse of Rocky Colavito turns from Cleveland’s long period of frustration to its emergence as a leading baseball team. Published in 1995, it concerns the reversal that accompanied the club’s return to championship contention. The focus is the successful Indians of that period and the change they represented for supporters accustomed to losing.
Our Tribe: A Baseball Memoir: This memoir explores Pluto’s relationship with his father through their shared attachment to Cleveland baseball. Memories of players and seasons run alongside the story of growing older, caring for an ill parent, and confronting loss. The book combines personal recollection with franchise history, showing how following the same team provided a continuing connection between father and son. Published in 1999.
Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame: Inside the Front Office and the Process of Rebuilding a Contender: Pluto examines Cleveland’s decision to replace an expensive, familiar roster with younger players and lower-cost alternatives. The account follows ownership and management under Larry Dolan and Mark Shapiro as they attempted to rebuild a contender within financial limits. Departures by popular stars and the results of the new plan are considered through reporting on the front office’s choices. Published in 2006.
Glory Days in Tribe Town: The Cleveland Indians and Jacobs Field 1994–1997: Pluto and broadcaster Tom Hamilton revisit Cleveland baseball during the opening years of Jacobs Field. The book follows the talented Indians teams that changed the franchise’s direction in the mid-1990s, combining memories of prominent players with the atmosphere around the new ballpark. The account focuses on the seasons from 1994 through 1997 and the excitement surrounding renewed championship contention. Published in 2014.
Sixty-One: The Team, the Record, the Men: Former Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek and Pluto revisit New York’s 1961 championship season. Roger Maris’s pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record, Mickey Mantle’s competing challenge, and Whitey Ford’s pitching success form part of the story. Kubek’s clubhouse perspective accompanies recollections of teammates and an account of what happened to the players in the years after that season. Published in 1987.
Basketball Books
Bull Session: An Up-Close Look at Michael Jordan and Courtside Stories About the Chicago Bulls: Johnny Kerr and Pluto examine Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls while also recounting Kerr’s own basketball career. The book combines observations about an emerging star with memories of playing, coaching, and broadcasting in the NBA. Kerr’s experiences as Chicago’s first head coach and a longtime observer of the team supply the background for its courtside stories. Published in 1989.
Forty-Eight Minutes: A Night in the Life of the NBA: Bob Ryan and Pluto concentrate on one game between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers to explain professional basketball in detail. Their account follows the action on the court and the developments surrounding it, extending to preparations and the aftermath. By slowing down a single night’s competition, the writers examine the decisions and individual contributions within an NBA game. Published in 1987.
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association: This oral history reconstructs the American Basketball Association through the recollections of players, coaches, owners, and other participants. Pluto follows the rival league’s unstable business operations, distinctive personalities, and influence on professional basketball. The narrative considers the competition with the NBA and the events leading to the merger that brought four ABA franchises into the older league. Published in 1990.
Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built Pro Basketball: Pluto uses interviews with players, coaches, and executives to reconstruct the NBA’s early decades. The recollections describe the working conditions, personalities, and competitive developments of a league that had not yet become a major entertainment business. The book examines professional basketball’s growth through the experiences of people who played the games and helped establish its teams. Published in 1992.
Unguarded: My Forty Years Surviving in the NBA: Lenny Wilkens recounts his experiences as an NBA player and coach in this memoir written with Pluto. The story follows a long career in professional basketball, including the challenges of race, leadership, and relationships within teams. Wilkens’s championship with Seattle forms part of a broader account of working in a league that changed substantially during his years in it. Published in 2000.
The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers: Pluto and Brian Windhorst follow the rebuilding of the Cavaliers around LeBron James after the 2003 draft. The book examines the expectations placed on a young star by the team, its ownership, sponsors, and Cleveland itself. Front-office decisions and roster construction accompany James’s development, showing how a struggling franchise attempted to become a championship contender around him. Published in 2007.
LeBron James: The Making of an MVP: Written with Brian Windhorst, this illustrated biography examines the experiences that shaped LeBron James before and during his first years with Cleveland. Reporting and interviews trace his childhood, high school prominence, NBA adjustment, and development as a leader. The account connects his personal background and work habits with the progress that brought him the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Published in 2009.
Vintage Cavs: A Warm Look Back at the Cavaliers of the 1970s, '80s and '90s: Pluto revisits the Cavaliers before the LeBron James era, recalling players, coaches, and arenas that shaped earlier generations of Cleveland basketball. Stories include Austin Carr, World B. Free, Mark Price, and Lenny Wilkens, along with the teams’ successes and setbacks. The Cleveland Arena and Richfield Coliseum provide the settings for memories of a franchise developing its identity. Published in 2020.
The Comeback: LeBron, the Cavs & Cleveland: How LeBron James Came Home and Brought a Championship to Cleveland: Pluto follows LeBron James’s return to Cleveland in 2014 and the Cavaliers’ progress toward the 2016 NBA championship. The narrative examines roster construction, coaching decisions, and the contributions of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. It culminates in Cleveland’s recovery from a three-games-to-one deficit against Golden State and the celebration that followed the city’s long-awaited major sports title.
Falling from Grace: Can Pro Basketball Be Saved?: Pluto examines problems he saw developing in professional basketball during the mid-1990s. Interviews with coaches, owners, players, officials, broadcasters, and executives inform his assessment of the NBA’s direction. The discussion considers playing standards, conduct, and commercial pressures, asking how a league that had recently enjoyed enormous popularity could address the issues affecting its games and public reputation. Published in 1995.
Tark: College Basketball's Winningest Coach: Jerry Tarkanian recounts his coaching career in this collaboration with Pluto. The account follows his work in California, including Long Beach State, and his move to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Recruiting, relationships with players, and conflict with the NCAA are central subjects, presenting Tarkanian’s perspective on the methods and controversies that accompanied his college basketball success. Published in 1988.
Football Books
Browns Town 1964: The Cleveland Browns and the 1964 Championship: Pluto reconstructs the Cleveland Browns’ 1964 championship season, following the team from training camp at Hiram College to its victory over Baltimore. Profiles of Jim Brown, Frank Ryan, Paul Warfield, and other players accompany the season narrative. First published as When All the World Was Browns Town, the book also examines the relationship between the team and Cleveland. Published in 1997.
False Start: How the New Browns Were Set Up to Fail: Pluto examines the circumstances surrounding the Cleveland Browns’ return to the NFL in 1999. He argues that the rules and timetable for rebuilding the franchise placed the new organization at a disadvantage, then considers the decisions that compounded those problems. The account connects league policy, front-office choices, and on-field results to the disappointment experienced by Cleveland supporters. Published in 2004.
Champions for Life: The Healing Power of a Father's Blessing: Former NFL player Bill Glass explores the influence of fathers and the importance of encouragement in this collaboration with Pluto. Drawing on his life and work in ministry, Glass discusses the effects of parental approval and its absence. The book connects personal experience, family relationships, and faith with his efforts to help others, including people reached through prison ministry. Published in 2005.
Things I've Learned from Watching the Browns: Pluto combines his own experiences with responses from Browns supporters to examine why people remain loyal to a frequently disappointing team. Memories of games and players accompany reflections on family traditions and the place of football in Cleveland. The book draws on fan accounts and former players’ recollections to explore the attachment that survives changes in fortunes and personnel. Published in 2010.
Vintage Browns: A Warm Look Back at the Browns of the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and More: This collection looks back at Browns figures and experiences from several decades of Cleveland football. Pluto profiles players and coaches including Doug Dieken, Ozzie Newsome, Bernie Kosar, and Marty Schottenheimer, combining career memories with personal stories. The book examines the people behind familiar names and the connections they maintained with teammates, the franchise, and its supporters over time. Published in 2021.
The Browns Blues: Two Decades of Utter Frustration: Why Everything Kept Going Wrong for the Cleveland Browns: This account follows the Browns from their 1999 return through the winless 2017 season. Pluto examines ownership, coaching, draft choices, and repeated changes at quarterback to explain the organization’s continued struggles. Fan contributions accompany the reporting, while the recurring cycle of optimism and rebuilding links the team’s internal decisions to the experience of supporting it from the stands. Published in 2018.
Why Can't This Team Just Find a Quarterback?: And Other Thoughts on Life in Browns Town: Pluto examines the Browns’ continued instability, concentrating on the years from 2014 through 2024 while looking back at earlier decisions. The search for a reliable quarterback connects discussions of drafting, trades, coaching, and front-office changes. Tim Couch, Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, and Deshaun Watson feature in an account of repeated setbacks and occasional reasons for optimism. Published in 2025.
Multi-sport Books
Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball: Stories from a Hall-of-Fame Sports Broadcasting Career: Joe Tait looks back on his broadcasting career in this collaboration with Pluto. Stories from Tait, players, fellow media members, and listeners recount the experiences behind a familiar voice in Cleveland sports. The book combines career highlights with personal recollections, giving an account of the relationships and working life that accompanied his many years describing games to an audience. Published in 2011.
The View from Pluto: Collected Sportswriting About Northeast Ohio: This collection gathers a decade of Pluto’s Akron Beacon Journal sports columns about Northeast Ohio. The subjects include Cleveland’s major professional teams, high school sports, and people whose experiences extend beyond the final score. The pieces show the range of his newspaper work, bringing together observations about competition, local loyalties, and the individuals involved in the region’s sports. Published in 2002.
Other Books
Everyday Faith: This collection brings together columns from the first three years of Pluto’s faith writing for the Akron Beacon Journal. He considers religious belief through the ordinary problems and ethical choices people encounter in daily life. The essays grew from his decision to write about spiritual matters alongside sports, using personal experience and practical questions as their starting point. Published in 2004.
Faith and You: Making Faith Work in Everyday Life: This collection, also available as Faith and You Volume 1, contains essays about applying religious belief to familiar situations. Pluto considers choosing a church, lending money, visiting someone who is sick, forgiveness, and other practical questions. Personal shortcomings and uncertainty are part of the discussion, which approaches faith through relationships and daily responsibilities rather than abstract theological argument. Published in 2005.
Faith and You Volume II: More Essays on Faith in Everyday Life: This second volume gathers more of Pluto’s newspaper essays about belief and everyday relationships. Topics include difficult family ties, unanswered prayers, insults, marriage, loss, and the uncertainty people bring to religion. The pieces address readers who value faith while also experiencing doubt or disappointment, using ordinary situations to consider how spiritual belief can provide perspective and support. Published in 2012.
The Guy with the Sign: Thoughts on Faith in Everyday Life: Pluto draws from his faith columns for The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com to address personal difficulties faced by readers and their families. The essays consider addiction, cancer, loneliness, bereavement, troubled adult children, and nursing-home life. Their emphasis is on the practical and emotional experiences of ordinary people and the role faith can play in responding to hardship. Published in 2023.